We had a wonderful dinner out in the Old West at Pinnacle Peak Steakhouse in Tucson.  I had an authentic "cowgirl steak" hand cut from the loin and cooked over an open fire.  So good!

The only rule in the Old West is NO ties!  If you are caught wearing one, they will cut it off and hang it from the ceiling of the restaurant.

A balloon artist came by the table.  Caleb requested a monkey...

Graysen, a gun!

Crazy Ostrich Farm

On the way to Tucson we stopped at a crazy ostrich farm that is right off I-10 in the middle of nowhere.  There were lots of animals to feed.  Caleb did great, but Graysen (crank monster for the rest of the trip) wanted nothing to do with any of them.

Rainbow Lorakeets:

Deer:

Goats:

Donkeys:

Ostriches, which are CRAZY:

Morning View

We woke up this morning to a view of four hot air balloons outside the kitchen window.

We are headed south to Tucson today and will spend the weekend there. We are stopping by an ostrich farm, going to a cowboy dinner at Pinnacle Peak Old Town, and visiting the Sonoran Desert Museum tomorrow. It is going to be a fun weekend in my hometown.

I do not think that I am going to have access to the internet while in Tucson, so I will blog pictures of that part of the trip when we return home.

Grand Canyon Day 2

On the second day we did a 1.5 mile rim hike. This was a beautiful walk along the rim and safe for the boys. You would think that this hike would only take 30 minutes... It took a LONG time at the pace that the boys set for us, including all of their "hydration breaks."

Caleb is definitely Lee's child. His camera is never far from his side.

Grand Canyon Day 1

We had a wonderful trip to the Grand Canyon. It is absolutely beautiful and peaceful.
This is Caleb's first glimpse of the canyon. I know what was going through his head, "This place doesn't look so safe to me."
After a while they warmed up to the place.
Uncle Gordon and I. He is an amazing uncle!
There were four large elk in the parking lot of our lodge when we arrived. They were calm and were within 10 feet of where we were. It was definitely a highlight of the trip to be so close to large animals in nature.
The boys and I enjoyed staying a lodge. So rustic and cozy!
Graysen and Aunt Karen. I think that I am going to leave Graysen here in the Wild West when it is time to go home. It seems to be where he belongs.

Amazing Lunch

On Wednesday we traveled to the Grand Canyon. On the way, we stopped in Flagstaff for lunch. Flagstaff is an old mountain town from the later 1800's that is known for its railroad.
For lunch we ate at Lumber Yard Brewery. (There are four microbreweries within 2 blocks!) Uncle Gordon is the first person that taught me to look at the tanks when you go to a microbrewery and the tradition has been passed onto my boys. (On the way back to Phoenix we stopped at Beaver Street Brewery which was two blocks away.)
The food was amazing!!! My favorite were the fried mac & cheese balls with an Asian-sesame dipping sauce.
"Yin & Yang" hummus (black bean and edamame).
Oktoberfest burger.

First Airplane Flight

The boys and I had an enjoyable day travelling out to Phoenix. It was the first time that the boys had ever been on an airplane and they were complete angels the entire time. They just took in everything!

The boys waiting to board the CRJ-100 at GSP. The gate attendant let the boys board first and introduced them to the pilots in the cockpit.

The boys spent about 75% of each flight reading the safety bulletin. They had every scenario covered.

After the CRJ-100, we rode on an Airbus 300 from Detroit to Phoenix. They LOVED the big plane and watched everything!