Day 5 - Grand Canyon National Park

On our second full day at the GCNP, we drove on the Walhalla Plateau to get another view of the canyon.  On the 23-mile drive, we saw another burn area, this one 13 years after the fire.  It was awesome to see the way the way the forest was able to recover over that time.  The burnt, empty tree trunks still stood tall, while a new aspen forest only 6-10 feet tall grew underneath.  The view here might not mean much to us if we hadn’t moved west, hadn’t dealt with the drought of the last several years, hadn’t seen the numerous forest fires of the last year in Colorado.  But, because we had, it was a time of reflection, some sadness, and a lot of hope. 

Remnants of the Outlet Fire of 2000 

The road ended at Cape Royal, where a short hike gave us even more spectacular views of the canyon, Angels Window, and the Colorado River!  (This was the first time we were actually able to see the river from the North Rim!)  Angels Window really tested my fear of heights.  The boys weren’t thrilled about holding hands tightly the whole time and I did admit to them that it was as much for my security as it was for theirs!

Angels Window - Do you see the guardrail at the top of the rock?  That's the end of the trail!

This is what it looks like up close!  Yikes!

Our final stop on the drive was Point Imperial.  To our left, we could see nothing but red rock desert canyon.  To our right we saw a rocky, green canyon leading up to green forest.  It was amazing to see such diversity in the land.  It was all just literally breathtaking.

Cape Imperial 

The boys and I ended our second day with a campfire program on Nocturnal Animals with one of the rangers.  We learned a lot about the diversity of wildlife in and around the canyon.  Did you know that the Grand Canyon is #2 as far as National Parks with the most species of wildlife?!  We also learned that they use mules rather than horses to ride into the canyon because horses are afraid of heights and need water everyday.  Mules are not afraid of heights and can go 2 WEEKS without water!  There are 30 known mountain lions that call the Grand Canyon home.  There used to be hundreds before “wildlife conservation” in the early 1900s led to massive hunting of mountain lions to “save” the deer.  The cougar population has not yet bounced back – nearly 100 years later – and the deer are still hugely overpopulated.

Because Aidan complete a Junior Ranger packet and attended the campfire program, he became a Certified North Rim Junior Ranger! 

Our North Rim Junior Ranger being officially sworn in.

So, today we drive away from one of the most spectacular places we have ever been.  We cannot believe it took us this long to come see it…and we have still only seen a fraction of the canyon.  We will be back!  Next time, maybe we can hike in!

Day 4 - Grand Canyon National Park

We started out our first morning with a hearty meal of breakfast burritos, complete with sausage, potatoes, eggs, and cheese.  We needed to fuel up for a mile and a half hike on the Transept Trail – from our campsite to the Grand Canyon Lodge.  The trail was beautiful, weaving in and out of the forest, occasionally venturing near the edge for views of the canyon.  The boys were troopers and hung in there with us.  Ryder got a ride in the Ergo for part of the hike; the elevation changes were not easy for his little legs.  Aidan got hot and tired (and a bit whiny towards the end), but got an extra boost of power once he found a good walking stick.

When we found the end, we quickly walked through the lodge, gift shop, visitor’s center, and, of course, had another bathroom break.  We sat down for a little picnic and then headed out to Bright Angel Point.  Don’t let it’s “0.5 mile round trip” description fool you!  It was exposed, hot, and had some changes in elevation – which wouldn’t be too bad for the average adult – but, with two kids that just completed a 1.5 mile hike, it was a little more difficult than anticipated.  Ryder hung out in the Ergo for much of the walk – which was fine with me because some of the walk was a little “breathtaking” for a Mama who is afraid of heights!  Aidan, however, was at the END of his ROPE; Soon Mama and Daddy were, too.  We made it, though, and enjoyed the slightly nerve-wracking, totally amazing view.

Bright Angel Point - Yes, we walked to the edge of that white rock overlook!

By the time we hiked back up to the lodge, one boy was asleep on my back and the other was crying and doing all he could just to survive.  We moved to Plan B for our return to camp – Daddy would hike back on the Transept Trail solo, while the boys and I rested in the shade and waited for him to return with the car.  It was amazing how quickly Aidan recovered after some cold water, shade, small snack, and a little rest.  (I wish we would have known that in the moment.  We need to remember it next time, as I am sure there will be a next time.)  He was his silly, smiling self again within minutes. 

After making it back to camp, we decided on an early dinner.  It was Ryder’s 3^rd birthday and we had his dinner choice: hamburgers!  They were delicious!  Good food always tastes better when you are camping!  Ryder got to open a few birthday presents after dinner and we enjoyed banana boat dessert (bananas, mini marshmallows, chocolate chips, and peanuts heated over a campfire)!  What a cool birthday evening! 

This kid is such a genuinely happy boy!

Campfire birthday dessert

We ended the night by enjoying another sunset on the cliff, while the boys painted the view with watercolors.  They created the best souvenir I could ever hope for!

Our 3-year-old birthday boy, painting the Grand Canyon sunset.

Aidan's masterpiece 

Mother Nature's masterpiece

Day 3 - Grand Canyon National Park

We headed south towards the Grand Canyon on June 8^th.  Stopping to gas up in the small town of Marysvale, just south of Big Rock Candy Mountain, we saw this sign:

Catfish Ain't Ugly

It became the saying of the weekend, always said in a funny accent.  It didn’t make much sense, but we found it hilarious…saying it at the strangest times, it always made us crack up.

We’ve found that driving these long distances with the kids, one who ALWAYS has to go potty, generally adds about an hour of stopping to each 4 hours of driving. 

Our big stop this day was in Kanab, UT.  This small desert town reminded us of Moab, only smaller.  We stopped to picnic at their beautiful City Park.  The boys were thrilled to find a huge playground, much of it in the shade, AND fountains to play in!  What a welcome cool-down break mid-day!

As we continued on to the North Rim, the children slept while we drove through huge stands of forests that had been decimated by fire within the last several years.  Tall, empty, black tree remains stood tall over a greening forest floor. 

This reminded us of the High Park Fire near Fort Collins last year at this time.  We thought about how the burn area will be trying to heal and regrow and how long it might take before the area looks the same as before the fire.  We said a silent prayer hoping for no wildfires near us this season.

Finally, we had made it to the North Rim!  We were greeted by a herd of, what we were to later learn were, “beefalo!”  Years and years ago, some young agricultural entrepreneur brought a buffalo to the North Rim to breed with beef cattle to produce a hardy, high quality meat source.  Things didn’t pan out quite the way he envisioned, though, and the National Park Service eventually took over the care and protection of the new “beefalo” offspring.

Checking into the North Rim Campground, we found our BEAUTIFUL site in the Tent Only Loop - #7.  It was gorgeous, spacious, and quiet.  Even the bathrooms were clean and close!

We quickly set up camp so that we could continue on about 100 yards to THE EDGE to check out THE VIEW! 

We were amazed, in awe, and couldn’t help grinning ear to ear to see that grand beauty.  THAT is the true meaning of AWESOME!  We are glad to have gotten some wonderful pictures, but NOTHING could communicate the beauty and size of what we experienced personally.

We enjoyed two beautiful sunsets on that cliff; Dan was lucky enough to see a sunrise, as well! 

Day 2 - Big Rock Candy Mountain, Utah

Early this morning, we headed out to explore the area around the Big Rock Candy Mountain Resort.

Aidan brought along a scavenger hunt list - finding something alive (a bug and a lizard) and something red (an old train car) and a body of water, among others.  We found several things that weren't on the list, too - like a ropes course, a zip line, and a beautiful moth that felt nice and cozy on Ryder's shorts!

Dan taught the boys to skip rocks across the river.

We hiked up a big mountain!  The boys liked that much better than the flat, paved trail we started out on.

The scavenger hunt ended with us finding the playground and real rock candy!  The boys were pretty excited about that!

We enjoyed a siesta mid-day - which was especially nice since it was getting quite hot outside.  After a nice rest, we headed back to the playground!  The day ended with a hot meal at the cafe, showers for everyone, Super Friends DVD, and bedtime stories!

What a hard life this is, being on vacation!

Day 1 - Driving West

We started the morning excited and ready to go!  We hit the road at 7:59 a.m.

We stopped in Glenwood Springs, CO for a lunch break.  It was a beautiful spot for a picnic.

The drive over took longer than we expected - almost 11 hours, rather than 8.5 - but that may be due to the fact that our youngest son has the smallest bladder EVER!  We found every bathroom and available bush between Fort Collins and the Big Rock Candy Mountain!

Towards the end of the drive, we weren't sure we'd make it in once piece.  Luckily, we did!

We were relieved to check into the Big Rock Candy Motel - Room 126...

The perfect room for my husband!

The boys were pretty thrilled to be out of the car!

Relay for Life 2013

Joyful Noise! completed the Relay for Life 2013 this weekend in Fort Collins, Colorado!  What a success! 

The opening ceremony was at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday and the closing ceremony was at 7:00 a.m. Sunday.  Between the four of us Scullys and my sister, Heather, we walked 67.25 miles in 17 hours! That doesn't take into account Laura Gippert's family or Christine Bromley, who also walked with us! 

We had a fun night of walking, talking, and playing.  Most importantly, however, we had time to reflect on WHY we were there - WHY raising money for the American Cancer Society is so important to us.  We talk to remember.  We walk to honor our parents - Angela Joy Clemenshaw, who we lost in 2005, and Rolland Scully, who we lost in 2006.  They are always in our hearts and we are privileged to be able to honor them in this way.

The entire Joyful Noise! team raised a total of $960 for the American Cancer Society! "Thank You!" to everyone who participated and supported us!  "Thanks" also to Scott Fuller and Jen Maley for helping us fundraise!