#19 A GRAND DAY

 JOURNAL ENTRY:
Wednesday
March 29th, 2017

Holy crabbiness.  We were up way too late last night, trying to figure out what route to take later this week & whether or not to keep precious camping reservations for Joshua Tree. Let’s just say that I later apologized to Steve and felt much better after a cup of coffee.  I think I was feeling overwhelmed with all of our options down here. Seriously, you can be at point X on the map, randomly choose a direction to head, and you will find an amazing treasure no matter which way you wander. A few weeks ago we grabbed a couple of nights that were available in J Tree and today, we let them go to some lucky folk who will undoubtedly be thrilled to see a vacancy on the Recreation.gov website. Why is letting go so hard sometimes?

Oh, and there is something I forgot to write about yesterday…

When Alex and I had finished up laundry, a Navajo man came up to us and began a conversation. 

“You are very tall. Do you play basketball?” he asked me.

“No. I think I should have when I was younger though.”

“Does your son play?” he continued. 

“He actually skis. We are from Washington state.”

“Have you ever wrestled?”

“No. I have a question for you. What do you think he (turning to Alex) should know about the Southwest?”

“To take care of the land, and to learn to hunt. Hunt Rabbits and deer. Learn to play the guitar! You can be like Jim Morrison (he points to Alex).”

Our conversation continued for a bit and later he asked if I had any spare money so he could get something to eat. I honestly didn’t think I had any cash, so I said no. But then I realized I had a Ziploc full of quarters in my bag’s side pocket.  So, without any hesitation, I reached into my satchel and handed him a heavy plastic bag filled with quarters. At that moment, I wanted Alex to learn that we can help people in so many ways. I think oftentimes people make assumptions (we all do, it’s natural). And here, Alex and I were having a nice conversation with this man & we had the opportunity to share with someone. He was shocked at what we gave him (maybe $30?) and I told him to just ‘pay it forward’ and do something nice for someone down the road. This was a touching moment for all of us. Did I know what he was going to buy? No, and that didn’t matter. What mattered to me was helping someone when they asked for help. And you know what… the man really was hungry. A few minutes later when Steve came to pick us up, Alex and I told him the story of the man we had met & Steve pointed out that he was sitting on the sidewalk eating. 

Steve and I try to set examples with giving back to our local community and the greater world. We donate to our local no-kill animal shelter, sponsor a child at Jhamtse Gatsal (amazing school we learned about from watching the film Tashi and the Monk at the Banff Mountain Film Festival a couple years back), and try to help friends/others in various ways. I think of the quote, “Be the change you wish to see in the world.” There is power in leading by example for sure. And, there is always so much more we can do.

Anyways, I feel like I’m rambling tonight. Perhaps because I’m so tired from staying up late?

It was super windy last night and this morning. After packing up and reorganizing the food and our gear, we hit the road for the Grand Canyon.   

Here is a picture of Miss Willow. 

We all call her the "table dancing" dog! And, notice how Steve attaches wood trim boards to the table with clamps to keep all of Sierra's legos from sliding off the table as we drive.  She happily listens to music and plays with her toys as we cruise! And, we put a piece of Gorilla tape onto the bottom of her tupeerware bowls, holding those tiny lego pieces. Perfection!

As we headed down Route 66 and up Highway 64, we lost yet another hubcap somewhere between Flagstaff and the Canyon. We believe hubcap #1 is somewhere between Idaho and Utah.

The San Francisco peaks were snow covered and calling us to hike in the future. We passed groves of Aspen trees and I pointed out to Alex a spot on the peaks where I picked the dried Aspen leaf I keep in a glass jar over 20 years ago. I picked up my cell phone and remembered that last week I signed up for Spotify’s free music trial. We rocked out to fun songs and then our sweet Sierra hit her version of crabbiness and we knew it was time to stop for a lunchbreak. We needed to refuel our kiddo as soon as we could pull over (I do not walk around in the rig when we drive, unless it is absolutely necessary: Example=having to move something I forgot to pack to prevent it from crashing.) 

Just south of mile marker 233, we found a forest service road, headed east for a couple minutes, and then found a killer picnic spot. Willow and Titus were happy to be on their long leads while we ate outside in the Arizona sunshine. 

After lunch, Sierra and I played a little hide and seek & Steve and Alex did some tree climbing, which led them to discover a large pile of bones. Large bones. Too large to be deer… perhaps elk? Further down the trail we found a large area covered in hair- so we think maybe a hunter cleaned their game there? The kids thought it was cool. 

Steve and I loved the spot we’d found. Just 5 miles south of the Park’s entrance. We both pondered... hmmm...should we camp here vs at Mather Campground tonight? Well, after relaxing and exploring on foot for a bit, the kids asked if we could head to the Grand Canyon so that made our decision easy. 

I think the last time I was at the Canyon was back in the Spring of 1999- when I was working for that non profit back in North Carolina. I remember backpacking to the bottom of the Canyon’s Phantom Ranch and sleeping under the stars for a night. Then, my students and I hiked all the way back out the following day. We had been advised to take it slow, but we all busted our boots and trekked all the way back up to the South Rim. I am not a fan of McDonald’s but I will say that the meal I had after hiking out was the best meal I ever had at the golden arches. How was that nearly 20 years ago?

Today, I think we arrived at the park around 3’ish… and, Mama mia… the parking lots were absolutely packed, and so were the sides of the roads in the park. I have never seen the park so crowded. After attempting several parking lots, we drove west of the Visitor’s Center and scored a sweet parking spot across from the Train Depot. It was the exact size of space Steve needed to parallel park. Awesome! Then all of us, dogs included, took a short walk up to the rim. 

I swear, the dogs were people magnets. Titus presents himself as a little standoffish (really he is being the protector of his tribe). And Willow, she attracts all people and would probably go home with anyone who gives her attention. There is something about her energy that draws you in. Plus, she will literally hug your leg.

For the next ninety minutes, we wandered the view points and the kids went to the gift shop. It was really awesome for me to see the kiddos making connections between our travel spots visited. A few days ago they were standing in the freezing waters of the Colorado River, and today they were standing at the South rim of the Grand Canyon. I know they both loved it because they asked if we can come back for their birthdays!

After a quick stop for some ice-cream (we told them they could stop at the Park’s general store for a treat since the line at the rim was insanely long) we then drove a short distance to our campsite. Site 184.... And remember how we were able to miraculously find last minute camping availability? Well, our site was right next to the bike path. That means we have a safe place to ride that's away from the road and a larger privacy screen.

After adding some leveling chocks under the right tires and putting out the slides,we were done. Set up is so easy! The dogs were toast after all their walking and mental stimulation and people exposure, so I stayed behind to clean the driving area of the RV, while Steve and the kids rode bikes/scooters. Not ten minutes later, Alex came back to tell me that Sierra had bit it going down a hill. She needed some Mama love. What she was super upset about is the fact that now her favorite pants have a hole in the knee. These pants are workout-yoga style pants that have a pattern on them resembling Minecraft blocks. “My favorite Minecraft pants are ruined Mommy!” she cried to me. Steve and I assured her that a trip to Target will be later this week to replace her pants. Poor girl. She was so exhausted too. After dinner, we continued reading Ollies’ Odyssey and she was asleep almost immediately.

Right now, Steve is asleep on the top bunk. I think we all are ready for a long nights sleep. Mather Campground is really quiet If you do come here to camp, be aware that many people drive fast in the campground and folks are always coming/going. That is why I love the bike path too.

Tomorrow will bring another trip back to Flagstaff. Alex really wants to visit a rock and gem shop he spotted and wants to go out for sushi. His sushi request may end up being another amazing InstantPot meal cooked by Steve.  

It was a grand day for sure ♡