End of Trail

An hour of straight up climbing, some on hands and knees. Through narrow passages and steep drop offs - The Summit.  The End of Trail sign was a welcome sight!  Standing on that narrow ledge overlooking two sheer drops,  you have three thoughts:

1. Wow, what a view.

2. Wow, it's windy up here.  (look at Bella's hair)

3. Oh no, now I have to go down.

As you can see, the sun is starting to set.  We don't have but a few minutes to catch our breath and enjoy the view before racing down the mountain.

Summit View

The majestic views from Cathedral Rock summit.

Moon Rising

You can see the sun begin to set and the moon begin to rise as we work our way down Cathedral Rock.

Sermon on the Rock

Half way down the rock I found a spot to stop and share some of our faith.  The Bible has many verses that relate to rocks or mountains.  We discussed two:

"And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it."  Matthew 16:18

"I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. My help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth."  Psalms 121:1-2

We took five minutes to discuss, explain and celebrate these verses.   Sharing your faith with your kids - priceless.

Down Hill

Heading down rock is certainly easier than up rock.  The kids took time out of their trek to scratch their name into the rock.  Not sure how long those names will survive but they enjoyed the thought that they had left their mark on Cathedral Rock.  If only it was that easy to make your mark in life.

Around Sedona

Happy to catch a few views as we drive around after our climb.  Sedona doesn't disappoint.  Such an amazing and majestic place - Thanks be to God.

Farewell, Sedona.

A fond farewell to my new friend, Sedona.  One of our guides said that the park rangers have a saying - "God created the Grand Canyon but he lives in Sedona."

Indeed, I get it.  I compare this to Augusta National, the Smokey Mountains and Marco Island.  This is a place touched with God's beauty and strength  - at every turn.  So long, Sedona.   I look forward to spending time with you again.

Grand Canyon

The alarm sounded a little too early for a Spring Break Wednesday but we had big plans for our day.  We grabbed a box of Dunkin Donuts and headed for the hills.  I confess I was not expecting to see snow covered mountains on our way from the desert to the Grand Canyon.  We chose to take a Pink Jeep Tour of the South Rim, heading out East along Desert View Road.

Duck on a Rock

First stop, Duck on a Rock.  Yes, I see it but the coolest part was the total view - just amazing.

Moran Point

Next stop, Moran Point.

Navajo Point

The views continue to amaze and we are getting a little braver with each stop. Our guide reminds us that someone falls into the Grand Canyon on average of once a month. And the vast majority don't survive.  Caution is a good word today.

Lipan Point

My favorite of the South Rim points - Lipan Point offers great views of the river, the steep cliffs and the layers of history.