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Why The Grand Canyon is My Favorite Natural Wonder
This is for you, Dad.
The first time I visited Grand Canyon National Park, I was eight years old.
Most families I knew went somewhere local for family trips, but my dad was always passionate about travel. He wanted to show us all of the natural beauty America had to offer, as well as any old historical sites along the way.
So every summer until I was eleven, we took a road trip together: me, him, my older sister, and my stepmom all stuffed in a car together was a recipe for disaster.
That summer was one of the most epic, in terms of our trip. We flew into Las Vegas and rented a Dodge Caravan to take us across the West. It was my very first time seeing the majestic and beautiful rock formations that would dapple my home as an adult.
First we toured the Hoover Dam, taking a shuttle to the station so we could walk across its massive breadth. I’d never seen a man-made structure on such a large scale before — and I’d never know that an adult could get as excited about a dam as my dad did.
My dad always had this air about him that clashed with his arrogance and proclaimed expertise: he always kept the kid inside of him alive. And when that kid came out, it came out strong. Those face-splitting grins, jumping up and down, so…
