We Went for a Walk

Today we took Ryder for a walk... not just any walk... a walk of a lifetime! Ryder might not have known it at the time, but it was probably of the best walks he'll ever go on!

We Walked Here!

Derrik and I made the decision Thursday night that after we hit the dog track up Friday afternoon that we'd make the three and a half hour drive up to the Grand Canyon so we could spend the day there Saturday. We weren't really sure what to expect because we aren't big nature people, and we had a thirteen month old tagging along. We decided to attempt it anyhow. We can't live three and a half hours from such an amazing part of our country and not go see it!

We did the first two and a half hours of the trip last night. About half way into the trip Derrik decided he wanted Cracker Barrel for dinner so I looked it up on my maps application on my phone and realized the closest one was in Sedona! It was a little out of the way, but i've been dying to go to Sedona so we figured it would be a good chance to scope out the area real quick, get some food, and be on our way. It was literally the most gorgeous place I have EVER seen! I wish I had some pictures, but it was just past sunset and all of my attempts at pictures kept coming out black. Take my word for it though... GORGEOUS! For those of you that don't know... Sedona is where the Red Rocks are. Google it if your curious :) We WILL be back there!

We stayed at a pretty decent hotel an hour away from the Grand Canyon. Ryder did ok sleeping. He was a really good boy and fell right to sleep, but just tossed and turned all night. I kept hearing him and it kept me up most of the night. It just wasn't the greatest nights sleep, and we were all up quite early for good. We will be excited to have our own beds tonight :) Ryder is already enjoying his!

Anyhow... The Grand Canyon! It is all you imagine it would be and more! It just keeps going down and out and in every direction you could imagine! It is just down right amazing! We parked our car and took a quick bus ride to one of the views and did an amazing two mile walk along part of the southern rim stopping to take lots of pictures along the way. It was and probably will be one of our greatest walks our family will take for a long time! But all good things must come to an end, and this non-nature loving family was OVER IT! I found it funny how after begging Derrik to go there ever since I found out we were moving to Arizona, I was over it in about two hours. I wasn't ashamed to admit it. He knows he didn't marry a nature girl, and he's not much of a nature guy himself. We agreed we had seen as much as we were going to see with our little man in tow and called it a day. We also agreed when Ryder was old enough we'd be back to do a hike into the canyon and some white water rafting! We are so glad we made the trip. It will be a memory we will cherish forever, but for now... we're happy to be home :)

One of Ryder's favorite scenic views

Aunt Karen.... We Found El Topar :) We ate lunch here!