Day 4 - Grand Canyon

Saturday 7^th May

Mum got a message first thing, confirming that the North Rim access road was shut. Determined to see the Grand Canyon we googled how long it would take to the south rim (4 hours each way) With nothing else planned we decide to take the opportunity and go for it.

Stopping on the way:

It was WELL worth it…

 

We stopped at the Visitors Centre to get on the shuttle bus...Unfortunately this was one of the worst weather days, so we didn’t stay on the shuttle route for very long. It was freezing and felt like there was snow in the air.

On the way I was worried that i'd be disappointed, but I can't even explain how GRAND it was, it was absolutely amazing!

We stopped at Page on the way back out of Arizona to try some American Mc Donalds (not worth it), and made it back to Kanab about 10pm.

This would be Edith’s Aussie birthday so now she can claim she was at the Grand Canyon for it.

Some wildlife we saw on the way out:

Day 3 - Zion's Canyon

Friday 6^th May

Toby enjoyed driving through the tunnels as we headed through the park to the other side in Springdale where we would stop and catch the shuttle into the park. Because we had been calling it a Park Toby asked for swings the entire time.

It was beautiful:

We caught the shuttle to the patriachs and weeping rock. It was difficult to do walks of any great length with the Children but it was enjoyable and very scenic none the less.

While the kids slept in the car on the way back to Kanab Hayden and I were able to stop and do the Canyon Overlook Trail. It was recommended for children but with sheer drops I’m glad we didn’t take Toby. The views were beautiful:

We had Pizza for tea and looked into whether our North Rim excursion the following day would be possible.

Day 2 - Road Trip Begins

Thursday 5^th May

We were slower out the door than we would have liked as we headed off on our road trip. It was a great opportunity for Hayden to get a feel for driving in America without inner city pressure.

We were heading south – south-east for Kanab. We stopped at Filmore for lunch at a rest stop and then again at Cove Fort for a look:

This place was built entirely of lava found in the area by President Hinkley’s ancestors. It was a refuge for travellers amidst the wars that were happening with and between the native American Indians.

We headed further south to Cedar City before heading East past Cedar Breaks National Monument. It was snowing at the summit and the scenery was beautiful. 

We finally arrived in Kanab at the Holiday inn Express. We headed out for some authentic Mexican for dinner, turned out it was some kind of special holiday and they had a jumping castle at the restaurant that Toby loved.

Day 1 - Family Trip to Utah

Wednesday 4^th May

After finally getting up in a fog of dizzy tiredness we headed off to find the 3^rd floor of the Joseph Smith Memorial Building and find mum. She took us on a tour of her floor and a bit of the building, we got to meet Sis Williams and a few others. 

The chapel in the JSMB where Mum's ward meets... so beautiful!

We went downstairs to the family history centre and Toby played while Hayden and I had a go in their interactive room, it was fun finding out about our heritage and it was a great personalised experience:

Then Mum took us down through the underground carpark to the COB for lunch. Toby ended up wetting himself for the FIRST time ever while out and about so we had to make our stay brief and head home. After we cleaned him up we headed to City Creek for a wander (We discovered a dinosaur play area) and had dinner at the Cheesecake Factory.

That night Hayden and I headed off for his second drive in America to go find a Walmart and get some supplies for our roadtrip. Walmart was massive, like a Big W and supermarket combined with a bit of Bunnings as well. Needless to say we spent a long time trying to locate the drink bottles we needed and headed to bed quite late that night.

The short walk from Mum's across the road to Temple Square