Grand Canyon

Although we were away from the girls for 2 whole weeks, we were so grateful to have had the opportunity to go on this amazing "once in a lifetime" experience (twice for me :) ). The first time I did this trip, I was 9, almost 10, years old. We've waited 18 years to do it again. Lucky for us, the timing was perfect. Rick quit his summer sales job so no work obligations, the girls are no longer babies (or at least not nursing babies), and I wasn't pregnant. What could be more perfect timing than that? So we jumped at the chance when 2 spots opened up. The following are many, not all, of the highlights of the trips, and definitely the best pictures we could pull from multiple sources (thanks mom!). My Dad has been a rafting fanatic since before I was born and his rafting mentor, Blaine (82 years old!) joined us for what would be his final trip down the Grand Canyon, making it a total of 30! We had major experts not only guiding our rafts, but in camp as well. The food was delicious! Here are the highlights...

Day 1 - set up today; launch tomorrow. There's no turning back...!

First hike - Saddle Canyon - no he didn't carry me the whole way. We're just trying to keep camera's and the camel bak dry.Nankoweap Grainaries - the view from the grainaries

Red Wall Cavern

Keeping the "traditional" concert alive - acoustics are awesome!

Elves Chasm Little Colorado - notice something strange in the water? The Little Colorado's blue water is due to the minerals that exist there. It was beautiful and warm!

Deer Creek

Havasu

The largest rapids on the river are Crystal and Lava Falls. The guides scout certain rapids such as these to decide the safest way to run it. Here they are at Crystal Rapid.Lava Falls Rapid

Even with experienced guides, a flip is likely to happen at least once during any trip. Unfortunately, this one had my 10 year old nephew in it, but he was there with his dad, mom, and Uncle Ben. Although he looked scared and was freezing cold, he was in high spirits by lunch time. Phew! Here are some of The Men reversing the flip. It takes a lot of strength!Rick has always been quite the thrill seeker. I was reminded of this very quickly as he found any opportunity to do some cliff jumping. This one is at Beaver Falls in Havasu.This one was at one of our campsites, Poncho

I couldn't help but get a little fix myself. Closest to farthest is my sister Nicole, my niece Adia, and me. Nearing the end of the trip, my sisters Rochelle and Nicole are trying to stay shaded during an entire day in the sun. It can be pretty brutal.Gangsta Mama

We survived!The troopers that made it all possible: Blaine, Mom, & Dad. Thanks guys!It may seem insane to many of you considering you have one bag of your belongings to bring, you pack EVERYTHING out (including any and all waste), and you are completely disconnected from the world. It was totally worth it!