Day 2 was supposed to be all about the Grand Canyon and we drove there but couldn't see a thing. Maybe it is a case of sour grapes, but we started counting up the places on our trip that were better than the Grand Canyon. Pipe Spring for sure and even Denny's Wigwam came out on top this day.
Caroline made this on the iPad and the white background was fitting
Driving up to the Kaibab Plateau at 7,000+ feet we hit snow. There was zero traffic on the road. It felt like the opening credits scene from The Shining.
Forty-something degrees and sleeting at the North Rim Visitor Center. Get out those happy faces!
And there it is: the majestic Grand Cloud-yon
Tessie was not loving anything about it
Full disclosure: the path to the photo-op was slippery and a little perilous
but we had the lookout entirely to ourselves
Grandma Joan was patient enough to get one glimpse through the clouds
The lodge did have a lot of space to relax and soak in the view
and the Junior Ranger activity book required a good deal of time
Heather still hasn't seen the Grand Canyon, and now we can come back another time and see it together
North of the canyon there is only one water source for miles around. So what did the Mormon pioneers do? Wall off the spring and build a fort to keep out the Indians, which is now called Pipe Spring National Monument.
But Pipe Spring exceeded our expectations with its visitor center and grounds. Hello there Arizona longhorn!
Grandma Joan enjoyed the movie and historical exhibits
Finally back to Kanab, UT, where Denny's Wigwam had all manner of tourist items to tempt us.
More scenes from Caroline: These are part of the famed Vermillion Cliffs National Monument
Next time we'll get out and play on the slickrock
The next day we engaged the Nevada option and drove to the first casino town on the border, Mesquite, NV
where we found a local park to relax and run around
before reaching our final destination, the Inn at Entrada, in Snow Canyon, outside St. George, UT
Tessie was happily reunited with Mommy and after a quick swim the girls started prepping for the wedding
Before lipstick
Tessie and Grandma Joan stayed at the room for the ceremony
Now St. George is supposedly one of the sunniest places in the US, but this afternoon some nasty-looking clouds rolled in right before the ceremony
Heather was slated to play the cello for 30 minutes while people filed in, but her program was trimmed to 10 minutes to beat the weather
Brides Bryn and Fatma looked great in their vintage dresses
Despite rolling thunder, the officiant calmly made it through the ceremony
The Yale crew
Midway through the reception Tessie arrived
and the evening light was spectacular
for climbing on sandstone
and polishing it by hand
So long Utah and the beautiful desert Southwest
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