U-Haul Part II

So we were driving through the desert in the middle-of-nowhere Nevada. We had passed through some little old west towns, weird pyramid formations, and then a lot of nothingness when all of a sudden, one of the trailer wheels sheared off the axle, ripped off the fender, and went flying past us into the tumbleweed.  The trailer gouged the road as we pulled over. And just like that we were stranded. Thankfully, an off-duty law enforcement guy stopped right away to help us; less than 10 minutes later we were approached by a couple of creepy dudes in a drug-filled car who sped away when they realized we had a cop with us. Three highway patrolmen eventually came to our aid and retrieved the wheel and axle which had gone 1/4 mile into the desert, rusty and cracked. They did an accident report with photos to show that the axle had been damaged for quite some time--not our fault. U-Haul sent a repairman even though we laughed and told them there would be no fixing this. We had to unload everything and stuff it in the car because we weren't sure if we could get a new trailer. After waiting for 3 hours on the side of the road in 98 degree heat, and being told by the U-Haul dispatcher that we would be fine if we would just crack the car windows, they did bring us a new trailer which we then had to load. Oh, and a motorcycle gang passed through...as in rivals of the Hell's Angels. Bottom line: I am thankful that God protected us and I will never rent a U-Haul again.

This is not the motorcycle gang. I figured it best not to post pictures of them on my blog. This guy is probably really nice, but he is on a motorcycle so a pic of him is better than nothing.

Big Horned Sheep

We were headed from Arizona to Las Vegas and we had to stop for a minute to check this out.  A flock of big horned sheep just hangin' out at a city park. Huh.

Brock in the Box

Every night in our hotel room we set up the Pack 'n Play at the foot of my bed. This night, Brock had fallen asleep and we thought he was down for the count, but then we started giggling about something and before we knew it, his cute little head popped up out of his crib. He doesn't want to miss out on any of the fun :)

Desert View Watchtower

The Grand Canyon was the best part of our road trip. We spent one whole day and part of the next morning exploring, gazing, savoring. Our last stop was at the Desert View Watchtower on the south rim. It is a 70 foot structure built in 1932 to offer the widest possible view of the canyon and the Painted Desert.  The inside is full of Native American wall paintings. There is an observation deck halfway up and there are windows on every landing to enjoy the scenery. This is a must-see.

See the beautiful Colorado river running through the canyon?

Inside the base of the watchtower

The ceiling of the watchtower looking up from the bottom floor.

Making the climb up to the top. Brock likes the artwork :)

This sign is posted as you walk out onto the observation deck. Love it.

Mom's soaking in the sight of the east rim and the Painted Desert. 

Brock's enjoying the view

Grand Canyon

"The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock in whom I take refuge." Psalm 18:2

Your little eyes are seeing one of the Seven Wonders of the World. Soak it in.

Tougher about heights than your daddy...maybe you don't know how high up you are :)

Pretty sure he's eating a cookie

Still working on that cookie

Now for a cookie break

How about some real lunch at Grand Canyon Village

Eat up, and watch out for the squirrels. They are bold.

Bundled up to go watch the sunset

Welcome to Arizona!

Grand Canyon here we come!

The Continental Divide

Geography Quiz...what is significant about the Continental Divide? I'll give you a few seconds to think. I had forgotten, but at this gas station in New Mexico, they have signs to tell you :)

It is the place where the water flows west into the Pacific Ocean and east into the Atlantic :)