On our way home from Lake Powell we decided to take an alternate route. As I studied the map I noticed that Grand Canyon was not too far off our intended route. Since it was Tyler’s birthday and all we had done was pack up and head out we decided to take the kids to the Grand Canyon. We got there about 1 pm and 
went to the first viewpoint – Desert View. It was absolutely stunning. The air was not crystal clear because there had been fires in the air however nothing can take away from this majestic view. The kids were blown away. Tyler especially loved it. We then drove along and hit Grandview 
Point and Mather Point. I was in awe. Pete had the idea of trying to catch the IMAX movie in the town just outside Grand Canyon, Tusayan. We spotted a nice Hotel, The Grand Hotel and decided to just stay the night. I made Pete promise we could go back so I could photograph the Grand Canyon at sunset. We checked into the hotel and all took hot showers! That was wonderful. Then we caught the Grand Canyon IMAX movie at 4:30 pm. From there we headed over to Dinner in our hotel where Tyler got his piece of birthday cake. We were off again to catch that promised sunset 
and oh was it beautiful. We went to Mather Point and once the sun lowered below the clouds it was stunning. I did not want to leave until that sun was set. It was worth it. After that splendor we headed back to the hotel where we 
played some games and got a good night’s rest. We got up at 7:30 and got back on the road. This un-planned deviation from our vacation was absolutely perfect. We all had a great time and the pictures I took meant so much to me.
Bonus Vacation…Grand Canyon
