Grand Canyon

I love the Grand Canyon. I love my husband's family. Together - well, it's a match made in the nature-ific beauty of life. There were a few new things I learned on this camping adventure . . .

First - we bought new cots and set up our bed differently than before. We actually used sheets and a comforter instead of sleeping bags. Why didn't we think of this before? It was so much more comfortable than scootching around in a sleeping bag - and hoping that I didn't have to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night so I wouldn't have to scootch in the dark - that I wonder why it took us this many years to figure this out! Sleeping bags are fine - but cotton sheets and nicely washed pillowcases make my world turn the right way. Ahhh. Sleep.

Second - I really, really want to go to the bottom of the Grand Canyon. It's now on my bucket list. I know I need to lose weight and get in better shape in order to make it down (or more precisely, make it up) - but it's something I now want . . . badly. We hiked the rim, and it was beautiful. I'm now ready for the bottom. I'm hoping that when we go to the Grand Canyon again in 2012, I will be able to hike to the bottom and come back up without having a heart attack. Who's in with me?

Third - camping food is very caloric and bad for you - but oh, so, good. A lonely little s'more is 4 points - you could knock 2 of those points out if you didn't use chocolate, but that would just be sad. We went with a big group of people and we were only in charge of one supper and one breakfast. We did our best to make those meals adaptable to the lighter side of eating, but let's just say that other people weren't thinking that way. This past week was difficult to stay under points. I think I did it, though - even with the ice cream run, the chips for lunch, the mountains of candy and the yummy, yummy cheesy rice casserole that was cooked in a dutch oven. I had a lot of lettuce - a lot - proving you can make just about anything into a salad if you have enough lettuce.

Fourth - camping is fun. Woo-hoo fun, dirty fingernail fun, look-what-I-can-do fun and all the other funs that exist. Waking up with the birds in the morning, smelling that campfire smell, paying for showers - it's all about memories and experiences. I love it all.

We're wanting to do Yellowstone next year and we're hoping to get some of my family involved. I couldn't think of a better graduation present than camping with family.