The GRAND Canyon!

We started on our journey to the Grand Canyon with mixed feelings. This would mark the middle of our road trip, almost the middle of our holiday.  We had seen so many wonderful things as well, in the week leading up to this, with Arches and Bryce Canyon being especially spectacular. The question was 'would the Grand Canyon still look 'GRAND' after all of that??????  It didn't disappoint. It really is vast and magnificent!

We left our motel in Kanab- where some pensioner had flirted with me as he checked in and where we had been given three queen beds for the price of two because the receptionist thought that after travelling for so long we might need them- and headed out for the North Rim. There are two edges to the canyon, North and South. They are only a few miles apart from each other on top, and you can walk from one rim to the other. Walking it is about 30km because you have to zig-zag down and up.  But to drive around it, that takes a few hours!
We arrived at the North Rim visitor's centre, in the woods, and parked beside some Germans!  There are quite a few that we have run into this holiday. Then we drove out to the look-out point. The view was fantastic. The rounded hills, little valleys, layers of different coloured rocks and the sheer drop down to the bottom were amazing. We were really conscious of holding onto Josiah there, even with fences everywhere. It was so quiet....we heard only the wind whistling through the Ponderosa Pines. There are far fewer tourists to the North Rim than to the South. That being said, there are some interesting ones. As we were driving the long and windy road to the rim we passed some one driving slowly. I guess they were enjoying the woodsy scenery. Well, after our walk to the looking we came back to find a note on our car.  It advised us to 'slow down and enjoy the beautiful trees. You nearly killed a squirrel!'. Well, that was partially true, but it was a suicidal squirrel and we missed it anyway. Clearly that man was retired and didn't have five kids in the car!

After a nice walk around and some lunch (yeah for Rahmen noodle soup in it's own cups!) we set out for the south side and a cheap motel. We opted for Flagstaff, AZ and finally tried a Super 8 motel. We 've been sticking to independent motels because we thought we would have a better chance of only needing only one room despite the five kids. Some places, especially near the Grand Canyon have a maximum room capacity of 4 or 5 people! So, that had worked but we did have some clean but quite run down places to stay. Now at the Super 8 we found the cheapest motel yet AND it included a hot breakfast for all!!! We were thrilled!

So, Dominik's Birthday and the South Rim! We wanted to use our first day to get oriented and organised because Dominik and Jonathan planned to hike down and up the South Rim the next day.  Dominik dutifully went for information to the ranger station where he met a difficult and unfriendly ranger who clearly didn't want to answer his questions. The only real info that we got was that the water going down the Canyon trails would be turned off the next day, making any hikes much harder. The ranger also harped on about the extreme heat and danger at the bottom of the Canyon. So, we had to reevaluate what we would do. It really put a damper on the day for all of us but especially for Dominik who had been planning this for months. So, horrible man aside, water was a problem. To carry two gallons (8 L) of water each would make it a much harder hike. We decided that instead Dominik, Jonathan and Rebecca would hike part-way down and see how it was. So, the first day was a bit  discouraging but the views from the South Rim did compensate for that a bit.  It was even more beautiful there than at the North Rim! There were loads more people but it was still a wonder to behold!

We also decided that the kids could do the Junior Ranger Program here. This is on offer at every National Park but we hadn't done it yet. They received a booklet and had to complete four activities and listen to one ranger talk. For our second day then we arrived a bit earlier at the park and our three hikers were on the trail by 10 am, armed with water, boiled eggs, trail mix and beef jerky. I went with Jeremiah, Elena and Josiah to listen to the ranger talk about raptors. Raptors being Hawks, Eagles and Falcons- not dinosaurs! They player in the dusty dirt as the ranger talked,but they learned something and had their books signed. We had our lunch at the visitor's centre and completed their ranger books, and then suddenly Dominik and the kids were back! They had hiked to the third and last stop of the day-hike portion of the Kaibab Trail in less than four hours, including a half-hour lunch break. All rangers and the notice boards advise that it should take 4-6 hours! So much for their advice! We're proud of how well the kids did, the youngest ones on the trail at that time and they were passing people! They met three people heading down the trail as they were almost back up and as they stopped to chat they found that the three had almost no water! They had missed that bit of information, and there were no special signs poster at the visitor's centre saying that the water had just been turned off. Dominik filled their bottles with their extra water and off they went, but not as well prepared as they could have been.

Jonathan and Rebecca ran over and listened to the Raptor talk and then all four kids went to the a ranger to receiver their Junior Ranger badges. And which ranger did they have to check them out and to swear them in? The same one that Dominik had had the day before. He showed no sign of remembering his encounter and was quite nice with the kids. That made for a nice end to our time at the Grand Canyon. Really, if you're not planning to hike a lot there then you just need a day and a half or so, to walk along the rim and maybe to take the buses to the various lookouts.

We went on a hunt for a kids-eat-free restaurant to celebrate Dominik's birthday and ended up at Denny's for a nice (cheap nice) steak for him. And the "suprised"?  Dairy Queen for dessert. I (Cathy) went in to order and when I got back in the car, there was Dominik sitting eating a Blizzard! How? I was SO puzzled! Apparently some guy had ordered a chocolate cherry blizzard and had received two. Since he couldn't eat two he knocked on the car window and offered one to us!  A great end to the day, and to the biggest part of our National Parks tour. Now we're off to Viva Las Vegas!!!! Ready for our adventures there and on Route 66?  To be continued......... :-)

National Parks and Navajo Parks

Having headed straight from Denver to Arches National Park in Utah, we gained an entire afternoon of touring, which was great!  The day was warm, almost hot, and the skies were a lovely blue as we headed through the park gates and up the steep and winding road into the park. We have had wonderful weather whenever we've been outside touring, and this day was no exception.  There are over 2000 Arches in the Park formed from huge sandstone hills.  The land is arid and hot and everywhere you are reminded to drink more water. It is the middle of October and we found it to be hot, even if the temperature itself wasn't that high. We'd never come here in high summer! Besides the huge number of tourists then the heat would be terrible! 

We drove through the park to the various points of interest, Dominik did a short hike with Jonathan and Rebecca and we marvelled at the wonder of creation. It was so beautiful! Especially in the late afternoon sunshine. How much people miss out in if they don't bring God into the equation. We've thought a lot about that as we have toured these National Parks. The land, the rocks, the wildlife...it all varies so much and sometimes quite a bit in a short distance. Well, we stayed in the park until sunset and then headed back from Utah to Colorado to the place where we had arranged to stay. It was somewhat off the beaten track, but we made a good night of it and then headed back to Arches in the morning.  See what you think of the photos! :-)

We finished a bit earlier this time and, upon discovering that you can't drive through Canyonlands National Park, that we would have to back-track a couple of hours, we decided just to hear down to Cortez, CO. The kids were getting three of the late nights and we wanted to give them a break. We will have to see Canyonlands next time!
Now, you know that various Restaurants in the States have nights where kids eat free. Well, we thought that we would go to Pizza Hut because it was Tuesday and  them eating free would save us a lot and be fun. We found a cheap motel and set off. It was closed! For kitchen renovation! Hmm, what to do. We thought that we might as well try Denny's. And, it was the night for kids to eat for free! It was great! They each had a meal and we splurged on a steak each (much cheaper there than in Canada!). It was still more than the dollar menu at McDonald's but OH so much nicer!
We started the next day with the free motel breakfast. Well, there isn't much to say about that. It was free but lacking in, hmmm, variety! No worries, we packed up and header out for Mesa Verde National Park it was a very short drive away, nice for a change. Mesa Verde is an ancient Native Indian settlement where the people built their homes into rock ledges in the Canyon walls. These settlements were then abandoned around 1200 a.d.. They were discovered in the 1880's by some prospectors searching for coal. You can view some of these homes from the opposite Canyon walls, or visit the one which was built quite low-down and can be walked to, or you can pay for a tour and do some climbing! We die all three. All of us. With Josiah on my back in the sling.  That was good fun- up ladders and through a couple if passage ways. It was great until Josiah needed a nappy change and started to cry. Fortunately that was at the end so it wasn't too bad. The guide was interesting but had so much info for the adults that the younger kids were a bit restless. But we had fun!

As it wasn't too late in the afternoon we wanted to visit the Four Corners Region of the States. This is where Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico and Utah all come together. It wasn't a long drive but when we got there They wanted 5 dollars for every person over six years of age.  To stand on the marker and be in all Four States at once. Well, we did it because we wanted to see it. And it was fun. But the bathrooms!!!!

We headed out from there in search of a motel and some dinner, looking at all the little places along the way. There was nothing! Really nothing! We finally arrived in Kayenta and ate at McDonald's. At least they have their Monopoly game going on now so we can collect the game pieces!  Now, Kayenta is the 'Gateway to Monument Valley' and yet they only have three motels there!!! Some were full and the others expensive. We went down the road a little further to a Navajo motel (everything in this area is Navajo) where we found an over-priced but acceptable room. They were friendly. I got the woman's childbearing history as I checked in!
So finally the day had arrived to see Monument Valley. That famous landscape from countless old Western' and other movies. The Navajo have a park there too where you drive on the sand roads around looking at the stone formation. The start of the road was quite rough but then the roads smoothed out. We got some good shots and marvelled at the landscape. Then, as horseback riding has been a topix here with the girls, especially Rebecca, Dominik asked if we would like to do that there, in the valley. The price was good for an hours ride so we got ready and headed out with one other tourist and our local guides. It was an easy ride and the girls did great for their first time riding without being led. What has dimmed our pleasure is that they brought us back 20 minutes before our hour was up and then said that they had a sign proclaiming "No refunds" so why should we complain. Well, we did and got some money back.  To so blatantly try to rip off the tourists, who mainly will back down and walk away, is horrible. So far that is the only bad or unfortunately experience of our journey this far.

So, on we went again, this time making sure that we could be in a motel earlier than usual to give the kids a break. That brought us to Page, Arizona and the splurge of a motel with a pool (freezing cold and the last day that it was open) and a hot buffet breakfast for everyone. It was lovely. The kids could make their own fresh waffles for breakfast! Josiah was teething and had a fever and the extra rest did him good as well.
Here's a quiz for you. Are Utah and Arizona in the same time zone? Utah is just north of Arizona, so one would think so. But no, Utah is an hour ahead. So when we left our cosy motel in AZ and drive to Zion National Park in UT we were an hour behind. The next thing that we didn't count in is that school in Utah have had the week off for 'The Hunt'.  Deer hunting season. There were then all kinds of families in the park. There are a lot of retirees on holiday in all of the parks because most families don't take holidays at this time of year.  We arrived in Zion just after lunch time and it was a zoo of people! You could hardly move on the roads. Because this park is made up of narrow valleys they do have a Shuttle system but even there the people were packed in like sardines.  All the car parks were full. We decided to make our picnic lunch, eat and then look for a motel just out of the Park and come back the next day early. If there wasn't anything then we would try on the other side of the Park and maybe do Bryce Canyon NP instead.  Springdale was also jam-packed full of cars. They were everywhere!  The town is the overflow parking for the park. We found one motel with rooms. I asked how much and when the man said '199 plus tax' I just laughed and said good bye. Then he proceeded to try to barter with me, even offering me the two-bed room that I wanted and that he said was unavailable. No, we left and found a nice little cabin which was perfect.
Then we were at Bryce Canyon National Park and it was fab! It wasn't overly crowded as Zion was, and the rock formations were truly stunning! When the kids are older it would be the perfect place to come back to for hiking. So would Zion, when you can camp in the park. At Bryce Dominik and the kids did a little hike and we shot some more fun photos. All photos were safely made- Grandma & Oma.

Now we are off to the Grand Canyon for a few days of exploration! More on that in the next blog........:-)

On the Torchbearer Trail!

Happy Belated Thanksgiving, Canadians!

Now.....

Having seen and enjoyed Mt. Rushmore we were ready and eager to move on to Estes Park. For any one who doesn't know us well, Dominik works full time at Schloss Klaus, the German-speaking Torchbearer center in Austria.  There are 25 Torchbearers Centres world-wide, the first of which was Capernwray Hall in England. You can read more about all of that, if you like, at www.torchbearers.org  There are three centres here in the States, two here in Colorado and one in Texas. We decided to try to visit them all, to meet some fellow Torchbearers staff and to see what's on offer at each location.

Our first stop, after driving through miles and miles (and MILES) of slightly rolling open plains in Wyoming, was Estes Park, Colorado. We were all excited to arrive there and to be in the mountains again! We were warmly greeted and had a good time running around on their basket ball court. That was great for the kids after sitting for so long.  Then we settled into our comfortable cabin and made ourselves at home.

The next day we went out to see what there was to do in Estes Park, but as the tourist season is over, the mini-golf and other things were closed. What we DID accomplish was buying Jonathan a really cool leather hat. He's been complimented on it twice now by complete strangers! He loves it, and we might even borrow it if he's not careful!  We headed back to Ravencrest then to let the kids play with the other kids there on site. They really enjoyed meeting the Snyder kids and having some new friends to play with. While we're travelling our kids have only each other to play with but they've done really well with that.  They squabble a bit, but actually less than usual!

Well, we all enjoyed Ravencrest a lot and the kids were upset to have to leave so soon, but we headed off to a friend's place south of Denver. We drove there via Rocky Mountain National Park, which was beautiful but we unfortunately didn't see anything more wild than a pair of deer!  We did find a coupke of other interesting things thiugh. We drive on the Trail Ridge Road which is tiuted as the "highest continuous paved road" in the States. So, knowing that Dominik and Jonathan jumped out of the car at the highest point of the road and hiked up to the highest nearby point. It was high enough that they noticed the difference the altitude made in their breathing. That elevation is 3713 m or 12 183 ft.
The next point of Interestingly on that road was the Continental divide- the point where all water on one side runs to the Pacific ocean, and on the other side it flows to Hudson's Bay or the Gulf of Mexico. We were following the Colorado River and we will see it again when we get to the Grand Canyon!

We made our way south and then began the search for Timberline Lodge, near Winter Park, Colorado. We only had to ask for directions once- the GPS didn't want to help- and soon we pulled into it's rustic location. There were a few people  constructing something but as we went into the office it all seemed pretty abandoned! The Bible students and a lot of staff were off on a trip to Arches National Park! There was hardly any one there.

Then, lo and behold, who walked into the office but Philip Stieb- a neighbour from Regau where Dominik's parents live!  We were suprised! He was suprised! What a coincidence! He went to Bible school at Timberline, married an American girl, and now they are working there! We haven't Seen Philip possibly since our wedding so, as you can imagine, we had a bit of catching up to do! I think that he had a good time speaking proper Austria German too! We had a great, short visit and then got back underway. Even with forgetting about rush-hour traffic, we made it to Parker (South of Denver) by 5pm.

Waiting for us in Denver was a friend of mine (Cathy's) and her family. I had been a housemate of Kristine's at Queen's (University) and hadn't seen her since our wedding! Well, that was 12 years and seven children ago! She and her husband, Carl have two lovely little kids and they all welcomed us warmly into their home. We relaxed, went shopping, went to the local fair and ate at a mexican restaurant which had cliff-diving swimmers/actors as entertainment! It was really a relaxing time and catching up was wonderful. We will be sure to get together again well before 12 years has gone by this time!

Photos coming........

Now we're off again, back in some National Parks- but that is for the next blog! We're in motels until we hit Las Vegas now as one place fell through on us, but so far we're finding cheap ones! So, good night all from Cortez, Colorado! Tomorrow we'll drive in two more States and I will start on the next blog! :-)