Desert Oasis: Part 2

The wonders of the Grand Canyon cannot be adequately represented in symbols of speech, nor by speech itself. The resources of the graphic art are taxed beyond their powers in attempting to portray its features. Language and illustration combined must fail. ~ John Wesley Powell

(With that in mind...take this post with a grain of salt and my recommendation to put a visit on your Bucket List!)

On Day 4 of our trip we loaded up the rental car and headed north through Flagstaff and along Route 66 to enter the Grand Canyon through the Eastern Gate.

Most visitors come through the Southern Gate, so we avoided the crowds and drove through a Navajo reservation for much of the journey.

There was a lot of this on the drive. I was a great wife and stayed awake the whole time. Promise.

At this point I'm practically peeing in my pants.

Both from excitement and the long drive with no potty breaks.

We're in!

My first glimpse....

A mini-hike down the Canyon for a quiet lunch

Home sweet home for the next 24 hours

Hands down the best date night in years

Sunset drinks and dinner at El Tovar - the only hotel with these views right on the rim.

Where else can you get white tablecloth dining and then camp out for the night? Heaven on earth!

Day 6

Up early to catch the sunrise and get two different hikes in.

First hike - the South Kaibab Trail with Ranger Pam.

1.5 miles down....and then back up.

Hike #2 - the Bright Angel Trail, the most popular trail in the park. All these trails were originally built for mining back when folks were sure there was gold somewhere out there.

Day 7 was a restful day back in Sedona.

We hiked in this beautiful canyon, treated ourselves to massages and jumped the red-eye home to the Squirt. : )

It was so choice.

If you have the means, I highly recommend a visit.