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

Two for the Price of One...

So much to tell, so little sleep to tell it...

Entry 7

This entry is a double feature. It covers Tuesday *and* Wednesday, August 9th and 10th and it covers, OK, TX, NM and AZ!

First, as I try to do when we have Adventurers donate to our cause, we'd like to thank Teri for her kind-hearted and wonderful gift. Thank you for supporting our trek. Much love to you!

Now? On to two days worth of bloggin:

So. Tired. That is the best way to start this blog. Yesterday we drove 13 hours from our prison, I mean our hotel in Clinton, OK, to Gallup, NM. I would tell you about Myrtle (the new name for the RV in homage to Moaning Myrtle from Harry Potter) and the fridge breaking... and the fact that she eats CD's, doesn't play them and doesn't spit them out either, but I think you have all heard enough about my issues with Myrtle. I have been informed that as long as Myrtle doesn't have a *mechanical* failure, I can not get another RV. Period. That's when I simply gave both Elizabeth and Lucas - the two cruiseamerica help desk people (who I realize are just following the policy of a company with little customer consideration) a gypsy woman curse. I felt bad afterwords because seriously... I was upset and crying. And they were towing the party line. So... yeah. They both better hope nothing happens to me, my godchildren or my friends on this trip. Just sayin'. I also learned that cruiseamerica will not reimburse me for *any* of the hotel or meal expenses I incurred while Myrtle was broken down in Clinton, OK. That's $700 worth of hotel and food and supplies I will never see again. While it is true, we would have still had expenses for those 2 nights and three days of being stranded, we would be much farther along on our trip. I would like to say, however, that they would be glad to add 'free' days on to the end of our trip (more mileage at .32 a mile, that's only *good* for them). *sigh* If it weren't for the good stories we got out of it... the locust invasion followed THE NEXT day by a cricket invasion... not to mention the guts of the roof of the Ramada Inn hanging forlornly as we pulled out of the driveway... I'd be way more upset about it all. But it is grace that got me started on this trip and grace that will get me to Seattle.

So enough about that. Let's see some pics. We stopped in Texas to get a steak after leaving Oklahoma. I was informed not to bother with a steak once we got west of Texas. So we stopped here:

That's right, The Big Texan: it was a treasure trove of good photo ops to embarrass the children for the rest of their lives. Awesomeness:

That's right. A free 72oz steak. But you have to eat the salad, the roll, baked potato and shrimp cocktail not to mention the HUGE plate of meat and the drink in 60 minutes to get it for free. While we were there someone took on the challenge:

All I know? Is that it was a LOT of dead cow. And I LIKE steak.

One more embarrassing pic - I love Gman's face in this one:

Then we pushed on through Texas toward our goal of Gallup, NM. Texas can be quite beautiful, but honestly? There is a LOT of nothing moments as shown by Mads finally getting to hold her 'tumbling tumbleweed':

After 13 long hours of travel, we made it to Gallup, New Mexico. I have decided New Mexico is an amazingly beautiful state:

 We arrived late to our campgrounds: USARV Park in Gallup, NM. A friend of mine asked me to post this:

Because a friend asked me for this, this is the 'Gallup pole'. Snicker snicker snicker. That's right folks I'm here all week!

The campground was clean and the showers great, but the beds in the cabin not so comfortable. None of us ended up getting very good sleep. Which led to a bit of grumpiness all around. However... we kept moving moving moving... and got up early, had some awesome Huevos Rancheros, refilled the cooler with ice (fridge still not working) and headed to our destination of Sedona.

Little did we expect we would have an incredible side trip along the way. 

Bffc had some pain today (due to the fantastic bed she had last night) and she ended up sleeping a bit in the back of Myrtle. While driving, I saw a sign for Walnut Canyon and we decided to check it out on our way to Sedona. When we arrived, this is what we saw:

The native people of Walnut Canyon *lived* in these canyon walls and dug them out to make their homes! Even in the winter when it was snowy and icy, they climbed up and down the walls of the canyon! I can barely even imagine it considering they didn't wear shoes! Here is Gman in one of the 'homes' that still survive!

All I know? Is someone told me it was 200 steps down. When I reached 300 straight down? I stopped. Gman and Mads continued down about another 80 steps. Then trudged back up to find me and we slowly progressed back UP those 300 steps to the main overlook. Wow. Nothing like 600 steps in the hot sun and then driving 5 more hours! woohoo! 

We took the exit marked "Sedona 89A" and started down. It was about a 2000 foot drop through windy roads. I wish I had better pics of the trip down... Myrtle was very good about it, but truth be told? I am kind of anxious about the trip back up those 2000 feet! Myrtle doen't like anything that is too strenuous you know. Clearly she takes after the women and one boy on this trip.

Not exactly an easy trip with Myrtle, but we all made it safe and sound. Yay for lower gears and the 'towing' button! I hardly had to use the breaks except when I was making the crazy hairpin turns! 

We finally made it to Sedona and got a room at The Matterhorn Inn - we have a lovely ground floor room with two beds. Gman, BffC and Nix stayed in the hotel and Mads and I are out in the RV. We plugged it into the hotel room so we have AC and all is well.

Now it is time for me to crash... Tomorrow, we have a jeep tour of Sedona and then we are on our way to the Grand Canyon. Very full day tomorrow! More pics and I'm sure more stories to be posted when I get some time in the next 24! We pretty much have no idea where we are going to end up in the evening on the 11th, so the adventure continues...

We all had a great day today and even though bffC had some break through pain, tonight she's in a super comfy bed and we are all getting some much needed rest so we can pack in a full day of cool stuff tomorrow.

I love Sedona, I will post more pics when I write the next blog. Sedona's really lovely. Maybe a little 'far out' for me, but as in all the places we've been we've met some wonderful people so far! Can't wait for sunrise. We have to all be moving by 8:45 as our tour starts at 9!

Happy Trails,

MaryKate