SNOW and Easter

(There is no internet service at the campground, so we have to drive to one of the lodges to get connected. This post covers Saturday and Sunday to noon.)

We left Holbrook, AZ about 9 AM Saturday. Friday evening the temperature was around 70 degrees when we arrived at Holbrook. Saturday morning it was in the mid-thirties. The 150-mile trip should not have taken very long. We stopped in Winslow at Wal-Mart to get supplies. God bless Sam Walton. We can go into a store 1800 miles from home and find just what we want in a familiar location! On the road again, we headed toward Flagstaff…and it started to snow. The guys teased Rick for dragging them this far from home to see SNOW. You’ve got to be kidding me. It kept snowing harder. When we got to the park to check in, the snow was probably 2-3 inches deep. At Janet & Ted’s site, the previous visitors had built a snow bear.
After setup we drove down to the Market Plaza to look through the gift shop and supply store, which is a pretty complete grocery. It was still snowing a little and COLD. Back at the campers, Janet made macaroni and cheese for dinner, good comfort food for a cold snowy day. The guys were frustrated because the cable TV wasn’t working. With no internet service, little cell phone coverage and no TV, we were roughing it! After dinner, the guys watched a movie (3:10 to Yuma) while the girls played Mah Jongg.

When we first planned our trip, I told Rick that we would be gone on Easter. He did some research and said there was a sunrise service at the South Rim. With the bad weather, we decided that it might not be very pleasant there at sunrise. I was wide awake at 4:30 am this morning and decided that I might regret not going. Chance of a lifetime… Rick and I put on our warmest clothes, gloves, hats and coats and got on the bus to Mather Point. The sky was just barely showing light when we walked out on the point. People were already gathering with music playing and the canyon was just coming into view and we could just begin to make out the colors in the rock. Rick faced his fear of heights very well as we stood at the rail overlooking the most wondrous site. I saw more than a few tears in the crowd (including mine) as we listened to the gospel readings, sermon and singing. When the sun finally appeared, the whole canyon glowed.

Happy Easter to all our family: we miss you all on this special day but I will remember this Easter always.