I'm jumping up and down and can hardly contain my excitement ... I just booked lodging at Phantom Ranch, located at the bottom of the Grand Canyon for Spring Break 2013!!! Phantom Ranch is the only lodging below the canyon ring. There are only 10 beds for women, and 10 beds for men each night (in addition to some cabins used by those coming down via mule) so advance reservations are necessary and done so 13 months in advance.
We knew the hike alone would be enough of a challenge (9.3 miles one way - both down and UP), so I figured the only way I could convince my traveling team to join me on this adventure was to have a hot meal and soft bed ready for our arrival. Hiking to the bottom is very dangerous during the summer months, as temperatures can easily reach over 100 degrees, so March and April are prime months. The kids spring break is the last week in March, and that is when we got our reservations. Perfect.
I used three phones to call simultaneously and it took me 17 minutes just to get through as 'all circuits were busy'. Thanks to Lesley, Kelli and Scott for calling as well; Kelli also made a reservation, so now I have two to pick from. I need to work out our itinerary, which seems crazy since it is nearly 13 months away.
I'm currently planning two other trips. In a couple weeks (depart March 28, 2012) we will travel Southeast through 15 states covering nearly 4,500 miles in a RV. See our planning map. The first week in May we will travel to Kentucky, where we will celebrate Paradis' 13th birthday.
Lots of fun things planned. Thanks for following us on our adventure. (I'm now going to run around the house screaming, "I got reservations! I got reservations!" and maybe take a nap, since last night I had non-stop nightmares about not getting through this morning! Thank goodness my client cancelled today and I'm home.)
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