On Saturday morning we went to El Tovar, the famous lodge situated on the edge of the Grand Canyon for breakfast.

It was built over one hundred years ago.  The inside is rustic, yet classy.

I had read about the fancy hot chocolate service, so we ordered it.  There is whipped cream and chocolate chips in the cup, and the hot chocolate is poured over it from a carafe.  This made the hot chocolate not at all warm enough for my mom’s liking, but it ended up being the perfect temperature for the kids from the first sip.

We ordered two sweet dishes: pancake trio with pinion nut butter and prickly pear syrup and wafffle with lemon curd and blueberries.

We also ordered two savory dishes, which were quite hearty: breakfast burrito with pork and breakfast quesadilla with beef.

These dishes were definitely enough for the six of us.  It was a nice way to end our vacation.

Afterwards we took one last glance at the canyon from the back of the hotel property.  The bottom picture shows two huge birds (turkey vultures?) that were just hanging out on the rocks.  I definitely need to look for better zoom capability on my next camera.

On our journey home, there were some low-lying cumulus clouds that fascinated me.  I also read that a storm hit the Grand Canyon the afternoon we left, so we just missed it.  Our next national park trip is already in the works: Kings & Sequoia!

On our way back into the park on Friday morning, we stopped by the entrance picture to take a picture.  There was a actually a place for the camera to take a timer shot, which we did, but I like this pic better.

We also saw this guy, an elk, up close and personal on the way into the park.

We met my parents at Bright Angel Café, close to the Visitor’s Center for breakfast.  In retrospect, we probably should have bought breakfast at the General Store, since the selection was pretty limited.  We also picked up some sandwiches for a picnic lunch.

The kids were able to become the first junior rangers of the day.  It was nice that we beat the crowds at the Visitors Center.

Most of the rim trail is paved, and at some parts you are quite close to the edge.  It is a very easy trail, perfect for the kids.  It was also an overcast day, so at least we did not hear any complaints about it being too hot.  n refused to wear his sweatshirt, however, which became a different battle.

You cannot really see it in the picture above, but there was a squirrel sitting precariously at the edge of the rock, which was entertaining to all of us tourists.

It was interesting to see different parts of the Colorado River.

We took turns walking between points and taking the shuttle.  This was the Powell monument.

Visiting this part of the rim provided a nice escape from the crowds that we experienced at Mather Point.  We were often the only party at many of the lookouts.

On the west, the end point of the Rim Trail is Hermits Rest.  There is a gift store and small café.

We found a picnic bench and ate our sandwiches.  By this time, the wind was kicking up and it was getting cold!  I was afraid it was going to start to rain, but it did not.  We ate quickly and hopped back onto the shuttle.

When we returned to the Marketplace, we did a little souvenir shopping.

No, this hat did not come home with us.

Then, we checked into the Yavapai Lodge.  This was definitely a step up from the Red Feather, and the kids were happy to play, watch a little tv and rest.

This was the view from our room.  It felt nice and cozy.

For dinner we met my parents and ate at the pizza pub at Maswick Lodge.  We shared two side salads and a pizza.  I thought the pizza was pretty good—the crust was nice and crisp and not too thick.  I thought this was a good option for eating inside the park.

After the ranger presentation, we headed back to the visitor center on one of the shuttles.  The shuttles were convenient, and the kids even found them fun!

The shuttles were often crowded and standing room only.  The drivers ranged from grumpy to impossibly cheerful, such as the one woman driver who would say “Doors are closing [dramatic pause]…and the bus is rolling” after every single stop.

We checked into our respective hotels.  My parents stayed at Yavapai Lodge both nights.  I was unable to get a room there for both nights, so we split our stay between the Red Feather Lodge and Yavapai.  The Red Feather is just outside the park, and was a little cheaper, but not by much.  I would give it a 2.5 star rating.  We returned to the park to meet up with my parents to eat dinner at the Yavapai cafeteria.

My expectations for the food were not too high, but it turned out to be pretty good.  Baba declared the chicken pot pie “better than Marie Callender’s”.  D and I split the half chicken dinner (and D had some of n’s hot dog) while Zaza and k shared a hamburger.

We also split two soft serves for dessert.

It was nice to sit by these big windows.

After dinner, we headed back to Mather Point to catch the sunset.

Some dramatic clouds were rolling in, which muted the sunset colors, but made for an interesting sky.