This summer, we took a driving trip with my mom to the Grand Canyon. We were gone for nine days and put over 1200 miles on Mom's car! Eli was a real trooper! He enjoyed the sight seeing part, the watching movies part, the swimming at hotels part and the sleeping with Mommy part! The last two days, though, he was really missing his daddy. And I know his daddy was missing him!
We rode a tram at Sandia Peak. It was really crowded going both up and down. The temperature change was about 30 degrees cooler at the top! The Sandia Mountains are a mountain range located immediately to the east of the city of Albuquerque in New Mexico. The range is largely within the Cibola National Forest, and part of the range is protected as the Sandia Mountain Wilderness. Its highest point is Sandia Crest, 10,678 feet. Once at the top, we took a hike around the area, checked out the beautiful views and the wildlife.
We found a squished penny machine and bought Eli a book for all his squished pennies. He's taken over my collection now, so he needed a new book as he acquired more on this trip!
Sunset Crater - south of the Grand Canyon...Roughly 900 years ago, the eruption of this volcano reshaped the surrounding landscape, forever changing the lives of people, plants and animals. Hike the trail through the lava flow and cinders and you’ll likely discover colorful, ruggedly dramatic geological features coexisting with twisted Ponderosa Pines and an amazing array of wildlife.
Here's the first view of the Grand Canyon that we had! Isn't it spectacular? What an amazing site! Eli was in awe of the deep canyon and that there was a river at the bottom. We saw lots of wildlife, watched a 3-D movie about the Canyon and saw lots of hawks and other flying creatures. He called every big flying bird a peregrine falcon. So according to Eli, we saw LOTS on this trip! It would go something like this:
(walking along the trail) a random bird flies by:
Eli: Look! It's a peregrine falcon!
Me: are you sure?
Eli: Yes!
This was repeated at least 100 times during our trip...
Eli loved the ice cream treat after our bus ride and before our mile-long hike along the canyon edge. It was pretty hot that day. It's too bad I don't have a picture of their interesting toilets that were up on the hiking trail...
The mule deer who walked about 10 feet in front of us while waiting for our cabin key.
This was our view from the cabin. We hadn't made any arrangements for a hotel but Mom learned that you could call the on-site reservation line to see if there was availability or last minute cancellations. Well, there was a cancellation for a little cabin right on the edge of the canyon! It was so cute - packed with furniture but had lots of windows to see the canyon, two porches, and they brought a fold-out bed for Eli.
Eli loved to watch movies while we were driving. His favorite one of this trip was "Tangled" - which is a new version of Rapunzel. It's got lots of singing and he LOVES to sing!!
We found these great outdoor instruments in Sedona one afternoon. We had taken a twisty ride through the forest along a river to get there. We were greeted with great views and scenery along the way. At the Visitor Center in town, we found these instruements that Eli just HAD to play each time we were near!
They were designed with acoustic precision and perfect tone by a Grammy Award winning musician, and are built to maintain pure and soothing tones through years of rigorous play and exposure to the elements of nature. The sculptural elegance and flowing lines are a fine addition to either a sophisticated landscape or urban outdoor setting. I've written a grant to get some of these instruments installed at Minshew. I've been turned down by several places already but hope to secure funding this spring...
We chased this poor guy around the volcano.
We visited the The Chapel of the Holy Cross while in Sedona and lit candeles for Daddy and other family members. It is a Roman Catholic chapel built into the mesas which was inspired and commissioned by sculptor Marguerite Brunswig Staude. Richard Hein was chosen as project architect, and the design was executed by architect August K. Strotz, both from the firm of Anshen & Allen. The chapel is built on Coconino National Forest land; the late Senator Barry Goldwater assisted Staude in obtaining a special-use permit. The construction supervisor was Fred Courkos, who built the chapel in 18 months at a cost of US $300,000. The chapel was completed in 1956.
The American Institute of Architects gave the Chapel its Award of Honor in 1957. In the sculptor's words, “Though Catholic in faith, as a work of art the Chapel has a universal appeal. Its doors will ever be open to one and all, regardless of creed, that God may come to life in the souls of all men and be a living reality.”
Land of Fire and Ice at Bandera Volcano: Situated on the Continental Divide, you walk through the twisted, old-growth Juniper, Fir and Ponderosa Pine trees, over the ancient lava trail to the Ice Cave. Here the natural layers of ice glisten blue-green in the reflected rays of sunlight. Another trail winds around the side of the Bandera Volcano to view one of the best examples of a volcanic eruption in the country.
Santa Fe Children's Museum was so much fun! They had lots of things to do and Eli loved the water exhibits the best!
This group of women were dressed in traditional African clothes and danced to traditional chants and drums during our visit. We also got to meet the Governor of New Mexico that day - her name is Susana Martinez. Apparently, she is very well-liked and has made a big difference in the state of New Mexico.
Eli wanted to put on these ladybug wings and I thought the reflection of him was so cute!
Eli got to shoot a gun at the Big Texan in Amarillo!
Last picture on the way home! Eli and Grandma posed with the big boot at the Big Texan!
What a great trip!!
