The Grand Canyon

A few weeks ago my sister, my dad, my dad's friend Jake, and I hiked part of the Grand Canyon. It was a lot of fun and I am glad I did it but we made  a lot of mistakes.

The biggest mistake was probably doing it  in one day. At least for me, I was the one that was in the worst shape. They all prepared to go on this hike and I was asked to go at the last minute.  So that was probably my biggest struggle. Also I had a sinus infection and a bad knee. But I made it so I think most people can. There were a lot of signs saying not to go to the river and back up in one day. If I was to do it again I would probably want to camp somewhere in the grand canyon instead of on top. I would probably camp at Phantoms ranch or Indian Garden (If I took Bright Angel Trail).

 We went down the Grand Canyon on the South Kaibab trail and then came up on the Bright Angel Trail. That was about 16 miles altogether. I liked going down and up a different trail. It was a nice change of scenery. The south Kaibab had really great views and then the Bright Angel trail was more of a canyon with very pretty landscape. Bright Angel trail had a creek that you could cool off at too. Which we needed more going up vs. going down.

The river was by far the best part. The Colorado river was so beautiful. We ended up staying there for about four hours since it was so hot. When we got down the River it was about 113 degrees fahrenheit. That was another mistake. If I was to do it again I would go earlier in May or go in October. I know some parts are closed during certain seasons so you have to make sure they are open.

We ended up taking a lot longer than intended. We got to  the Mather Campground after 7pm the day before so we had to wait to check in when they opened up at 8 so we didn't get hiking until about 9. I think leaving at 9 instead of 6 sort of worked out since we got to the river at around 12 when it was staring to get pretty hot. Staying at the river for so long slowed us down. I am glad we did it though it made the hike a lot more enjoyable. We got to eat, cool down and relax for a while.

We got back when it was late and dark. The shuttles had all stopped so Jake my dad's friend ran to our car. We didn't think we would be so slow to miss the shuttles but if I was to do it again, just to be safe I would park the car near where we would be coming up instead of where we came down.

When hiking in the dark, we had one headlamp and one flashlight. I would make sure we had more headlamps next time.

I thought Mather campground was nice. It had shade and a good bathroom and shower.

Even if we had struggles It was still fun.

 My sister in the Colorado River.

Honeyoon!

Right now I am sitting in a tent in the backyard of Georgia White's home in Pebble beach. So far my honeymoon has been quite enjoyable. We started out heading toward the Grand Canyon. Neither Dane or myself had ever been to it. Driving to the Grand Canyon we stayed in this tiny city in Utah called Kanab. It was really neat there were lots of Native American shops we could look at also lots of things on old movies. A lot of Western films had been filmed there. Our hotel's theme was  old movies. After leaving Kanab we eventually made it to the Grand Canyon which was beautiful. The hike we decided on wasn't that great however. It was all down hill one way and all up hill the other way. So coming up made it really difficult. It was also very sandy and mules had recently plunged down it leaving their manure.
   After leaving Grand Canyon we wanted to camp but did not find any camping grounds that looked that great so we kept driving into the night. When it became late we pulled into a city. The city we stayed at started with an S. I can't think of the name it was. All it had was really ghetto hotels. We stayed at one that said it was Norwegien  owned. The host was not Norwegien we believe it was a way to be racist. Since all the other motels were owned by Indians from India. We left our motel as soon as we could.
    Then we drove to Newport Beach California where my Grandma Odette lives. The traffic was pretty descent and we were happy for our GPS. Grandma's house was a lot of fun. We really enjoyed talking to her and for her hospitality.  She gave Dane and old Winston Churchill coin from England. Which Dane was joyous over. He collects silver coins. She made us yummy food too, which we appreciated. In Newport we went to Balboa Island and also to Big Corona. Both of which were really pretty. I love the smell of the Ocean!
  We then headed off to Pebble Beach. Pebble Beach is really gorgeous. It is right next to the golf course which is right next to the ocean. Dane and I walked next to the cliffs and the shore. Which was a moment that took my breath away it was so beautiful. I felt like it was very romantic. Until Dane started whispering "romance" into my ear ;) The next day we went to the Monterey Aquarium. That aquarium was the best one I have been too. My favorite part was the sea horse room. Sea horses are so cool to watch! Their fins look like wings in the water they are moving so fast it looks like the sea horses are flying. Dane and I then walked to Fisherman's Wharf. I really liked Fisherman's Wharf there were lots of shops and seafood restaurants. We ate at one and I got there famous clam chowder bowl. Which was really good. Dane and I went to this neat antique store where I got a porcelain teapot from Delft, Holland. The next day we went Kayaking. That was a lot of fun there were a lot of sea otters right next to our boat! They are sooooo cute! I love them so much. I also love hearing all the sea lions and seals around here. The next day we went hiking at Point Lobos now that was really neat. The majority of our hike was jumping up and down on rocks next to the sea. There was a lot of wild life on those rocks. I believe I saw four starfish which I've never seen any in the wild life. There were a lot of crabs and just tons of shells.
   These nights have been quite enjoyable and we have had splendid company. And it's weird that Dane and I are still not finished. I kind of don't want to leave. Leaving is going to be really stressful  when we get home. Dane and I will be headed off to Maryland which I am really worried for.