Sedona, Grand Canyon and Cali, Oh MY!

Parked in the Hampton Inn...

Entry 8

A special shout out to Dorothy and Lori, the latest Adventurers to donate to our road trip! We'll be using those donations at Legoland and Disneyland over the next two days! The kids and bffC are so excited, but honestly? I think bffC is the MOST excited about Disneyland! *chuckle*

I'm starting to think if I could, and if I didn't want to be predictable, I'd start every one of these blogs with "I'm so tired..." However, not wanting to be predictable, I'll start instead with, "Holy Golden Gate, Batman! Who knew driving in California could be so life threatening?"

Let's see... my last blog left off in Sedona. A very full Wednesday started out with a jeep tour of 'sacred sites' in Sedona. My bffC really felt called to do this and at first I grumped about it, but turns out? It was one of my favorite parts of the trip so far! We used a company called Earth Wisdom Jeep Tours. Our tour guide was named Blair. He was fantastic - if you ever head to Sodona, look them/him up; well worth the money. Mads, Gman, bffC and I climbed into the jeep:

The first site we went to on our two hour tour was called cathedral rock:

If you use your imagination, you can 'see' the first man and woman standing in the middle. bffC had a very intense experience here, it isn't for me to tell her story, but she really felt the energy. It was a strong, shaking energy and I vote for super healing! Go Sedona!

We took the jeep offroading - I was a bit worried at first but bffC handled it like a pro. At one point the whole jeep lurched sideways and I thought we were goners, but Blair navigated the gullies all the while sharing fascinating tidbits about Sedona and answering all my questions!

Yay seatbelts!

After we returned to our beautiful room in Sedona, we were on our way to the Grand Canyon. Having seen the amazing rocks and outcroppings of Sedona, I really didn't think the Grand Canyon was going to be that amazing.

Believe it or not, this outcropping you see is where the original plans to build Disneyland were set. Luckily, Eisenhower turned it into park land and Walt had to go to Anaheim. It would have been an ecological disaster to have put Disneyland in Sedona. *whew*

When we first arrived (after several hours of driving) at the Grand Canyon, I think we were all overwhelmed. Not with the scenery, we saw NOTHING the way we entered, but overwhelmed by all the PEOPLE! It was crazy. I let bffC off to the vistor's center and then drove off to try to find a place to park. Imagine my surprise and dread when I realized my worst Chevy Chase movie moment had come to pass. I parked the RV, got out, fought through the insane amount of tourists and probably 20 other identically marked RVs... only to find a big sign that said "Sorry folks, visitor's center is closed for installation of an exhibit" really? REALLY?

The most frustrating part of the Grand Canyon was the lack of information. Especially for ways to view the park if you can't walk. BffC isn't able to walk long distances, especially in hot weather. Nowhere do they post any driving tours or ways to see the Grand Canyon without paying for a plane/helicopter or a mule - which she also couldn't have done. After driving Myrtle around, I saw a place I could dump them off then I could circle around to pick them up. They all scurried out of the RV and while I was trying to circle around to find them? I got lost. Seriously! Finally, I found them again and they all piled back in the RV and I was frustrated I didn't get to see anything. All that driving to see NOTHING?

After forcing poor Nix to get out of the RV and ask someone, (no park ranger was around to really help us, but Nix just asked a random guy in the gift shop for help), we struggled with the limited map we got, and figured out we should drive down Desert View Dr. I kept thinking "I am sure the rocks in Sedona were just as lovely as the rocks in the Grand Canyon... " Then? I saw this:

I absolutely couldn't breathe. 

We stopped at our first view point off the side of the road. There was almost none of the pushing/talking/cacophony we found when navigating the crowd at the (closed) Visitor's Center. 

The pull off was peaceful and serene. I felt overwhelmed by the immensity and beauty of the landscape. None of my photos show it justice. I think the only thing that would have made it better would have been the eye of an archeologist who could have, once I absorbed the incredible tranquility and majesty of what I was seeing,  told me more about the rock formations and the history of who lived there, the ruins found there, answered the thousand questions that floated through my mind... I'm kind of geeky like that. :)

I am not going to try to put in a bunch of photos, because truly, they do not begin to communicate the vastness and magic of the surroundings - on any level. If you ever have the chance, GO. Just go. Because we only spent a few hours driving along and looking and even that was amazing. Exploring the Grand Canyon more fully is something I will have to do in my lifetime for sure.

Mads and Gman standing infront of the fence. 

Can you believe I actually watched someone go OVER the guardrails/fence? It was at least an 800 foot drop to the level below and who knows how many more feet to the actual bottom of the canyon. Taking risks is fun, but taking stupid risks that can get you killed? Life is too short for such stupidity.

Although the drive around the rim of the Grand Canyon was worth every penny we paid to get into the park, it put us about two hours back in the wrong direction. It took five hours to get to the Kingman, AZ where we finally collapsed for the night. That was after the tour in the morning, driving to the Grand Canyon, then retracing our steps and pushing forward until 11:30 at night.

Today? We got up early, had some awesome chicken fried steak and headed to California.

Traffic in California makes Seattle look like drivers with training wheels. *deep breath* My knuckles were on the steering wheel so tightly I had to pry my fingers off. I got a crazy headache from locking my jaw. *ugh*. Driving the vast nothingness that is AZ and parts of TX and NM was bad, but it was NOTHING like this:

And this? Wasn't even the bad traffic!

Perhaps it wouldn't have been so bad if it hadn't of been up and down hills with traffic going 70 and Myrtle lucky to be going 55/60. Let's just say, I have a WHOLE new appreciation for truckers and people in large vehicles!

So here ends the saga for tonight. It's midnight and this RV is turning back into a lemon. Oh wait. Too late for that! hahahaah,! 

I need to get some sleep - it's LEGOLAND tomorrow and Disney on Sunday. Then? Then we start the blessed trip up the coast toward home... (home... doesn't that sound like a wonderful word?).

I am so fortunate to see all the incredible things I have been able to see and do all the fun things I've been able to do on this trip. I've loved getting to hang with Mads and Gman... they are really growing so fast... I haven't had a lot of quality time with my bffC... probably because I do all the driving and she usually sits in the back. Plus? She is a night owl and I am a morning hen... So I tend to sleep in the RV and she sleeps in the hotel room. Tonight is no exception. Mads is already asleep and I am finishing up my blog and joining her. 

I think a big reason why I am looking forward to getting home it that I'll get a few days with her at my quiet, peaceful house. Just 'us girl' time. I'm going to send the kids off with my sis to go shopping and bffC and I can just relax and spend that quality time together I've been craving. Tonight? Nix is being wonderful and doing our laundry so we have clean clothes for the rest of the trip. LOVE YOU NIX!!!!! *hugs*XOXOXOXOXO

As for this point in the trip? We're all about done with each other *chuckle*. Too many days in a rolling tin can - as the genie once said in the Disney Aladdin movie, "PHENOMENAL COSMIC POWERS! Itty-bitty living space!"

I'm excited about getting back home and having time together where I don't have to drive and we can all just enjoy each other without having to figure out where we are spending the night and not fighting about which kid gets to sit behind the driver and which doesn't! *smile* I learn something new every day and for that, and for those I love... I am grateful.

Happy Trails!

MaryKate