Grand is an Understatement!

What a wonderful month!
On the 5th we flew the Comanche over the Cabinet and Bitteroot Mountains to Hamilton MT. We had a nice visit with George and Julie and then headed south for Arizona. The jet stream gave us a 30-50 knot tailwind over the aptly named Sawtooth Mountains, across southern Idaho and into Nevada. We refueled in Ely, NV and were in Prescott by 2 PM. What a way to travel! We had a relaxing and fun 3 days staying with our former Lewiston friends, Tim and Bonnie, and then it was on to Flagstaff on May 9th. After all the months of planning it was exciting to repeatedly run into one set after another of our friends and family at the Radisson.
The next morning we all piled into 2 vans and were on our way to the put-in for the Grand Canyon at Lee's Ferry. By early afternoon we were on the River.
The next 15 days and 227 miles of River were just fantastic. Every day new canyon vistas, side canyon hikes, fun and exciting rapids, wonderful meals, and starfilled nights. The Grand Canyon's colossal walls and the incomprehensible age of its geological features puts one in a continuous state of awe.
Nancy, Lorna, and David quickly realized they had shortchanged themselves in only signing up for the first third of the trip. It was sad for everyone when they left at Phantom Ranch to hike out. But our friends Betsy and Dale, who joined us at that point, quickly filled the void. All sixteen "guests" became close friends.
Bram was one of our four wonderful guides. Mary Catherine and I for the first time truly realized what an accomplishment it is for him to be a Grand Canyon Dory Guide, the "creme de la creme", and we were pretty proud.
When the trip was over it was a little difficult adjusting to "real life". But we had a beautiful flight back to Idaho, including flying over the Canyon, and a nice stopover in Lewiston at Harriet's to whom we had given a "lift" back.
We returned to a Sandpoint in the full bloom of Spring. The lush greeness was soothing to our desert accustomed eyes. We are so fortunate to live here.
Sifting through our many photos from the trip evokes wonderful memories of what was truly the trip of a lifetime. I hope everyone of you will someday have an opportunity to have this experience. Don't put it off.