A Grand Adventure // Anniversary

Ya'llllll!!! I'm back from my hiatus for the time being!! And to jump back into blogging, I have a special post planned. For those of you who've been around for a year, you might remember me posting about THIS TRIP to the Grand Canyon. If you're new around here, (welcome) my mom and I took a girls trip to meet my friend, Rebekah, and her mom for the first time exactly ONE. YEAR. AGO! Wow, time flies! Well, anyway, we met up for the first time at the Grand Canyon (go big or go home, am I right!?) We had an absolute blast and made the most special memories with our moms. 

To celebrate the anniversary of our trip, we thought it might be fun to do another Q&A specifically about our trip and basically this is going to be like a 5 (thousand) star travel review rating... 

Read Rebekah's post HERE!! 

How Did Ya'll Meet? 

Rebekah and I met through the blogosphere!! I think it probably all started when I found the Anti Carter blog tho... that's where I found a lot of blogger friends at! *winks at all the Andi/Taffy fans*

Did You See Any Elk?

We saw TONS of Elk. I was so surprised to see them up close (I'm used to deer, y'all.) There was even baby elk and honestly, they were quite desensitized to us humans. One literally was just chillin' when we were *trying* to film our Q&A. I'm surprised our hysterical bloopers didn't scare him away. XD

Were You Scared to Get to the edge? 

Not really. I mean, it was a little unnerving with the wind (and all the stories I've heard. yikes.) but it was actually the best kind of thrill to hang my feet over! (All while keeping a death grip on the rock I was sitting on, mind you.) My nannie would have flipped out if she saw us standing out there on the rocks outside of the trail, but you can't have an adventure without stepin' out, ya know!? But sure, I wouldn't let little kids run around without supervision cause, #safetyfirst. Also, we didn't have a selfie stick, so that lessoned our chances of falling, right? 

Was the Weather Nice in September/October? 

It was absolutely beautiful. The mornings were cool (sunrise chasing was *chefs kiss*) but out on the trail midday, it was really hot. So hiker pro-tip: get an early start! The stars were pretty too (when we took our nighttime convertible cruise.) I was actually pretty surprised at how cloudless the sky was. There wasn't much shade unless you were close to the rocks. 

What Was Your Favorite Thing About the Grand Canyon? 

How, how, how can I pick??? This question is almost as bad as asking about my favorite book! Anyway, my favorite thing was seeing God's beautiful creation up close and personal! Being immersed in nature and it's beauty is something so often overlooked, yet, at the Grand Canyon, nature demands to be seen. And I'm sorry, but the pictures just can't compare to seeing all the depth in real life. It made me feel small, and like I could just sit and stare for hours yet still not catch all the details. *all the heart eyes* 

Did You Feed Any Squirrels?

I prefer to steer clear of those "killer squirrels" thank you very much! The question should be, "did you get eaten by any squirrels?" and the answer is... a l m o s t. (But I think the little guy wanted to get Rebekah more than me *laughs* It must have sensed she's not a animal lover. Tucker will win her over someday! *winks*)

Did You Hike on the Bright Angel Trail? 

Yes we did! And loved every minute of it! Wait-- maybe not every minute, but every minute that I could catch my breath! lol, don't underestimate a *slight* incline and over heating! 

What Was the Most Unexpected Thing About the Grand Canyon?

The most unexpected thing for me was the little village that was literally on the edge. There was a couple lodges, restaurants, a train, and shops basically on the rim. I don't really know what I was expecting but I wasn't expecting it to be set up like it was-- it was really nice and easily assessable to tourists. I also wasn't expecting the wildlife to be so friendly. And I wasn't expecting to like the bike ride as much as I did! (I'm so glad we got to do that! It's one of my many highlights!)

Did You Eat any Good Food? 

Can we just take a moment to rave about BROWN BUTTER AND CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES? Okay, no, but really. My mom and I picked them up at a Whole Foods on our way to the Grand Canyon (We drove from Vegas, btw) and I'll forever correlate brown butter chocolate chip cookies with the Grand Canyon. We also dined at the fancy El Tovar hotel restaurant for Rebekah's birthday which was awesome. Oh, and there was a food truck where we had lunch once. (Who doesn't love food trucks??) But my favorite might have been the pizza or TV dinners at the General Store.

(P.S. Trail mix tastes pretty darn good when you're out hiking too!)

^^Lol, this is me enjoying the whip cream almost more than the hot chocolate! XD

Tell Me About the Hotel Room? 

Our accommodations weren't anything too grand, but when it's walking distance from the most GRAND view, I'd literally sleep in a tent. Thankfully, our lodge was MUCH better than a tent! We had a TV (Friends and home renovations shows, anyone?) and a mini fridge (which we stocked with sandwich stuff!) The one thing it didn't have was a microwave. Which wasn't a big deal bc we just hopped in our stylin' convertible and used the one at the General Store (aka tourist souvenir TRAP. You better run if you don't want to spend your money on cute t-shirts and stickers!) We got to get rooms next to each other so that was fun! 

Favorite Trail You Hiked? 

ALL of them! I would have loved to stay longer and hike some more, but the trails we went on were all awesome! 

Favorite Animal You Saw? 

The elk might have been my favorite! The babiessss! But we saw bighorn sheep (up close) which was so neat!! <3 Also, there were a ton of Ravens! It was crazy to see them fly below the rim!

~~~

Photo Dump!!

So, happy one year from our trip, Rebekah! I'm glad we got the opportunity to go together! What fun memories to look back on! <3 <3

Have you been to the Grand Canyon? 

What has been a destination that you've checked off your bucket list? 

Comment below! 

Many Blessings, 

Brooklyne Elysse