The elk are coming!!

I haven’t had internet in awhile! Keyenta with the southern route was great but a little crowded. It was nice to chat with others that are doing the same thing and to see their group dynamic. In the morning we had a huge dance party before heading out! The ride was nice to Tuba City. I can’t say I was a big fan of the area but some of the views were nice. We stayed at a small church in Tuba City but it was nice. I stopped at sonic on the way in with some others since we were hungry and there aren’t too many food choices. We had good showers that were kinda chilly. For dinner we had bean and rice burritos. We had our town hall meeting and discussed out B&B prom! The girls are to ask a guy out and we pulled a name out of a hat to decide. It will be July 15 in the gym! We then had breakfast and the hosts made us these yummy muffins with zucchini, oats, and chocolate chips! We also had a more traditional Native American breakfast I believe that consisted of a bean mixture with meat along with a sweet fried bread topped with cinnamon and honey. It was yummy! There are so many stray dogs in the area. It was pretty sad. Most of them were nice though and just wanted some attention. I saw some rams on the ride into the Grand Canyon! They just wander around the sides of roads. The first 25 miles were pretty simple averaging about 18-20mph. We stopped at a huge trading post in Cameron that had a gigantic gift shop and café. Little did I know I would be going up a mountain to get into the Grand Canyon. I went about 5-12mph up till mile 55 where we had second lunch. On the ride in I could see what I thought was the outsides of the Grand Canyon. To enter the National Park its $25 a car or $12 per biker! So we got in Trojan horse style by stopping early and loading all bikes in the trailer. My first view of the Grand Canyon was one of amazement! It’s basically a site that I really can’t explain. It looks like the Rocky Mountains turned upside down for the most part. There were way too many tourists here! So many different languages. I kept looking around and thinking that I actually bike to the Grand Canyon! I BIKED HERE! What an incredible view. Looking down into this crazy never ending abyss within the earth. Theres wild sage that smells great! I saw some elk as well! They are pretty much just acclimated to people being around. I got so close! At the campground we all set up tents and made family dinner consisting of bean and rice burritos again. The fire ban was dropped so we were able to make a campfire, which was great since the temperature drops at night! On our day off in the Grand Canyon I woke up at 6:15am naturally with Erin and Sean. We walked over to the visitor center and café where I just got a yogurt, peach, and chocolate milk for breakfast. We went on a hike down the Grand Canyon on Kaibab trail which goes down a steep zig zag path. It was quite the workout not to mention I was pretty sore. There was a line of mules that take people up and down the path. I felt bad for them though as they marched tied together uphill. I tried so desperately to not step in their dung but it happened unfortunately. I decided that I will throw out my tennis shoes in San Diego since they are gross and have been through too much this summer. Anyways, after the hike I ventured around the museum center and watched a history movie of the Grand Canyon which was neat. There are way too many gift shops here and overpriced food. I paid way too much for a chicken sammich with a frap. I did some people watching since there were some rather interesting tourists here. I found myself eating hummus, pita chips, and some crab meat for dinner. I keep running into Elk here! I’m starting to wonder if they will accept me into their wolf pack of elks. They seem like such pleasant creatures just doing their own things and leaving droppings all over the trail. I’ve enjoyed the Grand Canyon! Its for sure a must see in the United States. We go to Williams tmrw which is apparently a cute town. Thank you Mom/Pop, Ginny/Ed, and Ron/Tomi for the birthday cards! So sweet! I’ll be 22 years young on July 16! What a way to spend my birfday! Thank you for reading!

Today we woke up in the Grand Canyon and a few of us decided to take the historic train ride to Williams which is 60 miles! The 8 of us were able to spend the morning exploring the canyon and saw some Native American dancing and flute playing. The train ride was awesome and so well worth it! It was my first time taking a train ride other than those at Disney. There was even a staged train robbery! Claire went on the speakers and asked Steven to Prom too! This summer I’ve already had so many different and new experiences and this just added to it! Williams is a neat town but a very tourist area since were right on Route 66. For dinner I had a yummy taco salad at a Mexican place which was too expensive since were trapped in a small tourist area. I asked Tim to prom this evening with the help of some other riders who blind folded him as I laundry looped our hands together and surprised him asking him to prom! Hahaha! It’ll be a fun B&B party! We are entering the desert. Eek! Thanks for reading!

We had a nice 66 mile day in into Prescott Arizona. After having a meeting last night I ended up sleeping in the sanctuary, which usually is creepy to me, but I ended up using the seat cushion to sleep on which was comfy. Other riders have been asking others to prom is creative ways too! The ride today had a rough road and caused many flats. I got a staple stuck just perfectly in my tire and had to use a pocket knife to dig it out. We stopped at this little shop that had these awesome cheap trucker hats that we all got! In the morning we painted “19” on our legs and did the ride in memory of the firefighters lost in the recent fires. It was very sad to ride into Prescott and see the signs, ribbons, and flags hanging from churches and the sides of roads for the firefighters. The flags are at half-mast as well. I’m glad we are able to volunteer in this city for two days and do what we can to help with the affordable housing at least. On another note, showers have been rough lately. Or should I say there lack of. I’m glad I bought some baby wipes the other day! Check out the photos and videos please!