This Grand Canyon trip meant so much to my family and I for so many reasons.
The first being that my dad, brother and I are all scattered around the United States. Dad lives in New Hampshire, my brother in Philadelphia, and myself, I am in South West Florida.
We grew up doing the typical family vacations like Disney World every winter, and NYC in the fall.
My dad became sick with an unknown disorder causing him to be extremely weak, to the point where he had to use a cane to walk. We also lost some family members very near and dear to us. From that point on, my dad decided that he wasn’t getting any younger and he wanted his children to experience as much of the world as possible before he left this earth. He wants to break the cycle of boring touristy vacations where you see the same stuff each time.
We started when I had just graduated high school and my brother was 17. He named that trip, ” taste of the West”. We started in South Dakota and ended in Vegas, one of the places we stopped at was the Grand Canyon. It was an instant soul connection, I never wanted to leave. My dad and I spent some time sitting at a little restaurant at the North Rim and gazing over the edge. We watched the sunset and it was magical. I knew I had to get back.
Last year, my dad took us on what would become the best vacation of our lives. He booked a rafting trip with Western River Expeditions. From the helicopter ride into the canyon down to the speed boat at the end of the trip, it was the most beautiful and amazing ride.
As I sit here trying to think of what my favorite part of the trip was, I can’t come up with one, I liked it all. If I had to pick a top three it would be sleeping under the stars; where the view is something you can’t get anywhere else. The knowledgeable guides who entertained us and educated us on the tales of the canyon, and the helicopter ride into the canyon where you get views of everything, you just can’t put this experience into words.
I made some great friends on that trip, I saw beauty unlike anything I could have ever imagined. I didn’t want it to ever be over. My dad, brother and I bonded and became closer than we had been before this trip. I’ve kept in touch with a handful of people that I met and discussed getting together for another trip.
I want to share this with my husband, I want him to fall in love with the Grand Canyon the way I have. We are hoping to do a Grand Canyon 7 day trip in the future, then he and I can start my dad’s wonderful tradition with our kids one day.
Ami – Fort Myers Florida
