Grand Canyon Trip
For my entire life all I ever heard was, "it's just a big hole in the ground.", "Why would you travel that far to see a huge hole....". Maybe that's part of the reason why out of the 25 years I have been alive and lived in Arizona, I have never been to the Grande Canyon. I mean, I also have not been to some of the other big places that Arizona is known for, such as, Lake Havasu, and The Petrified Forest. But hey - I'm gettin' there, okay!
River had been with his parents when he was a kid but was excited to go for our one-year anniversary! We ended up renting an adorable one room cabin in a town called Parks - just about and hour and a half from the South Rim entrance of the Grand Canyon. We had previously tried to go the Grand Canyon, but due to our Global Pandemic, it ended up being closed. In result, we made extra sure to check the website twice to make sure that it was indeed open for visitors!
We got to our little cabin a day before we had planned on going to the Grand Canyon. We took a day to just do a bunch of nothing. We drove around - just like we used to when we first met. We went into the town of Flagstaff and I showed him where I had stayed, one of the first times I had ever been in Flagstaff when it had snowed! After jamming out to music, learning more about each other and looking at endless pine trees, we realized we were a little bit hungry. We headed to a small sushi restaurant in downtown called GoSushi. This place was not only amazing in price but the food was literally an explosion of favors in your mouth.
River went with the I Love You roll, which was fitting! Per the online menu it contains - "Real crab and avocado wrapped in soy paper topped with tuna in a heart shape and red tobiko and house sauce on the side" (Menu here)
Those delicious lookin things below the I Love You roll are crab croquettes! 😍 This flavor - I can't even explain but I will crave it, every single day, for the rest of my life. Pretty much, this sushi joint will be our go to place in Flagstaff from now on!
After we filled up, we headed back to the cabin and read some of the books that the air bnb host decorated with,. (It' always worth taking a look at what they put in their, trust me!!!) then headed off to bed so we would actually wake up in time to have enough daylight at the Grande Canyon!
On Our Way To The Grand Canyon.
We were so excited to get up and get on our way! We knew that one of the main freeways to the Canyon was going to be closed, ( We doubled checked stuff, remember! ) so we headed down another freeway and started jamming out together. About an hour into the drive, I decided to check the map to see just how far we were, as it seemed as if maybe we were driving too long. Turned out we were on the right track ..... to the East Rim... which was closed for the winter! Which meant... we headed 1 hour the opposite way of where we needed to go - we now had 2 hours to go until we would arrive to our destination. Good thing we both like driving and started with a full tank of gas! We turned up the music and started the correct way.. with the GPS now leading us.
We both took time to take in the views, making sure to not rush each other if we wanted to stay in one place, longer than the other. It was the least we could do after our earlier detour. Don't let the lack of a jacket fool ya, it was freezing out there! In some areas of the park and within the canyon walls, there was still snow clinging on to dear life as the sun was beating as hard as it could. Others were bundled up in big huge puffy coats but there was a handful who handled the cold a little better, as we did - Even though we complained about it the whole time.
People aren't wrong when they say, "it's a huge hole in the ground"- that part is pretty much true... However, that not JUST what it is. It's miles and miles full of history, past lives, lots of wildlife, and even more mysteries. Next time you are at any National or State Park, or any place that has informational signs posted around the site - take a few extra minutes to read them. The history of where you are, could change the entire experience for you
Thank you to my amazing partner for taking me to explore the Grand Canyon. Happy 1 Year Anniversary Baby - Here to many more! <3
