Day 2

Just as I was leaving the hotel to go and get some supper I realized there was a bad rain storm going on. As I was leaving five people just pulled up on motorbikes and they were rather wet. I went to Chilli's for supper. I have eaten there before and really enjoyed it, but tonight I got the fried steak. Well they called it steak and it was deep fried. I think they just battered a piece of sandwich meat and throw it in the oil. If you couldn't tell by now, no it wasn't all that great. Oh well that what I get for trying something new.

If you are wondering where I am I am back in Flagstaff again tonight. I was going to get a hotel in Tusyan last night which is just a mile outside of the park but all the hotels were full there. I had to drive and hour to Flagstaff last night and then an hour back this morning. I was wondering if I should drive all the way back there today or not. I am so glad that I did because I didn't hike down in to the canyon at all.

I arrived at the South Kaibab Trail head at 9am. I hiked down to Skeleton Point which is a 6 mile walk round trip and it is 2,000 ft below the rim. I was pacing myself very carefully. The have to rescue about 250 people a year out of the canyon and most of them are males ages 18 - 40 and I really didn't want to be one of those. It was well worth it and I am so glad I did it. I wish I had the time to have hiked all the way down to the driver but they have warning signs everywhere saying not to try to hike to the river and back in one day. So I was a good boy and obeyed.

My first view of the trail heading into the abyss.

You can see how the trail switches back and forth.

I don't think I need to say anything for these Canyon pics they say it better then I can, but even the pictures cannot really do it justice.

I am not sure what this plant was but I thought it was kind of cool looking.

They have mules and if you can't or don't want to hike down you can ride a mule down and back.

Can you believe these little squirrels cause more injuries to humans then any other animals. They have signs everywhere telling people not to feed the wildlife but of course most people don't obey them. Most of the squirrels you see look like they need to get a lot more exercise because people feed them so much. Anyways while people are feeding them I guess they end up getting bitten and some of the squirrels have rabies. They say they have to treat eight to ten people a week at the clinic because they have been bitten. I guess they are mean little creators.

Where does it end?

They also have pack mules because they have to get supplies down to the bottom were they have a lodge and they supply meals and other things.

These were the switch backs that were just down from were I stopped hiking and turned around. Down this trail it is 7 miles from the rim to the camp at the bottom, so I didn't go quite half way.

Can you see the hikers way down below?

Yes I have been to the edge and back.

This guy/gal just wouldn't raise it's head out of the bushes for me. He wasn't concerned at all that I was there he was to busy eating. It must have been a guy.

Well I think that is about it. If you ever get a chance to go. Just do it. Oh and just so you know some of those pictures might have made it look like I was in a little more danger then I was. Sorry Mom.

First Day @ Grand Canyon

Here are some of the ruins and things I visited on my way to the Canyon.

These rooms are thought to have been built in the side of this cliff by natives in the 1100's.

Here is what it is supposed to have looked like inside.

I just couldn't walk by and not take a picture of these little fellows.

Budding cactus of some sort.

A lava flow.

This ruin is in the picture below.

My little Caliber, we have become best buddies. Too bad he has to go home tomorrow.

The scenery as I neared the Canyon.

There were some smaller canyons along the way as well.

Ya, I guess that's me.

Another one of the pre-canyons.

I was really there and here is the proof.

I got my first good view of the Canyon from this tower called Desert Tower.

Well folks here it is the Grand Canyon. I am sorry these next pictures didn't turn out the best because it was very overcast. the pictures I took today are better.

I had to see how close I could get to the edge. I have gotten closer, you'll see later.

Ah, it's me again.

People these day they are so concerned about getting good pictures that they had to snap a picture before they would help me. What do you think of that?

That it the Bright Angel trail way down there.

I am going to go find some supper and when I return I will post pictures from day 2.

The Grand Canyon

I had a very nice day. I took it easy driving up from Phoenix. I took my time and looked at different monuments and ruins along the way. I took lots of pictures but it seems the internet at the hotel is too slow to let me up load any. Sorry, they will have to wait till maybe tomorrow. Just wanted to let you know I didn't fall in the canyon.

A Funny Story

I went to meeting at the hall in Phoenix this morning with Wendell and Donna. After the refreshment time between the first and second meeting, they have a time of singing some children's songs. Once that was done while the kids were leaving to go to Sunday school they pass all the song books to the center aisle and someone collects them all. I didn't know that they did this so the lady on the aisle side of me reached here hand over to take my book and I shook her hand thinking maybe they had a bit of a greeting time while the kids were going out. She politely shook my hand and then pointed to the song book. I felt kind of embarrassed and gave her the book.

Anyways that was my embarrassing moment for the day. Thought you might like that.

We Finally Made It.

Tim and I drove on ahead of the others to Phoenix on Friday and arrived about 3:30pm. On our way Tim took me through Sedona, Arizona. It was just a little out of our way but well worth seeing. Here are a few pictures of the area.

God never ceases to amaze me at the beauty He put on this planet. Wither it is the awesome mountains on the horizon, the flowering cacti in the rolling sand hills or thick lush rain forest. They are all unique but equally as beautiful.

Cacti in Arizona.

Once we arrived in Phoenix Wendell Hart picked Tim and I up and took us to get the vans and trailers that had been rented to put everything out of the moving truck into. We couldn't take the moving truck into Mexico so we had to use other vehicles. We had several people come and help switch the items over. Yes we ended up doing it after dark but we had lots of light and it was cooler then. When we first arrived it was 107 F. If you don't know that is warm. We were wondering for a while if we would get everything into the two vans and trailers, but Praised God we got everything in except for one bike.

Unloading everything onto the driveway.

Here are the two vans and trailers already to be loaded.

We got a few hours of sleep Thursday night, maybe not as many as we would have hoped but we wanted to leave by 7:30 Friday morning. We got away by 8 and had several hold ups and finally made it to the boarder by 3:30pm. They were telling us there that we were going to have to go back to Arizona and go to the Embassy and get the list of items stamped by them then find a broker and put all of the stuff into one semi trailer because it couldn't be in two vehicles. We tried to reason with them but finally it just seemed we were going to have to go back. We were all praying very hard and calling out on the Lord to help. Just before we left a guy that we had first talked with walked up to me and said "Haven't you paid your taxes yet." He was surprised that we were still waiting. I told him what they were telling us that we had to do. He said that wasn't right and went and talked with one of the guys and then they said we could just pay 15% tax on the things and go. After being at the boarder for almost three hours we were let across the boarder and on our way. We made it to Tim and Steph's house at 10:30pm. We turned what was supposed to be an 8 hour drive into an almost 15 hour journey. They had a bunch of young people ready to help us and in one hour we had everything unloaded and in the house. Thank You Jesus.

This is what the house looked like after we got it all in. Very organized of course.

This morning Wendell and I left at 8 with the two vans because we had to have them back in Phoenix by 5pm and we were hoping we were going to be able to make the trip faster then yesterday.

Here is a picture of the front of their house.

Our fleet parked at IHOP.

We made it to the boarder by 11:30am and sat there for one hour and then we stopped in at IHOP (International House of Pancakes, just incase you didn't know what IHOP is.) for lunch and made it back to the rental place just before five.

Now I am at Wendell and Donna Harts house in Tempe, Arizona just outside of Phoenix. They have been kind enough to let me stay with them till Monday morning. I was just going to jump on a bus as soon as I got the van droved off and head back to Herimosio, but this will probably be the closest I am to the Grand Canyon for a while. I am hoping to rent a car and drive up there Monday and look around and then come back on Tuesday and maybe get a bus back to Herimosio Tuesday evening.

We want to thank you all for your prayers for our travels. The Lord has watched over us and kept us safe and worked things out when we could not see any possible way. Thanks so much.

We're in Albuquerque, New Mexico

We left St. Thomas about noon on Monday and he a very smooth boarder crossing. Thank the Lord. We only made in to Fort Wayne, Indiana by Monday evening we had hoped to get farther.

Kyla, Steph, Tim, Mika and Shaelyn in front of the truck before setting out on our journey.

Here we are stopped at a rest area for lunch. The two people on the left are Gary and Bonnie Steph's parents.

Kyla's having a little lunch as well

Who says this is only for boys?

I like clean wind shield so I was always squeegeeing them when we stopped for fuel.

Here's Kyla just so excited to be going to Mexico.

Steph and Bonnie making sandwiches for us.

We were a little bit behind because we didn't get as far as we had wanted on Monday, so we put in a 16 hour day yesterday and got us all the way to Tulsa, OK. We went for 12 hours today and we were able to in to the hotel by 9pm, earlier then we have other nights. We even got to take a dip in the pool this evening as well.

I need to get to bed, because Tim and I are going to leave earlier then the other in the morning with the truck, because it cannot go as fast as the van because it is governed. The others will come on long in the van later and catch up with us. We are hoping to be in Phoenix, AR by 3pm . Thanks for your prayers.