So today started off a bit slow for the boys!!! But the girls and the youngest by headed off to see the Lions and then we checked out and headed off to the pool to have a swim. Then we made the mammoth trip to the Grand Canyon village some 5 hours away!!!! Well it did take us an hour to get down the strip!!!! Whoops next time choose a different road. We checked in to our accommodation which was right in the Grand Canyon village which is based on the South Rim in the national park itself and ate whatever we could get at 9pm!!!!

On the 24th we all headed on down to the village and got on the free shuttle bus that takes your along the south rim. It was very pretty and very scary being so close to the edge. We did a bit of a walk and then Bev, Michael and Jacqui left the boys to walk the 8 miles along the rim. The rest of us headed off for some lunch and then decided to do some of the other drive down the other side of the canyon road. Again it is very spectacular - the canyon is huge. Neen decided to do a long walk down into the canyon to the bottom in one day so he was getting himself ready for that - buying lots of food and drinks. Bev, Michael and Jacqui decided to do a helicopter flight over the canyon - Mark didn't feel like it so we booked it for the next day. That night we watched the sun go down on the canyon from the Arizona Room restaurant - very nice.

It was an early start for the Lewis/McCluskey party on the 25th - Neen was up at 4 and tried to get on the trail from 4.30am but he couldn't get the car to lock!! Jacqui got up as every good girlfriend should and drove him out to the start of the trail so he could get on the road for 5am!!! And then Jacqui promptly went back to sleep!! Yipeeeeee So the sane gang went for breakfast and then headed off for the helicopter ride. What an experience it was - Michael fell sleep for 20 minutes of it We flew out over the largest ponderosa forest in the world - the same size as France!!! the we headed over the Canyon rim and dropped down into the canyon. We flew around it for 25 minutes and then headed back. It was great - it really gave you an understanding for how large the canyon is. Meanwhile neen was walking somewhere down the bottom and it was about 105 degrees!!! We then picked up Mark and headed to the El Tovar hotel for story time with a Ranger. Michael was so funny he decided to tell the whole place that a bat landed on his Pops face once!!! Meanwhile Neen had run & walked over 30 kms and was back in bed by 3.30pm!!! That night we had dinner at the El Tovar hotel which was not the best!! But then Michael decided he want to have a sleep over with Aunty Jacqui and Neen in their room. He was good until he got up at 7.30am!!! Early for us non workers!!!