The Grand Canyon and more...

We slept in on Father's Day, which for camping means about 9:30. Lotus prides himself on quickly learning the lay of the land in each campground by bicycle, and this one was no exception. As soon as I cracked my eyelids, he was begging for a trail ride. He had been up for "hours" and was ready for adventure. 

Can you find the Lotus?

 The Dead Horse Ranch earned its name when a family was looking for ranch land with their kids in the 1940's. They came across a large dead horse when looking at one property. When the father asked his children if they had an opinion on which ranch they liked best, the kids replied "The one with the dead horse!!"

When the family later sold the ranch to the Park Service, they stipulated that the name remain the same. Ha!

 This camp is known for it's mountain biking trails and we explored many of them before loading up for the Grand Canyon!

We visited the South Rim on a weekend in June (Father's Day too- shout out to all the Papas out there!), and there were big crowds. But the National Park Service does such a nice job of handling the volume and making everyone feel special. They really seem to enjoy their jobs and understand the great lengths folks have gone to to arrive at this Wonder of the World. Here's Ranger Rick (no joke) swearing in our two Junior Rangers:

The canyon itself was amazing, and our photos really don't do justice. We were lucky to have great visibility, and we even got to bike along the rim trail. 

We attempted to take our own family portrait with the canyon in the background:

...but finally got kind tourist to help us out. 

We watched the sun set over the canyon from roadside vistas as we drove away.