Grand Canyon

We'll see if this works, perhaps if I put time and effort into typing at work, and then simply add the photos later...this could work out..then again IF you beautiful readers only look at the blog once, you may miss out....we'll figure something out.

Jake doesn't drive a stick, or rather didn't. We've been trying to take the time to teach him (side note..i love alliteration..while driving on this trip jake read HP:VI to me..or at least started...anyone ever noticed the alliteration the author uses with H's and P's in that book....think it's a coincidence?)

over the past couple years, but the time is never really there....who wants to go out on a beautiful Sat...and drive around an empty parking lot.

POINT BEING: Jake took it upon himself to take my car out after I was in bed Wed and Thurs this last week to practice driving my Saturn so that we could take my car to the Grand Canyon (GC) for the better gas mileage. The first night he just went around the block...the second night he tackeled I-15...he sounded so happy with himself.

Friday afternoon we were off. I started driving we did our normal listen to some cds...we started with Van Morrison (Jake's pick.) anyhoo...

we switched drivers when we got to 89 near Kanab. (I think.) Jake drove...and did a good job....and then a huge Jack Rabbit attacked the car...and there was no hope. Aside from both of us being a little shocked....jake kept driving for about an hour, but the road was really winding, and there was a car behind us that wouldn't pass, and it was getting to be really irritating, and we could hear something coming from under the car...we decided to pull over when the road widened...I was scared of what we would find under the car. I grabeed my flashlight and BEHOLD....

part of the "protecter" from under the car had come loose from our "killer bunny." Mom(terri) had given me an emergency kit for the car a few years back....and it had some tape. So jake and i are laying on the ground at 11pm in some podunk town in the frigid air with a beautiful clear starry sky. It was an experience. Later we stopped in Page and jake bought some duct tape, just in case the other stuff wouldn't stay.

other than that....we got to the GC at 1:00am..dad met us at the edge of the park to guide us in. It was pitch black, but as we were driving I had the feeling that if it were light outside i could peer into the canyon from where we were. It was a little eery feeling the massive gap!

The next morning we got up at our leisure had a nice breakfast and headed off for the Bright Angel Trail. Dad should us the first part of the way and snapped a few pics for us, then we were off...it was about noon when we got started.

We were told that it takes about twice as long to come up as to go down, so we decided we would need to turn around at about 200pm. I stopped for photo ops often, cause HELLo, it's beautiful. Being that it is February, even in AZ, we were hicking on snow THE ENTIRE TIME. we kept asking people as they were hiking up...how much farther till the snow was gone, but THEY LIED. anyhoo...we went down for 2 hours, and were sad that we couldn't keep going, but we didn't want to get caught in the dark, and we wanted to see the sun set over the canyon...from up top.

(sorry this is getting long.)

We were both glad when we turned around cause it was HARD to hike up. It's not too steep or anything, it's just CONTINUOUS and then some...not to mention the snow....(it was easier going up on the snow than down....)---Most people had these things they sell in the gift shop..like cat tracks..or something...helps when hiking on the snow...we didn't know about it AND didn't want to spend $25 each...we made it just fine....

We made it to the top...drum roll please..................

by

4pm!

I guess we "pushed" ourselves...or maybe i took too many photo breaks on the way down??? either way we (mostly me) were incredibly tired when we got topside AND

with 2 1/2 hours left before the sunset....we went back to the lodge to nap....and i woke up around 547pm...and decided to stay in bed..and then 617 woke up again, and

it was dark outside...

oVER ALL though, we had a blast.

We trekked out in the PITCH black...(very little lamps outside where we were on the South Rim) to find the Lodge dad was playing his gig in.. ....the whole Lounge was focused on Dad...it was a lot of fun...he embarassed me by saying to the entire place that we brought Jake back as a souvenir because I'm so particular about my souvenirs....(i actually thought that was quite clever.)

Dad invited jake onstage to play a few songs,

the crowd LOVED him.

dad said he talked with someone that sets up the gigs...so you never know, Jakes name might be on the list for entertainers sometime....we can only hope and pray!! (they play for a week!! that would be soo cool.)

we had thought we'd take some time when we left on Sunday to stop at the viewing sites as we left the park...since it was dark on the way in.

then we realized that if we wanted to drive through Zions National Park on the way home it would add some extra time on our trip...and we both had to work on Monday....so we decided that we didn't need to stop.

(i'm almost done, promise.)

HOWEVER,

as we were approaching the edge of the park, i couldn't take it anymore, (jake had started to read HP again, and as I was noticing the view to the left open up, i'd tap jake for him to look up and he would say how amazing it looked, so ...)

FINALLY i decided that i was in control of the car and made the decision to pull over. (and it's a great thing i did, because it was the last stop, and we could see th river at the bottom, and it was amazing.)

anyhoo..

so then we drove up through Zions, and that is an AMAZING drive....we had to pay the park fee of $25 to go through, and we weren't thrilled about that...but i think it was worth it...jake had my camera at the ready and snapped the crap out of that canyon...it was awesome. We got out a few times and "hiked" around...but i was feeling that great...whether from driving, or from hiking the day before....either way....the red rock sprinkled with snow...and then the ever greens, and We really really liked the tunnels. The rocks were massive.

i drove the whole way home....jake is amazingly wonderful with keeping me awake with chatting, reading to me, and playing Anastasia as loud as i want while i sing at the top of my lungs...and he duets with me too....(i still cry when the song from our wedding plays....at the beginning....)

we got home and we were both wasted...he whipped up a quick dinner while we caught the tail end of THE ROCK.

It was a swell weekend. I"ll plost pics soon.

as always, thanks for reading.