It's so grand...

We enjoyed our time at the Grand Canyon so much!  We spent two nights there, and loved our little cabin with one blue door and one green door.  :) The rim of the canyon was just steps away, so the view was amazing.

                                                                      

Sharon and Tim had been in Phoenix for Caroline's graduation, so they joined us on Friday.  We had so much fun hanging out together for a whole day in such an amazing place!

Today we spent the morning riding the shuttle and hiking from point to point along Hermit's Rest Road, and we saw some gorgeous views.

   

And ten of these guys standing in the trees... 

Tomorrow we plan to go to the Hoover Dam and Lake Mead area.

Woo Hoo!

Bucket list

On the way to the Grand Canyon yesterday, we stopped near Page, Arizona to see Antelope Canyon. It's been on my bucket list since the last time we were in Page about 12 years ago and didn't get to go.  Antelope Canyon is a slot canyon on Navajo land, and you're required to have a Navajo guide to go in it.  We rode 3 1/2 bumpy miles on the back of a pickup truck up a sandy wash to get there. Fun! And it was so beautiful and interesting...

Antelope Canyon was definitely worth the stop.  

Now we're having a wonderful time at the Grand Canyon!  Photos soon...

Awesome hiking

The weather forecast for today was iffy, with the
possibility of high winds and rain, so we hiked several shorter trails so we could get back to the car faster if needed. Flash floods are a real threat here because the canyon is so narrow in many places that the water rises really quickly.  Not something we wanted to risk!  There are warning signs about it everywhere.


This part of the canyon, in fact, is called The Narrows.

                                This ^ is not either of us, in case you were wondering.  :)

Tomorrow morning, we'll head to the Grand Canyon, with stops along the way.  We love this part of the country!

Smooth flight, beautiful day

All went well today with our flight to Las Vegas.  Of course Art got pulled out of the airport security line, but that's the norm for him.  It happens every time we fly.  This time they tested his hands for evidence of explosives.  It's pretty much a joke with us now - I just breeze through the line and wait for him, trying not to laugh.

Only in Las Vegas - Slot machines in the car rental center...

We drove to Springdale, Utah to visit Zion National Park for a couple of days.  The view from our little motel...

A nice drive through the park, and a short hike at sunset.  Beautiful...

Tomorrow we hope to hike most of the day!

We're ready!

We fly at 7:30 on Tuesday morning and we're all packed and ready!  Hopefully, there won't be any delays because of the predicted bad weather. It's looking nice so far for Nevada, Utah, and Arizona during the time we'll be there.

Beginning March 31st, our address will be:

Pu'u Kahea Conference Center
85-199 Ala Hema St.
Waianae, HI  96792

Office phone there:  808-679-5515

And of course, we'll have our phones and computer, so please stay in touch!

One week away...

We're leaving to go on our big trip very soon, and it's getting really exciting around here!  We haven't been on a trip before that lasted 5 weeks, and wow...there's a lot to think about.  Here's the plan:

March 25 - Fly to Las Vegas, grab a rental car, and head to Zion National Park in Utah.  Stay 2 nights in nearby Springdale.

March 27- Drive to the Grand Canyon.  Stay 2 nights in a little cabin on the rim!

March 29- Drive back toward Las Vegas, stopping at various sights along the way.  Not sure yet where we'll spend the night.

March 30- Back in LV, spend the night near the airport to be ready for our early flight.

March 31- Fly to Hawaii.  Volunteer and live at Pu'u Kahea Conference Center for the month of April.  (pkcc.org)  Back home to NC on April 28.

And the start of this grand adventure is only a week away. Tick tock!