A brief and memorable highlight of the trip. While the kids remained strapped in seat belts, watching one of the nine Shirley Temple DVD’s we purchased before our trip, Sara and I enjoyed the transition from desert cacti to mountain trees as we made our way from Phoenix to Flagstaff.

We planned the beginning our trip on the west coast to provide plenty of time practicing on open roads in the big RV with frequent visits to interesting sites and plenty of retailers to visit along the way. By the middle of next week when we arrive in the northeast we won’t have many day-long drives between destinations with panoramas like the Grand Canyon. There’s nothing that compares to the color and grandeur of the expansive canyon. My swollen knee wasn’t up for a day hike around the north rim, but we enjoyed a few wonderful hours of fresh air and fabulous views with the girls and a wild ride in the Imax Theater a few miles down the road.

We made our way back to the RV late, but let the kids stay up till midnight, anticipating a long drive the next morning, hoping they’d stay in bed for the first two or three hours of the drive. Our plan worked, they didn’t get up till almost 11AM!