Day 3 & 4 - Kanab, Utah and North Rim Grand Canyon

Day 3 & 4 - Kanab, Utah and North Rim Grand Canyon

Yesterday had its moments of glory.  Like driving through the desert singing at the top of our lungs, watching the landscape change from desert to stacked red, layered rocks.  Like playing games in the RV and actually enjoying each others’ company.  Like stroking Quinn’s head as he napped with his head on my side.  Like over an hour talking to J in the front seat about #life. Like the kids reading and reading and reading. So much goodness.

But, as we know, all good things must come to an end, especially in #rvlife.  We had driven three and a half hours from Vegas, and were about an hour away from our campground at the North Rim of the Grand Canyon.  We were SO CLOSE, and giddy as we could see the Kaibab National Forest enveloping us along the way.  It’s crazy how forested the area outside the North Rim is, and none of us were expecting it. 

After stopping at a scenic overlook, I noticed that a red liquid was dripping from the front of the RV and some smoke appeared to be coming out.  Since Quinn and I were behind the rest of our crew, I called out to Justin that we had a problem.  He came down a took a look, but all seemed normal on our gauges, so we got back on the road.  Just a few miles later, the temperature gauge on the RV was in the red, and we pulled over.  After an hour with both of us on our phones with the RV people, our insurance, and roadside assistance, we secured some towing help.  Meanwhile, we played catch on the side of the road and had a taco picnic dinner.  “Happy Father’s Day, Justin?”  Truthfully, though, it was super fun.

The mechanic arrived took a look at things before loading our RV on the FLATBED, and decided to fill the coolant tank with coolant and water, and said he’d follow us to the car service place about 30 miles in the direction we had JUST COME.  Once we arrived back in Kanab, Utah, (think small town in Utah with literally ONE MAIN STREET) he advised that we spend the night and come back in the morning for a coolant tank cap, which he said *would HOPEFULLY fix the problem.”  I secured a spot at the “Kickin’ Corral RV Park” for the night, we roasted some s’mores before bed, and hit the sack.

After our visit to the mechanic first thing in the morning, and a VERY quick fix, we hit the road to make up for lost time to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon.  The drive from Kanab took us a little less than two hours, including a stop to throw the ball in a gorgeous meadow.  The backdrops of our day were spectacular.

We arrived at the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, and spent some time at the Visitor Center before heading out to hike Bright Angel Trail.  The kids were in absolute AWE upon glimpsing the Canyon for the first time, and it gave me chills.  

We really enjoyed our hike, and the views were just remarkable.  Once again, we were all reminded just how small we are.

After our hike, we checked out the Grand Canyon Lodge, mailed some postcards, and went back to the Ranger Station so that the kids could complete their Junior Ranger requirements.  

After some grilled bratwurst for lunch and a stop at the Jacob Lake Inn for their “World Famous Cookies” we hit the road. We even saw some bison on our way out! We are feeling so grateful right now that our detour yesterday was just a blip on the radar of this trip.  Onward to Zion, where we’ll be for the next three nights!