Hey, travellers, what’s up? As promised, here’s a random thought! Today, it was elicited by a very timely article in the Arizona Republic that you parents will definitely want to check out. Especially those of you travelling to the Grand Canyon with young kids, some of you for the first time. I take my hats off to you folks, especially ’cause I travel with dogs. More on that another time.
I can’t remember my first road trip, ’cause I was a baby at the time. Several times a summer while I was a small child, my family would pack up the Plymouth Valiant and escape the scorching heat of Fresno, California to the beach community of Santa Cruz, California. My pop’s family had a summer house there, just minutes from the Boardwalk. It was pretty darn sweet. Sometimes my cousins would meet up with us, other times it was just me, mom, dad and my younger sister, Krista and my lil’ bro, Robert. The drive up there was about three hours each way, and I loved every minute of it. All you had to do was find a rockin’ radio station and I was good! Road trippin and I got along just fine.
My younger siblings, on the other hand, weren’t as into it. They couldn’t shut up to save their LIVES. If only they’d had some of these cool gadgets that this article talks about! I say this to you, Dear Travelers, because if three hours in a car sounds like a long drive to you, I got news for ya if your coming to the Grand Canyon: around here, a FIVE hour drive is a hop, skip and a jump. And guess what? The nearest major metropolitan airports to the Grand Canyon are just that far away, or further. Las Vegas? 5 hours. Phoenix? 4.5 hours. Salt Lake? 7 hours – from the North Rim; Albuquerque? Again, a good chunk of a day.
What’s up with that, you say? Well…. just the nature of the West.. And the way God made the Grand Canyon. You can’t drive across her, ya gotta drive around her. Shortcuts? Not without GPS and a 4-wheel drive… The Dixie Chicks sing about wide open spaces, well… the Southwest is full of ‘em. We’re OK with that ’cause the scenery is so dang cool. Some of the littler kids, though, might not fully appreciate that. An 8-year-old girl told me in an e-mail once (we sometimes help kids with their school projects during the off-season) that “kids just aren’t into scenery.” Nature has yet to be cool.
So, of course, try to foster appreciation for Nature in your kids, but don’t feel like you have to force it down their throats. Don’t feel guilty if your boy seems more interested in his gadget du jour instead of the vastness of the Grand Canyon. ’Cause ya know what? Even if it seems like they’re not looking at the scenery, I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised to find later on that it did affect them more than you thought. In our experience, we’ve found that this usually becomes apparent when one’s children are grown and one fine day, they feel that certain compulsion to introduce their own kids to the Grand Canyon.
Here’s wishing you all Happy Travels!
Want to hear more about the best Grand Canyon hotel for families? The best Grand Canyon family tours? Where you can find the best gas prices? Or how you can cut your drive time in half while doubling your sightseeing opportunities? Give us a call – we’re Grand Canyon.com, helping you get the most out of your Grand Canyon vacation and beyond. L8R.
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