Matthews Family: ARIZONA

We drove from Moab to Page Arizona. By the time we got there it was close to 10pm and we still hadn't eaten dinner. Aarahi went out in search of something and came back with some interesting looking Mexican as that was all he could find open nearby. The hotel did however have a delicious breakfast the next morning.

We took a quick hike in the morning to see Horseshoe Bend which was on Aarahi's bucket list. It was quite impressive. Lili walked the trail in bare feet for some reason I can't quite remember. Then it was onwards to the Grand Canyon.

We had contemplated skipping the Grand Canyon because we were tired and just felt like getting to our next hotel for a rest but we are glad we soldiered on.

The Grand Canyon was one of those places that you just stand in awe of the reality that place like this exist. It truly was GRAND. We didn't wander too far from the visitors centre and spent most of our time sitting on some rocks with the kids completing things for their last Junior Ranger badge. Ammon loved climbing the rocks and everyone was in love with the adorable little squirrels that were running around all over the place. They were very friendly and came close enough to touch if you were game enough.

The kids got the chance to touch and play with a bit of snow that was still covering part of the park. That was a win for them. Lili and Auron are quite keen to learn to snowboard so we have that planned for next winter.

We saw some huge moose on the way back to the car too. It was exciting to see all the different animals. I suppose it would be like people coming to Australia and seeing Kangaroo's, when we see them almost daily around us.

We carried on our road trip to Sedona. I think this is where all the crazy healthy people go! We went to get smoothies one morning and they cost $15!!!!!! for a single cup! The whole place screamed new age healthfood etc even Mc Donalds was green??? However it was a beautiful place. We didn't do as much as we planed here as we were tired but we did swim in the pool a bit and ate good food.

Next up we visited with the Sister Missionary who taught my Mum the gospel almost 30 years ago.It was such a blessing to see her after all these year and I am so thankful for her influence. I have no photos which is unfortunate. We stayed with her family and the kids had a blast riding ponies and just being kids. They also had their first smores, that was another thing to tick of their lists. I am thankful that we sat down before we left and wrote out wish lists of things to do and eat. It was such a thrill for us as parents to see them check things of their little lists.

Auron has a penpal who lives in Arizona who he was lucky enough to meet up with. It was so cute to see them together and playing. They bought the kids little easter baskets which were a huge hit. They are still playing with them everyday now! The kids got a good 2 hours of playing in before we had to say goodbye.

We headed off to our last Arizona night in Yuma before finally making our way back to California towards San Diego!