Aug 3rd, Friday, Grand Canyon, North Rim

So the Jacob Lake campground has showers – coin operated showers, 5 minutes for $2.25.  I have never showered so fast in my life, as adding additional quarters didn’t give you additional minutes.

Off to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, which is not the popular site usually visited by tourists.  Let me tell you why – there isn’t a big viewing area, you can’t really see the river (which we didn’t care about) but the trails were cliffs.  They had said not for the faint of heart but I assumed they meant the view not the walk.  I had a panic attack with four kids and a four year old that likes to run.  I decided to turn back with the girls and Cate turns around to talk to me and is walking backwards.  I lost it and drug them all up the path somehow.  Rick and Grant stayed and I think Rick clung to the mountain side while Grant skipped down the path with his eyes closed.  The girls and I went to the Grand Canyon Lodge where there was a more stable viewing area to wait for them.  I did walk out on a narrow path with Grant to an overhang with a little rickety railing around it and holes in the wire where a small child could easily slip through.  At that point we both wished we’d gone to the South rim and paid the $30 a person to walk out on the Indian owned glass overhang ledge, anything would have felt more secure.

That is Grant in the picture below and the area that I freaked out on - didn't like it when people passed.

Needless to say our trip there was short and we decided to head on to Page, Arizona where we are doing the river rafting tomorrow.  Got there in time to visit the dam visitor center and secure our tour tickets for the dam the next day.

On to the campground which is HUGE.  We are right next to an incredible playground and the kids had a blast until Grant wandered off with this boy to see his camper and we freaked out when we couldn’t find him for a few minutes.  Big trouble, so he had to go do laundry with me, and he was mortified and wanted to go to the pool with his sisters.  It was the only place in the campgrounds I got good wifi so I could check email and news on my phone but it was spotty.  I relented and went to the pool with him for a bit then we had to go get our laundry which he had to carry.  Windy night but we are excited for tomorrow.