In the desert...

On the edge!

Sam, Elizabeth an cate waiting for the shuttle.

The team leaders

Best buddies!

Breakfast on the south rim

What we were just looking at. Pretty amazing. It seems unreal even
when looking at it. Olivia really wants to journey to the bottom but
it just isn't possible with Abigail. She is scaring us to death!
There is fencing but not everywhere and a person could easily slip
under.

Journeyed to a different lookout this morning.

Our enthusiastic tour guide

Grand views

The first glimpse

A little hiking, a little rock climbing with baby on back. Just like
any other day.

The mules walk on the edge of the path. No way we would get on one of
them! Walking was more fun I have a feeling. Squirrels and chipmunks
came really close to us. Surprisingly, it is not crowded.

We made it!

Got to the canyon around noon. It is a beautiful day here! We hiked
part of the way down bright angel trail. Abigail reluctantly rode in
the backpack and Elizabeth was terrified but did ok in the end. This
place is so awesome!! We are resting in our room right now. I will
uplooad some more pics of the day.

We made it!

Bedrock City in Valle, AZ

Elk crossing in Flagstaff, AZ

We made it two hours west of Albuquerque and stayed in Gallup New
Mexico. Made it here about 11:30. We all ate dinner in Albuquerque
at a fifties diner named the owl cafe. It was really good and fun for
the kids! We just left our hotel and we are filling up before driving
to the south rim of the grand canyon! Here is a pic of Abbers and Sam
at breakfast this morning.

End of Day Two...

Today we made it from Tulsa, OK through Amarillo, TX, Albuquerque, NM and stopped for the night in Gallup, NM which is on the border of New Mexico and Arizona. At lunch time, we ate sandwiches in the car, but we did break down and stop for dinner in Albuquerque at an adorable diner called Owl's Diner. You guessed it, there was owl stuff everywhere! We are enjoying all of the glimpses of Route 66 as we go along.

The scenery has changed so drastically since we left Oklahoma today! We have been surprised by the sudden changes as well, as Texas was basically as flat as a pancake the entire way while New Mexico was very mountainous.

The kids have been wonderful...spending most of their time in the car working in activity books, playing with stuffed animals or watching movies. They have been much more pleasant than I anticipated.

Tomorrow will be an early start so we can arrive at the South Rim of the Grand Canyon by lunch time. Then the REAL adventures begin...

New Mexico... It's the NEW New Mexico...

Almost to Albuquerque! We are travel machines...

Entering New Mexico

Entering Amarillo, TX

Fwd:

>

> Just stopped at a middle of nowhere gas station close to oklahoma
> texas border and three cowboy looking gentlemen call us over to show
> the kids the forty pound half dead catfish in the back of the pick
> up...caught with barehands! Kids loved it!
> Should have taken a pic...shoot.
> Sent from my iPhone

Fwd:

>

> These windmills are everywhere! There are hundreds of them! We are
> all fascinated.
>

Fwd:

>

> It is a beautiful day in Oklahoma! We are heading to Amarillo. We
> just ate lunch in the car-ham sandwiches and sunchips. Olivia is
> sitting up front with trav and is our dj. I am in the middle with
> Abigail. She is watching a show on the iPod- and sucking her
> thumb. Elizabeth is in the back playing the nintendo ds. It is
> nice and quiet. We are south of Oklahoma city and the terrain is
> flattening out and it is beautiful farmland! No traffic either!
> Lots of hay out. Temperature is 99! We are cool in the car, thank
> goodness!
>

A glimpse of St. Louis...

>

>
> It is hard to see but the arch is in the background! It is 8:27 est
> and we just got on I44 heading to Tulsa.

Heading to Oklahoma City

Downtown Tulsa

On day one, we made it about 700 miles. We went through Indiana, Illinois, Missouri and ended our day in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The plan for today is to head to Albuquerque, NM.

The final countdown...

Last summer, my friend Lee Anne and I started discussing the prospect of a western vacation during our summer break from school. We discussed our dream locations, including: the Grand Canyon, Bryce Canyon, Zion, the Grand Tetons, Yellowstone, Devil's Tower, Mt. Rushmore and the Badlands. Now, after a year of planning, organizing, discussing, and fretting we are preparing both of our families to take part in the adventure of a lifetime! We will be hiking, camping and roadtripping with five children, two husbands, two vehicles and one large trailer for two weeks across the beautiful United States of America. As we go, we will be blogging our many adventures along the way.

The adventure begins on Friday, June 26th, 2009 as we leave our homes in Kentucky and head toward the South Rim of the Grand Canyon...