Valley of Fire vs. The Grand Canyon

O.k. if you're ever in Vegas (or close by) you've got to visit the Valley of Fire.  We'd only just seen the brown 'go this way' signs and when we moved here, we vowed that this would be something we should at least check out before we move.  So our week vacation in Vegas, we finally added it to our list of things to do and fit it in at the end of the week.  I think this was my favorite day trip in Vegas.  It was gorgeous and the kids had so much fun.  It was like a huge jungle gym for the kids to play on.  Well, just check out the pictures.  They speak for themselves.  

This first one was in the Visitor's Center.  Lots of fun stuff in there but the best part was the park itself.

We learned about pictographs.

The kids had fun playing in the sand.  Izzy just dropped in the middle of the trail and had a ball just playing in the sand.

Sand angels.=)

These buildings were so cool.  I hope I'm getting this history right ... During the Depression when Americans needed jobs, some were hired to build hotels for travelers.  These were some out in the middle of nowhere, and really cool.  I'd been wishing we'd started our day trip earlier in the day cuz this was a perfect place for the kids to "play house."

Each room had a fireplace.

Valley of Fire vs. The Grand Canyon.

Now to the versus part of our story.  After our week in Vegas, the following weekend we made a trip to the Grand Canyon.  Exciting right?  We checked out a few videos to watch and some books for the kids to look through to prep for our exciting trip.  We ended up leaving late and didn't get there til after dark, but the kids were excited about the hotel.  Then it turned out to be a long night.  Calvin kept waking up every hour or so until I finally realized the poor kid had been sleeping when the rest of us ate dinner so I'd forgotten all about feeding him.  (Bad mommy, bad.)  So he finally got dinner around 3:30 in the morning and slept the rest of the night.  So when 6:30 came around and Glen was awake, I said go ahead and enjoy a trail but you'd better let us sleep.=)  Once the day got started, we were good to go and enjoyed the Grand Canyon.  It was gorgeous, but the bad part was that we'd enjoyed gorgeous scenery the weekend before that was touchable.  The Grand Canyon definitely WASN'T touchable.  It was so big that it just looked like a huge backdrop.  Not to mention half the time I was freaking out if the kids weren't right there next to me and scared to death someone would fall off the edge.  They say it doesn't happen often but to be cautious.

I think the number one hit of the day, was riding the tram.  Find a place to park your car and ride this baby all over the place.  It's wonderful (except for breaking down the double stroller and stowing it every time you board, but it was still worth it.  I was definitely thankful for the few bus drivers that let me get away with just holding it when the bus was empty.--The other ones, well I guess there are rules for reasons.)

Now if you're going with kids, make sure to go to the Visitors Center and find out about the Junior Ranger program.  Izzy and Andrew got books to play Bingo (if they saw something at the Grand Canyon, they got to mark it off), and some other activities to do during the day.  One activity was they had to sit and listen and describe what they heard.  Izzy got bored with the activities after a while, but Andrew kept going.  He was determined to get his Junior Ranger badge which he wore proudly all the way home.  

Plus it was a SAFE place to let Alex just RUN!!!

Our last favorite part of the trip was In-N-Out Burger on the way home.  We wanted dinner there on our way to the Grand Canyon but were disappointed when it was closed due to a plumbing problem.  Thankfully they got the issue resolved and we were able to enjoy a yummy dinner on our way home.  (This time, Calvin was awake and not forgotten.=)

All in all, they were both gorgeous and fun trips, but if anyone's ever planning to visit the Valley of Fire (about 45 mins. North of Las Vegas?) and the Grand Canyon, make sure to enjoy them separately or visit the untouchable one first.  (That's my opinion anyway.)