The Grand Canyon

My son, Stephen, and I recently took a trip to The Grand Canyon. We try to plan two family vacations a year. This was our big end of the school year bonanza. Given my son is a major train enthusiast we decided to use this form of transportation for our journey to The Grand Canyon.

We boarded our Amtrak sleeper car at 6:00 p.m. By 6:04 p.m., my son had already unpacked and was giddy with excitement in his bunk. It was endearing to watch his exhilaration. As our train pulled out of the station, Stephen was completely charged-up and exclaiming repeatedly, “We’re moving! Mommy, we’re moving!”

The train ride to William’s Junction was about 12 hours. Stephen slept about 13 minutes and was diligent about waking me every 20 minutes to show me a passing train or grazing cow. I had considered Benedryl, or perhaps slipping a rufy in his apple juice, but forewent the thought hoping that eventually he’d wear his little buns out on the sheer bliss of the evening. NOT. We arrived in William’s Junction around 6:00 a.m., exhausted, hungry and in serious need of a shower. Once we arrived at our hotel Stephen and I immediately passed out in our respective beds. Once we awoke, six hours later, we spent the remainder of the day, swimming, walking, shopping and enjoying the sites.

The following morning we were off to The Grand Canyon. We boarded this quaint, old steamer train. Along the way we saw cows, elk and the local sheriff. He went through each car and regaled everyone in western sing-along’s. It truly brought out the red-neck in all of us. About an hour into the ride we were accosted by train robbers which led to a bloodless shoot-out with the sheriff.

FINALLY, after two days of train rides, a Mitch Miller sing-a-long, and a train robbery, we had reached our intended destination. The Grand Canyon! We were instructed to carefully climb a small flight of stairs that would eventually lead us right to the Canyon’s edge. With cameras and water bottles in tow, we sprinted like puma up the stairs to the top and then there, … there she was. In all of her beauty, color, and splendor! We had come face to face with one of the modern seven wonders of the world. I held Stephen close as we simultaneously embraced the majestic canvas before us. I believe we both uttered something profound like, “Whoa”. The moment was both surreal and humbling. You can’t help but be enraptured by the colors, magnitude and grandeur of the canyon’s landscape. Stephen and I stood for what seemed like hours just taking in the exquisite creation before us. It’s astounding how inspiring nature can become. She does nothing but BE and we are in awe.

My son and I spent two day exploring this great chasm, making new friends, and learning about how the canyon came into being. It is said that the canyon does not need man, but that man needs the canyon. It's true. My son and I needed this time together, exploring, bonding, and slowing our lives down enough to appreciate the beauty around us. There were countless “Wow” moments where I encouraged Stephen to drink them in and keep a mental snapshot.

One such moment, which was by far my most special of the entire trip, was during our train ride back to LA. It was around 3:00 a.m. Stephen was snuggled with me in my (very, very tiny) bunk. We were gazing out at the celestial night sky. Thousand upon thousands of stars sparkled and danced in the heavens. The moment was magical. We were in absolute awe at the beauty before us. Stephen grabbed my hand and said “Mom, I’ll never forget this night.” I was touched by my son’s genuine appreciation for “The Moment”. I too will never forget that night. It was special in so many ways. During the entirety of our trip we saw many wonderful sites and came away with a deeper affection for nature and, more importantly, each other. They say that life should not be counted by how many breathes you take per moment, but by how many moments take your breath away. These four days with my son were saturated with “take your breath away moments”. Moments that will forever be etched in my heart. Moments that have become tender memories of our special time together; moments that were truly, well… Grand!