Day Seven is the shortest journey of the trip in miles. We headed off the Route 66 trail again for a diversion to the Grand Canyon. It’s also here that our travel party has doubled in size.

A Morning of Leisure

We originally planned to be up and out by 9AM to backtrack a bit to a place called Walnut Canyon for a morning hike. Best laid plans I say. We were pretty tired and decided to find a breakfast place we could walk to instead.

Mission accomplished. We asked for a late check out from the hotel and headed to the Downtown Diner.

It turned out to be the best choice. Breakfast was great and we got some much needed down time in the hotel room after. With a view like this from our room, who would want to leave?

Of course the view we were headed to kind of outshines everything else just a smidge.

A Motley “Crew”

Ben had been waiting for this day to come for weeks. Even before we left on this journey. We are finally meeting up with my family who have joined us for the remaining miles along Route 66. Ben loves hanging out with his cousin.

The best part was that we had adjoining rooms. In all the trips we’ve taken together we’ve never been able to get one with the connecting door between rooms so this was a first. And boy was it a hit.

Eating in National Parks

Tom and I love to stay inside the National Parks when possible. It’s such a calm and peaceful place when most of the tourists head home for the day and all that’s left are those staying in the park.

One of our best experiences was on our honeymoon. We stayed in Yellowstone National Park during its final week before closing up for the winter. We didn’t expect it, but it snowed and they closed the park with us inside it! It was awesome walking around with the snow and driving around the next day with no one around.

But I digress. There is caveat to staying inside the parks. Sometimes the food is not so great. Mostly, not so great. There are some gems. Grand Teton being one of them. But mostly you’re stuck with a government contract food service provider.

It’s not to say you can’t find something good. We did at the pizza pub in the Maswick Lodge. Chicken Wings. The kids love them. They just had to wait 35 minutes to get them. Mostly because they’re baked from a frozen state. Just know going in to keep an open mind and always ask a lot of questions like “how long will it take to cook wings”.

Sunset Viewing and Hiking

Another advantage specifically to staying in the Grand Canyon is getting to view the sunset in its entirety. It’s quite a sight to behold. And taking a small hike while the sun is going down offers you different vantage points to see the spectacular colors. And believe me, no two spots make you feel like, “oh, I’ve seen this”. Each one is unique.

Shoot for the Stars

Everyone is generally exhausted by the time the sun sets in the Grand Canyon. But there is no place on earth I’ve encountered yet that has such a vantage point for viewing the stars at night.

We took the kids out for just 10 minutes in their PJs after 9PM. It was so worth it. Ben thought he was in space.

And this week was a special moon that made it completely dark. It was constellation week in the park and the star gazing was extra special.

Alas, one night in the Grand Canyon will never be enough. But it was grand nonetheless.

Carving routes