Grand Canyon Mule Riders!

On our way to Las Vegas this summer, we stopped at the Grand Canyon. I have always wanted to see it. It was grand...that's for sure.

Here's Avery, Taboo, and I at the top!

I have always wanted to ride a mule down the canyon, but when I visited the website before leaving Ohio it said that you have to make your reservations about a year in advance. The day we got to the Canyon, I called the mule riding place on a whim and asked if they had any slots available for the next days ride. They did! Doesn't Avery make a good lookin' cowboy?

Here is Avery getting a lesson on how to whip his mule right. His mules name was Cricket.

In the pic above you should be able to see the silhouette of an ancient indian cheif who watched over the Canyon waiting for his daughter to return.

This was the cabin we stayed in at the bottom of the Canyon. The resort is called Phantom ranch and they told us that only 1% of the people that visit the Canyon actually get to the bottom. The price of the mule ride included this cabin, plus a lunch on the ride down, steak dinner that night, and breakfast before leaving in the morning. They also had several programs put on by the park rangers. One about bats and the other about scorpions. They took the kids around with black lights to hunt scorpions. It was very cool!

This is the view from the bottom of the Canyon. My mules name was Lilly. Riding down was much harder than riding up. We were there during the summer solstice and it was so hot. Hotter inside the canyon, than up top. It got to almost 110 degrees inside the Canyon.

This is the bridge that the mules cross to get over to Phantom Ranch. This is the only place in the US where the mail is still delivered by mule only. All the supplies to build this bridge were carried down by mules. They are amazing creatures.

Here we are crossing the bridge on our way back to the top the next morning. That is Avery in front of me and our guide in front of him. Her name was Penny and she was a great guide with passion for mules. She's from Ohio, too, and had spent some time riding in Denali Park in Alaska. We had lots to talk about.

This is our group coming up one of the last switchbacks. We had a great time! What an experience. I would highly reccommend it to anyone who likes to ride. It was a great way to see the Canyon, because the mule was the one watching the trail so you got to enjoy the view.