We left Arizona en route to Utah on December 27 th. Packing the car took a little longer than expected so left Chandler around 1:00 a.m. and made it to Flagstaff. We left early the next morning and took Rt 180 north toward the Grand Canyon. I have seen photos all my life of the Grand Canyon but have never seen it in person. Sharon had seen it when she was a little girl. En route we stopped at a Nordic Center and I was able to get in a little cross country skiing. Rt 180 passed through a national forest where the ski center was located. It was about 16 above 0 when we arrived but sunny and proved to be a beautiful venue for cross country skiing. After leaving the Nordic center we traveled on to the Grand Canyon. It was a tremendous experience. It reminded me of seeing the Niagara Falls. Photos just cannot convey the power and majesty of the Grand Canyon. It was cold and a little icy as we took a short walk along a portion of the canyon rim. Though we didn't stay long we still felt the side trip was well worth the effort. We continued our trip arriving in Kanab, Utah just before sunset. We ate dinner at a quaint diner in the center of town and stayed at the Parry Inn for the evening. This motel is made famous for the fact the many of the movie stars along with cast and crew stayed here during filming of top movies and tv shows in the 40's and 50's. Photos of the stars including John Wayne, Gregory Peck, Dean Martin, Fess Parker and many others still hang on the walls of the dinning and foyer areas in the motel. The next morning we got an early start and continued our travel north through some beautiful country before crossing over to I-15 and on home. We are glad to be home among family and friends here but, we already miss the warmth of AZ and being close to Kate and Les and families. With children spread across the country its been difficult to be near any of our family members but with the help of plane and automobile we've given our best effort to spread ourselves to each of our children and families over this past 14 months. Attached are some photos from our recent trip home