Written by Brynn Simons
On Sunday morning, we went out to MartAnne’s for breakfast in Flagstaff. They are a Mexican restaurant and we went there because it is Grandma and Grandpa’s favorite breakfast restaurant. Their most famous breakfast dish is the “BBB”–which includes two pancakes made with buckwheat, banana, and blueberries. Mira got the BBB and I got french toast (4 pcs!) with strawberries. We surprisingly both finished our meals!
Grandpa took us to Walnut Canyon where there are a bunch of ancient cave dwellings in the cliffs. Native Americans lived there years ago. We walked the Island Trail. I’m amazed at how they were built so many years ago and are still standing to this day!
Next, we went to the Petrified Forest and the Painted Desert. At first, we took a trail into the Petrified Forest behind the visitor center. We walked part of it and it started thundering and lightning. So we went back to the truck to have lunch and wait for the storm to pass. We then tried to go back into the forest to finish the trails that we didn’t complete. We didn’t think the storm would come to us and rain down on us, but we jinxed ourselves! It started pouring down rain and it was very windy. Our hats almost blew off! While it was still pouring down rain, we decided to go to the Rainbow Forest Visitors Center and check that out and to get stickers for our water bottles.
We went to specific sites to see the different designs and patterns of the desert. There was also some Petrified Wood there. We went to Crystal Forest briefly because it was still raining. We saw lots of lightning!
We went to see Newspaper Rock — it was very cool to see all the petroglyphs. They are basically little drawings that each mean something different to the Native Americans who lived there. We saw some that represented migration, different animals, and people. A person at Newspaper Rock told us there were other petroglyphs at The Pueblo. So we went there, too.
At The Pueblo, we walked on a little trail to see the ruins and some more petroglyphs. The ruins were the foundations of buildings in a small Native American village. They were short and the rooms were about the size of a king-sized bed.
From there, we moved on to see the Painted Desert. Grandpa said he had never seen it this beautiful before.
Grand Canyon National Park
Written by Mira Simons
On day four we packed up the camper and drove to just outside Grand Canyon National Park! We unpacked the camper and went into the park. This was my first time going to the Grand Canyon, and it was absolutely incredible. If someone you know is going to the Grand Canyon, don’t even try to explain just how crazy it is. Looking down into the Canyon is mind blowing. Grandma and Grandpa tried to explain just how crazy it was, but how I was imagining the Canyon was WAY different than it actually was. I thought it was going to be smaller than it actually was.
Written by Brynn Simons
I actually thought the Canyon would not be so deep! I mean, I’ve seen pictures of it, but it was absolutely astonishing! It was an awesome experience and one of my favorites! Other than that, the one thing that also surprised me was that the water was really BROWN! I thought it would be blue or green because those are the usual water colors. But I found out that there are little miniature rivers that run into the Canyon. Then they bring their own dirt and dust into the Colorado and make it brown. Those are called tributaries. It makes a lot of sense now! I’m really glad that we went to the Canyon!
Day 4
Written by Mira Simons
We spent the rest of day four at the Grand Canyon. It was very fun, but quite tiring. We made sure to drink enough water and eat enough. Once we got back to the camper, Brynn and I were crazy, Grandma said that we were overtired and I agree.
Day 5
Written by Brynn Simons
We were also at the Grand Canyon today! It was our last day in the town! We woke up a little early to get into the park before there was traffic and before it got too hot. Throughout the day we were walking and taking pictures at the places that we didn’t get to yesterday. While we were doing that, we saw and came close to Squirrels, Ravens, little Lizards, Elk and even Big Horned Sheep! Overall, going to the Grand Canyon was a great choice! I loved it!
P.S. – All pictures were taken by Mira or Brynn, except the pictures that have Brynn and Mira in them.
We look forward to sharing more of our adventures with you!
Sincerely,
Mira and Brynn
Great tourists and i think you are really fun to be with. Fortunate grandparents
Loved reading this. Thank you to Brynn and Mira (also Grandpa and Grandma for making this adventure a reality). The photos are beautiful as well.
The Grand Canyon is truly awe-inspiring . There are quite a few canyons in the western states that are amazing in their own right. Enjoy your travel adventures.
Loved reading this! Tell Mira and Brynn that I feel like I’m there with them! I totally agree with their statements that you can’t explain the Grand Canyon to anyone! 💜
What a wonderful adventure you are on. Thanks for the pictures and commentary. It feels as if we are there.
Looking forward to the next post
I can’t unsee the petroglyph with the giant bird with a human(?) in its beak! The Grand Canyon is definitely awe inspiring – and dangerous. We hiked down and back over two days in August. It was 120 degrees at the bottom! Larry and our nephew almost stepped in a rattlesnake at 3:30 in the morning when we were preparing our ascent. Stay hydrated!
I love the writing and photos. You girls are pros
Going to the Grand Canyon was something I always wanted to do and when Richard and I went quite a long time ago,it was more than I could imagine. Words just cannot describe how majestic it is,!