Quite a few of us scrambled up the crack and made it atop this boulder.

I came back later with my rock climbing boots and found a few other routes.

We also went for a hike up Boulder Pass into the McDowell Mountains.  The pass is the last dip on the left in the range over Dana’s shoulder.

We stopped for lunch along the way and River found a choice spot to eat and relax for a few minutes.

There are plenty of cacti such as this prickly pear and  I think everyone had an encounter of some kind with these thorns.

The really unique thing about Boulder Pass is that water draining from the surrounding mountains has eroded passages underneath the boulders in the stream bed.  It is possible to ascend the pass by climbing under the rocks.

Unfortunately, I was too busy scrambling around myself and helping the kids that I couldn’t keep the camera accessible.  Everyone did some remarkable climbing!

We made it to the top of the pass after some considerable effort.  The kids all had a blast and loved climbing around on the rocks.  We also explored a cave that has been furnished with a wood stove, table, and other accoutrements converting it into a relatively comfortable campsite.  The view over the valley from the pass is quite remarkable.

There were sixteen people here for Christmas this year, but Gail and Dave’s house accommodated us graciously.

This year, we decided to do portraits.  The kids all wore their matching red Christmas outfits.

I thought the formal portraits came out pretty well.

Dana, Dave, and Gail

Molly, Sage, Andrew, and River

Alice, Andrew, Frances, and Sebastion

Evie, Deana, Cass, and Henry

Some old high school friends of Molly and Frances got together for a post-Christmas brunch.

But my favorite portraits were the more casual type:

It’s been around for quite a while.  Molly used to come here as a child.  Although I’m sure some things have changed over the years, it seems like no one will ever tire of riding the train around the park.

I’m not sure if this sign is intended more to discourage kids from crossing the tracks in front of the train or parents trying to get pictures of their offspring?

The carousel is also a big hit!  There’s only one ride operator so they alternate between the train and the carousel.

Then we moved over to the playground, where I witnessed this jailbreak.

They made their get-away on the stagecoach.

There was much playing, including some swinging spiders.

And some serious sliding!

We all enjoyed our visit to the train park.

The parents even got to play a bit, too!

As you can see from our visit to the Grand Canyon, the weather was not as warm as it sometimes can be in Arizona. We did, however, get a few nice days when it was sunny and warm.

Our friends and old neighbors from England are now living in Los Angeles and managed to make a trip over to Scottsdale for the weekend. We enjoyed seeing them! We played in the pool at their hotel and went for a hike on the nearby Pinnacle Peak.

On this adventure, the girls’ coyotes had super powers and were occupied with mountain rescue of other injured animals.

The view from Pinnacle Peak is quite nice.  To the west, you can almost make out the Sackett residence behind this pile of rocks.  Just over the ridge, the land drops down into the Rio Verde river valley.  The seemingly endless  Scottsdale has temporarily halted it’s creeping sprawl here and there are many nice trails to explore the desert.  I went running along these trails every day and enjoyed the crisp air and beautiful landscape.

The snow-covered rocks were very beautiful!

We were prepared for cold weather, but not precipitation.

The views of the canyon were remarkable despite the overcast sky.  It must have been warmer at the bottom of the canyon since there was no snow below the Bright Angel shale.

It snowed even more on our second day and the the canyon was filled with clouds.  It was like looking into a wall of fog.  We were glad it had been relatively clear the day before, but we had a great time romping around in the snow.

Sage thought it was really funny to walk around with her hat over her eyes.

We had planned to descend into the canyon on the South Kaibab trail, but decided that views from the inside of a cloud weren’t worth the risk of an icy trail along thousand foot cliffs.  The south rim trail provided plenty of entertainment.

We came across a herd of elk near the road.  They didn’t seem bothered at all as we approached quite close.

The kids ate plenty of snow and threw balls any that were to big to be consumed.  Watch out!

Visiting the canyon in the snow was very different from the way I remembered it, but it was still very beautiful and we had a great time!

Weaver’s Needle is particularly beautiful in the early morning sunshine.  It is easy to see how legends such as the Lost Dutchman’s Gold Mine could come to be associated with such an incredible landmark.

It had been sunny and 80°F until we arrived.  It seems we’ve brought some cold, rainy weather from England.  I suppose it isn’t nearly as cold here as it is in other parts of the country.  It’s supposed to start warming again at the weekend, so I’m still hopeful for a bit of warm sunshine.