Nicole feels

For over three months, I researched, planned, and budgeted. I made reservations, poured over website after website, read articles and books, all in the name of planning the perfect family vacation.

OK, so maybe I am not na�ve enough to really believe it could be perfect, but pretty darn close!

I happened upon Grand Canyon National Park�s official website. And on that website was a webcam. At Yavapai Point.

And so, even though this point was not one of the �raved about� ones in my Grand Canyon book, I wanted to stand there and see with my own eyes what I had only viewed from a computer screen from day to day since April.

I even ventured off the trail for that one!

We continued on, trying to ignore whiny children, placating them with fruit snacks and Gatorade.

Mather Point was our final walking destination. This was probably one of the most crowded points we visited, but the overlook was definitely more geared to guests, with fencing and barriers all around.

Checking out Mather Point proved rather uneventful. Which was just fine with me.

I think there would have been an outright revolt at the suggestion of more hiking. By this time we were all ready to catch the shuttle back to the Market Place and on to see the West Rim (sounds easy, right?).

And that is a whole other story...