West Trip - Day 4

Location start/finish: Arizona - Grand Canyon - drive to Horseshoe Bend - drive to Antelope Canyon - drive to Sedona
Activities: drive, hike Horseshoe Bend, drive, hike Lower Antelope (slot) Canyon, drive

We woke up to do another short Grand Canyon hike before getting back on the road.

More amazing views and close to the edge opportunities.

The drive to Horseshoe Bend was just over two hours. The scenery was still nice, but I was growing tired of being in the car. The kids still occupied themselves quite well. When we arrived at the parking lot, it looked like we would be walking up a small but steep hill to the beach - everything was sand dunes. We opted to push the stroller, since it was a steep climb. I'm so glad we did because once over the top, we had a much longer way to go (but it was downhill).

The view of everyone walking towards the 'bend' was like a pilgrimage...all kinds of umbrellas and clothing choices. And my kids were each carrying a Topo Chico, which was the official drink of our trip (water).

Once we got to the bottom I could see why the masses were gathered there. The contrast of the water to the rock was breathtaking and the symmetry of the horseshoe shape was amazing.

This was another opportunity for Ruby to climb on rocks away from the ledge. (And of course she played in the dirt and rocks, making 'spaghetti'.)

Once we made our way back up the steep and sandy path to the car (Lehr carried Ruby on his shoulders for so much of it - he is a rockstar!), we got back into the car and made the two+ hour drive to the Lower Antelope Canyon.

This was a highlight, maybe THE highlight, of the trip. We walked to a long divide in the earth and descended down a secured ladder. This part freaked me out because Ruby was on Lehr's back, but she held on great. Once we were inside, we had sand under our feet, smooth rock walls on both sides of us, and natural skylights above us.

It was breathtaking.

Ruby walked herself through the 1-mile 'tour' underground.

The kids and I could not stop taking pictures of the way the light hit the walls inside of the slot canyon.

And our tour guide always pointed out areas that were nicknamed for the shapes of the rocks.

At the end we exited out another few ladders and I had to take a picture of where we came from because it was in such contrast to what amazing color and splendor lay underneath the surface.

Back to the car again. Another 2+ hours to Sedona. Near the end, the kids fell asleep because it was close to 10PM when we arrived, but we drove around the twistiest curves ever. The photo doesn't do it justice!