Grand Canyon

The most memorable trip I've taken has to be to the Grand Canyon....  Hard to believe when I've also been to Italy and Hawaii - both trips I absolutely loved, but for some reason our trip to the Grand Canyon is the one I would do over and over again.  It was a two week vacation with my family - me, my mother, and my stepfather traveling in an RV to meet one uncle in Arizona and another uncle in Colorado.  Along the way we stopped in Albuquerque, NM; the petrified forest, the painted desert, Meteor Crater in AZ, Sedona, AZ where we did a jeep tour of the red rocks, Monument Valley where we did another jeep tour of the rock formations, Four Corners, Durango, CO where we rode the train to Silverton, and at the Grand Canyon we rode the mules into the canyon for an overnight stay.  I remember moments like eating what I consider real sopapillas in Albuquerque - fresh and hot with dripping honey;

  stopping at a welcome center in NM where we met a couple traveling with their horses - wild mustangs they saved and trained;  the high winds at the top observation point at Meteor Crater... being able to see for miles in any direction and wondering at the oddity of this crater out in the middle of nowhere;  taking a walk with my iPod at sunset outside our RV park near Meteor Crater... listening to music to fit the spectacular sight before my eyes - I have never seen a sunset to match it's splendor, and I have never experienced such wonder at one of nature's bold displays of color and composition;  walking along the pathways at the Petrified Forest and thinking about all the creatures that lived during the time of these ancient trees and wondering what it must have been like;  my stepfather's unending patience at my need to stop every few miles to take a photo of something;  the pure joy and thrill of our jeep ride in Sedona - at the time I swore I would quit my job and move there to be a jeep tour guide ( Pink Jeep Tours );  breakfast at the local airport in Sedona - it's on top of a hill and you have a gorgeous view of the town below( Sedona Airport ) ;  driving through Flagstaff and seeing the yellow flowers all along the road sides;  reaching an altitude of over 7,000 feet at the Grand Canyon - I had no idea it was that high above sea level;  spending time with my uncle... he's only 14 years older than me and loves adventure as much as I do;  dinner one night at the Grand Canyon - listening to my uncle play his guitar while watching the stars and satellites travel overhead... the night skies are so clear out west - the sky was full of diamonds;  sitting on a wall overlooking the canyon and reading a book... along comes a squirrel and climbs on my lap ( no lie! ) looking for food - they are quite unafraid of people, but feeding and touching them is discouraged - I didn't feed him, but could not resist his curiosity of me, and of course had to take a photo;  the mule ride was a multitude of memories... too many to go into, but suffice it to say it was one of the best times I've had in my life - my mother, my uncle, and myself went into the canyon and had a blast;  seeing elk and deer everywhere!....  always looking for the elusive condors - once on the brink of extinction and now making a come back - beautiful in flight with wing spans of almost 9 feet ( Grand Canyon Condors );  visiting Indian road side stands... my insatiable desire to own real Indian jewelry must have driven my stepfather crazy;  driving into Durango, CO - one minute desert and the next beautiful hard wood forests....  Colorado is definitely one of my favorite places;  the drive to Denver - how stunningly gorgeous are the Rockies!!!!;  touring The Stanley Hotel - famous for being the inspiration for Stephen King's The Shining....  we had the greatest tour guide - and I swear I got some ghosts ( orbs ) in some of my photos - you would not believe the sight of my aunt and I running down the hallway chasing them down!;  a rainbow in Rocky Mountain National Park - another photo opportunity I must have driven people nuts with - I actually ran down the road chasing it for the best composition possible.....  So many memories, and so many more that simply won't fit on this page.  It's amazing the wonders our own US of A holds in store for us if we just take the time to experience them.  I love this country and wish to travel all of it before I'm gone.  That trip was such an inspiration of hope and marvel....  I can only pray that everyone could experience something like it in their lifetimes. 

What are some of your best travel memories?