Trip Out West: Day 8

Day 8 (9/23/17) On our way out from the Grand Canyon, we make sure to stop and take a picture at the entrance of the park. Ryan and Jess got a great shot of Matt and I with a helicopter flying above us.

After stopping for lunch in Sedona, we arrived at the Montezuma Castle National Monument. We were there maybe thirty minutes and I spend most of it in the gift shop. It was a short trail and not much to other than the well preserved dwellings that was built and occupied from 1200-1450.

The finale of our trip was attending an Arizona Coyotes preseason game. The arena was in walking distance from our hotel and was surrounded by tons of restaurants and shops. After the Coyotes lost, Matt and I decided to stop at a Mexican restaurant and grab a late night snack. I tried a margarita for the first time that night, not sure what the fuss is all about, but I was definitely a bit tipsy walking back to the hotel with Matt.

The following day, we headed to the airport to go home. I know everyone had a great time on this trip. I'm very proud that despite being together almost 24/7, and we didn't kill each other. I'm so glad that Ryan and Jess introduced us to National Parks. We are definitely looking forward to planning some more park trips in the future because I need to get more stamps!

Ryan and Jess's blog:  http://ryanandjessandstuff.blogspot.com

National Park Service: https://www.nps.gov

Passport to your National Parks: https://www.eparks.com

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Trip Out West: Day 7

Day 7 (9/22/17) was probably the most miles I have tracked on my FitBit in a long time. We logged 10.31 miles and 144 floors! We hit the South Kaibab Trail at about 10am and it was an experience. The four of us were so excited to finally hike at the Grand Canyon. I wasn't sure what to expect on this challenging hike, but the first thing I noticed was how steep is was. I felt like my toes were going to go through my sneakers. We also saw and smelled a lot donkey (I HOPE it was donkey) shit. Hiking down was pretty easy, minus a few slips on some loose gravel. The views were amazing.

The hike back up was not so easy for me. It was getting pretty warm and the elevation was something I have ever experienced before. According to Ryan, it is about 900 feet up in 1.5 miles and everyone did great getting up there....well, maybe not everyone. I had a tough time getting back up the trail and I was super disappointed because I had worked hard training for these hikes. Raleigh is obviously not known for its Grand Canyon like hikes, but I worked with my trainer, Aurora, from AD Fitness months prior to our trip.  I wanted to tone up and strengthen my core. I also had gotten two iron infusions in the past few months before the trip so I was hoping fatigue wouldn't be an issue. Unfortunately, between my asthma, fatigue, and a bloody nose, I was the last one up by at least fifteen minutes. We took a group shot before and after the hike and I think the pictures speak for themselves.

Before

After

Later that night, Ryan and I decided to go look at the stars and I was dying to see the Milky Way. We were pretty tired from our day, but I really didn't want to miss out on the night sky at the Grand Canyon. It was amazing to me how different it is to see the night sky where there are no lights. The sky was clear and I got my view of the Milky Way.


Ryan and Jess's blog:  http://ryanandjessandstuff.blogspot.com

National Park Service: https://www.nps.gov

Passport to your National Parks: https://www.eparks.com

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Trip Out West: Day 6

Day 6 (9/21/17) was full of amazing and beautiful views. We got out early to watch the sunrise and it was cold and windy. It was probably in the 30's with the biting wind chill, but it was 100% worth it. We saw a few deer in front of our cabin which was really cool. We did quite a bit of hiking in the wind and then headed towards the South Rim. We made a lot of stops along the way including Cape Royal, Roosevelt Point, Point Imperial, The Desert View and The Grand Canyon Vista. My favorite was Point Imperial. The elevation is 8803 and was insanely windy. We nearly lost our hats!

Once we were done checking out the views, we headed to the South Rim. The drive took more than four hours to get there, and I have to admit I was starting to get a bit punchy and really needed rest. I was very thankful that we were finally staying at our hotel (the Maswik Lodge) for more than a night. I was looking forward to a good night sleep before heading to the South Kaibab Trail in the morning.

Ryan and Jess's blog:  http://ryanandjessandstuff.blogspot.com

National Park Service: https://www.nps.gov

Passport to your National Parks: https://www.eparks.com

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Trip Out West: Day 5

Day 5 (9/20/17): We didn't have to wake up as early as we had been the past few days which was nice. Our first stop was Hovenweep National Monument and I loved it. Hovenweep has six prehistoric villages that were built between 1200 and 1300 A.D. We hiked the two mile loop and it was beautiful.

Our next stop was Monument Valley which was another amazing site. We stopped at the stretch of road where the famous scene where Forrest Gump stops running. Most of us needed to use the bathroom, so we headed to the Vistor's Center. There we were charged twenty dollars to enter! I must admit that I am glad we paid it because the views were so fantastic. 

 

After Monument Valley, we got on the road and headed to the North Rim. We were supposed to get in when it was still light out, but unfortunately we didn't. We drove in complete darkness and narrowly missed dozens of cows and deer. It is confusing if you get there in the dark. We weren't sure where to park or where to check in. There are no lights and no signs directing to check in. Ryan and I got out the car in the freezing and windy night to look for check in. We had to use our cellphone flashlights to find our way. What seemed like forever, we finally found check in and figured out where our cabins were. These cabins in the North Rim are very hard to book. You pretty much have to book a year ahead of time. Ryan had to check everyday for about about six months to get this cabin. I'm not a roughing it type of girl, I think I've been camping once in my entire life and I was pretty sure I drunk. We walked into the cabin and I immediately wanted to run and sleep in the car. When you first walk in there is a double bed and bench, then there is the tiny bathroom with a shower and the last room had a futon and bunk beds. All I saw were moth, bugs and worst or all, a mouse trap. Jess and I lost our shit, to put it mildly. The guys took us out in freezing cold to look at the stars, which was beautiful and totally worth it.  When we got back to the cabin to go to bed, I refused to turn off the lights the whole night and I refused to get under the covers since I saw moth looking bugs in the bed and pillows. Matt thought I was nuts. He got under the covers and immediately fell asleep. I, on the other hand, did not. I was freezing because I wouldn't get under the covers, so I stuck both my legs in one arm of my hoodie and stretched it over the rest of my body. My teeth chattered most of the night. I didn't know until morning, but there was a heater behind the door. 

Ryan and Jess's blog:  http://ryanandjessandstuff.blogspot.com

National Park Service: https://www.nps.gov

Passport to your National Parks: https://www.eparks.com

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