July was a blur...

...a glorious blur, full of wonderful memories.  This summer has been different from most summers because we planned a big trip, a once in a lifetime vacation to the Grand Canyon.  Spending our vacation immersed in nature was absolutely invigorating, and we will never forget the gorgeous scenery and weather we enjoyed, and spending time together enjoying one of the natural wonders of the world.

Our trip was not the typical, popular destination of Grand Canyon National Park.  We opted to avoid the summertime crowds that visit the National Parks, but instead we visited two of the Native American Indian Reservations, the Hualapai Tribe at Grand Canyon West (famous for their Skywalk) and the Havasupai Tribe, home to the gorgeous turquoise waterfalls that seem strangely out of place in the middle of the dessert.  Each locations was breathtaking, and worth every second, and we didn't seem to mind sweating in the midst of such beauty.

Panoramic views of the Canyon and Colorado River at Guano Point

Guano Point - the layers of the canyon are amazing

At Grand Canyon West, we hopped on and off of the shuttle to visit 3 different locations; Eagle Point, Guano Point, and Hualapai Ranch.  Eagle Point features a Native American Village with a walking tour of Native American dwellings, an handmade jewelry and crafts that the girls enjoyed perusing, and the glass Skywalk.  We skipped the expensive Skywalk in favor of other activities and hiking at Guano Point, where we saw gorgeous panoramic canyon views and the Colorado River that looked like chocolate milk. We took tons of pictures at Guano, and it is impossible to pick a favorite, but I've included a few :)

Sunset at Guano Point

Sunrise at Hualapai Ranch, view from outside of our cabin.

The third location, the Hualapai Ranch, which looks like an old western town, was a hit with everyone; the kids loved petting the horses, and we all tried our hand at tomahawk throwing (I couldn't do this to save my life!), and quick-draw (I was pretty darn quick).  Rhody loved hanging out with the cowboys and also tried out roping, and bow and arrow.  Our hosts also treated us to a van ride out to Guano Point to see the sunset, that was AMAZING.  After a hearty dinner at the Ranch, we enjoyed a campfire and s'mores under the stars, and listening to stories and songs.  We had a good night's sleep in our basic (no TV, but there was AC) but comfortable cabins.  The next day, in true cowboy style, there was an early morning wakeup for the sunrise, but as you can see it was worth the 5am wakeup!  After a nap and breakfast, we capped off the trip with a horseback ride to the rim, yeeeha!!    We bid farewell to the cowboys, Norman the cow (from the movie City Slickers), and the Hualapai, and continued eastward on our trip, eager for the next chapter :)

...Stay tuned for more Grand Canyon adventures and pictures :)
...to be continued....
http://alacartegreen.blogspot.com/2011/09/grand-canyon-adventures-continued.html
http://alacartegreen.blogspot.com/Havasupai Mooney Falls2012.html
http://alacartegreen.blogspot.com/2012/04/mooney-falls-return-trip.html