Today was one of the most enjoyable on our trip so far! We got into our rented van this morning and left our little Wig Wam for Northern Arizona and a little natural wonder called the Grand Canyon.
Grand Canyon, Mathers Point
Wow! What an amazing sight! I know it sounds trite, but neither words nor pictures can really express the grandeur of this place. We began our adventure with a very good Imax movie that explained much of the history of the canyon, then spent most of the day on the South Rim of the canyon driving and walking to various vantage points, taking pictures, and moving on.
Family portrait!
We ended up at Desert View Point where we were able to climb an historic watchtower for some spectacular views of the canyon and the Colorado River.
The boys at Lookout Studio
Grand Canyon, Desert View
Once we were finished at the canyon, we drove about 30 miles to Cameron, AZ to our lodging for the evening at the Cameron Trading Post. The original trading post was established in 1916 and is currently a center for Southwest Art. We had dinner this evening in the Trading Post dining room, and what a dinner it was! We all enjoyed our meals very much, but the real story was Jared. Our growing 15-year-old has spent much of the last few days wondering where his next meal was to come from. At dinner this evening, both he and Susan ordered something called the “Navajo Taco.” It was an oblong piece of Navajo fry bread about 12 inches long covered with beef, beans, cheese, lettuce and tomato. It was very, very good, but if you ever visit the Cameron Trading Post and get one, get the “mini” one or share! Susan and Jared both agreed that it was a never-ending taco. Susan couldn’t finish hers and even Jared left a third of his on his plate, something that rarely, if ever, happens! To be fair, Colin and I left part of our meals, too; Colin had an open-faced chili-cheese burger and I had a version of the above taco called “Navajo Hot Beef.” It was the same fry bread with sliced beef, brown gravy, green chiles, and onions. Yum! Highly recommended, but make sure you are hungry! The portions were huge!
That’s it for today! Tomorrow we are visiting Canyon Lands and the Arches National Monument, then a hop across the border into Fruita, CO for the night! Adios for now!
-David
Tags: Grand Canyon, Out West, vacation
