Between Sundays

I knew that snow was a possibility. What I failed to anticipate was the level of snow. Driving west along I-10 took us as far as Phoenix, and here we turned north toward the Grand Canyon National Park. By the time we reached the outskirts of Flagstaff, the sun was setting and as it dropped out of sight so too did the temperatures. Leaving behind civilization for the last sixty miles of the day found us driving a lonely stretch of road with snow drifts piled high on each side. In these parts, not even the highly touted 3G network manages to reach your cell phone. Praise the Lord we arrived safely at the Holiday Inn just miles from the park.

The following day we ventured out early to grasp our first glimpse of the canyon. Postcards simply fail to do this wonder of the world justice. The depth and breadth of the sight takes your breath away. Miles in every direction the canyon stretches forth and thousands of feet it drops down. With rock outcroppings jutting up from the Colorado River to eagles souring among the ravines, its majesty overwhelms you and points you to its Creator. After taking in the view near the South Rim Visitor Center, I asked Ethan what he thought. He said he liked it and then asked if it was time to go to Disneyland. His answer made me smile; I probably would have said the same thing at his age.

The rest of the day was spent looking at various points along the South Rim. We took in some of the historical buildings associated with the park including the train depot, the two main lodges, and several art studios. At sunset we picked out a nice spot to watch the fading rays of daylight illuminate the canyon walls with a brilliant array of colors. Standing together, I turned to Ethan and once again asked about his enjoyment of the moment. His response: "It looks like a rainbow." Indeed, it did.

To conclude the day we ate at the Bright Angel Lodge Restaurant. It is a historic dining hall that was once home to the famous Harvey Girls, known for their spectacular service and hospitality. The food has a southwest flair and provided a perfect ending to a wonderful day. It was a restful way to wind down, which helped to provide the energy needed for the drive to Los Angeles the following day.

The two week vacation we enjoyed was not our original design. It was first conceived as a week long trip out to the west coast to coincide with this year's Shepherd's Conference. Those plans fell through as the price of flights rose substantially and the need to take Abigail became a certainty. So we tossed around the idea of a rental car and some substantial time off from the church (I have never missed two Sundays in a row). Months passed and a decision had to be made. Well, after joining AAA, exploring hotwire.com and getting the congregation's approval we mapped out a journey and made reservations. We were to be gone from February 27 to March 12th. The Friday prior to leaving we picked up our rental car to discover it had been upgraded to an SUV. This was something Summer had been praying about all week because she felt it would be easier on us all to have some additional room for the long drive. The Lord answered that prayer and so we took our mid-sized SUV out with a new Rand-McNally Road Atlas and a Garmin nuvi, prepared to tackle the long road through Texas. To give you an idea of the first day's drive...we live on exit number 853 in Beaumont and had to travel down to exit number 27. We din't even make it out of Texas until day 2. More on that when I get those pictures off the old computer.