North Rim Grand Canyon, AZ
With the temperatures in Las Vegas consistently over 100, we decided that the crazy idea of camping with a two month old might not be that crazy. Only four and a half hours away, the North Rim of the Grand Canyon was the perfect escape: free camping in the national forest, camping in isolation so Ella's cries won't disturb anyone, and of course, the incredible views of the the second largest canyon on Earth!
We arrived Friday afternoon, set up camp, and decided to give our new bike trailer a try. An 'Offer Up' purchase made the day before we left, the bike trailer worked out perfectly. With Ella unable to hold her head up just yet, we strapped her carseat into the trailer and road down some trails near our campsite. Ella just looked around as Scott rode through the aspen trees. As sunset was approaching, we headed to the lodge to grab some food and watch the sun set over the canyon.
I was a little nervous (or rather, a lot nervous) about Ella being too cold in the trailer at night. With lows in the 50s, I wasn't about to let Ella lose any fingers just yet ;) Scott is always prepared, and with a propane heater, she was just perfect! She slept as she would have at home.
Saturday morning was beautiful! We headed up Cape Royal Road, where we took a four mile hike through the forest to Cape Final; a point overlooking the vast canyon. With some diapers, wipes, PB&J for us, and my boobs for Ella, we headed off on the forested plateau. Despite our best efforts, however, Ella came back with sunburnt cheeks. :( They are healing well, but it was so hard to see her in pain when she touched them.
We were pleasantly surprised with how well the weekend went (despite burnt cheeks and a flat tire on the trailer on the way home). With a few of the right supplies, we can camp with Baby Ella!
Cape Final hike. Round trip 4.2 miles.