Christmas in July - Day Twenty-Seven

 

As well as living in five different states - Florida, Illinois, Virginia (three times), Rhode Island, and Washington - we've also traveled through multiple states on our permanent change of station (PCS) cross-country trips.

In 2014, we moved from Virginia to Washington, taking the northern route and stopping at Mount Rushmore and the Badlands as well as Custer State Park in South Dakota and on to the Little Big Horn Battlefield in Montana.

2016 saw us take the return journey from Washington to Virginia, this time taking the southern route and stopping at the Redwoods, Hoover Dam, and the Grand Canyon.

In 2018, we were on the road again from Virginia to Washington, but this was a quicker trip as I needed to get settled and start work while Vic flew back to Virginia to finish up his tour of duty there.  Apart from a quick stop at the Cadillac Ranch in Texas, it was pretty much straight through as fast as we could travel.

And in 2022, after COVID, two years in Okinawa, and a year in Maryland, Vic and I were finally on our way to life in Washington together.  I flew to Maryland, and we drove across the country to Washington again, stopping only for a brief visit to the Devil's Tower National Monument in Wyoming.

My favorite ornament from all these PCS trips has to be this one that we picked up at the Grand Canyon.

Every year, as I hang it on the tree, I am reminded of our amazing visit.  Although the temperatures dipped into the 20s at night (it was November), the sun shone brightly during the day as we admired the stunning vistas of the South Rim.  We had Thanksgiving Dinner at the historic El Tovar Hotel and I purchased this ornament at the Hopi House where authentic American Indian arts and crafts have been offered for over 100 years.

Have you visited the Grand Canyon?