Day 1 of 10 of our Epic Summer Journey

WE CELEBRATED 100 YEARS WITH THE GRAND CANYON!!

DAY 1: Phoenix to Slide Rock State Park to Grand Canyon to Page

We flew out of Charlotte, NC on a 6:30 a.m. flight to Phoenix, AZ to begin our epic summer road trip. While I don't *love* flying, I refuse to let it inhibit me from being able to travel. Since there were 9 of us on this family vacation, we flew out basic economy. Initially, we had intentions of using carryon backpacks as our 1 personal item, but Jack and I decided to pack together and check one piece of luggage instead ($30 fee). Even though, I still used the packing cubes and they worked great! I absolutely recommend them when trying to travel light. Read more here.

Day 1 Route from Phoenix to Page

Considering our direction, we decided to drive the South Rim of the Grand Canyon and I was super excited about going through Parks, AZ since it's part of historic Route 66 - not to mention the fact that we wouldn't have to backtrack, as opposed to going up Hwy 89. However... the only attraction on that part of the leg is the Chapel of the Holy Cross and we didn't stop because daylight was beginning to fade for the Grand Canyon. We considered lots of things while we were constructing our (very detailed) travel itinerary, but being stuck in sit-still hour-long traffic due to an accident up ahead definitely wasn't one of them. It worked out for us though!

For example (and yes... we had all 10 days broken down pretty similar in our handy dandy Excel spreadsheet that included high/low temps and sunrise/sunset times, lol!):

What can I say? I'm a pretty darn detail-oriented planner by nature, lol!! 

At any rate, we had planned to leave the Grand Canyon and head to Page before sunset but due to the traffic, we were able to watch a magnificent sunset over the Canyon and oh my goodness, it left me absolutely speechless. It literally brought tears to my eyes! I was 1 of 3 (of the 9) of us who hadn't seen the Canyon yet and I had chills down my spine. In a couple of years, I'd like to plan another trip and when we do... observe it from a different perspective. I would definitely love to do the helicopter tour or make the trek down to Havasu Falls on a horse/donkey or kayak the Colorado River at the bottom of it. Or heck... spend different days doing all 3 at the separate sides!

We took so many photos and it was hard to decide which were our favorites, but here are a few!

Grand Canyon... HERE WE COME!! 

We made it!

After we soaked and reveled in that majestic beauty, we headed to Page for the night to get some rest for our Lower Antelope Canyon tour scheduled for 9:00 a.m. the next morning. All in all, every bit of it was spectacular. Even just the entire drive from Phoenix to Page was so scenic and breathtaking!

Look at all those cacti!!

Here come the red rocks!

Miles of beautiful golden grasses

Sedona, AZ

For the first day, I think the only do-over that we would have is to have spent more time and stayed the night in Sedona. It is amazing and a beautiful town! Also, it's possible that we could've re-routed and headed through Winslow, AZ to take our photo standing on the corner as part of our Route 66 - but then would've added almost 2 hours to the trip. And looking back, missing that phenomenal sunset at the Grand Canyon just wouldn't have been an option... that is, unless you're going to watch the sunrise there! 

My advice: Do your BEST to plan your visit to view the sunset/sunrise at the Grand Canyon and spend some time (even the night!) in Sedona.

Accommodations: Days Inn & Suites, Page, AZ

What I learned: Photos just do NOT do this place justice! And rather than drive the last leg of Route 66 (really not much there or to look at), I would've rather driven by Humphrey's Peak.

So, this is how we spent our Day 1 for our Epic Summer RoadTrip! Stay tuned for Day 2: Lower Antelope Canyon Tour, Horseshoe Bend and Zion. See our entire route here.

Cheers, y'all!

xoxo!

"The wonders of the Grand Canyon cannot be adequately represented in symbols of speech, nor by speech itself. The resources of the graphic art are taxed beyond their powers in attempting to portray its features. Language and illustration combined must fail." ~ John Wesley Powell