grand canyon...

On Father's Day weekend, we headed up to the Grand Canyon North Rim. The National Parks are doing a few "Fee Free Weekends" this summer, so we thought we would take advantage. It's only about 3 hours away from here, and it was so nice to get away for a quick trip. Zane had a little anxiety about going there beforehand - he was worried about me tripping and falling on the edge and dropping the baby. I found some pictures of when I went there as a kid and showed him how there are railings everywhere, etc. He seemed to feel a little bit better about it.

Once we got there, I was the one with the problem! I have a fear of heights, but didn't think about it causing me any problems. Of course, the trails all are right on the edge of the canyon, and in some parts there are just narrow trails with drop offs on both sides. I almost had to turn around a few times. Zane loved it, and had no problems at all going right up to the edge, leaning over the railings, etc. (That only added to my stress!).

Despite that, we had a really nice time. The sky was overcast most of the time. It downpoured a couple of times, and was quite cool. The few times the sun came out was enough to give John a good sunburn, a little bit on Lily, and half of baby Evan's head. I was carrying him in a Baby Bjorn, but had a blanket covering his arms and legs. Unfortunately I didn't think about the top of his head - so just the side of his head and a little bit of his cheek got red. It wasn't bad at all though, just enough to make me feel guilty. I love spending time with my family, especially when everyone is happy!!
These first few are from Bright Angel Point. One of the places that I almost turned around. There is a little narrow section with railings, but drops on both sides. Scary.

Love that you can see the thunderstorm coming across the canyon. It started to rain right as we got back to the parking lot to head to the next hike.
Lily zonked out on the Bright Angel hike. Such a funny picture of her squashed face.
This is where we had our picnic. As you can see, the table is only a few feet from the edge of the canyon. No railings here. Yup, I was slightly freaked out.

Angel Window - this hike takes you out onto a piece of rock that has a large hole down in the middle of it. The only "family" picture we got - only you can't see Lily (on John's back) or Evan (on mom's front). This is what it looks like from the side. I couldn't believe I actually walked out onto it. Really.
These last few are from Cape Royal. The best place to view the North Rim in our opinion. You can see the river from here, and you get a nice, big view of everything.

Lily was finally done with the carrier at this point. She was such a trooper!