The Grand!

5 days in a camper van

*I highly recommend listening to the audio for this one as the boys helped me record.

Back in February, my family and I went on an adventure trip to Arizona. My mom and I have this crazy idea that at some point in the next few years, we’ll drop everything, drive around the US, and give my kiddos the road trip of a lifetime. Lucas turned 8 at the beginning of February, and he really loves vans and trains. So we figured, why not combine them into one belated birthday trip? It also seemed like a good way to test out how we’d all coexist in a 22-foot van together. Turns out… we love it!

Day 1: Fly from EWR —> PHX

Dinner with a view, evening swim & crash after our travel day.

Day 2: Tempe —> Flagstaff —> Williams

Wake up, swim, pick up the van (named Florence), eat some lunch & hit the road!

The best part of the day was our experience at the Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff. It was a combination of science and fun and incredible stargazing. Flagstaff has ‘dark sky laws’ which limit light pollution and make viewing the night sky an amazing experience. We got to look through a few different telescopes to peek at Sirius, Betelgeuse, Venus, Jupiter and Mars! Jupiter was my personal favorite, but I was also blown away by the Clark Refractor in the Clark Dome. A massive and impressive telescope built in 1895 atop what’s now called Mars Hill.

We ended our visit there with a star talk in cozy heated seats at the outdoor planetarium. Well worth the visit, and luckily it was only a short drive from Flagstaff to the RV park in Williams for the night.

Day 3: Grand Canyon Railway

We took a leisurely ride in the dome car on the Grand Canyon Railway from Williams, AZ into the National Park. I’ll forever remember the audible “Woahhhh” that the boys let out when we first walked up to the edge.

We spent a few hours exploring and walked a little ways down the Bright Angel trail. And of course, experienced a little drama with a fake railway robbery on the train back to Williams.

Day 4: Williams —> back to Grand Canyon

We stayed another night in Williams and headed back to GCNP the next morning. We explored a bit further and watched an incredible sunset before heading to another star talk hosted by a park ranger.

We had a campground reserved inside the park, which meant only a short drive to get cozy and enjoy some more insane night sky views. I didn’t bring a tripod with me, but I managed to get this photo, where you can see the Milky Way spread across the sky, by laying my camera on the hood of the van. Pretty freakin’ great, but it still pales in comparison to taking it all in in person.

Day 5: Grand Canyon —> Sedona

Next day we enjoyed the east side of the National Park, driving along Desert View Drive & climbing the Watchtower.

We said bye to the Grand and headed to Sedona.

Day 6: Jeep Tour!

Only a little bumpy (I think I was expecting a bit more thrill) but a cool way to get some height and a great view without a big hike.

Day 7: Sedona —> Camp Verde

Slowly making our way back towards Tempe for the van return. A quiet, relaxing night at an RV park.

Day 8: Camp Verde —> Tempe —> Scottsdale

We said goodbye to Florence (the van), and picked up the rental car. Made our way to Scottsdale to spend the weekend.

Day 9: Taliesin West & Botanical Gardens

Mary kindly let me tour Frank Lloyd Wright’s winter home, Taliesin West and the surrounding grounds without the boys. And later that day, we all went to the botanical gardens together. The broccoli cactus and geometric light sculptures were by far my favorite parts.

Day 10: PHX —> EWR

Back home and ready to sleep in our own beds again.

In a surprising turn of events…

Shortly after we got home, BoHo vans, the company we rented from, posted about a build available for resale. We are now the proud owners of our very own camper van.

Currently taking name suggestions and we’ll post more of our adventures soon.

Until next time…