and then we were there

You hear about it all your life... and it sounds so elusive.
For a New England girl it seems the only way to get there would be through photos or a endure a cross-country road trip... and even then, in the imagining, the adventure seems to be the road trip itself.  Unless of course, you are travelling further by mule.   
But who knew? 
Who knew that leaning on that rail with the wind rushing at you would be an adventure all in itself?  And who knew, that just by taking in the rocky view before me, that I could travel further... without a mule?
: :

Laura and Cam did take the road trip (with Gran & Grandad)... up through Florida, straight through Alabama, into Tennessee and right up into Missouri.  From there they crossed in Oklahoma, Texas and New Mexico before meeting us in Phoenix, Arizona.  While I might have felt lucky to fly straight to Arizona, part of me knew I was missing the greatness that dwells along the roadside...

We made the last leg of the journey in style...

Who knew there was a Grand Canyon Railroad?  Not me. 

Snacks, entertainment and a luxurious, lulling ride through the countryside... and then we were there. 

The beauty of the Grand Canyon struck me with awe.  I did know it would be grand and far more than I could imagine.  And I did know that seeing it in person, with that rushing wind and the the hot sun on my face, would be something that would be pressed into my mind and become a treasured memory.  I wondered though, if it would capture my soul...

I think God had something else in store for me though. 

Instead of letting the Grand Canyon capture my soul like Africa, He let the Grand Canyon take me on a journey. 

And that journey?  A story for another day...