Must See Stops 5: Grand Canyon South Rim Day 42 of 83
Introduction: John and I had plans to travel. We had plans to find a way to become full-time RVers, but in reality we knew that this would probably have to wait for retirement due to his medical conditions. When he was diagnosed with angiosarcoma cancer in May 2017, he ended up being trapped in a hospital room for 83 days. He was admitted for six different hospitalizations in four different hospitals in three different cities before unexpectedly dying in the hospital on Oct. 5, 2017. You can read about the day he died Part 1 and Part 2. I then made Big Plans to take a trip to the places we had wanted to go and see together. For months I planned the trip: an 83 day trip in my RV with my two youngest daughters, almost 14,000 miles around the United States in 83 days! Each day would take back a day that was stolen from John in the hospital. This is one of 10 stories from my “Must See” destinations.
No Reservations!
Who goes around the country in 83 days with only one reservation? That would be me. The only place I made a reservation for a campground was near the Grand Canyon. Lot’s of people may think that this is crazy, but I never found myself without a place to sleep at night. “Carrying” my home with me….. I had many options. Sometimes I stayed at truck stops, other times Wal-Mart parking lots were my overnight home. If I did pay for a campsite, I tried to stay in state parks as much as possible and only stayed in RV Resorts if there were no other options or if I was in a big city and wanted the security that the resort could offer.
When I planned my trip, I knew that I would be arriving at the Grand Canyon near the fourth of July, and the reality of crowds of people having the same plan as me, to see one of the most visited National Parks in the country, made me take the safe route and book the reservation months in advance. This actually caused me stress because I HAD to be there on those dates. I could be flexible and go as I pleased for most of the trip, but I HAD TO BE at the Grand Canyon late in June. There weren’t many campgrounds close to the park for me to choose, and the one I did pick ended up being the worst campground I have ever been to in over twenty years of camping. But that didn’t stop me from enjoying the park.
I drove in, took the obligatory picture of the three of us in front of the entrance sign, got our passport books stamped, watched the film in the visitor’s center and proceeded to figure out which buses would take me to the places I wanted to see.
Things for the Kids to Do!
They offered a children’s theater program on the rim. Basically it was a cute interactive play where kids were selected from the audience to perform small parts in the play. Afterwards, the actors had a booth where you could talk with the park rangers and play “dress up”. Kady was too shy to volunteer to have a part, but she was ALL ABOUT getting on her prairie girl dress and posing with a few members of the cast.
Hiking in the Heat
Temperatures were pretty high while we were there, but we managed to get in a few short hikes. The easiest and most beautiful hikes were along the rim. Shuttle buses would take you to different locations along the many miles where we could stop off and hike a bit until the next shuttle stop picked us up. We spent two days exploring different routes. One of the favorite stops was at Hermit’s Rest where a little shop sold ice cream, snacks and souvenirs. Who could refuse a cold treat on a hot day? We also loved exploring the El Tovar Hotel and the Hopi House. These historical buildings have as much to say about the history of the area as the views do.
An Emotional Evening Hike
One evening, there was a special event happening at a building called Shrine of the Ages. It was an evening cemetery talk. Pioneer Cemetery is a place where many influential people of the park have been buried. We signed up for one of the night hikes, and I worried that it might be too difficult or scary for the girls. It turned out that it became emotional for ME! The park rangers dressed up as the people who had been buried there, and as we walked around from gravestone to gravestone, each character told us of their life and love for the park. One of the characters was Glen Sturdevant, the park’s first naturalist. He talked about how excited he was to be working at the park, how much it fulfilled his life’s dream, and then he talked about the day he died. He and another man were on a ten day trip collecting specimen’s from the river bed. On the final day, his boat got caught in an eddy and then he was thrown from the boat into the rapids. He described how he didn’t want to die, but how he knew that these were his final moments. He talked about his love for his wife and how much he didn’t want to leave her, how he didn’t want to leave his children. How it wasn’t supposed to be his time to go. As I listened of his love for his family in his last moments, I cried and was thankful for the fact that this was an evening hike, so no one noticed the tears streaming from my face. I heard him speaking and thought of my own husband’s last moments.
Keeping a Promise
Coming to this park was fulfilling a promise that I had made to my husband before he died.
We had made plans to come to the Grand Canyon a few years earlier, but caregiving for my mother who had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease forced us to postpone the trip. John died the next year and was never able to make the trip in person, but I took him with me anyway. I had brought John’s urn with me on the trip, and took it out for pictures at the places along the way that we had planned to see together, many of my “Must See Stops“. The Grand Canyon was very crowded, and my girls were nervous about me carrying their father’s urn into the park and taking it out for pictures in front of so many people. I was not.
A Special Photo
I put the urn into my backpack and walked to a spot along the rim that we had found earlier in the day. I thought it was the perfect spot to take the photo and leave a little momento behind.
As I placed the urn along the rock wall, people slowed and looked – many with questioning faces. My older daughter was embarrassed, so I told her that she could stand further away if it made her feel better. She did. After taking several pictures, I put the urn back into my backpack as a couple was coming to the rim for their own pictures. I apologized for taking so long, and also apologized if my husband’s urn made them feel uncomfortable. Surprisingly, they told me that they thought it was sweet and they asked to hear the story of who we were and why we had come to the park with the urn. Again, I shared my story and felt some healing in doing so. They listened with tears in their eyes and shared their own story.
See the urn?John picked it out himself AFTER he died. Honestly! You can read about his Hand Turned Wooden Urn!
If you would like to go RVing, here’s Everything You Need To Know!
If you, or someone you care about is dealing with grief, here are some tips for coping with grief from people who are dealing with it themselves!
- Must See Stops Series
- Stop 1: Kansas City – Day 2 of 83
- Stop 2: Taylorsville, CA – Days 9 – 13 of 83
- Stop 3: Seattle, WA – Day 21 of 83
- Stop 4: Zion National Park – Day 36 of 83
- Stop 5: Grand Canyon South Rim – Day 42 of 83
- Stop 6: Albuquerque, NM – Day 49 of 83
- Stop 7: Philmont Boy Scout Ranch – Day 51 of 83
- Stop 8: Galveston, TX – Days 55 – 58 or 83
- Stop 9: Exeter, NH – Day 73 of 83
- Stop 10: Acadia National Park – Day 75 of 83
