What a trip! Jesse and I drove up to meet Matthew, Mandy, and the kids in Grand Canyon over the 4th of July holiday weekend. We try to make the most of long weekends, and boy did we ever with this one! This trip was about a week after my surgery and I wanted to still go, so I made sure I would take it easy during the weekend trip. And Mandy was about a month and a half out from delivery at this time, so she too needed to take it easy during this time. So, all of the backpacking and heavy work would have to fall on Matthew and Jesse.
It took me and Jess about 5 hours to get to the campsite we were meeting Matt & Mandy at and it was a nice trip, especially when we hit the area around Flagstaff with all of the beautiful green, pine-laden mountains. The trip down from N Las Vegas for Matt/Mandy wasn't as short as ours even though they were closer....the twins in potty training and a yummy stop at Cracker Barrel turned it into about an 8 hour trip for them. They arrived before us and were able to set up camp for us all. They had a new, large tent and Jesse and I were to use the smaller 2 person tent. We brought the air mattresses which needed a good foot pumping to blow up and that became Jesse's job (with a little help from the kids) for the hour after we arrived (see video below). Their tent was a very large one which held the queen and twin size beds plus a little room on the sides (which is where Matt ended up sleeping), and the 2nd twin bed we brought was snuggly put into our small tent. We enjoyed a hot dog supper, smores, and running after the kids running around the campsite. Poor Daisy the dog was ready to go home the moment she arrived.
This camp over was the first for me and the first for me and Jesse together. Matt and Mandy have camped before, but this was the first for the kids. Matt had the kids stay out in the tent a night or two before the trip to get used to it, BUT, this would prove not to help things that night. All went well, save the occasional fall and bump of the head or knee of one of the kids, until bedtime. The kids were ready for bed and the process of bathing and pj adorning was hilarious. Fortunately our campsite, #256, was very close to the bathroom, so that made the trips to dump the training potties a little more bearable for Matt/Mandy, but we all either had to use wipes or go without bathing for a while...fortunately no big deal since we were camping for one night only....no big deal, right....well, as I was saying all was going well up to throwing the kiddos in the tent for bed. While Matt/Mandy, Jesse and I were sitting around the fire we could hear the kids giggling and 'talking' when they were supposed to be sleeping. Of course, what kid is going to go to sleep right away when they are having too much fun?! Anyway, Matt got up to tell them to go to sleep and I followed behind him and we found that Elise had managed to get out of her pjs and socks and was giggling and rolling around naked over the bed! Too funny! Matt got her back in the pjs and the kids settled back in their sleeping bags and we adults turned in to bed soon after.
Jesse and I had to snuggle in tight because of the close quarters; I fell into peels of laughter when I looked over and saw his face almost touching the ceiling...he looked like he was in a casket! Yes, the tent was small and the air mattress we had elevated us up closer to the ceiling; plus, I had to add some padding in between the mattress and the walls so we would have enough room to sleep together...but this added to the strain on the tent to where we almost couldn't zip the tent flap shut! I continued laughing for a good 20 minutes or whenever I finally fell asleep.
On the other side of the camp was a different story. About an hour after us adults went to bed the twins started crying, and loudly. Now, as we were close in the campsite, Jesse and I could easily hear the screaming and crying. I needed to go to the restroom and as I walked up the the road, I could hear them, though faintly. Other campsites I could hear people talking or snoring, so I knew the kids weren't keeping other people awake. But, throughout the night, the twins, especially Micah, would wake up screaming-crying and poor Matt and Mandy were working intensely to get them to quieten down and go back to sleep...they managed to get about 2-3 hours of sleep and needless to say Matt and Jesse's plan to see the sun rise over the Canyon went capoot.....well, it ended up being me and Jesse when we both woke up about 5:00 a.m. and needed to go to the restroom...after much hassle to get out of the bed and tent, we figured we might as well go on to the rim. I'm glad we did...we were the only Americans awake at that hour as the others were from Europe or Asia...I guess it was mid-afternoon their time and they hadn't adjusted to the time zone here. Anyway, we managed to get great shots and enjoyed the quiet, cool morning along the Canyon rim (south side). We returned to the campsite about 7:00 a.m. and the Frenches were still in their tent, however slowly coming to....guess who was bright eyed, though....Micah! The very one who kept everyone one else up through the night, despite Matt's desperate prayers and Mandy's endless rounds of softly singing "Holy, Holy, Holy".
So, they got to start their day on little sleep, blood-shot eyes, and sore bodies (yes, the queen air mattress deflated during the night). The day quickly warmed up to a humid hot and being in the company of short-attention spans, a dog that doesn't want to be there in the first place, and tired crowd, the tour along the G. Canyon rim was short. But we did manage get some great shots and video, a quick run into the visitor's center, a picnic and short hike before we headed back to Matt/Mandy's home for the rest of the holiday weekend.
Saturday we celebrated the 4th of July by hanging out at their home, playing games, taking the kids for a swim and then watching fireworks at the neighborhood park. In fact, I think the rest of the weekend we spent recovering from our camping experience...ha!
It was a delightful weekend and such fun to watch the kids continue to grow and interact with us and each other. Hope you enjoy the photos and videos!
World's largest Kokopelli...outside the park in Flagstaff
Supper cooking upThe tent Jesse and I used...
The French Quarter...
The kids making their own canyon
Micah helping Uncle Jesse pump
The kids making their own canyon
Micah helping Uncle Jesse pump
Sunrise over the south rim
Morning hug...what you can't see is the fork Micah is holding up against Elise's neck (not intentionally)
Levi birdwatching
The kids visiting with new friends at the picnic site
Trying to get Micah to cross his eyes
Levi showing his funny face
On our short hike along the rim
Me and Daisy, the terrified dog
Matt and Jesse the pack mules
On the drive to Las Vegas, this awesome rainbow showed up in the midst of this intense storm we were driving through.
Beautiful sunset over the desert in the rain.
Isn't God our Creator awesome?! It just blows my mind that people look at this huge, glorious canyon and cannot believe in God. And this huge, holy, awesome, infinite, just God wants to redeem people to Him through the sacrifice/death and resurrection of His Son, Jesus Christ, Who took our place in God's wrath and judgement, Who took our sins and washed them away for those of us that, through grace, have believed in Him. Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty!
"By awesome deeds you answer us with righteousness, O God of our salvation, the hope of all the ends of the earth and of the farthest seas; the one who by his strength established the mountains, being girded with might; who stills the roaring of the seas, the roaring of their waves, the tumult of the peoples, so that those who dwell at the ends of the earth are in awe at your signs. You make the going out of the morning and the evening to shout for joy. You visit the earth and water it; you greatly enrich it; the river of God is full of water; you provide their grain, for so you have prepared it. You water its furrows abundantly, settling its ridges, softening it with showers, and blessing its growth. You crown the year with your bounty; your wagon tracks overflow with abundance. The pastures of the wilderness overflow, the hills gird themselves with joy, the meadows clothe themselves with flocks, the valleys deck themselves with grain, they shout and sing together for joy." Psalm 65: 5-13
