Grand Canyon Trip

This trip did occur on April 1st and was so amazing some may consider it an April Fool's joke but it was not.

8:30 AM, Friday, April 1st 2011. I arrived at Spanish Fork airport and met Angela McMillan. She is the girlfriend of my friend Justin Clark who I was in AFROTC with. We both waited until Matt Herbert, another friend and AFROTC cadet, arrived with Justin from SLC airport. Matt's parents had rented a plane, a Diamondstar twin prop 4 seater, so he could complete some flight time hours and become an instrument pilot. I learned on the trip that their are pilots = those who know how to fly planes and instrument pilots = those who can fly the plane only using the instruments i.e. in a storm. The arrived and we flew. I had only been in a small plane one other time and I remember very little because I was very young. That time was when I was six and my Uncle Alan Carver took me and my cousin Zach Bateman up on a flight. Flying in a small plane is thrilling. I shot a lot of video which you can view here, the password is: diamondstar

http://s1130.photobucket.com/albums/m529/Casey_Deans/Grand%20Canyon%20Trip/

This is a Google Maps Trip of where we flew. This map is for driving so you have to use your imagination to see the path we took which was almost a direct line between destinations.

We dropped off Angela (Angie) at the second Spanish Fork stop. 

http://tinyurl.com/3wd93rb

The Grand Canyon is amazing and if possible I would suggest everyone who sees it for their first time experience like I did for my first time, from a small airplane. The view from Bright Angel Lodge is spectacular but the overhead sight from a small plane is truly breathtaking. I could have spent hours at Bright Angel Lodge taking in all the history. Wendover Airport also had a lot of history and was very educational and fun. If you are ever in the Bedrock City ( a small town by the Grand Canyon) you will be very surprised at how delicious the burger is there. I was pessimistic walking into this tourist trap but the service was great and the burger well made and very good. I also tried "Cactus Juice" for the first time. Cactus Juice is lemonade and Hawaiian Punch and it is fantastic!

This trip was amazing! The thrill of flying, seeing great American history, basking in the beauty of America, and enjoying the company of friends was just what I needed. I will never forget the wonderful time I had. The generosity of Matt Herbert was truly historic and I hope I get the chance to repay him some of the great favor he showed me by taking me on this great trip. If the photos and videos didn't make you too jealous I will add that I got to fly the plane some, which is truly exhilarating!