Thanksgiving at the Grand Canyon

 Cancelling our Texas Thanksgiving was pretty crushing for the kids- can't argue with a positive Covid test though! We knew we needed to come up with something impressive to take its place so the Grand Canyon fit the bill. Winston read a kids chapter book about it and was excited to go explore. On our way down we stopped in Page Arizona to see horseshoe bent which was honestly one of my favorite parts of the trip, it was gorgeous at sunset! We used Marriott points and booked a hotel in Flagstaff since it was too cold (in my opinion) to camp. Thanksgiving Day we spent exploring the Grand Canyon- scenic overlooks, getting Junior Ranger books and badges, a little hike, a little bike ride, and a bus ride the kids were very excited about. Finding a restaurant for Thanksgiving Dinner was much harder than I anticipated! We ate at some junky hotel dining room because it was the place with the best reviews that I could get a reservation. I have been wanting to explore Sedona for a few years so Friday we planned for Evan to go on a bike ride there while I met up with Marci and her crew for a hike. The hike ended up being far too long and far too crowded but we made some great memories and our kids got in some great bonding time. Poor Evan had to wait for close to two hours for me to pick him up because there was so much dang traffic around the trailhead- virtually all California license plates from people escaping their stringent mandates. Saturday we drove to Capitol Reef National Park which I am declaring my favorite Utah National Park- it is small enough to be charming but impressive enough to be worth it- plus they were holding Ranger programs so we got to learn a ton about it. There is even a fruit orchard and pie bakery that operate during the summer season. The hardest part of this trip was keeping our kids quiet in the hotel rooms! People were banging on the walls and ceilings in the two different hotels we stayed in because we were too loud. I know my kids are loud but also they go to bed at 8 pm so I was kind of surprised people threw such a fit. A tent trailer was sounding DELIGHTFUL by checkout time.