April 19th
We took our afternoon naps at Monolith Gardens in Kingman, AZ and then headed over to Tusayan, AZ. We got there at about 4 pm to find it really windy and cold! Not the first thing you expect when you get to the Grand Canyon. 
As SOON as Fletcher saw there were buses he was so excited. He would yell “Big Bus” or “Red Bus” or “Purple Bus” each time he saw one drive by. We stopped at the Imax theater in town and purchased a National Parks pass. BEST DEAL. Most national parks charge up to $20 each to enter the park. You can buy a YEAR pass for $80 and you enter EVERY park in the nation for free. So if you happen to be on a trip where you want to see a few?? I highly suggest this purchase.
With our new pass we got to ride the buses into the park for free as well. Fletcher couldn’t have been more excited. We bundled the kids up in double layers and hopped on the first bus we saw.
We took the bus all the way to the South Kaibab Trail first. Once off the bus people scattered into the bushes like they all knew some big secret that we didn’t. We were left standing in a road with no idea where to go. So we walked into the woods too. Then we saw it! A live ELK!!
There were TONS of them. They don’t sound like you think they would either. Kind of like a high pitched squealing noise. I don’t know why I assumed they would have a low grunting type noise. Fletcher immediately turned into Elmer Fudd and would tip toe closer and closer only to turn back to us with his finger to his lips. “Shhhhh. You have to be sneaky” he said over and over. I could barely contain my giggles.
We sat and watched for quite awhile. This would probably have been a hunter’s nightmare to be so close and do nothing about it. For us, it was the most quite, magical moment.
We knew it was getting close to dinner and daylight was running short so we headed out toward the trail head. Brian and Riley are a great hiking pair and took off down the switchbacks so quickly.
Fletcher and I are the slow ones. I enjoy soaking up the views and Fletcher….. enjoys picking up and throwing EVERY rock he can find while climbing up and jumping off all the rocks he decides are too big for him to throw. It takes some time.
This below photo doesn’t do this trail justice. It looks like really safe, wide switchbacks. In reality, while holding the hand of a spontaneous toddler, it’s a narrow death trap on a cliffs edge! I have never walked so slowly DOWN a trail and had my heart beating so quickly. I had the TIGHTEST grip on Fletcher’s little hand. I remember my SIL telling me how stressed she was on this hike just a few months earlier and not quite understanding. I’ve mountain biked cliff edges before, no big deal. NOW I KNOW. I probably would have felt safer riding down this trail on my bike. Then at least I’d have Fletcher on a seat where he was contained. This is LITERALLY the biggest cliff side in America. 
According to Riley it’s a cliff so big that you could “jump off and fall forever and never hit the ground”. Maybe not hit the ground conscious anyway…. AHHH!
We MAYBE made it .25 miles down this trail when little legs and mom’s heart stress were at their max load. Riley and Dad came bounding back up the trail full of energy and we took a quick snack break to keep the hangry (aka hungry anger) away. We cracked up at the signs Riley & Dad found on their hike.
Basically if you climb too fast down and back up you feel the equivalency of the getting the bends while scuba diving. So be safe…hike slow! That I know I can do.
Soon we began our hike back UP the switchbacks. Talk about a leg workout. Combine that with a 35 lb toddler who decided his legs had turned to Jell-o and required to ride on your shoulders the rest of the way up. I’m so glad I got in shape for this trip!!
At the top of the trail-head we came across a little ranch that held some ponies (I think? Maybe donkeys, I honestly couldn’t tell. Yes, I may be a farmers daughter but I clearly didn’t LIVE on the farm).
This was the kids highlight for the whole day. We sat on the ground near the fence as Riley pointed out her favorite. The black one. No……the brown with white spots. No……the one with the long tail. (This went on for QUITE sometime until we realized we liked ALL of them and they should all come home to the Maj with us).
After potty breaks we headed to the bus stop, ready to be back in the Maj to make dinner and rest our weary legs.
I love how kids turn even the smallest tasks into a game. They weren’t “waiting” at the bus stop. They were running through the cave (bus stop sign) and being chased by monsters. Why didn’t I think of that!
We got back to the Imax Theater in Tusayan where we had parked. Across the street we had the option of going to an RV park for $100 per night (ouch). We decided to ask the people at Imax where they would park if they were us. To our surprise, they said “Right here! You can park in our parking lot for free for one night”. No hook ups or bathrooms, but that was NO problem for us!! It was also probably because the parking lot was completely empty. They may not say the same thing during the busy season. But it worked in April on a snowy day.
We made some dinner, bundled up and read some books and hit lights out for the night.
RV Life Crisis 