The Grand Canyon and Beyond

---

It was lovely to wake up in Grand Canyon National Park. No driving. No parking. We got up early (6:30ish) and walked up to the bus stop at the beginning of Hermit's Rest Road. For most of our time out to Hermit's Rest, there were very few people. At most of the stops, there were very few people. It was so nice, and so different, to be there with such quiet (aside from our boys) and space. We didn't get up for sunrise, which was at about 5:12 local time, but the shadows and colors were still quite good for most of our time. We stopped at most of the viewpoints, took many photos, and call it a day in time to check out of the lodge. Cole and I stopped to shop one last time, and were thrilled to see not one, but two, California condors! They are very impressive birds.

The rest of the day was pretty tame. We drove to Williams and then drove old Route 66 to Kingman, stopping for a few caches along the way, but not many given the heat. It's been a few days since we saw any really classic memorabilia, so it was nice to see some along the way. We checked in to our hotel in Kingman mid-afternoon. Dad and the boys went swimming; Mom and I went shopping. She and I spent nearly identical amounts, but hers was in a quilt shop and mine was at The Spinster. I bought the coolest sock yarn and can't wait to start, but my needles are currently on another pair. 😞

- - - - -

Miles: 200
Highest Gas Price: ?
Low Temperature: 45 (Grand Canyon, AZ)
High Temperature: 107 (Kingman, AZ)

Conversation of the Day:
L: Holy Toledo!
C: Holy macaroni!
K: Holy Roman Emperor.
C: What? / J: Which one?

Geocaches Found: 13
New License Plate States Seen: ?
Projects Completed: 0

We learned peregrine falcons can fly at 242 miles/hour, leatherback sea turtles can swim at 35 miles/hour and a black mamba can move at 23 miles/hour.
We forgot just how hot it is in Arizona in the summer.

---

Photos

Maswik Lodge Cabins
Yes, this is a strange photo. But Jeff and I have a tradition of propping the camera wherever I can and taking a self-timed photo. This is what we got.