Story Aunt Gus & Little Bear's Great Adventure Book 1 (Complete)
- Thread starter Kathy in FL
- Start date
Sep 18: Death Valley National Park, California
Weather: 108F/84F
Driving Route:
Wifi/Cell Signal: Hit and miss even with the cell booster until we got where we were going tonight. Happy was I to have GPS. Seriously. It is way too easy to get lost.
September 18th
Heat and feral burros, that’s about all I can say for Death Valley. And a really weird ranger that thought Benny must be the best thing since sliced bread and loaded him up with a lot of Junior Ranger stuff and I even got suckered into buying a mini portable squirt gun/fan.
Oh, and sunblock. As in 100 SPF sunblock. And zinc for our noses. Both of which we had to keep putting back on because we sweated the stuff off way too fast.
First stop in the park after the visitor center was the Badwater Basin Salt Flats. Time we spent basting? About 90 minutes. Ugh. Badwater Basin Salt Flats is easily the most popular thing to see in Death Valley. This large area of hexagon shaped salt makes for a perfect photo op, especially from the viewing deck. Lots of sign-thingies along the thirty-minute walk to the basin.
Other than it’s looks, Badwater Basin is a popular spot because it is the lowest point in North America, which in case you couldn’t have guessed, also means the hottest. It is 282 feet below sea level. The walk from the parking lot to the middle of the salt flats was a long beat down by the sun, but at least it was flat and easy. By the time we got back to the parking lot we had salt all over our shoes.
Stop #2 was a very short fifteen-minute drive from Badwater Basin; the Devil’s Golf Course. “Only the devil could play golf here,” was how it got its name due to the extremely unique texture of the salt flat. It looks like popcorn or dryer lint all over the place. The salt formed they way it did because of a large lake that filled the area that evaporated and left the large salt composites behind. You only need 15 minutes or so at this location because the parking area is directly at the viewing area. Thank goodness as Benny was already getting too hot every time he got out of the van. He was really excited however so I didn’t give into just leaving like I might have otherwise done.
The third stop was actually a scenic drive; Artist’s Palette Drive. According to the park brochure there are only a few places in the world where you can see rainbow-colored mountains and Death Valley is one of them. It was a 9-mile loop that had two lookout areas. The first, was a view of Badwater Basin. The second viewpoint is what everyone comes for and is where we saw all those colors you see in the pictures.
We were supposed to hike the Golden Canyon but no way was I taking Benny on a hike in this heat. That would have been abuse even if he was willing to try. I skipped the Rock Bridge hike for the same reason. It would have only been 15 to 20 minutes but it just wasn’t worth the risk in my opinion. I might have done it, but not with my Little Bear.
We did do Zabriskie Point, but it was just a viewpoint. We were there maybe 20 minutes, mostly because Benny was doing a Junior Ranger activity. We both drank two bottles of hydration while there … a bottle of water and a bottle of sports drink. It was a hundred freaking degrees. I’ve spent the summer in those types of temps in Florida, but there was moisture. In Death Valley the moisture is sucked out of you like you are a human raisin.
But the view, for all my complaining, was worth it. The rolling badlands that stretch out for miles are amazing. When we arrived at the large parking lot, there was a short and steep hike to the top viewing area. Lots of sign-thingies to explain what you are seeing as well. There is a trail out into the badlands but no way was I going out there. People can die doing that, and not just in old cowboy movies.
We spent a half day in the park and did all the things listed in the park map, except for the hiking which is primarily a non-summer activity. I had been warned off trying to camp in Death Valley, especially with a kid and given how hot it was I’m glad I heeded people’s advice. Benny got way too hot way too fast. This is where the wired-up ranger came into play. He thought Benny was great and Benny thought his cheese was slipping off his cracker but in a good way. Possibly suffering from fried brain but maybe not. Kinda hard to tell with some people. Either way, he was nice to Benny and that’s all that counted in my book.
I reserved us a spot at an RV park in Parhump, NV instead well in advance and that was only another 25 miles down the road. $35/night and that included toilets that you could eat off. Seriously they were just that clean. One of the few public camp toilettes that haven’t smelled like sour mop and bleach mixed together. The site also included full hook ups which gave me a chance to refill the freshwater tank and some extra water containers. I also did some clothes in the Lavario. The clothes dried so fast is was easy to get several loads cleaned, dried, and put away before it got dark. I never will regret all the extra water bottles I bought early on, but they do take up space down one side of my bed. Free wifi at the RV park was just icing on the cake as far as I was concerned. Man I thought I knew what hot was. I had to bribe Benny to get out of the park’s pool with the promise of ice cream.
Was also glad to get Benny out of Death Valley earlier than expected for other reasons. I wasn’t going to record it for posterity and all that but I guess I need to if for no other reason than to bleed off the feelings it caused.
While we were in Death Valley, I found out there was a search and rescue mission taking place. It excited the hamster who remembered what we’d been training to become. Listening in on conversations that weren’t meant for me let me know some guy and his girlfriend from some important guy’s office have gone missing. Or at least the girlfriend is still missing. First, they spotted the car. Inside was a note that said that they’d tried to follow the GPS but got lost then the car overheated. Only a couple of bottles of water left so when the sun went down, they were going to hike out. They found the guy off the side of a dirt track not too far from the car they were driving. The guy died of exposure is what I heard but his original damage was a gunshot.
Looking for the girlfriend rangers discovered a 40-acre pot farm. Yes. I am so not kidding. A 40-acre pot farm growing in the freaking middle of Death Valley. How is that possible? Can we say drug cartel? They found blood when they investigated. Could be the dude’s. Could be the girl’s. But I overheard one of the feds in a parking lot state that more than likely they’ve taken the girl and had left the dude for dead only he tried to make it back to his car.
The reason why I am recording this is as a reminder to myself concerning why we do not solely rely on the GPS while driving or hiking, why we do not go off-road, why we carry spare parts, and why I should not put my nose where it doesn’t belong. I am a female alone with a young kid. I need to use more than just a modicum of common sense. This is an adventure, not an adventure movie where we can write the script to turn out as we please. It is sad for me to say, but I almost hope that poor girl is dead. I’ve heard what the cartels and drug runners do to captive females, regardless of age. Worse than being a female POW during the middle east wars.
Resources:
2018 Summer Visitor Guide (nps.gov)
Death Valley Junior Ranger Book (nps.gov)
Weather: 108F/84F
Driving Route:
Wifi/Cell Signal: Hit and miss even with the cell booster until we got where we were going tonight. Happy was I to have GPS. Seriously. It is way too easy to get lost.
September 18th
Heat and feral burros, that’s about all I can say for Death Valley. And a really weird ranger that thought Benny must be the best thing since sliced bread and loaded him up with a lot of Junior Ranger stuff and I even got suckered into buying a mini portable squirt gun/fan.
Oh, and sunblock. As in 100 SPF sunblock. And zinc for our noses. Both of which we had to keep putting back on because we sweated the stuff off way too fast.
First stop in the park after the visitor center was the Badwater Basin Salt Flats. Time we spent basting? About 90 minutes. Ugh. Badwater Basin Salt Flats is easily the most popular thing to see in Death Valley. This large area of hexagon shaped salt makes for a perfect photo op, especially from the viewing deck. Lots of sign-thingies along the thirty-minute walk to the basin.
Other than it’s looks, Badwater Basin is a popular spot because it is the lowest point in North America, which in case you couldn’t have guessed, also means the hottest. It is 282 feet below sea level. The walk from the parking lot to the middle of the salt flats was a long beat down by the sun, but at least it was flat and easy. By the time we got back to the parking lot we had salt all over our shoes.
Stop #2 was a very short fifteen-minute drive from Badwater Basin; the Devil’s Golf Course. “Only the devil could play golf here,” was how it got its name due to the extremely unique texture of the salt flat. It looks like popcorn or dryer lint all over the place. The salt formed they way it did because of a large lake that filled the area that evaporated and left the large salt composites behind. You only need 15 minutes or so at this location because the parking area is directly at the viewing area. Thank goodness as Benny was already getting too hot every time he got out of the van. He was really excited however so I didn’t give into just leaving like I might have otherwise done.
The third stop was actually a scenic drive; Artist’s Palette Drive. According to the park brochure there are only a few places in the world where you can see rainbow-colored mountains and Death Valley is one of them. It was a 9-mile loop that had two lookout areas. The first, was a view of Badwater Basin. The second viewpoint is what everyone comes for and is where we saw all those colors you see in the pictures.
We were supposed to hike the Golden Canyon but no way was I taking Benny on a hike in this heat. That would have been abuse even if he was willing to try. I skipped the Rock Bridge hike for the same reason. It would have only been 15 to 20 minutes but it just wasn’t worth the risk in my opinion. I might have done it, but not with my Little Bear.
We did do Zabriskie Point, but it was just a viewpoint. We were there maybe 20 minutes, mostly because Benny was doing a Junior Ranger activity. We both drank two bottles of hydration while there … a bottle of water and a bottle of sports drink. It was a hundred freaking degrees. I’ve spent the summer in those types of temps in Florida, but there was moisture. In Death Valley the moisture is sucked out of you like you are a human raisin.
But the view, for all my complaining, was worth it. The rolling badlands that stretch out for miles are amazing. When we arrived at the large parking lot, there was a short and steep hike to the top viewing area. Lots of sign-thingies to explain what you are seeing as well. There is a trail out into the badlands but no way was I going out there. People can die doing that, and not just in old cowboy movies.
We spent a half day in the park and did all the things listed in the park map, except for the hiking which is primarily a non-summer activity. I had been warned off trying to camp in Death Valley, especially with a kid and given how hot it was I’m glad I heeded people’s advice. Benny got way too hot way too fast. This is where the wired-up ranger came into play. He thought Benny was great and Benny thought his cheese was slipping off his cracker but in a good way. Possibly suffering from fried brain but maybe not. Kinda hard to tell with some people. Either way, he was nice to Benny and that’s all that counted in my book.
I reserved us a spot at an RV park in Parhump, NV instead well in advance and that was only another 25 miles down the road. $35/night and that included toilets that you could eat off. Seriously they were just that clean. One of the few public camp toilettes that haven’t smelled like sour mop and bleach mixed together. The site also included full hook ups which gave me a chance to refill the freshwater tank and some extra water containers. I also did some clothes in the Lavario. The clothes dried so fast is was easy to get several loads cleaned, dried, and put away before it got dark. I never will regret all the extra water bottles I bought early on, but they do take up space down one side of my bed. Free wifi at the RV park was just icing on the cake as far as I was concerned. Man I thought I knew what hot was. I had to bribe Benny to get out of the park’s pool with the promise of ice cream.
Was also glad to get Benny out of Death Valley earlier than expected for other reasons. I wasn’t going to record it for posterity and all that but I guess I need to if for no other reason than to bleed off the feelings it caused.
While we were in Death Valley, I found out there was a search and rescue mission taking place. It excited the hamster who remembered what we’d been training to become. Listening in on conversations that weren’t meant for me let me know some guy and his girlfriend from some important guy’s office have gone missing. Or at least the girlfriend is still missing. First, they spotted the car. Inside was a note that said that they’d tried to follow the GPS but got lost then the car overheated. Only a couple of bottles of water left so when the sun went down, they were going to hike out. They found the guy off the side of a dirt track not too far from the car they were driving. The guy died of exposure is what I heard but his original damage was a gunshot.
Looking for the girlfriend rangers discovered a 40-acre pot farm. Yes. I am so not kidding. A 40-acre pot farm growing in the freaking middle of Death Valley. How is that possible? Can we say drug cartel? They found blood when they investigated. Could be the dude’s. Could be the girl’s. But I overheard one of the feds in a parking lot state that more than likely they’ve taken the girl and had left the dude for dead only he tried to make it back to his car.
The reason why I am recording this is as a reminder to myself concerning why we do not solely rely on the GPS while driving or hiking, why we do not go off-road, why we carry spare parts, and why I should not put my nose where it doesn’t belong. I am a female alone with a young kid. I need to use more than just a modicum of common sense. This is an adventure, not an adventure movie where we can write the script to turn out as we please. It is sad for me to say, but I almost hope that poor girl is dead. I’ve heard what the cartels and drug runners do to captive females, regardless of age. Worse than being a female POW during the middle east wars.
Resources:
2018 Summer Visitor Guide (nps.gov)
Death Valley Junior Ranger Book (nps.gov)
Sep 19 – 21: Lake Mead
Driving Route:
Sep 19th (Part 1)
Was simply too toasted to log more than I did yesterday. And this day hasn’t exactly been what I would call easy. First off it took an hour and a half to drive to Lake Mead. Cut through Las Vegas more to say I’ve been there than anything else and shouldn’t have. Drove on The Strip as we went through Vegas just to see if it was as crazy looking as in the pictures. Yep. And so are the people. My, my, my. When Meemo used to call Vegas a modern-day Babylon I used to think she was exaggerating. Er … nope. I mean they’ve got warnings on street signs before you get into the city not to go down certain roads if you don’t want a freebie nudie show … for both genders. No. Really don’t need the 3D digitally enhance visual, thanks anyway. And I didn’t need Benny getting an eye full either. I won’t be making that mistake again. As in ever. I’m no prude but my gawd. There was this one place on the corner where the … er … entertainers were putting on a show with this old song called “Put A Ring On It” and I’m positive that is not what that song meant. Again … my gawd.
Headed on out of town because even though I thought about parking it was crazy expensive and I really didn’t know what I was doing. How do you know how to avoid those “digitally enhanced 3D visuals” anyway? Blinders? Special glasses? Or should I say you don’t wear the special glasses that let you see the “special” advertisements. The town is insane. Everyone who lives there is either insane or borderline. I can’t imagine there is any other explanation.
I promised Benny he could get wet again so we needed to head on. Plus, I had an appointment to meet Garrett Rogers. He called last night asking if we were still on to meet and I said yes, that I’d call him when I got into town. He then asked if I was going to Lake Mead.
“Yes,” I answered cautiously.
“Uh … the kids and I are going to be there. I’m … leaving Las Vegas.”
“Oh. Sounds like a movie.”
“Worse.”
“You okay?”
“Long story. I’ll … er … explain if you have the time. I’m taking the kids and going to see Mom. I have an interview for a job with the State of Florida. Did you hear another hurricane hit the state?”
“Crap. No. I’ve been out of pocket.” I’d been trying not to listen to the news to be more honest. “Are Stella and Groucho okay?”
“Yeah. Hit just north of Tampa Bay. And there’s another that is going to come ashore on the other side of the state in the next day or two.”
“Aw crap. Thanks for the heads up. So where is it you want to meet?”
I was thinking that was fast – him leaving Vegas - and that I was getting a little too much TMI but turns out he is stressing, and some things were just falling out of his mouth. Apparently Raine and Stella both had been talking me up. I wish I could write exactly how thrilled that makes me. Not. Because while Garrett is currently clueless regarding his mother’s and sister’s tactics, I’m not. Being occasionally socially unaware does not make me blind.
So rather than stopping in Las Vegas I just kept driving to Lake Mead. We met up at their camp site at Boulder Beach.
He was sizing me up but I didn’t take umbridge. I wasn’t exactly not looking him over. He said, “Thanks for meeting me here.”
“Look, I’m just going to have to say this and I’m trying not to be harsh but … look, I’m good with some of this but I’m really not up for the TMI. It’s not my business.”
He gave me a relieved grin. “I had no idea you were a kid. Raine and Mom made out like you … er …”
I cut him some slack. “I’m not a kid. I’m a fully grown and licensed adult,” I told him with a laugh.
“Maybe. But to me …”
“Since you aren’t Methuselah let’s just skip the part where we agree to disagree on the subject and just move along.”
He looked at me and then leaned back in his camp chair. “I can see why Mom likes you.”
“I like Stella too. She’s good people. I’m not going to repeat her and Groucho’s way of going through life but … they’re good people.” I took a sip of the bottle of water he offered me and watched Benny out of the corner of my eye as he and Rudy decided if they were the same species. “Not to get into stuff but … you said you had some questions.”
“I do. But first … how do you do that?”
“What?” I asked, already confused.
“With the boy. You asked him to chill for a bit so you could adult I think is what you said and he just … did.”
I answered, “I don’t want to sound like I know everything, but I figured out pretty fast that kids will live up to your lowest expectations of them. Did Raine explain my background?”
“The highlights as she called them.”
“Okay, here it is hard and fast just in case. My mother died at my birth. My dad, who was a trucker, died when I was fourteen. My brother Lawrence finished raising me and had a few rules, but they were easy to follow because they were the same kind of rules that my dad and grandparents had for me but … I finished growing up real fast in my brother’s house because of life and because he needed me to. He’d just gotten married, his wife was … emotionally fragile … and I had Benny from the get-go when my brother couldn’t be around. He was military. Then he got sent someplace and … came home in a flag-draped casket. At that point I became Benny’s full-time caregiver because Penny … didn’t cope, and not because people didn’t try to help. Yada, yada. Groucho played big brother because that’s Groucho and we left Jacksonville and arrived in Key West. Penny continued not coping and one day decided that she wasn’t going to cope. Period. Groucho is a good guy but he’s not my caretaker and I need to figure out things for myself and Benny. People used to backpack across Europe and call it a gap year. I’m doing something similar until I turn twenty-one and people will take me more seriously … especially the people that require you to be their definition of a legal adult before they’ll do business with you. Like employers and landlords and banks.”
Garrett looked at me then said, “Raine left a few parts out … but I get what you’re saying. Mom used to have a trailer behind Groucho’s garage. I pretty much lived over the garage when I was nineteen trying to figure things out. You said something about the kid having challenges.”
“Benny …” I shrugged. “Most of them have been external. But not all of them. Plus, we share some challenges that aren’t external, so I understand where he is coming from. I take it Rudy is having some adjustment reactions to the divorce.”
He scrubbed his face with his hands. “Yeah. And Charlie is … I just can’t imagine what that kid is having to go through. Mom … did her best …”
“Which one?”
“Mom is … er … Stella. I’ve always just called my stepmother Carol because her kids … it’s just the way it is, and everyone has always been fine with it.”
I could have said something but didn’t. It wasn’t my business.
“Okay so now I know who is who. So Stella did her best?”
“I mean … sending me to live with Dad rather than keeping me with her. I figured some stuff out when I lived with her for a year. After finding out some things from my uncle. He told me for my own good because he found out my grandparents and dad hadn’t been telling me the truth even though I asked outright about a few things and … it gave me the wrong impression of Mom. I mean there’s no getting around that she’s … different from your average girl. But she wasn’t who they claimed she was. Dad and I cleared things up … Mom and Carol both insisted. But then Dad died, and I got married and … life got … hard. I was never sure how much Mom wanted to have to do with me. It was confusing as hell and there’s been a lot of other stuff go on.”
“Can I ask you something blunt?” He nodded. “Are you running to Stella the same way you did when you were a kid? Did you and your stepmom have a blow up?”
“Jesus … Raine warned me you cut to the chase.”
“You don’t have to answer.”
He wiped his face. “No. It’s a legitimate question. And to be honest … I’m … not sure. Mom has just always accepted me. I … need that right now. And so do my kids.”
“So Charlie is yours?”
“Legally. I’ve raised her since she was about Rudy’s age. I adopted her.”
“And?”
“And my ex … has declared she is in need of a new life. She … er … aw hell.” He looked around to make sure no one was listening and then whispered, “It’s a lifestyle thing. She …” He would get red, then pale, the red again. “There’s five of them in a … in some kind of a … they call it a relationship. She met them online. Three guys, two women. They are calling themselves a family and are looking to get married all to each other.” He looked at me then asked, “TMI?”
“Well … yeah. But not the way you mean. Just … not my thing.”
“You’re straight?”
“Not that it is any of your business …”
“Sorry,” he said putting a hand up for me to stop. “Sorry. I admit to being a little sensitive on the subject right now.”
Despite what I said I asked, “How are your kids handling it?”
“Rudy only knows that his mom is gone, and the bitch told him that he was one of the reasons why she was leaving. I’m trying not to think she meant it the way it came out but it ain’t easy. She was even more of a bitch to Charlie. The girl is fourteen. She’s gonna BE fourteen in how she acts … and reacts. My ex used it as an excuse to say some pretty damn rotten things. And then when Carol came out and said she understood where she was coming from based on the kid I was and … it was a kick in the gut. I … took a long, hard look at where I was at and … I’m the one that needs some space and I’m taking the kids with me so they can get some space from the situation. Charlie and Rudy are my kids … mine. I’m not leaving them to go run off somewhere. But … that’s why I need to ask you a few things. I don’t want to jump from the frying pan into the fire."
"So ask.”
“Are Mom and Groucho really stable? Together I mean.”
“Shouldn’t you ask Raine this?”
“I have. I’m asking for a second opinion.”
“What about your other sibs?”
“Same thing. I just want someone outside of … of …”
“You want an outsider. But I’m … not. Not really.”
“I don’t need a stranger, just someone a little further outside than my sibs who’ve always liked Groucho and apparently always thought he and Mom should hook up.”
“For your information they have. More than once. My understanding is neither one was ready not to need to be a caregiver. Groucho always respected Stella but he was a little worried that she wouldn’t need him. And Stella had the same issues. She was used to men that needed her for whatever reason. They were great friends but they’ve both matured beyond the need to be with a person that is totally dependent on them. That’s no longer what they need. There will probably be bumps here and there but they’ve got longevity and real friendship on their side.”
“So I won’t be taking the kids into WW3 or anything bizarre?”
“Kirkland is having a rough time with his mother … you know who Kirkland is?”
“Basically.”
“Groucho’s only bio-kid. He’s good people too, just needed out from under his mother and is like Groucho in that he has motor oil running through his veins. He speaks vroom-vroom. Groucho is teaching him that there’s a business end to the industry and wants to give him a leg up so he doesn’t have to work in someone else’s garage his entire life.”
“You think it’s going to be a problem for me and the kids?”
“Do they know you’re coming?”
“Yeah. I may not settle around there, but the Forestry service is expanding along the panhandle, trying to manage all the growth, the remaining planted pine areas, and some other plans along that line. If I don’t get hired there, there’s other places, included Georgia where I have some other contacts from college. I just need to get me and the kids out of Vegas.”
“Finances?”
“Tracey always insisted we have separate accounts, her name on her stuff, my name on mine, that sort of thing. Her parents were the same way and that’s the way she wanted it. She felt more secure.” He shrugged. “Made the divorce hella easy as far as the paperwork went. She got surprised she didn’t get more of the proceeds from the house but when the judge realized she walked out on the kids and was the one not wanting shared custody … the judge divided things the way she deemed prudent.”
“A female judge did that?”
He nodded.
“Well so long as you are paying your way then Groucho will respect you. Just don’t be a standoff ass because he will have a problem if you hurt Stella, the entire family will. And the family isn’t just people that are blood related.”
He got the message. “I don’t want to hurt her, and I don’t want the kids hurt. I just needed to know that Raine and the rest of them weren’t just saying something so I’d pick Mom’s side this time.”
“Are you picking sides?”
“My kids.” He shrugged. “Look, Mom … she offered me something I don’t have much of and haven’t had much of in a while. I’m willing to finally go after my own needs, but not at the expense of my kids.”
“Stella and Groucho aren’t like that. Charlie and Rudy might not know what to make of them at first … and you gotta admit that they are a little different from your average nuclear family … but they’ll go out of their way, especially for Rudy. Groucho is going to want to help Charlie but he’s a little gun shy with girls her age. He’ll let Stella handle her.”
“Does he have … problems?”
“Do you mean is he a pedophile? Not only no, but hell no.” He blinked at my bluntness. “But he’s got more than a few step kids and isn’t stupid. He knows what is possible. His last hot mess that he was married to was a forty-something that thought she was a twenty-something. She waited too long to have a kid and wanted Groucho to fix that for her, but he wouldn’t oblige. And if you are wondering, no I don’t have anything nice to say about her and let’s leave it at that. She’s the one that finally convinced him it was Stella or no one, but females like that do leave a mark.”
“Thanks. That answers a couple more questions I had.”
“Anymore?”
“Got any advice for dealing with five-year-olds?”
Driving Route:
Sep 19th (Part 1)
Was simply too toasted to log more than I did yesterday. And this day hasn’t exactly been what I would call easy. First off it took an hour and a half to drive to Lake Mead. Cut through Las Vegas more to say I’ve been there than anything else and shouldn’t have. Drove on The Strip as we went through Vegas just to see if it was as crazy looking as in the pictures. Yep. And so are the people. My, my, my. When Meemo used to call Vegas a modern-day Babylon I used to think she was exaggerating. Er … nope. I mean they’ve got warnings on street signs before you get into the city not to go down certain roads if you don’t want a freebie nudie show … for both genders. No. Really don’t need the 3D digitally enhance visual, thanks anyway. And I didn’t need Benny getting an eye full either. I won’t be making that mistake again. As in ever. I’m no prude but my gawd. There was this one place on the corner where the … er … entertainers were putting on a show with this old song called “Put A Ring On It” and I’m positive that is not what that song meant. Again … my gawd.
Headed on out of town because even though I thought about parking it was crazy expensive and I really didn’t know what I was doing. How do you know how to avoid those “digitally enhanced 3D visuals” anyway? Blinders? Special glasses? Or should I say you don’t wear the special glasses that let you see the “special” advertisements. The town is insane. Everyone who lives there is either insane or borderline. I can’t imagine there is any other explanation.
I promised Benny he could get wet again so we needed to head on. Plus, I had an appointment to meet Garrett Rogers. He called last night asking if we were still on to meet and I said yes, that I’d call him when I got into town. He then asked if I was going to Lake Mead.
“Yes,” I answered cautiously.
“Uh … the kids and I are going to be there. I’m … leaving Las Vegas.”
“Oh. Sounds like a movie.”
“Worse.”
“You okay?”
“Long story. I’ll … er … explain if you have the time. I’m taking the kids and going to see Mom. I have an interview for a job with the State of Florida. Did you hear another hurricane hit the state?”
“Crap. No. I’ve been out of pocket.” I’d been trying not to listen to the news to be more honest. “Are Stella and Groucho okay?”
“Yeah. Hit just north of Tampa Bay. And there’s another that is going to come ashore on the other side of the state in the next day or two.”
“Aw crap. Thanks for the heads up. So where is it you want to meet?”
I was thinking that was fast – him leaving Vegas - and that I was getting a little too much TMI but turns out he is stressing, and some things were just falling out of his mouth. Apparently Raine and Stella both had been talking me up. I wish I could write exactly how thrilled that makes me. Not. Because while Garrett is currently clueless regarding his mother’s and sister’s tactics, I’m not. Being occasionally socially unaware does not make me blind.
So rather than stopping in Las Vegas I just kept driving to Lake Mead. We met up at their camp site at Boulder Beach.
He was sizing me up but I didn’t take umbridge. I wasn’t exactly not looking him over. He said, “Thanks for meeting me here.”
“Look, I’m just going to have to say this and I’m trying not to be harsh but … look, I’m good with some of this but I’m really not up for the TMI. It’s not my business.”
He gave me a relieved grin. “I had no idea you were a kid. Raine and Mom made out like you … er …”
I cut him some slack. “I’m not a kid. I’m a fully grown and licensed adult,” I told him with a laugh.
“Maybe. But to me …”
“Since you aren’t Methuselah let’s just skip the part where we agree to disagree on the subject and just move along.”
He looked at me and then leaned back in his camp chair. “I can see why Mom likes you.”
“I like Stella too. She’s good people. I’m not going to repeat her and Groucho’s way of going through life but … they’re good people.” I took a sip of the bottle of water he offered me and watched Benny out of the corner of my eye as he and Rudy decided if they were the same species. “Not to get into stuff but … you said you had some questions.”
“I do. But first … how do you do that?”
“What?” I asked, already confused.
“With the boy. You asked him to chill for a bit so you could adult I think is what you said and he just … did.”
I answered, “I don’t want to sound like I know everything, but I figured out pretty fast that kids will live up to your lowest expectations of them. Did Raine explain my background?”
“The highlights as she called them.”
“Okay, here it is hard and fast just in case. My mother died at my birth. My dad, who was a trucker, died when I was fourteen. My brother Lawrence finished raising me and had a few rules, but they were easy to follow because they were the same kind of rules that my dad and grandparents had for me but … I finished growing up real fast in my brother’s house because of life and because he needed me to. He’d just gotten married, his wife was … emotionally fragile … and I had Benny from the get-go when my brother couldn’t be around. He was military. Then he got sent someplace and … came home in a flag-draped casket. At that point I became Benny’s full-time caregiver because Penny … didn’t cope, and not because people didn’t try to help. Yada, yada. Groucho played big brother because that’s Groucho and we left Jacksonville and arrived in Key West. Penny continued not coping and one day decided that she wasn’t going to cope. Period. Groucho is a good guy but he’s not my caretaker and I need to figure out things for myself and Benny. People used to backpack across Europe and call it a gap year. I’m doing something similar until I turn twenty-one and people will take me more seriously … especially the people that require you to be their definition of a legal adult before they’ll do business with you. Like employers and landlords and banks.”
Garrett looked at me then said, “Raine left a few parts out … but I get what you’re saying. Mom used to have a trailer behind Groucho’s garage. I pretty much lived over the garage when I was nineteen trying to figure things out. You said something about the kid having challenges.”
“Benny …” I shrugged. “Most of them have been external. But not all of them. Plus, we share some challenges that aren’t external, so I understand where he is coming from. I take it Rudy is having some adjustment reactions to the divorce.”
He scrubbed his face with his hands. “Yeah. And Charlie is … I just can’t imagine what that kid is having to go through. Mom … did her best …”
“Which one?”
“Mom is … er … Stella. I’ve always just called my stepmother Carol because her kids … it’s just the way it is, and everyone has always been fine with it.”
I could have said something but didn’t. It wasn’t my business.
“Okay so now I know who is who. So Stella did her best?”
“I mean … sending me to live with Dad rather than keeping me with her. I figured some stuff out when I lived with her for a year. After finding out some things from my uncle. He told me for my own good because he found out my grandparents and dad hadn’t been telling me the truth even though I asked outright about a few things and … it gave me the wrong impression of Mom. I mean there’s no getting around that she’s … different from your average girl. But she wasn’t who they claimed she was. Dad and I cleared things up … Mom and Carol both insisted. But then Dad died, and I got married and … life got … hard. I was never sure how much Mom wanted to have to do with me. It was confusing as hell and there’s been a lot of other stuff go on.”
“Can I ask you something blunt?” He nodded. “Are you running to Stella the same way you did when you were a kid? Did you and your stepmom have a blow up?”
“Jesus … Raine warned me you cut to the chase.”
“You don’t have to answer.”
He wiped his face. “No. It’s a legitimate question. And to be honest … I’m … not sure. Mom has just always accepted me. I … need that right now. And so do my kids.”
“So Charlie is yours?”
“Legally. I’ve raised her since she was about Rudy’s age. I adopted her.”
“And?”
“And my ex … has declared she is in need of a new life. She … er … aw hell.” He looked around to make sure no one was listening and then whispered, “It’s a lifestyle thing. She …” He would get red, then pale, the red again. “There’s five of them in a … in some kind of a … they call it a relationship. She met them online. Three guys, two women. They are calling themselves a family and are looking to get married all to each other.” He looked at me then asked, “TMI?”
“Well … yeah. But not the way you mean. Just … not my thing.”
“You’re straight?”
“Not that it is any of your business …”
“Sorry,” he said putting a hand up for me to stop. “Sorry. I admit to being a little sensitive on the subject right now.”
Despite what I said I asked, “How are your kids handling it?”
“Rudy only knows that his mom is gone, and the bitch told him that he was one of the reasons why she was leaving. I’m trying not to think she meant it the way it came out but it ain’t easy. She was even more of a bitch to Charlie. The girl is fourteen. She’s gonna BE fourteen in how she acts … and reacts. My ex used it as an excuse to say some pretty damn rotten things. And then when Carol came out and said she understood where she was coming from based on the kid I was and … it was a kick in the gut. I … took a long, hard look at where I was at and … I’m the one that needs some space and I’m taking the kids with me so they can get some space from the situation. Charlie and Rudy are my kids … mine. I’m not leaving them to go run off somewhere. But … that’s why I need to ask you a few things. I don’t want to jump from the frying pan into the fire."
"So ask.”
“Are Mom and Groucho really stable? Together I mean.”
“Shouldn’t you ask Raine this?”
“I have. I’m asking for a second opinion.”
“What about your other sibs?”
“Same thing. I just want someone outside of … of …”
“You want an outsider. But I’m … not. Not really.”
“I don’t need a stranger, just someone a little further outside than my sibs who’ve always liked Groucho and apparently always thought he and Mom should hook up.”
“For your information they have. More than once. My understanding is neither one was ready not to need to be a caregiver. Groucho always respected Stella but he was a little worried that she wouldn’t need him. And Stella had the same issues. She was used to men that needed her for whatever reason. They were great friends but they’ve both matured beyond the need to be with a person that is totally dependent on them. That’s no longer what they need. There will probably be bumps here and there but they’ve got longevity and real friendship on their side.”
“So I won’t be taking the kids into WW3 or anything bizarre?”
“Kirkland is having a rough time with his mother … you know who Kirkland is?”
“Basically.”
“Groucho’s only bio-kid. He’s good people too, just needed out from under his mother and is like Groucho in that he has motor oil running through his veins. He speaks vroom-vroom. Groucho is teaching him that there’s a business end to the industry and wants to give him a leg up so he doesn’t have to work in someone else’s garage his entire life.”
“You think it’s going to be a problem for me and the kids?”
“Do they know you’re coming?”
“Yeah. I may not settle around there, but the Forestry service is expanding along the panhandle, trying to manage all the growth, the remaining planted pine areas, and some other plans along that line. If I don’t get hired there, there’s other places, included Georgia where I have some other contacts from college. I just need to get me and the kids out of Vegas.”
“Finances?”
“Tracey always insisted we have separate accounts, her name on her stuff, my name on mine, that sort of thing. Her parents were the same way and that’s the way she wanted it. She felt more secure.” He shrugged. “Made the divorce hella easy as far as the paperwork went. She got surprised she didn’t get more of the proceeds from the house but when the judge realized she walked out on the kids and was the one not wanting shared custody … the judge divided things the way she deemed prudent.”
“A female judge did that?”
He nodded.
“Well so long as you are paying your way then Groucho will respect you. Just don’t be a standoff ass because he will have a problem if you hurt Stella, the entire family will. And the family isn’t just people that are blood related.”
He got the message. “I don’t want to hurt her, and I don’t want the kids hurt. I just needed to know that Raine and the rest of them weren’t just saying something so I’d pick Mom’s side this time.”
“Are you picking sides?”
“My kids.” He shrugged. “Look, Mom … she offered me something I don’t have much of and haven’t had much of in a while. I’m willing to finally go after my own needs, but not at the expense of my kids.”
“Stella and Groucho aren’t like that. Charlie and Rudy might not know what to make of them at first … and you gotta admit that they are a little different from your average nuclear family … but they’ll go out of their way, especially for Rudy. Groucho is going to want to help Charlie but he’s a little gun shy with girls her age. He’ll let Stella handle her.”
“Does he have … problems?”
“Do you mean is he a pedophile? Not only no, but hell no.” He blinked at my bluntness. “But he’s got more than a few step kids and isn’t stupid. He knows what is possible. His last hot mess that he was married to was a forty-something that thought she was a twenty-something. She waited too long to have a kid and wanted Groucho to fix that for her, but he wouldn’t oblige. And if you are wondering, no I don’t have anything nice to say about her and let’s leave it at that. She’s the one that finally convinced him it was Stella or no one, but females like that do leave a mark.”
“Thanks. That answers a couple more questions I had.”
“Anymore?”
“Got any advice for dealing with five-year-olds?”
September 19 (Part 2)
He asked so I gave it to him. “Yeah, you can start by getting rid of all that junk food,” I said nodding in the direction of some bags I saw in his truck. “That stuff is all carb heavy … sugar and starch. With an ungodly number of chemicals and preservatives that don’t need to be in food. If it isn’t good for your average adult, it is going to be less than that for a kid.”
He sighed. “It’s the only thing I can get him to eat.”
“No. It’s the only thing he is telling you he will eat. Who is in charge? You or him? Sure, you start trying to show him you are the adult in the equation, he’s going to object … but he’s five. If he was Charlie’s age you could give him a little more autonomy. But he isn’t. You wanna hide some chocolate for Charlie on those days of the month that she’s feeling miserable? Might not be a bad idea. But Charlie is old enough to like I said, have some autonomy. I’ll say one thing for my sister-in-law, when I first moved in with her and Lawrence, she taught him some of the finer points of dealing with emotional teenage females. I’ll always remember she treated me good. She could have been resentful but wasn’t.”
“Charlie … uh … you’ve been there?” he asked.
“Yeah. Want some advice there too?”
“Yeah,” he said with resignation.
“Boundaries, not control.”
“Huh?”
“Charlie is fourteen. Set boundaries but don’t be a control freak. If she steps over the boundaries, let there be consequences. Otherwise let her exercise some commonsense. Let her know she has it to use and treat her like you know she’ll use it. If she doesn’t? Then you can go all poppa bear. As for Rudy … breaking him of bad habits is going to hurt you a lot more than him. He’s gonna act like you are killing him until you reach some kind of equilibrium. And the first thing you take from him when he is acting like a monkey’s butt is that electronic thing he’s got his face buried in instead of playing like a normal five year old boy.”
“I had a computer at his age.”
“Really.”
“It was something my dad built.”
“Did it have internet access?”
“Uh … no. Just games and stuff.”
“Educational games?”
“Yeah.”
“What’s on that tablet?”
“Mostly cartoons and mooo … Oh. I get it.”
I shrugged. “Rudy has his nose buried in an electronic. Benny got tired of waiting for him to want to play and has a magnifying glass and is chasing some bug around on the ground. You even been able to get the kid to go for a walk? What about Charlie? Have you all gone on a family hike together? Charlie should want to. It’s a great work out for her legs and hips.”
“I’m not telling my fourteen-year-old daughter that hiking is good for her butt.”
I nearly laughed when Charlie finally came from the other side of the truck and said, “Will it?”
“Yep,” I told her. “Doesn’t hurt to stretch and do some basic cardio either. I’m living proof that your gut and butt can absolutely be kept under control with a little judicious application of exercise. When I had to leave the Naval Cadets and Sea Scouts my middle tried to expand because …”
“The whut?”
I laughed. “I was training to go into the Navy from your age. When life happened and my plans had to change, I had to take control and stop waiting for other people to tell me what to do. I don’t want to roll and bounce my way through life. I also need to stay healthy because I am all that Benny has. And insurance of any kind isn’t cheap. So … I watch our diets. Have healthy activities for mind and body. And I’m figuring the rest out as we go. But preventing bumper spread and the zits from hell is high on the list of my personal priorities.”
She snickered but I could see she was also thinking. So was Garrett who looked a little toasted. I almost offered to take Rudy for a walk with Benny but then kicked myself for getting sucked in too easy. Benny was my responsibility, not Rudy. Garrett was Stella’s kid, not mine. And for all I knew Charlie could be a nightmare in the making if she chooses to emote that way. Not to mention the way Benny and I ran our lives was no golden parachute and wouldn’t work for everyone.
“Looks like I may have given you more than you bargained for.”
“No. I’ve heard it before. Just the context is different and …” He shook his head. “Thanks for stopping by.”
I knew a cue when I heard one. “No problem. And … for what it’s worth … you have my number. Feel free to drop a text. I may not answer right away but that’s because of location, not inclination.” I stood up and stuck my hand out. I think my grip surprised him, but I got the feeling not in a bad way. “Lots of places we go that connectivity is sparse so give me time to respond. And as far as what your kids are capable of if you invest the time, tell Raine – who is probably going to call you if you don’t call her with an update – to give you my blog address.” We both grinned because we both knew that Raine would call. She is a lot less subtle than Stella and Stella doesn’t have a subtle bone in her body.
“Benny? Ready to go get your Junior Ranger Book?”
“Yeah! At the visitor center?”
“Yeppers. And we need to check in and get our campsite number.”
As Benny ran to the passenger door of the van I whispered to Garrett, “Make some time and take Charlie to the store so she can take care of her personal hygiene stuff before you get on the road.”
He made a face. “Dammit. Carol always took care of it. Another thing I’m not good at.”
“Look, I just figured …” Feeling bad I told him, “You’ll get it. It is just going to take a little time.”
“I don’t want to screw them up while I’m trying to figure things out.”
“So tell ‘em that. A little transparency will go a long way, especially with Charlie. She may not say it, but it will be something she always remembers. Personal experience talking. One of the reasons I’ve been able to do what I’m doing is my dad and brother didn’t try and put me in a gilded cage or keep me ignorant because they were overcompensating and trying to keep me innocent or overprotect me from the big bad mens out in the world. It’s the human condition to grow up. Being transparent helps them to learn the skills to do it.”
He gave me a strange look. “Anyone ever tell you you got a Granny woman inside you?”
I grinned. “Maybe not that, but I’ve been told I’m a little old for my age.” Then more seriously I told him, “Life happens. And sometimes it sucks while it is happening. Sometime life just sucks overall … a lot. But the suckage doesn’t have to be apocalyptic if you have the skills you need to cope. Just sayin’.”
“Yeah. And … thanks.”
We shook hands again and I got Benny and got gone. I was not Garrett’s CPO or First Sergeant or anything even close. Sometimes you don’t have any choice but to figure things out on your own, but with luck maybe I let him know that there were possibilities beyond the mess he was currently experiencing.
Benny and I were driving to the visitor center when he said, “That boy was weird.”
Weird is his word for people he doesn’t “get” or who make him uncomfortable. I tried to explain and told him, “Rudy isn’t dealing with his life changing very well and his dad is still trying to figure out how to help him.”
“Oh.”
“Sometimes all you can do is try with a person but if they aren’t … hmmm … interested in what you’re offering you just have to back off and understand that either you aren’t who they need help from, they need some space, or they aren’t at a place where they are very good at accepting any help right then.”
“Is that why we couldn’t help Mommy?”
Talk about opening Pandora’s box. “Kiddo, sometimes you can’t help people no matter how much you love and care about them. And sometimes it is because they can’t or won’t be helped. You loved your mom. She just … made a choice we’re all left living with. She loved you a whole lot. I don’t know if we’ll ever understand the rest of it enough to put it into words. Just know it was never your fault, and never about you, but about her faults and about her.”
“Mommy wasn’t bad.”
“No. But … I don’t agree with the choice she made.”
He sighed. “Me neither.”
That seemed all he needed or wanted to say on the subject and when we pulled into the parking lot he was ready to let it go. I kept an eye on him the rest of the day because sometimes bringing up Penny or Lawrence … especially Penny … makes him anxious or depressed. Not this time and I was grateful. I’m under no illusion that there won’t be a next time, but I’m hopeful that the more often he can talk about it without “having a moment” the further down the process of grief and healing he will be. Damn Penny anyway though I’ll never say that to Benny.
Basically, the remainder of the day we spent at the visitor center, setting up camp, and playing on the “beach.” We had a site in the Boulder Beach Campground but I was glad to be at the opposite end from Garrett and his kids. I don’t want to be mean, but I don’t want to be hypocritical either. I need to figure out my own crap, not ignore it in favor of helping someone else figure out theirs.
Grateful that the RV sites have full hook ups. It meant I could take more than a spit bath. And I needed it and not just physically. I swear I could still use some eye-bleach for that stuff I saw in Vegas.
Benny had a hard time getting to sleep tonight despite wearing himself out at the beach. I think our conversation about Garrett’s family brought up some memories. He was looking at his digital photo book and got upset because he couldn't remember some of them. How do you explain to a little kid that sometimes the Creator let’s you forget as a way of helping you to heal, and that it is more important that you remember the substance of a person than just how that person looked. That’s one of the reasons why every person should make sure and build a good reputation, do good things, so that even when you fade from a photo or looks from a memory, the substance of who we are and what we leave behind is the kind of thing we want to be remembered for and as.
He asked so I gave it to him. “Yeah, you can start by getting rid of all that junk food,” I said nodding in the direction of some bags I saw in his truck. “That stuff is all carb heavy … sugar and starch. With an ungodly number of chemicals and preservatives that don’t need to be in food. If it isn’t good for your average adult, it is going to be less than that for a kid.”
He sighed. “It’s the only thing I can get him to eat.”
“No. It’s the only thing he is telling you he will eat. Who is in charge? You or him? Sure, you start trying to show him you are the adult in the equation, he’s going to object … but he’s five. If he was Charlie’s age you could give him a little more autonomy. But he isn’t. You wanna hide some chocolate for Charlie on those days of the month that she’s feeling miserable? Might not be a bad idea. But Charlie is old enough to like I said, have some autonomy. I’ll say one thing for my sister-in-law, when I first moved in with her and Lawrence, she taught him some of the finer points of dealing with emotional teenage females. I’ll always remember she treated me good. She could have been resentful but wasn’t.”
“Charlie … uh … you’ve been there?” he asked.
“Yeah. Want some advice there too?”
“Yeah,” he said with resignation.
“Boundaries, not control.”
“Huh?”
“Charlie is fourteen. Set boundaries but don’t be a control freak. If she steps over the boundaries, let there be consequences. Otherwise let her exercise some commonsense. Let her know she has it to use and treat her like you know she’ll use it. If she doesn’t? Then you can go all poppa bear. As for Rudy … breaking him of bad habits is going to hurt you a lot more than him. He’s gonna act like you are killing him until you reach some kind of equilibrium. And the first thing you take from him when he is acting like a monkey’s butt is that electronic thing he’s got his face buried in instead of playing like a normal five year old boy.”
“I had a computer at his age.”
“Really.”
“It was something my dad built.”
“Did it have internet access?”
“Uh … no. Just games and stuff.”
“Educational games?”
“Yeah.”
“What’s on that tablet?”
“Mostly cartoons and mooo … Oh. I get it.”
I shrugged. “Rudy has his nose buried in an electronic. Benny got tired of waiting for him to want to play and has a magnifying glass and is chasing some bug around on the ground. You even been able to get the kid to go for a walk? What about Charlie? Have you all gone on a family hike together? Charlie should want to. It’s a great work out for her legs and hips.”
“I’m not telling my fourteen-year-old daughter that hiking is good for her butt.”
I nearly laughed when Charlie finally came from the other side of the truck and said, “Will it?”
“Yep,” I told her. “Doesn’t hurt to stretch and do some basic cardio either. I’m living proof that your gut and butt can absolutely be kept under control with a little judicious application of exercise. When I had to leave the Naval Cadets and Sea Scouts my middle tried to expand because …”
“The whut?”
I laughed. “I was training to go into the Navy from your age. When life happened and my plans had to change, I had to take control and stop waiting for other people to tell me what to do. I don’t want to roll and bounce my way through life. I also need to stay healthy because I am all that Benny has. And insurance of any kind isn’t cheap. So … I watch our diets. Have healthy activities for mind and body. And I’m figuring the rest out as we go. But preventing bumper spread and the zits from hell is high on the list of my personal priorities.”
She snickered but I could see she was also thinking. So was Garrett who looked a little toasted. I almost offered to take Rudy for a walk with Benny but then kicked myself for getting sucked in too easy. Benny was my responsibility, not Rudy. Garrett was Stella’s kid, not mine. And for all I knew Charlie could be a nightmare in the making if she chooses to emote that way. Not to mention the way Benny and I ran our lives was no golden parachute and wouldn’t work for everyone.
“Looks like I may have given you more than you bargained for.”
“No. I’ve heard it before. Just the context is different and …” He shook his head. “Thanks for stopping by.”
I knew a cue when I heard one. “No problem. And … for what it’s worth … you have my number. Feel free to drop a text. I may not answer right away but that’s because of location, not inclination.” I stood up and stuck my hand out. I think my grip surprised him, but I got the feeling not in a bad way. “Lots of places we go that connectivity is sparse so give me time to respond. And as far as what your kids are capable of if you invest the time, tell Raine – who is probably going to call you if you don’t call her with an update – to give you my blog address.” We both grinned because we both knew that Raine would call. She is a lot less subtle than Stella and Stella doesn’t have a subtle bone in her body.
“Benny? Ready to go get your Junior Ranger Book?”
“Yeah! At the visitor center?”
“Yeppers. And we need to check in and get our campsite number.”
As Benny ran to the passenger door of the van I whispered to Garrett, “Make some time and take Charlie to the store so she can take care of her personal hygiene stuff before you get on the road.”
He made a face. “Dammit. Carol always took care of it. Another thing I’m not good at.”
“Look, I just figured …” Feeling bad I told him, “You’ll get it. It is just going to take a little time.”
“I don’t want to screw them up while I’m trying to figure things out.”
“So tell ‘em that. A little transparency will go a long way, especially with Charlie. She may not say it, but it will be something she always remembers. Personal experience talking. One of the reasons I’ve been able to do what I’m doing is my dad and brother didn’t try and put me in a gilded cage or keep me ignorant because they were overcompensating and trying to keep me innocent or overprotect me from the big bad mens out in the world. It’s the human condition to grow up. Being transparent helps them to learn the skills to do it.”
He gave me a strange look. “Anyone ever tell you you got a Granny woman inside you?”
I grinned. “Maybe not that, but I’ve been told I’m a little old for my age.” Then more seriously I told him, “Life happens. And sometimes it sucks while it is happening. Sometime life just sucks overall … a lot. But the suckage doesn’t have to be apocalyptic if you have the skills you need to cope. Just sayin’.”
“Yeah. And … thanks.”
We shook hands again and I got Benny and got gone. I was not Garrett’s CPO or First Sergeant or anything even close. Sometimes you don’t have any choice but to figure things out on your own, but with luck maybe I let him know that there were possibilities beyond the mess he was currently experiencing.
Benny and I were driving to the visitor center when he said, “That boy was weird.”
Weird is his word for people he doesn’t “get” or who make him uncomfortable. I tried to explain and told him, “Rudy isn’t dealing with his life changing very well and his dad is still trying to figure out how to help him.”
“Oh.”
“Sometimes all you can do is try with a person but if they aren’t … hmmm … interested in what you’re offering you just have to back off and understand that either you aren’t who they need help from, they need some space, or they aren’t at a place where they are very good at accepting any help right then.”
“Is that why we couldn’t help Mommy?”
Talk about opening Pandora’s box. “Kiddo, sometimes you can’t help people no matter how much you love and care about them. And sometimes it is because they can’t or won’t be helped. You loved your mom. She just … made a choice we’re all left living with. She loved you a whole lot. I don’t know if we’ll ever understand the rest of it enough to put it into words. Just know it was never your fault, and never about you, but about her faults and about her.”
“Mommy wasn’t bad.”
“No. But … I don’t agree with the choice she made.”
He sighed. “Me neither.”
That seemed all he needed or wanted to say on the subject and when we pulled into the parking lot he was ready to let it go. I kept an eye on him the rest of the day because sometimes bringing up Penny or Lawrence … especially Penny … makes him anxious or depressed. Not this time and I was grateful. I’m under no illusion that there won’t be a next time, but I’m hopeful that the more often he can talk about it without “having a moment” the further down the process of grief and healing he will be. Damn Penny anyway though I’ll never say that to Benny.
Basically, the remainder of the day we spent at the visitor center, setting up camp, and playing on the “beach.” We had a site in the Boulder Beach Campground but I was glad to be at the opposite end from Garrett and his kids. I don’t want to be mean, but I don’t want to be hypocritical either. I need to figure out my own crap, not ignore it in favor of helping someone else figure out theirs.
Grateful that the RV sites have full hook ups. It meant I could take more than a spit bath. And I needed it and not just physically. I swear I could still use some eye-bleach for that stuff I saw in Vegas.
Benny had a hard time getting to sleep tonight despite wearing himself out at the beach. I think our conversation about Garrett’s family brought up some memories. He was looking at his digital photo book and got upset because he couldn't remember some of them. How do you explain to a little kid that sometimes the Creator let’s you forget as a way of helping you to heal, and that it is more important that you remember the substance of a person than just how that person looked. That’s one of the reasons why every person should make sure and build a good reputation, do good things, so that even when you fade from a photo or looks from a memory, the substance of who we are and what we leave behind is the kind of thing we want to be remembered for and as.
sssarawolf
Has No Life - Lives on TB
Thank you, I really needed more of a story. We're working fences today and a break was good. 
Sep 20th – Railroad Trail
Today we did something different. Okay not completely different but different enough. In preparation of some of the activities on our next national park, we got out the bikes and cycled the Historic Railroad Trail.
The historic Railroad Tunnel Trail derives its name from the five tunnels that users encounter along its length. Before it became a public thoroughfare, it was part of a railway track connecting Las Vegas to Boulder City. In 1931, the contract to build the railway was granted to a group of six companies united under the name Six Companies, Inc. Not exactly what you would call creative. Six Companies, Inc. build a railroad system that facilitated the transportation of rock and concrete for the construction of the Hoover Dam. After construction of the dam was completed, the railroad was abandoned (1935). The railroad ties were eventually pulled up and the resulting path was turned into a public use area.
The Trail is a wide and flat gravel trail frequented by bikers, joggers, walkers and their pets, and offers panoramic views of the Boulder. The tunnel trailhead is located at the historic site the original railroad switchyard, known as Lawler Junction. Today, it is a parking lot just below the Lake Mead Visitor Center. From here, hikers, runners, and bikers launch down the 7½-mile round trip gravel trail. This is the only remaining section of Hoover Dam Railroad system that is not under water or torn up.
The primary surprise when I checked trail conditions at the visitor center before starting out was that we were supposed to check for wind advisories. We learned that the railway tunnels can become wind tunnels and the exposed flat strait aren’t always wide enough with gusts pushing travelers towards the path’s sharp cliff edge. I’m glad I knew what to expect or I would have been wondering what in the heck was going on when we were heading back. The trip out was great, the trip back … a little more exciting than expected.
Our other issue is that Benny has all but outgrown his bike. I couldn’t raise his sit anymore so he road with me in the bike seat. Actually turned out to be better that way. He wanted to have a bit of a snit but I changed that when I let him take his tablet, an old phone, and told him he could take pictures but that I didn’t want to hear any noise about it if he overran his storage capacity. Snit averted we finally got on our way.
The first two and a quarter miles of the Historic Trail ends at a gate that is locked each evening. From there on out, the tunnels stop, and the trail winds inland to the Hoover Dam. That part of the trail was still wide but rougher with the gravel road following the rolling, winding landscape. This is also bumpier than the first half where runoff has cut rivulets across the trail. It was still easy for me to bike but it would have been challenging for Benny on his smaller bike. Let me back up a bit, Benny can still use his bike but not for the kind of cycling we were doing. Around camp, for short distances on paved routes? Sure. For 7+ miles over gravel. Nope.
Near the end, 3-miles down the trail, the route split between a narrow, steep shortcut to the south and a longer, flatter, one-mile switchback to the north. We took the shortcut to the Hoover Dam and the long way on the return trip. They both have their pros and cons.
Everything was more than bikeable to that point, then it came to a sudden stop at the 3½-mile point—just before the trail’s conclusion—at the top of the Hoover Dam parking lot. Here, the trail transitioned to a narrow, steep cement walking path, and bikes are not allowed. Again, let me back up. You aren’t allowed to ride your bike down the path, you could walk it. I set the rules with Benny, standard hang onto my waist band, don’t stop without warning, if you act like a baby and take off I’d stick him on the bike and we’d be back at camp as fast as I could get us there and he could hit the hay early for the next two weeks. He got it. Play it safe and things would be fine. Play it stupid and consequences would rain down.
There was also an access road that gave access to the dam. We used it and just went ahead and biked across the dam, technically crossing into Arizona and then back to Nevada. Surprised Benny at this point by going to a bike rack and chaining it down.
“Aunt Gus? Are you up to something?”
I couldn’t help but laugh. “Yes. Let’s take these tickets that have mysteriously appeared on my phone and visit Hoover Dam.”
“Cool!”
The Hoover Dam is a world–famous concrete arch–gravity dam. It impounds the mighty Colorado River in the Black Canyon. The dam was designated a National Historic Landmark by congress in 1985. More than 8 million people a year visit the dam and many take Hoover Dam tours. The dam was built in a five–year period between 1931 and 1936. Building the dam was dangerous as heck. Nearly one hundred workers died in the construction of the dam and that was back when hazard pay did not exist.
There were lot of photo opportunities abound in every direction. Benny’s head looked like it was on a swizel stick. To the north were the beautiful blue waters of Lake Mead. To the south was the scenic Black Canyon of the Colorado River. To the south also lay the Mike O'Callahan–Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge, also known as the Hoover Dam Bypass. On the east side of the dam is the state of Arizona and to the west is state of Nevada. The state line is in the middle of the dam and there are intake towers on each side with clocks on them indicating "Nevada time" and "Arizona time" as the time zone use to change on the state line. That ended when they finally got rid ofdaylight savings time, something I never did really understand no matter how Grandfather Barry used to explain it. It just sounds stupid though I didn’t explain it that way to Benny.
There are a lot of ways to tour the dam. By boat or float trip, by bus, and by helicopters. However, since our last name isn’t Rockefeller, Benny and I took a walking tour. Security is pretty stiff so there aren’t many places you can walk without a guide, but it was good to have someone around that explained all the equipment and other whositwhatsits. Our tour included seeing the giant turbines, going through the exhibit hall, and then going to the observation deck. We took lots and lots of pictures … or did in the areas that they were allowed. I did say that security was stiff.
After the tour we just cycled back the way we came, only with the crazy wind effect in the tunnels making it pretty challenging in places. All tunnels the tunnels were approximately 300 feet in length, and 25 feet in diameter. A sign-thingie along the route explained that the tunnels were oversized to fit penstock sections and large equipment being transported to Hoover Dam.
Tunnel 1 had eight sections of vertical supports, five of which had horizontal planks to prevent the fall of loose rock on to the tracks so there would be few delays during the 24-hour dam building schedule. Weight from the rock has damaged the outermost, eastern arch which kinda made we a little leery.
Tunnel 2 burned in an arson fire in 1990. The damage was pointed out on a sign-thingie. You can see it looks different from the other tunnels. It was sprayed with shotcrete to repair the shape of the tunnel and make it stronger.
Tunnel 3 was deformed from pressure. It is still useable but looks its age. Tunnel 4 was the only one that has been left in its natural state with only minor repairs needed over the years.
Tunnel 5 was burned in 1978 and was then sealed. When they created the recreation trail, the tunnel was restored, sprayed with shotcrete, and reopened in July 2001.
When we got back to the van we went in briefly to the visitor center to collect Benny’s Junior Ranger badges for both the Hoover Dam and Lake Mead. Oh geez, was he a happy kid. I also saw a couple of rangers putting their heads together and looking at us. Not to have a big head or anything but Little Bear and Aunt Gus might have gotten Waldo’d.
The sun was shining, and it wasn’t that late so I set up the solar cooker and then took Benny to the beach for a few minutes. We didn’t stay long because we were both hungry. After dinner Benny enjoyed being able to bring the entire Crew to the picnic table and show them the pictures he’d taken that day. I also took a “Group Photo” of them with Lake Mead in the background. He wound down surprisingly early but that may have been because of his trouble sleeping last night. I’ve got some time tonight so after editing a blog entry I’m going to see about a few more grant applications and seeing what I can do with my resume to make it more appealing to employers.
Today we did something different. Okay not completely different but different enough. In preparation of some of the activities on our next national park, we got out the bikes and cycled the Historic Railroad Trail.
The historic Railroad Tunnel Trail derives its name from the five tunnels that users encounter along its length. Before it became a public thoroughfare, it was part of a railway track connecting Las Vegas to Boulder City. In 1931, the contract to build the railway was granted to a group of six companies united under the name Six Companies, Inc. Not exactly what you would call creative. Six Companies, Inc. build a railroad system that facilitated the transportation of rock and concrete for the construction of the Hoover Dam. After construction of the dam was completed, the railroad was abandoned (1935). The railroad ties were eventually pulled up and the resulting path was turned into a public use area.
The Trail is a wide and flat gravel trail frequented by bikers, joggers, walkers and their pets, and offers panoramic views of the Boulder. The tunnel trailhead is located at the historic site the original railroad switchyard, known as Lawler Junction. Today, it is a parking lot just below the Lake Mead Visitor Center. From here, hikers, runners, and bikers launch down the 7½-mile round trip gravel trail. This is the only remaining section of Hoover Dam Railroad system that is not under water or torn up.
The primary surprise when I checked trail conditions at the visitor center before starting out was that we were supposed to check for wind advisories. We learned that the railway tunnels can become wind tunnels and the exposed flat strait aren’t always wide enough with gusts pushing travelers towards the path’s sharp cliff edge. I’m glad I knew what to expect or I would have been wondering what in the heck was going on when we were heading back. The trip out was great, the trip back … a little more exciting than expected.
Our other issue is that Benny has all but outgrown his bike. I couldn’t raise his sit anymore so he road with me in the bike seat. Actually turned out to be better that way. He wanted to have a bit of a snit but I changed that when I let him take his tablet, an old phone, and told him he could take pictures but that I didn’t want to hear any noise about it if he overran his storage capacity. Snit averted we finally got on our way.
The first two and a quarter miles of the Historic Trail ends at a gate that is locked each evening. From there on out, the tunnels stop, and the trail winds inland to the Hoover Dam. That part of the trail was still wide but rougher with the gravel road following the rolling, winding landscape. This is also bumpier than the first half where runoff has cut rivulets across the trail. It was still easy for me to bike but it would have been challenging for Benny on his smaller bike. Let me back up a bit, Benny can still use his bike but not for the kind of cycling we were doing. Around camp, for short distances on paved routes? Sure. For 7+ miles over gravel. Nope.
Near the end, 3-miles down the trail, the route split between a narrow, steep shortcut to the south and a longer, flatter, one-mile switchback to the north. We took the shortcut to the Hoover Dam and the long way on the return trip. They both have their pros and cons.
Everything was more than bikeable to that point, then it came to a sudden stop at the 3½-mile point—just before the trail’s conclusion—at the top of the Hoover Dam parking lot. Here, the trail transitioned to a narrow, steep cement walking path, and bikes are not allowed. Again, let me back up. You aren’t allowed to ride your bike down the path, you could walk it. I set the rules with Benny, standard hang onto my waist band, don’t stop without warning, if you act like a baby and take off I’d stick him on the bike and we’d be back at camp as fast as I could get us there and he could hit the hay early for the next two weeks. He got it. Play it safe and things would be fine. Play it stupid and consequences would rain down.
There was also an access road that gave access to the dam. We used it and just went ahead and biked across the dam, technically crossing into Arizona and then back to Nevada. Surprised Benny at this point by going to a bike rack and chaining it down.
“Aunt Gus? Are you up to something?”
I couldn’t help but laugh. “Yes. Let’s take these tickets that have mysteriously appeared on my phone and visit Hoover Dam.”
“Cool!”
The Hoover Dam is a world–famous concrete arch–gravity dam. It impounds the mighty Colorado River in the Black Canyon. The dam was designated a National Historic Landmark by congress in 1985. More than 8 million people a year visit the dam and many take Hoover Dam tours. The dam was built in a five–year period between 1931 and 1936. Building the dam was dangerous as heck. Nearly one hundred workers died in the construction of the dam and that was back when hazard pay did not exist.
There were lot of photo opportunities abound in every direction. Benny’s head looked like it was on a swizel stick. To the north were the beautiful blue waters of Lake Mead. To the south was the scenic Black Canyon of the Colorado River. To the south also lay the Mike O'Callahan–Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge, also known as the Hoover Dam Bypass. On the east side of the dam is the state of Arizona and to the west is state of Nevada. The state line is in the middle of the dam and there are intake towers on each side with clocks on them indicating "Nevada time" and "Arizona time" as the time zone use to change on the state line. That ended when they finally got rid ofdaylight savings time, something I never did really understand no matter how Grandfather Barry used to explain it. It just sounds stupid though I didn’t explain it that way to Benny.
There are a lot of ways to tour the dam. By boat or float trip, by bus, and by helicopters. However, since our last name isn’t Rockefeller, Benny and I took a walking tour. Security is pretty stiff so there aren’t many places you can walk without a guide, but it was good to have someone around that explained all the equipment and other whositwhatsits. Our tour included seeing the giant turbines, going through the exhibit hall, and then going to the observation deck. We took lots and lots of pictures … or did in the areas that they were allowed. I did say that security was stiff.
After the tour we just cycled back the way we came, only with the crazy wind effect in the tunnels making it pretty challenging in places. All tunnels the tunnels were approximately 300 feet in length, and 25 feet in diameter. A sign-thingie along the route explained that the tunnels were oversized to fit penstock sections and large equipment being transported to Hoover Dam.
Tunnel 1 had eight sections of vertical supports, five of which had horizontal planks to prevent the fall of loose rock on to the tracks so there would be few delays during the 24-hour dam building schedule. Weight from the rock has damaged the outermost, eastern arch which kinda made we a little leery.
Tunnel 2 burned in an arson fire in 1990. The damage was pointed out on a sign-thingie. You can see it looks different from the other tunnels. It was sprayed with shotcrete to repair the shape of the tunnel and make it stronger.
Tunnel 3 was deformed from pressure. It is still useable but looks its age. Tunnel 4 was the only one that has been left in its natural state with only minor repairs needed over the years.
Tunnel 5 was burned in 1978 and was then sealed. When they created the recreation trail, the tunnel was restored, sprayed with shotcrete, and reopened in July 2001.
When we got back to the van we went in briefly to the visitor center to collect Benny’s Junior Ranger badges for both the Hoover Dam and Lake Mead. Oh geez, was he a happy kid. I also saw a couple of rangers putting their heads together and looking at us. Not to have a big head or anything but Little Bear and Aunt Gus might have gotten Waldo’d.
The sun was shining, and it wasn’t that late so I set up the solar cooker and then took Benny to the beach for a few minutes. We didn’t stay long because we were both hungry. After dinner Benny enjoyed being able to bring the entire Crew to the picnic table and show them the pictures he’d taken that day. I also took a “Group Photo” of them with Lake Mead in the background. He wound down surprisingly early but that may have been because of his trouble sleeping last night. I’ve got some time tonight so after editing a blog entry I’m going to see about a few more grant applications and seeing what I can do with my resume to make it more appealing to employers.
sssarawolf
Has No Life - Lives on TB
Thanks, lets see the last time was at Hover Dam 1968, gads lol.
Sep 21st – Hiking and Kayaking on Lake Mead
We were supposed to kayak in the morning and hike in the afternoon but due to some stupid crap it had to be switched. Looking back I was nicer than I should have been. Then again, no one wants to look like a jackhole.
I was already in a bit of a mood. My state, my home, in Grandfather Barry’s words “my country,” is in bad shape. The one, two, three punch has already done a number and there is another storm coming. It may not hit Florida but the models says if it doesn’t it is going to be a close call. So far nothing has hit Jacksonville but the storm that came ashore near the Big Bend area dumped a lot of rain … A. Lot. Of. Rain. … and all the rivers in north Florida are off the charts. The only blessing is that we’ve suffered a few years of low rain so the worst flooding might be avoided. Unless there is another weather event. I may not have a home to go back to, but I was still counting on Florida to be my home state.
What really put me in a bad mood though was wondering how Uncle Daniel and his family were doing and I made the mistaking of giving into temptation and looking him and my cousins up on social media. Mistake. Big mistake. All it did was bring up bad memories and trigger my Barrymore Hamster. Took me forever to get to sleep last night. In fact it got so late I didn’t dare drink a caffeine water or risk oversleeping this morning. I didn’t but it was a near thing. And then the fiasco with our planned activity.
First off, you can’t kayak alone on Lake Mead right now. You can boat, but you can’t kayak alone. It has to do with water levels and falling rocks and stupid people not following the rules and idiocy in general. Fine. I get it. But why the heck make it so ever-loving difficult when people are at least willing to see that side of it and follow the rules?
So okay, just deal. Then they squawk because of Benny’s age. I finally convinced them to just back off and we brought the tandem kayak and proved via the blog that he was capable. I had to sign a waiver. No big deal but some people must have thought we were getting too much attention or something. Other people in the group got a little growly saying we were holding them up. So I agreed to be rescheduled to the late afternoon guided group, the only one available. For beginners. Geez.
I’m trying to figure out what to do when a group told me I could join their hiking group if I wouldn’t mind towing their trailer of gear until a friend showed up who could do it. I gave it a thought and then say okay. Out of sight I stuck a knife in my boot and one on my wrist and one at my back. Overkill? Nope. Wound up not needing them but better safe than sorry. The group was actually just nice people, and that just goes to show that the world may seem like it is populated with jackholes but there are still decent people out there. It was two family groups and then some single hikers. They’d hooked up at some conference in Vegas and it turns out they wanted out of Vegas so opted for some hiking. The trail we were on was Owl Canyon, sometimes called Hidden Canyon by tour companies.
Owl Canyon (or White Owl Canyon) is a minor drainage along the western shore of Lake Mead. A short hike leads to a beautiful slot canyon, 100 feet in depth at its deepest, where owls have been found to occasionally nest. The trail begins at the westernmost parking lot in the “33 Hole Overlook” area. At the trailhead were several shaded picnic areas with tables - a great place to have a bite to eat before or after the hike. Two of the group opted to stay there; one to paint and the other to bird watch.
We began the trail by descending steeply from the parking lot. This was the most challenging part of the trail and what really deterred the two people that stayed at the trailhead. Their loss because after the descent the trail mellows out quite a bit as it crosses the bottom of the valley and wash, heads up a small knob, then turns left toward Owl Canyon in the distance.
The walls began to narrow as we approached the canyon until we found ourselves in the beautiful slot. Benny was the first to spot a bird’s nest. The next one spotted was an owl’s nest, the namesake of the canyon. We saw several more, some of them occupied, as we worked our way through the canyon. Then came a tunnel (a culvert) that passed underneath Lakeshore Road.
We continued through the tunnel, but we left the most scenic part of Owl Canyon at that point. Further on we came to another tunnel (dual culverts) that led underneath the River Mountains Loop Trail bike path. Emerging on the other side of the bike path we found that the canyon opened up into a wash. This was our turnaround point. We took a break, ate a snack, and then returned the way we had come.
It was a nice trail, not too long or short and it took the morning and a bit of lunch. Back at the trailhead another car of their friends, with a 4x4 with a trailer hitch, had shown up. I helped muscle the trailer onto the 4x4 and Benny and I turned around to go back to the marina.
I’d put the evil hamster through its paces, so it was taking a nap. We had time to eat a late lunch without developing indigestion before we set off for kayaking. Our tandem kayak was waiting for us on the marina rack, and we got it down after putting our gear on. Turns out we were the only ones in the group that didn’t have any problems and even Benny helped to give a couple of them lessons on how to paddle. Go figure. I didn’t want to say anything lame but even the guide was a bit of a goof off that didn’t have adequate skills for what he’d been asked to do. Benny and I would have been better off on our own.
I wasn’t rude but I didn’t hang around and talk like apparently a couple of them were trying to get me to do. I did the smiling vaguely thing, didn’t answer the how-long-are-you-here-for question, and got us back to the van and then back to camp so we could prep for the next park and Benny’s 6th Birthday.
The Grand Canyon. Dad had always wanted to go there. We’d planned to go together. And I’m closing this down right here before I get emotional. I’ve got some things to, including topping off our water and washing my hair. A Midol might not go amiss either.
Resources:
https://www.wnpa.org/wp-content/upl...-Ranger-Activity-Booklet_508-FINAL.pdf?x81812
We were supposed to kayak in the morning and hike in the afternoon but due to some stupid crap it had to be switched. Looking back I was nicer than I should have been. Then again, no one wants to look like a jackhole.
I was already in a bit of a mood. My state, my home, in Grandfather Barry’s words “my country,” is in bad shape. The one, two, three punch has already done a number and there is another storm coming. It may not hit Florida but the models says if it doesn’t it is going to be a close call. So far nothing has hit Jacksonville but the storm that came ashore near the Big Bend area dumped a lot of rain … A. Lot. Of. Rain. … and all the rivers in north Florida are off the charts. The only blessing is that we’ve suffered a few years of low rain so the worst flooding might be avoided. Unless there is another weather event. I may not have a home to go back to, but I was still counting on Florida to be my home state.
What really put me in a bad mood though was wondering how Uncle Daniel and his family were doing and I made the mistaking of giving into temptation and looking him and my cousins up on social media. Mistake. Big mistake. All it did was bring up bad memories and trigger my Barrymore Hamster. Took me forever to get to sleep last night. In fact it got so late I didn’t dare drink a caffeine water or risk oversleeping this morning. I didn’t but it was a near thing. And then the fiasco with our planned activity.
First off, you can’t kayak alone on Lake Mead right now. You can boat, but you can’t kayak alone. It has to do with water levels and falling rocks and stupid people not following the rules and idiocy in general. Fine. I get it. But why the heck make it so ever-loving difficult when people are at least willing to see that side of it and follow the rules?
So okay, just deal. Then they squawk because of Benny’s age. I finally convinced them to just back off and we brought the tandem kayak and proved via the blog that he was capable. I had to sign a waiver. No big deal but some people must have thought we were getting too much attention or something. Other people in the group got a little growly saying we were holding them up. So I agreed to be rescheduled to the late afternoon guided group, the only one available. For beginners. Geez.
I’m trying to figure out what to do when a group told me I could join their hiking group if I wouldn’t mind towing their trailer of gear until a friend showed up who could do it. I gave it a thought and then say okay. Out of sight I stuck a knife in my boot and one on my wrist and one at my back. Overkill? Nope. Wound up not needing them but better safe than sorry. The group was actually just nice people, and that just goes to show that the world may seem like it is populated with jackholes but there are still decent people out there. It was two family groups and then some single hikers. They’d hooked up at some conference in Vegas and it turns out they wanted out of Vegas so opted for some hiking. The trail we were on was Owl Canyon, sometimes called Hidden Canyon by tour companies.
Owl Canyon (or White Owl Canyon) is a minor drainage along the western shore of Lake Mead. A short hike leads to a beautiful slot canyon, 100 feet in depth at its deepest, where owls have been found to occasionally nest. The trail begins at the westernmost parking lot in the “33 Hole Overlook” area. At the trailhead were several shaded picnic areas with tables - a great place to have a bite to eat before or after the hike. Two of the group opted to stay there; one to paint and the other to bird watch.
We began the trail by descending steeply from the parking lot. This was the most challenging part of the trail and what really deterred the two people that stayed at the trailhead. Their loss because after the descent the trail mellows out quite a bit as it crosses the bottom of the valley and wash, heads up a small knob, then turns left toward Owl Canyon in the distance.
The walls began to narrow as we approached the canyon until we found ourselves in the beautiful slot. Benny was the first to spot a bird’s nest. The next one spotted was an owl’s nest, the namesake of the canyon. We saw several more, some of them occupied, as we worked our way through the canyon. Then came a tunnel (a culvert) that passed underneath Lakeshore Road.
We continued through the tunnel, but we left the most scenic part of Owl Canyon at that point. Further on we came to another tunnel (dual culverts) that led underneath the River Mountains Loop Trail bike path. Emerging on the other side of the bike path we found that the canyon opened up into a wash. This was our turnaround point. We took a break, ate a snack, and then returned the way we had come.
It was a nice trail, not too long or short and it took the morning and a bit of lunch. Back at the trailhead another car of their friends, with a 4x4 with a trailer hitch, had shown up. I helped muscle the trailer onto the 4x4 and Benny and I turned around to go back to the marina.
I’d put the evil hamster through its paces, so it was taking a nap. We had time to eat a late lunch without developing indigestion before we set off for kayaking. Our tandem kayak was waiting for us on the marina rack, and we got it down after putting our gear on. Turns out we were the only ones in the group that didn’t have any problems and even Benny helped to give a couple of them lessons on how to paddle. Go figure. I didn’t want to say anything lame but even the guide was a bit of a goof off that didn’t have adequate skills for what he’d been asked to do. Benny and I would have been better off on our own.
I wasn’t rude but I didn’t hang around and talk like apparently a couple of them were trying to get me to do. I did the smiling vaguely thing, didn’t answer the how-long-are-you-here-for question, and got us back to the van and then back to camp so we could prep for the next park and Benny’s 6th Birthday.
The Grand Canyon. Dad had always wanted to go there. We’d planned to go together. And I’m closing this down right here before I get emotional. I’ve got some things to, including topping off our water and washing my hair. A Midol might not go amiss either.
Resources:
https://www.wnpa.org/wp-content/upl...-Ranger-Activity-Booklet_508-FINAL.pdf?x81812
Sep 22 – 26: Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona
Driving Route:
Sep 22nd – South Rim
Lake Mead was cool but for once I’m not sorry to leave a large body of water. It was too crowded and the crowds had a large percentage of people that were less than stellar to be around. At least for Benny and I. I know we are different. I know we are living life different. But why do people have to treat “different” like it is a capital offense in need of their personal redirection? People just have this driving need to stick their nose in where it doesn’t belong.
I’m glad I filled in Stella on what went down on the 19th last night because with the feelings other people were generating in me, I didn’t feel like “socializing” with anyone other than my nephew. Luckily Garrett et al checked out on the 20th to make their way to their own chosen destination. No more mess, no more drama, for me to have to step around.
And here we are at our next chosen destination. The Grand Canyon was one of Dad’s unfulfilled bucket list items. Bittersweet to be here. It is turning into a cool stay and I’m glad I am getting to do it, much less do it with Benny. I’m positive Dad would approve. I just wish he could be here too.
One of the great things (and sometimes tedious things) about Grand Canyon South Rim is that you are required to use the Park Shuttle to get from point to point, assuming you aren’t walking or riding a bike. It is a convenient way to get around except when it gets crowded and there weren’t enough shuttles on the road. We pretty much parked the van in the RV camp and either walked, took the bike, or the shuttle everywhere we wanted to go. That means no real driving for the next five days. That does not hurt my feelings. At all.
It took four hours to get here from Lake Mead. Some of the miles were grueling but they are behind me for now. We already has an entrance pass – the sticker clearly visible – so we got to go through the fast lane at the entrance. I did get asked for our Gold Star Family IDs but didn’t get a single question after I showed them both the physical cards and the electronic ones on my phone. The ranger did use a scanner on the QR codes but we’ve had that happen before, just not lately.
And they even checked us in for the RV park/camp. We were expected and they gave us an envelope with everything we needed including a parking tag for the dash and a Junior Ranger booklet for Benny. Booya. It made everything so much easier. We pulled right into a spot in the camp and proceeded to have fun.
Our first activity was to bike 3.4 miles to scenic Yavi Point. Not surprisingly they had a ton of space in the bike racks there now that the busiest of the tourist season is over. Most families are back at their home base because kids have started school, or they are professionals that have a work schedule that follows the same pattern. It was nice that Benny saw so many kids over the summer but now it is mostly adults once again and I’m worrying again that I’m not doing right by him. He’d be in kindergarten with others of his kind if we were in Florida; if we were any place else but the road.
Sometimes I wonder if I am using him to have a purpose for my life instead of maybe what I should be doing which is … quite frankly I don’t know what. Not to be sacrilegious but I hope the Creator knows what He is doing by pairing the two of us up. I’ve had Benny under my wing for almost six years to the day. He’s a good kid. Maybe some of that is my doing but I don’t want to take any kudos away from him. He’s faced a lot in his little life, things that would nearly ruin other people, and not just kids. Look at what Penny faced in her life and ultimately the choice she made. I just hope I am doing and giving my best to Benny. I can’t stand the idea of making the kid weaker than he could be just due to my decisions for his life while he is too young to make his own.
I know Lawrence left Benny in my care just like Dad left me in Lawrence’s care. Neither one expected life to happen the way it did but they both gave it their all and did their best. I feel that same responsibility. That same drive. I know what most people my age are doing. I have friends that share their lives with me even if it is only via digital communication. Most, if not all, seem to have the drive to pair up and lock down the “happily ever after”, or they are looking to pair up even if it isn’t forever. I just don’t have that drive. And I don’t think it is because Christopher ruined me on relationships or whatever. Christopher’s damage is his. Rumor has it he is still digging that hole but that’s not my problem.
Maybe I am psychoanalyzing things too much. Normally I can go with the flow and handle whatever comes. But I took a good look at the calendar and there’s only a little over a month left. It hasn’t taken nearly as long to do this trip as I originally expected. Sure, I could have stretched it out here and there but at the same time none of that felt right. I had a goal. Circumnavigate all the continental national parks. We’ll accomplish that goal minus one or two parks for safety reasons … like the one in St. Louis. Geez, the “protests” and “demonstrations” have been going on for as long as I can remember but this year they seem a little crazier. I’ve had enough crazy.
There are days I would settle for boring and normal. There are also days when the very idea of turning into Susie Homemaker or Sally Officeworker makes me want to puke. The homemaker part doesn’t bother me near as much as the idea of turning into one of those 9 to 5 drones going through the motions. And Susie Homemaker usually has a partner that lets her be a homemaker. I don’t know if that’s ever going to be my path in this life. Maybe I shouldn’t just be worrying about Benny’s socializing, but my own as well. Grandma Barry used to say the men in our family were built for being alone so long as they had a crowd to be alone in. Maybe it isn’t just the men. Grandfather Barry was alone for a lot of years before he remarried. My Dad never did remarry. And Lawrence … probably shouldn’t have gotten married, or at least not to Penny though Benny is a blessing so I can’t totally regret it, which sounds pretty ignorant since my brother’s life was his own to live and then leave. I might be following in their footsteps. But where does that leave me when Benny grows up? I have no clue and need to stop worrying it to death, but it still occasionally eats at me. I’m twenty. Right now, I only need to worry about staying around so Benny has enough time to grow up just in case he needs to learn to be on his own the way I have. I suppose I’ll just have to figure out things as I go along, like I’ve already been doing. Gotta have some trust in the Creator since I don’t want His job.
As I was saying, we parked the bike and admired the view. But we also took a hike to get the blood to start circulating in my hind quarters. The Trail of Time is a fairly flat 2.83-mile-long paved walk. It is designed to be a geologic timeline. Each meter walked on the timeline trail signifies one million years of Grand Canyon's geologic history. The trail was designed to give you a visceral appreciation for the magnitude of geologic time. It definitely gave me a headache trying to figure out how to explain to Benny why some people believe in an “Old Earth” and some people believed in a “Young Earth.[1]” If I had my old textbooks I could pull them out and show him some of the scientific reasonings for both sides but I don’t and in the end I had to say, “Faith. Sometimes things seem crazy to other people, but it is important to keep your worldview lined up so there aren’t the kind of contradictions that make you begin doubting your big picture and how all-powerful you believe the Creator to be.”
As we walked, bronze markers marked our location in time with every tenth marker labeled in millions of years. I just ignored the “millions” part and instead used the markers to put some things in perspective, just smooshed into a shorter timeline that goes along with my belief in a Creator. More people lean towards “intelligent design” than “big bang” than they did when my dad was growing up. It is even in public school textbooks, just don’t bring religion into it. Why people can agree to intelligent design but come uncorked at the idea of a more personal Creator you can have a relationship with is beyond me.
Along the timeline trail were a series of rocks and exhibits that explained how Grand Canyon and its rock formed. Of course Benny asked about a documentary we’d watched on Noah’s Flood and how the Grand Canyon was formed.[2] Geez, if I’m going to let him watch my old curriculum bits and pieces then I need to keep up on things. I had to tell him that I’d review it and get back with him, that my brain was out of order at that moment. It made him laugh so I hope it was a good distraction from the fact that Aunt Gus doesn’t know everything.
I’d packed wraps for lunch. Gotta love those Mission brand, gluten-free tortilla shells that I discovered a couple of shopping trips ago. The fruit cups left our mouths a little sticky, but our water bottles took care of that. So, newly fortified we hopped on the bike and headed to the visitor center to look at all the exhibits. I was really surprised that they had in notations some of the newer research that supports a younger earth than they used to try to force-feed us in school. At least they are finally saying “scientific theory” instead of treating the longer timeline as “scientific fact.” I guess the climate change proponents didn’t understand the can of worms they were opening when all their drilling in the polar ice caps leaned in the Young Earth end of the scale. It also provided evidence of several, global catastrophic events that also lean towards a Young Earth timeline. But since I’m no science professor I kept it light for Benny and just filed the other stuff for future consideration when it was less likely to unleash the hamster.[3] [4]
From the visitors' center we headed west along the Rim Trail, a flat, paved trail with shuttle stops along the way. In addition to crazy gorgeous views, a number of attractions dot the trail and we stopped at them all. The Yavapai Museum of Geology had more educational geology exhibits that Benny absorbed like a sponge. Verkamp's Visitor Center featured historical exhibits about the local community and early pioneers that helped Benny answer a few questions in his Junior Ranger book. The Hopi House is a gift shop built to resemble a Hopi pueblo-style structure. Oh my. I picked up a guide to the Bright Angel Trail, but also picked up some post cards, a seasonal star chart so that Benny and I could stargaze, a guide to the North Rim, a couple of pocket field guides, I made note of several patches and hiking medallions that we might be coming back for if we completed those hikes, and I found Benny’s perfect birthday gift. It was a toy Park Ranger truck. I know it isn’t very big, but we don’t have much spare room. It is metal so will hold up over time as well. His birthday is tomorrow but he didn’t mind getting his birthday present a day early. LOL.
[1] The 10 Best Evidences from Science that Confirm a Young Earth | Answers in Genesis
[2] When and How Did the Grand Canyon Form? | Answers in Genesis
[3] Four Geological Evidences for a Young Earth
[4] 101 evidences for a young age of the Earth and the universe - RationalWiki
Driving Route:
Sep 22nd – South Rim
Lake Mead was cool but for once I’m not sorry to leave a large body of water. It was too crowded and the crowds had a large percentage of people that were less than stellar to be around. At least for Benny and I. I know we are different. I know we are living life different. But why do people have to treat “different” like it is a capital offense in need of their personal redirection? People just have this driving need to stick their nose in where it doesn’t belong.
I’m glad I filled in Stella on what went down on the 19th last night because with the feelings other people were generating in me, I didn’t feel like “socializing” with anyone other than my nephew. Luckily Garrett et al checked out on the 20th to make their way to their own chosen destination. No more mess, no more drama, for me to have to step around.
And here we are at our next chosen destination. The Grand Canyon was one of Dad’s unfulfilled bucket list items. Bittersweet to be here. It is turning into a cool stay and I’m glad I am getting to do it, much less do it with Benny. I’m positive Dad would approve. I just wish he could be here too.
One of the great things (and sometimes tedious things) about Grand Canyon South Rim is that you are required to use the Park Shuttle to get from point to point, assuming you aren’t walking or riding a bike. It is a convenient way to get around except when it gets crowded and there weren’t enough shuttles on the road. We pretty much parked the van in the RV camp and either walked, took the bike, or the shuttle everywhere we wanted to go. That means no real driving for the next five days. That does not hurt my feelings. At all.
It took four hours to get here from Lake Mead. Some of the miles were grueling but they are behind me for now. We already has an entrance pass – the sticker clearly visible – so we got to go through the fast lane at the entrance. I did get asked for our Gold Star Family IDs but didn’t get a single question after I showed them both the physical cards and the electronic ones on my phone. The ranger did use a scanner on the QR codes but we’ve had that happen before, just not lately.
And they even checked us in for the RV park/camp. We were expected and they gave us an envelope with everything we needed including a parking tag for the dash and a Junior Ranger booklet for Benny. Booya. It made everything so much easier. We pulled right into a spot in the camp and proceeded to have fun.
Our first activity was to bike 3.4 miles to scenic Yavi Point. Not surprisingly they had a ton of space in the bike racks there now that the busiest of the tourist season is over. Most families are back at their home base because kids have started school, or they are professionals that have a work schedule that follows the same pattern. It was nice that Benny saw so many kids over the summer but now it is mostly adults once again and I’m worrying again that I’m not doing right by him. He’d be in kindergarten with others of his kind if we were in Florida; if we were any place else but the road.
Sometimes I wonder if I am using him to have a purpose for my life instead of maybe what I should be doing which is … quite frankly I don’t know what. Not to be sacrilegious but I hope the Creator knows what He is doing by pairing the two of us up. I’ve had Benny under my wing for almost six years to the day. He’s a good kid. Maybe some of that is my doing but I don’t want to take any kudos away from him. He’s faced a lot in his little life, things that would nearly ruin other people, and not just kids. Look at what Penny faced in her life and ultimately the choice she made. I just hope I am doing and giving my best to Benny. I can’t stand the idea of making the kid weaker than he could be just due to my decisions for his life while he is too young to make his own.
I know Lawrence left Benny in my care just like Dad left me in Lawrence’s care. Neither one expected life to happen the way it did but they both gave it their all and did their best. I feel that same responsibility. That same drive. I know what most people my age are doing. I have friends that share their lives with me even if it is only via digital communication. Most, if not all, seem to have the drive to pair up and lock down the “happily ever after”, or they are looking to pair up even if it isn’t forever. I just don’t have that drive. And I don’t think it is because Christopher ruined me on relationships or whatever. Christopher’s damage is his. Rumor has it he is still digging that hole but that’s not my problem.
Maybe I am psychoanalyzing things too much. Normally I can go with the flow and handle whatever comes. But I took a good look at the calendar and there’s only a little over a month left. It hasn’t taken nearly as long to do this trip as I originally expected. Sure, I could have stretched it out here and there but at the same time none of that felt right. I had a goal. Circumnavigate all the continental national parks. We’ll accomplish that goal minus one or two parks for safety reasons … like the one in St. Louis. Geez, the “protests” and “demonstrations” have been going on for as long as I can remember but this year they seem a little crazier. I’ve had enough crazy.
There are days I would settle for boring and normal. There are also days when the very idea of turning into Susie Homemaker or Sally Officeworker makes me want to puke. The homemaker part doesn’t bother me near as much as the idea of turning into one of those 9 to 5 drones going through the motions. And Susie Homemaker usually has a partner that lets her be a homemaker. I don’t know if that’s ever going to be my path in this life. Maybe I shouldn’t just be worrying about Benny’s socializing, but my own as well. Grandma Barry used to say the men in our family were built for being alone so long as they had a crowd to be alone in. Maybe it isn’t just the men. Grandfather Barry was alone for a lot of years before he remarried. My Dad never did remarry. And Lawrence … probably shouldn’t have gotten married, or at least not to Penny though Benny is a blessing so I can’t totally regret it, which sounds pretty ignorant since my brother’s life was his own to live and then leave. I might be following in their footsteps. But where does that leave me when Benny grows up? I have no clue and need to stop worrying it to death, but it still occasionally eats at me. I’m twenty. Right now, I only need to worry about staying around so Benny has enough time to grow up just in case he needs to learn to be on his own the way I have. I suppose I’ll just have to figure out things as I go along, like I’ve already been doing. Gotta have some trust in the Creator since I don’t want His job.
As I was saying, we parked the bike and admired the view. But we also took a hike to get the blood to start circulating in my hind quarters. The Trail of Time is a fairly flat 2.83-mile-long paved walk. It is designed to be a geologic timeline. Each meter walked on the timeline trail signifies one million years of Grand Canyon's geologic history. The trail was designed to give you a visceral appreciation for the magnitude of geologic time. It definitely gave me a headache trying to figure out how to explain to Benny why some people believe in an “Old Earth” and some people believed in a “Young Earth.[1]” If I had my old textbooks I could pull them out and show him some of the scientific reasonings for both sides but I don’t and in the end I had to say, “Faith. Sometimes things seem crazy to other people, but it is important to keep your worldview lined up so there aren’t the kind of contradictions that make you begin doubting your big picture and how all-powerful you believe the Creator to be.”
As we walked, bronze markers marked our location in time with every tenth marker labeled in millions of years. I just ignored the “millions” part and instead used the markers to put some things in perspective, just smooshed into a shorter timeline that goes along with my belief in a Creator. More people lean towards “intelligent design” than “big bang” than they did when my dad was growing up. It is even in public school textbooks, just don’t bring religion into it. Why people can agree to intelligent design but come uncorked at the idea of a more personal Creator you can have a relationship with is beyond me.
Along the timeline trail were a series of rocks and exhibits that explained how Grand Canyon and its rock formed. Of course Benny asked about a documentary we’d watched on Noah’s Flood and how the Grand Canyon was formed.[2] Geez, if I’m going to let him watch my old curriculum bits and pieces then I need to keep up on things. I had to tell him that I’d review it and get back with him, that my brain was out of order at that moment. It made him laugh so I hope it was a good distraction from the fact that Aunt Gus doesn’t know everything.
I’d packed wraps for lunch. Gotta love those Mission brand, gluten-free tortilla shells that I discovered a couple of shopping trips ago. The fruit cups left our mouths a little sticky, but our water bottles took care of that. So, newly fortified we hopped on the bike and headed to the visitor center to look at all the exhibits. I was really surprised that they had in notations some of the newer research that supports a younger earth than they used to try to force-feed us in school. At least they are finally saying “scientific theory” instead of treating the longer timeline as “scientific fact.” I guess the climate change proponents didn’t understand the can of worms they were opening when all their drilling in the polar ice caps leaned in the Young Earth end of the scale. It also provided evidence of several, global catastrophic events that also lean towards a Young Earth timeline. But since I’m no science professor I kept it light for Benny and just filed the other stuff for future consideration when it was less likely to unleash the hamster.[3] [4]
From the visitors' center we headed west along the Rim Trail, a flat, paved trail with shuttle stops along the way. In addition to crazy gorgeous views, a number of attractions dot the trail and we stopped at them all. The Yavapai Museum of Geology had more educational geology exhibits that Benny absorbed like a sponge. Verkamp's Visitor Center featured historical exhibits about the local community and early pioneers that helped Benny answer a few questions in his Junior Ranger book. The Hopi House is a gift shop built to resemble a Hopi pueblo-style structure. Oh my. I picked up a guide to the Bright Angel Trail, but also picked up some post cards, a seasonal star chart so that Benny and I could stargaze, a guide to the North Rim, a couple of pocket field guides, I made note of several patches and hiking medallions that we might be coming back for if we completed those hikes, and I found Benny’s perfect birthday gift. It was a toy Park Ranger truck. I know it isn’t very big, but we don’t have much spare room. It is metal so will hold up over time as well. His birthday is tomorrow but he didn’t mind getting his birthday present a day early. LOL.
[1] The 10 Best Evidences from Science that Confirm a Young Earth | Answers in Genesis
[2] When and How Did the Grand Canyon Form? | Answers in Genesis
[3] Four Geological Evidences for a Young Earth
[4] 101 evidences for a young age of the Earth and the universe - RationalWiki
Sep 23rd – South Rim and Benny’s 6th Birthday
Benny’s birthday. Whoop, whoop, whoop. Breakfast was his favorite. A cheese and bacon omelet with a side order of pancakes and syrup.
“I can have both?!”
I laughed. “Eh … it’s your birthday so I figure something special is due. Plus, you need to fuel up. We have a super hike planned and … a surprise for tonight.”
“What is it?!”
“Now if I told you, it wouldn’t be a surprise now would it?”
We spent the day on the Rim Trail hike (13 miles). I’d already read all the warnings that there was NO water along trail so in addition to the birthday snacks I had packed in my backpack, I put our regular canteens and four frozen liter water bottles in the bike’s saddle bags. I also put copious amounts of sunscreen on both of us. There was water in Grand Canyon Village area and at Hermits Rest but better safe than sorry even if it did make the pack and bike heavy at the beginning of the day.
The Rim Trail stretches from the South Kaibab Trailhead west to Hermits Rest, a distance of approximately thirteen miles, and most of the trail is paved. Between Pipe Creek Vista and Bright Angel Lodge there are a few short sections of the trail that aren’t accessible (as in accessible to physical challenges and appliances, i.e. wheelchairs and manual scooters) and people that need accessibility either stay on the shuttle or use the shuttle to go around. West of Bright Angel Lodge the Rim Trail narrows and climbs the Bright Angel Fault to viewpoints along Hermit Road. Between Powell Point and Monument Creek Vista the trail is a three-foot-wide dirt trail. The section of the Rim Trail between Monument Creek Vista and Hermits Rest is also known as the Hermit Road Greenway Trail. I downloaded the shuttle schedule in case we needed it.
The majority of the trail is almost entirely flat, featuring a variety of both dirt and paved trails. Notably, the first leg of the hike had the steepest uphill section. Good thing as that is when most people have the most energy. Though it is short, those wanting to avoid it can simply take the bus to the first stop and continue on their way. Not Benny and I, no sir, we were determined to do it all and take no shortcuts. This was Benny’s birthday and he was going to earn that hiking medallion and that’s a fact, or so he told me nearly the entire way. He was psyched.
The first section of the trail also gave us views of the Bright Angel Trail leading down towards Phantom Ranch. Even I was a little gobsmacked but that was for tomorrow. And yes, I mean that literally.
Several points along the trail hug the very edge of the rim of the canyon. These instances occur most frequently in the middle sections of the hike, though there were a few in other places. I kept a good hold of Benny in those sections, but it was so worth it. We were granted full panoramic views of the Grand Canyon, in a couple of places we could even see the raging Colorado River, the whitewater rapids visible just under a mile up! I would have loved to have done a raft trip like that, but Benny is too young according to the regulations. Maybe one day we can come back.
I preferred those sections on the edge compared to the ones where you were suddenly spurted out onto the road. At these points, there are markers making sure the buses and cyclists won’t run you over but it can still happen if people don’t pay attention. Luckily we never had to walk on the road for more than 300-feet, and the mild inconvenience was usually a sign of fantastic views coming up. Benny and I made a game of it, wondering what could be coming.
Throughout the entire South Rim Trail there are numerous trail signs that tell you the distance to the next bus stop, as well as to Hermits Rest. These were great at helping us to plan our rests, and also kept us motivated to keep going in the heat. On the note of heat, we discovered much of the trail is covered by trees and that offer some shade. However, I’m really glad I packed as much water as I did. There is water at Hermits Rest, but none of the trail itself until you return to the Grand Canyon Village.
The final two legs of the hike are paved, though they didn’t offer the best views of the Canyon. They were excellent for accessibility needs and/or for families that had strollers or similar.
Finally we arrived at Hermits Rest, which has amazing views of the Canyon as well as a small snack bar and gift shop. This was also the stop for our birthday picnic and I surprised him with a blue slushie from the snack bar for his dessert. I coulda won a World’s Best Aunt for that one stunt alone. LOL.
“Aunt Gus!”
“Surprise!” I laughed. “Now close your mouth around this before it melts.”
“We haven’t even had lunch yet,” he said right before taking a huge slurp.
“If you can’t have dessert first on your birthday, when can you?”
He laughed and I could already see his tongue was turning as blue as the slushie.
Whew, even though it was only in the 70s … I think it topped out at 76F … we drank a lot of water. Benny only weighs 45 pounds, but I swear he felt like a chunk of lead today. I asked him if he’d been eating rocks to weigh us down and he thought it was hilarious. Of course, I found out he’d snuck all the stuffies and plastic animals into his pack to take pictures with so I’m thinking that was part of the weight. When he did it I don’t know, but I warned him that it was okay this time, but on some trails it wouldn’t be, that he’d need to keep it to two.
“I just wanted to share my birthday with everyone at the same time.”
Ugh. I don’t think he was trying to pull my heart strings but that just made me worry all over again that I’m shortchanging the kid. I never had a birthday party growing up and it didn’t ruin my life. I was that odd Barrymore kid, the one with the strange name for a girl, the one that didn’t have a mom. I did have a few friends my age, though not really until after I moved in with Lawrence and Penny. At some point I am going to have to address this issue with something other than angst and worry.
Since we picnic’d at Hermits Point, I decided to have a special dinner. I made reservations at the Fred Harvey Burger. No, I wasn’t being a cheapskate, it was just the only one of the restaurants that I could guarantee Benny some decent gluten-free options. We both wound up getting the Chicken Monterey with black beans. We also shared an order of guacamole and gluten-free chips. I was surprised that Benny was able to eat everything, but he did. I bought him the adult plate because he was “starving” and frankly so was I. I was going to eat his leftovers but there weren’t any. I suspect he is going through another growth spurt which will likely mean I am going to have to shop for clothes for him before too much longer. He’s used up most of the growing room he had in what I bought back in March.
Benny’s birthday surprise was a 4x4 tour. I let someone else do the driving. During the high season these tours are given in a bus but since only four of us had signed up, rather than cancel they put us in a six-seater UTV. That was pretty cool as the driver took us places the buses don’t normally go. It was billed as a sunset interpretive tour, but it seemed like more than that with all the “off-roading” we did on the 1.5-hour ride along the West Rim. The other couple was big into photography with cameras to match, but I got some good shots with my phone and Benny had fun having the GoPro attached to a helmet he wore. I’ve watched some of it and talk about motion-sick inducing. But some of it was actually cool too. I had no idea how close he was to the edge a couple of times. Aunt Gus is thinking of chaining him to her next time.
We took in the sight of the sky “transforming into a vibrant palette of color as the sun dips beyond the earth.” That was a quote from the other guy who has a photography blog. What I have up on mine is nothing in comparison but the lady of the “couple” asked me if I minded that she shared my blog with some of their friends to show that you can travel “uniquely” with kids, and even kids that have special issues like their diet. I didn’t start out to teach anyone anything but if I’ve helped people along the way, then it is all good.
As soon as we got back to camp Benny headed to bed early. I’ll follow him now that I’ve gotten my adulting work finished. And I’m thankful that with full hook ups we could shower as long as needed. Both Benny and I were dusty from head to toe. Tomorrow we are getting up early for the Bright Angel Trail. Pei says she wants some extra pictures “pretty please with a cherry on top” for Taylor who is just about to drive her bug crap crazy to know where all I’m going. I told her if it gets too crazy to tell Taylor she can email me directly.
“Nope. ‘Cause I wanna know before her. So there,” she said in a text that included an emogi of her sticking her tongue out. It’s really nice to have her back in my life, even if it is long distance.
Benny’s birthday. Whoop, whoop, whoop. Breakfast was his favorite. A cheese and bacon omelet with a side order of pancakes and syrup.
“I can have both?!”
I laughed. “Eh … it’s your birthday so I figure something special is due. Plus, you need to fuel up. We have a super hike planned and … a surprise for tonight.”
“What is it?!”
“Now if I told you, it wouldn’t be a surprise now would it?”
We spent the day on the Rim Trail hike (13 miles). I’d already read all the warnings that there was NO water along trail so in addition to the birthday snacks I had packed in my backpack, I put our regular canteens and four frozen liter water bottles in the bike’s saddle bags. I also put copious amounts of sunscreen on both of us. There was water in Grand Canyon Village area and at Hermits Rest but better safe than sorry even if it did make the pack and bike heavy at the beginning of the day.
The Rim Trail stretches from the South Kaibab Trailhead west to Hermits Rest, a distance of approximately thirteen miles, and most of the trail is paved. Between Pipe Creek Vista and Bright Angel Lodge there are a few short sections of the trail that aren’t accessible (as in accessible to physical challenges and appliances, i.e. wheelchairs and manual scooters) and people that need accessibility either stay on the shuttle or use the shuttle to go around. West of Bright Angel Lodge the Rim Trail narrows and climbs the Bright Angel Fault to viewpoints along Hermit Road. Between Powell Point and Monument Creek Vista the trail is a three-foot-wide dirt trail. The section of the Rim Trail between Monument Creek Vista and Hermits Rest is also known as the Hermit Road Greenway Trail. I downloaded the shuttle schedule in case we needed it.
The majority of the trail is almost entirely flat, featuring a variety of both dirt and paved trails. Notably, the first leg of the hike had the steepest uphill section. Good thing as that is when most people have the most energy. Though it is short, those wanting to avoid it can simply take the bus to the first stop and continue on their way. Not Benny and I, no sir, we were determined to do it all and take no shortcuts. This was Benny’s birthday and he was going to earn that hiking medallion and that’s a fact, or so he told me nearly the entire way. He was psyched.
The first section of the trail also gave us views of the Bright Angel Trail leading down towards Phantom Ranch. Even I was a little gobsmacked but that was for tomorrow. And yes, I mean that literally.
Several points along the trail hug the very edge of the rim of the canyon. These instances occur most frequently in the middle sections of the hike, though there were a few in other places. I kept a good hold of Benny in those sections, but it was so worth it. We were granted full panoramic views of the Grand Canyon, in a couple of places we could even see the raging Colorado River, the whitewater rapids visible just under a mile up! I would have loved to have done a raft trip like that, but Benny is too young according to the regulations. Maybe one day we can come back.
I preferred those sections on the edge compared to the ones where you were suddenly spurted out onto the road. At these points, there are markers making sure the buses and cyclists won’t run you over but it can still happen if people don’t pay attention. Luckily we never had to walk on the road for more than 300-feet, and the mild inconvenience was usually a sign of fantastic views coming up. Benny and I made a game of it, wondering what could be coming.
Throughout the entire South Rim Trail there are numerous trail signs that tell you the distance to the next bus stop, as well as to Hermits Rest. These were great at helping us to plan our rests, and also kept us motivated to keep going in the heat. On the note of heat, we discovered much of the trail is covered by trees and that offer some shade. However, I’m really glad I packed as much water as I did. There is water at Hermits Rest, but none of the trail itself until you return to the Grand Canyon Village.
The final two legs of the hike are paved, though they didn’t offer the best views of the Canyon. They were excellent for accessibility needs and/or for families that had strollers or similar.
Finally we arrived at Hermits Rest, which has amazing views of the Canyon as well as a small snack bar and gift shop. This was also the stop for our birthday picnic and I surprised him with a blue slushie from the snack bar for his dessert. I coulda won a World’s Best Aunt for that one stunt alone. LOL.
“Aunt Gus!”
“Surprise!” I laughed. “Now close your mouth around this before it melts.”
“We haven’t even had lunch yet,” he said right before taking a huge slurp.
“If you can’t have dessert first on your birthday, when can you?”
He laughed and I could already see his tongue was turning as blue as the slushie.
Whew, even though it was only in the 70s … I think it topped out at 76F … we drank a lot of water. Benny only weighs 45 pounds, but I swear he felt like a chunk of lead today. I asked him if he’d been eating rocks to weigh us down and he thought it was hilarious. Of course, I found out he’d snuck all the stuffies and plastic animals into his pack to take pictures with so I’m thinking that was part of the weight. When he did it I don’t know, but I warned him that it was okay this time, but on some trails it wouldn’t be, that he’d need to keep it to two.
“I just wanted to share my birthday with everyone at the same time.”
Ugh. I don’t think he was trying to pull my heart strings but that just made me worry all over again that I’m shortchanging the kid. I never had a birthday party growing up and it didn’t ruin my life. I was that odd Barrymore kid, the one with the strange name for a girl, the one that didn’t have a mom. I did have a few friends my age, though not really until after I moved in with Lawrence and Penny. At some point I am going to have to address this issue with something other than angst and worry.
Since we picnic’d at Hermits Point, I decided to have a special dinner. I made reservations at the Fred Harvey Burger. No, I wasn’t being a cheapskate, it was just the only one of the restaurants that I could guarantee Benny some decent gluten-free options. We both wound up getting the Chicken Monterey with black beans. We also shared an order of guacamole and gluten-free chips. I was surprised that Benny was able to eat everything, but he did. I bought him the adult plate because he was “starving” and frankly so was I. I was going to eat his leftovers but there weren’t any. I suspect he is going through another growth spurt which will likely mean I am going to have to shop for clothes for him before too much longer. He’s used up most of the growing room he had in what I bought back in March.
Benny’s birthday surprise was a 4x4 tour. I let someone else do the driving. During the high season these tours are given in a bus but since only four of us had signed up, rather than cancel they put us in a six-seater UTV. That was pretty cool as the driver took us places the buses don’t normally go. It was billed as a sunset interpretive tour, but it seemed like more than that with all the “off-roading” we did on the 1.5-hour ride along the West Rim. The other couple was big into photography with cameras to match, but I got some good shots with my phone and Benny had fun having the GoPro attached to a helmet he wore. I’ve watched some of it and talk about motion-sick inducing. But some of it was actually cool too. I had no idea how close he was to the edge a couple of times. Aunt Gus is thinking of chaining him to her next time.
We took in the sight of the sky “transforming into a vibrant palette of color as the sun dips beyond the earth.” That was a quote from the other guy who has a photography blog. What I have up on mine is nothing in comparison but the lady of the “couple” asked me if I minded that she shared my blog with some of their friends to show that you can travel “uniquely” with kids, and even kids that have special issues like their diet. I didn’t start out to teach anyone anything but if I’ve helped people along the way, then it is all good.
As soon as we got back to camp Benny headed to bed early. I’ll follow him now that I’ve gotten my adulting work finished. And I’m thankful that with full hook ups we could shower as long as needed. Both Benny and I were dusty from head to toe. Tomorrow we are getting up early for the Bright Angel Trail. Pei says she wants some extra pictures “pretty please with a cherry on top” for Taylor who is just about to drive her bug crap crazy to know where all I’m going. I told her if it gets too crazy to tell Taylor she can email me directly.
“Nope. ‘Cause I wanna know before her. So there,” she said in a text that included an emogi of her sticking her tongue out. It’s really nice to have her back in my life, even if it is long distance.
Sep 24th – Bright Angel Trail
The Bright Angel Trail has been in use for thousands of years, first by the Havasupai people and I doubt they called it that. It was given its current name by Ralph Henry Cameron in 1901. He built a hotel at the trailhead, extended the trail all the way down to the Colorado River, and charged $1 (more than $35 in today’s money) to use the trail. In 1928, the Bright Angel Trail became part of the national park. Today, it is the most popular of the Grand Canyon hikes below the rim.
I’ve been preparing for this trip since Dad and I dreamed about doing it together. I sure hope Dad was watching and getting a kick out of it. Or that Heaven has even better trails for him. Geez, enough of that. I guess Benny turning six has triggered some of my emotions more than I thought. The hamster will not control me, but its not like it ever gives up a chance to screw with me.
Benny and I didn’t take full pack. We just took our camelbaks and Nalgene bottles. Why? Because there are water stations at various points on the trail. I did have a fanny pack full of GORP. We wore lightweight, long-sleeved, ventilated shirts with tanktops underneath. Mine also happened to be tan-through. I had a neck pouch to put my keys, ID, and wallet in. It also held my phone which doubled as my camera. We took our collapsible walking sticks that easily strapped to our belts when they weren’t needed. And our hiking boots with proper socks were on our feet. We each had a wide brimmed hat that tied under our chins. And last but not least, I had a micro-small first aid kit that fit on my belt as well beside my folding knife. At 5:45 am we put the first step onto the trail.
There are four major series of switchbacks on the Bright Angel Trail – three of them in the top half, above Indian Garden. The Bright Angel Trailhead is just west of Bright Angel Lodge. We followed the path along rim and saw the trailhead near the mule corral. (Trailhead elevation: 6,850 feet.)
There were incredible views along the entire trail, and we stopped often to take photos, and short breaks, so we wouldn’t get too out of breath. There are a few places on the trail where it isn’t a good idea to stop. Or should I say it is poor trail manners because it causes backups.
The first thing of note was a tunnel, just 0.18 miles from the trail head. This part of the trail is not steep and if you just want to get feel for what it’s like to be in the canyon below the rim, then this is a good fairly easy walk. 1st Tunnel elevation: 6,708 feet. The path starts to get steep around 0.45 miles into the hike. It is where most people turn around that only want to be able to say they were on the Bright Angel. Elevation: 6,560 feet.
There is a second tunnel 0.75 miles into the hike. Second tunnel elevation: 6,240 feet.
The first switchback is after the second tunnel. The next point of interest, 1.5 miles into the hike, is called the Resthouse. There is usually water (and yes, there was this time as well. There are also restrooms and an emergency phone here. This is considered a good turn-a-round for casual hikers or if you got a late-start. 1.5 Mile Resthouse elevation: 5,729 feet.
The switchbacks continue almost immediately – this is the second of the four major switchbacks. There is a sign at the 2-mile. The trail gets even steeper after that. Then at the 3-mile mark, is the 3-Mile Resthouse. There is water and an emergency phone, but no restrooms. Many people turn around here. 3-Mile Resthouse elevation: 4,748 feet.
The third series of switchbacks is between 3-Mile Resthouse and Indian Garden. Take it slow.
Indian Garden is the half-way point on the trail, 4.5 miles from the start. This is also the point that the national parks service warn day hikers that didn’t start very early in the day not to go past, especially in summer. I evaluated our time and so far so good, we are actually about half hour ahead of schedule and could have gone faster if we had needed to so we were going to continue on.
It is a shady spot that makes a nice respite and place for a picnic lunch. There are picnic tables, water year-round from a natural spring, restrooms and an emergency phone. There is also a campsite here. There are some remains of ancient structures built by Puebloan and Cohoninas native Americans, who had a garden here (hence the name). To be honest, I didn’t see these. Indian Garden elevation: 3,800 feet.
From Indian Garden, a side trail (Plateau Point Trail) goes another almost 2 miles each way. It is possible, though not advised, to do this as a day hike from the south rim IF you are VERY fit, have lots of water and leave very early. I opted out since I had Benny with me. Had I been alone, or at least not with a little kid for a partner, I would likely have tried it. From the start to Plateau Point is 6.4 miles.
Even though we didn’t do this side trail it didn’t mean we didn’t get some education on it from sign-thingies. The region of the canyon here is Granite Gorge, which has the oldest rocks in the Grand Canyon. It is narrow, so the water is fast and the view of the Colorado River and the canyon is, by all accounts, spectacular. There is water available seasonally only and there is no shade. Plateau Point elevation: 3,740 feet.
From Indian Garden down to the Colorado River is another 3.5 miles. This section, the last of the four major switchbacks, is called Old Devil’s Corkscrew, but most of the trail has been rerouted and the switchbacks are not as severe as the original name would have you expect. River Resthouse is the spot where the trail meets the river, and is the official end of the Bright Angel Trail. This is 8 miles from the start of the trail. There is an emergency phone only here. River Resthouse elevation: 2,480 feet.
From this point forward the trail is known as the River Trail but it is really all interchangeable in the guide books I read. Especially since the name Bright Angel is used frequently for landmarks. As an example, the Bright Angel Suspension Bridge (aka Silver Bridge) is 9.2 miles from the Bright Angel Trailhead. It’s a narrow suspension bridge that crosses the Colorado River at an elevation of 2,460 feet.
Next along the River Trail is the Bright Angel Campground (see what I mean?), at 9.5 miles from the start. And finally we arrived at Phantom Ranch where there were cabins, a basic restaurant, and shop. The total length from the trailhead at the top to Phantom Ranch is 9.9 miles. To get there we’d dropped 4,390 feet.
Benny was so excited to do the Phantom Rattler Junior Ranger activities I warned him he needed to slow down, or he wouldn’t have the energy to hike out and I was not carrying his lead-filled body since he insisted on growing so much lately. He got a kick out of that, but I still had to slow him down a couple of times. This particular junior ranger badge can’t be earned by just anyone. The only way is to hike or ride a mule to Phantom Ranch. When Benny had completed the activities in the booklet, we took it to the Phantom Ranch Ranger Station and he got to do the pledge and all that once again and got a badge, a certificate, and a free patch. Tomorrow I plan on getting him a medallion to go on his walking staff.
Funny fact: Did you know that the Grand Canyon Pink Rattlesnake (Crotalus oreganus abyssus) is found only in the Grand Canyon? It is one of the things we learned on the 1.5-mile trail around the ranch we had to take to complete the junior ranger activities. The pink rattlesnake appears on the patch Benny earned. But honestly? All I could think about was this stupid comedy show that Dad never seemed to tire of by this guy named Bill Engvall when he is telling about taking his son on some kind of scout outing in the Grand Canyon and the Guide is telling them about that pink rattlesnake (hith, hith). I suppose it is one of those things you had to hear to understand but geez, the memories. The hamster is making sure they won’t leave me alone lately.
Now here is a real surprise. Just for the heck of it I put our names into the lottery for riding the few unclaimed burros back up to the top from where riders down to Phantom Ranch were staying there. Benny is taller than your average six-year-old boy at 50” and barely qualified. If they hadn’t changed the qualifications just last year, he wouldn’t have qualified at all (it used to be 57” and at least nine years of age). I figured what the heck, no biggie and put our names in the hat without Benny knowing. Oh … my … gosh, we won two of the burros … well I mean we won rides on the burros.
Benny had to wear a helmet which didn’t thrill him but thems were the rules and he got over it quickly when he met “his” burro. The burro Benny rode was named Bud and adored him right off the bat, probably because he didn’t saw at his mouth and talked to him like he was a people and not just a mount. My mount was placid and named Berty. They were brothers and were a matched pair that often worked together. Berty was the older brother and always took the outside of the trail. Glad he was so surefooted. Riding the mules was an unforgettable experience.
How long does it take to hike the Bright Angel Trail? Officially, the average time is 5-6 hours one way. It usually takes longer going up – often as much as double the time it takes to go down. Coming down we kept up a good pace and made it in five hours, even taking breaks at each recommended resthouse. Going up, thanks to the mules, only took four and a half hours and that included several stops for our guide to tell us about what we were seeing and give us photo time. We were really lucky to get to ride the mules. Way back in 2011 they changed the stock rules and less that twenty mules/burros are allowed on the trail each day.
We started our hike right before sunrise at 5:45 am. Full sunrise was closer to 6:15 am but there was enough light that we could see where to put our feet. I would have liked to have started earlier but a ranger didn’t recommend it due to safety issues. The five hours it took us to get down put us at the bottom just in time for the hottest part of the day and for a healthy picnic lunch. Coming back up we were in time for a later than normal dinner.
This was a strenuous trail. As the national park signs say, “Going down is optional; going up is not.” Benny crashed and burned as soon as dinner was over. He didn’t even unpack the Crew and I told him that it wasn’t going to hurt a thing for them to wait to hear about his day of adventure. I had him take a children’s Tylenol and he barely got the swallow finished before he was asleep. I’m glad I had him take a shower while I fixed our food, or I doubt he would have had one until in the morning.
I think I pushed him too far today. He was ready and raring to go. He had fun. But I still think I may have pushed him too hard. Bad Aunt Gus. And I’m not saying that to sound funny. I was going to hit the hay early myself until that thought reached my frontal lobe. Now I’m just sitting here watching him. I’ll …
The Bright Angel Trail has been in use for thousands of years, first by the Havasupai people and I doubt they called it that. It was given its current name by Ralph Henry Cameron in 1901. He built a hotel at the trailhead, extended the trail all the way down to the Colorado River, and charged $1 (more than $35 in today’s money) to use the trail. In 1928, the Bright Angel Trail became part of the national park. Today, it is the most popular of the Grand Canyon hikes below the rim.
I’ve been preparing for this trip since Dad and I dreamed about doing it together. I sure hope Dad was watching and getting a kick out of it. Or that Heaven has even better trails for him. Geez, enough of that. I guess Benny turning six has triggered some of my emotions more than I thought. The hamster will not control me, but its not like it ever gives up a chance to screw with me.
Benny and I didn’t take full pack. We just took our camelbaks and Nalgene bottles. Why? Because there are water stations at various points on the trail. I did have a fanny pack full of GORP. We wore lightweight, long-sleeved, ventilated shirts with tanktops underneath. Mine also happened to be tan-through. I had a neck pouch to put my keys, ID, and wallet in. It also held my phone which doubled as my camera. We took our collapsible walking sticks that easily strapped to our belts when they weren’t needed. And our hiking boots with proper socks were on our feet. We each had a wide brimmed hat that tied under our chins. And last but not least, I had a micro-small first aid kit that fit on my belt as well beside my folding knife. At 5:45 am we put the first step onto the trail.
There are four major series of switchbacks on the Bright Angel Trail – three of them in the top half, above Indian Garden. The Bright Angel Trailhead is just west of Bright Angel Lodge. We followed the path along rim and saw the trailhead near the mule corral. (Trailhead elevation: 6,850 feet.)
There were incredible views along the entire trail, and we stopped often to take photos, and short breaks, so we wouldn’t get too out of breath. There are a few places on the trail where it isn’t a good idea to stop. Or should I say it is poor trail manners because it causes backups.
The first thing of note was a tunnel, just 0.18 miles from the trail head. This part of the trail is not steep and if you just want to get feel for what it’s like to be in the canyon below the rim, then this is a good fairly easy walk. 1st Tunnel elevation: 6,708 feet. The path starts to get steep around 0.45 miles into the hike. It is where most people turn around that only want to be able to say they were on the Bright Angel. Elevation: 6,560 feet.
There is a second tunnel 0.75 miles into the hike. Second tunnel elevation: 6,240 feet.
The first switchback is after the second tunnel. The next point of interest, 1.5 miles into the hike, is called the Resthouse. There is usually water (and yes, there was this time as well. There are also restrooms and an emergency phone here. This is considered a good turn-a-round for casual hikers or if you got a late-start. 1.5 Mile Resthouse elevation: 5,729 feet.
The switchbacks continue almost immediately – this is the second of the four major switchbacks. There is a sign at the 2-mile. The trail gets even steeper after that. Then at the 3-mile mark, is the 3-Mile Resthouse. There is water and an emergency phone, but no restrooms. Many people turn around here. 3-Mile Resthouse elevation: 4,748 feet.
The third series of switchbacks is between 3-Mile Resthouse and Indian Garden. Take it slow.
Indian Garden is the half-way point on the trail, 4.5 miles from the start. This is also the point that the national parks service warn day hikers that didn’t start very early in the day not to go past, especially in summer. I evaluated our time and so far so good, we are actually about half hour ahead of schedule and could have gone faster if we had needed to so we were going to continue on.
It is a shady spot that makes a nice respite and place for a picnic lunch. There are picnic tables, water year-round from a natural spring, restrooms and an emergency phone. There is also a campsite here. There are some remains of ancient structures built by Puebloan and Cohoninas native Americans, who had a garden here (hence the name). To be honest, I didn’t see these. Indian Garden elevation: 3,800 feet.
From Indian Garden, a side trail (Plateau Point Trail) goes another almost 2 miles each way. It is possible, though not advised, to do this as a day hike from the south rim IF you are VERY fit, have lots of water and leave very early. I opted out since I had Benny with me. Had I been alone, or at least not with a little kid for a partner, I would likely have tried it. From the start to Plateau Point is 6.4 miles.
Even though we didn’t do this side trail it didn’t mean we didn’t get some education on it from sign-thingies. The region of the canyon here is Granite Gorge, which has the oldest rocks in the Grand Canyon. It is narrow, so the water is fast and the view of the Colorado River and the canyon is, by all accounts, spectacular. There is water available seasonally only and there is no shade. Plateau Point elevation: 3,740 feet.
From Indian Garden down to the Colorado River is another 3.5 miles. This section, the last of the four major switchbacks, is called Old Devil’s Corkscrew, but most of the trail has been rerouted and the switchbacks are not as severe as the original name would have you expect. River Resthouse is the spot where the trail meets the river, and is the official end of the Bright Angel Trail. This is 8 miles from the start of the trail. There is an emergency phone only here. River Resthouse elevation: 2,480 feet.
From this point forward the trail is known as the River Trail but it is really all interchangeable in the guide books I read. Especially since the name Bright Angel is used frequently for landmarks. As an example, the Bright Angel Suspension Bridge (aka Silver Bridge) is 9.2 miles from the Bright Angel Trailhead. It’s a narrow suspension bridge that crosses the Colorado River at an elevation of 2,460 feet.
Next along the River Trail is the Bright Angel Campground (see what I mean?), at 9.5 miles from the start. And finally we arrived at Phantom Ranch where there were cabins, a basic restaurant, and shop. The total length from the trailhead at the top to Phantom Ranch is 9.9 miles. To get there we’d dropped 4,390 feet.
Benny was so excited to do the Phantom Rattler Junior Ranger activities I warned him he needed to slow down, or he wouldn’t have the energy to hike out and I was not carrying his lead-filled body since he insisted on growing so much lately. He got a kick out of that, but I still had to slow him down a couple of times. This particular junior ranger badge can’t be earned by just anyone. The only way is to hike or ride a mule to Phantom Ranch. When Benny had completed the activities in the booklet, we took it to the Phantom Ranch Ranger Station and he got to do the pledge and all that once again and got a badge, a certificate, and a free patch. Tomorrow I plan on getting him a medallion to go on his walking staff.
Funny fact: Did you know that the Grand Canyon Pink Rattlesnake (Crotalus oreganus abyssus) is found only in the Grand Canyon? It is one of the things we learned on the 1.5-mile trail around the ranch we had to take to complete the junior ranger activities. The pink rattlesnake appears on the patch Benny earned. But honestly? All I could think about was this stupid comedy show that Dad never seemed to tire of by this guy named Bill Engvall when he is telling about taking his son on some kind of scout outing in the Grand Canyon and the Guide is telling them about that pink rattlesnake (hith, hith). I suppose it is one of those things you had to hear to understand but geez, the memories. The hamster is making sure they won’t leave me alone lately.
Now here is a real surprise. Just for the heck of it I put our names into the lottery for riding the few unclaimed burros back up to the top from where riders down to Phantom Ranch were staying there. Benny is taller than your average six-year-old boy at 50” and barely qualified. If they hadn’t changed the qualifications just last year, he wouldn’t have qualified at all (it used to be 57” and at least nine years of age). I figured what the heck, no biggie and put our names in the hat without Benny knowing. Oh … my … gosh, we won two of the burros … well I mean we won rides on the burros.
Benny had to wear a helmet which didn’t thrill him but thems were the rules and he got over it quickly when he met “his” burro. The burro Benny rode was named Bud and adored him right off the bat, probably because he didn’t saw at his mouth and talked to him like he was a people and not just a mount. My mount was placid and named Berty. They were brothers and were a matched pair that often worked together. Berty was the older brother and always took the outside of the trail. Glad he was so surefooted. Riding the mules was an unforgettable experience.
How long does it take to hike the Bright Angel Trail? Officially, the average time is 5-6 hours one way. It usually takes longer going up – often as much as double the time it takes to go down. Coming down we kept up a good pace and made it in five hours, even taking breaks at each recommended resthouse. Going up, thanks to the mules, only took four and a half hours and that included several stops for our guide to tell us about what we were seeing and give us photo time. We were really lucky to get to ride the mules. Way back in 2011 they changed the stock rules and less that twenty mules/burros are allowed on the trail each day.
We started our hike right before sunrise at 5:45 am. Full sunrise was closer to 6:15 am but there was enough light that we could see where to put our feet. I would have liked to have started earlier but a ranger didn’t recommend it due to safety issues. The five hours it took us to get down put us at the bottom just in time for the hottest part of the day and for a healthy picnic lunch. Coming back up we were in time for a later than normal dinner.
This was a strenuous trail. As the national park signs say, “Going down is optional; going up is not.” Benny crashed and burned as soon as dinner was over. He didn’t even unpack the Crew and I told him that it wasn’t going to hurt a thing for them to wait to hear about his day of adventure. I had him take a children’s Tylenol and he barely got the swallow finished before he was asleep. I’m glad I had him take a shower while I fixed our food, or I doubt he would have had one until in the morning.
I think I pushed him too far today. He was ready and raring to go. He had fun. But I still think I may have pushed him too hard. Bad Aunt Gus. And I’m not saying that to sound funny. I was going to hit the hay early myself until that thought reached my frontal lobe. Now I’m just sitting here watching him. I’ll …
sssarawolf
Has No Life - Lives on TB
Good morning to you to. Thank you.
Sep 25th – Biking the Rim
Oh my gosh, my bumper is sore. And I had to clean slobber off my keyboard this morning. I fell asleep mid-typing. I woke up at some point, don’t really remember it, and remember crawling up into the loft to go to bed even less. Benny doesn’t seem to have suffered any ill effects from the strenuous hike. But between the burros yesterday and the bike today I might have over done it. Benny the Stinker Bear laughed and laughed. Grrrr. LOL. He’s moving a little gintle himself so his laughing is all in fun.
Our feet needed rest … and I thought I was giving our backsides a rest too after the burros. We biked the rim again. I’m honestly tired and won’t write much tonight. In addition to the 12+ miles of hiking yesterday on strenuous trails and the 10-mile ride on the burros, we did nearly twenty miles of biking today. Add in the hiking and biking we did the two days previous to that. Yawn! As in I’m tired, not bored.
Benny said it was his best birthday ever, like it was days of birthday not just a single day, so it is all worth it. He goes to sleep watching the pictures I uploaded to his digital frame and holding the ranger truck. I think I did good even if I did have us stretching our abilities a few times. The memories we will have will last a lifetime. At least I know they will for me. And tomorrow we move to the North Rim so I don’t think it is going to hurt us to get a little extra sleep. And quite honestly I just don’t feel like any adulting right now. I don’t want to trigger the hamster who keeps trying to push me to think about it only being a month before everything is over.
Okay, not everything but certainly this part of our lives. I know I need to figure things out but … right now I just can’t. I’m going to do like that chick did in that old movie Gone With The Wind; I’m going to think about it tomorrow.
Oh my gosh, my bumper is sore. And I had to clean slobber off my keyboard this morning. I fell asleep mid-typing. I woke up at some point, don’t really remember it, and remember crawling up into the loft to go to bed even less. Benny doesn’t seem to have suffered any ill effects from the strenuous hike. But between the burros yesterday and the bike today I might have over done it. Benny the Stinker Bear laughed and laughed. Grrrr. LOL. He’s moving a little gintle himself so his laughing is all in fun.
Our feet needed rest … and I thought I was giving our backsides a rest too after the burros. We biked the rim again. I’m honestly tired and won’t write much tonight. In addition to the 12+ miles of hiking yesterday on strenuous trails and the 10-mile ride on the burros, we did nearly twenty miles of biking today. Add in the hiking and biking we did the two days previous to that. Yawn! As in I’m tired, not bored.
Benny said it was his best birthday ever, like it was days of birthday not just a single day, so it is all worth it. He goes to sleep watching the pictures I uploaded to his digital frame and holding the ranger truck. I think I did good even if I did have us stretching our abilities a few times. The memories we will have will last a lifetime. At least I know they will for me. And tomorrow we move to the North Rim so I don’t think it is going to hurt us to get a little extra sleep. And quite honestly I just don’t feel like any adulting right now. I don’t want to trigger the hamster who keeps trying to push me to think about it only being a month before everything is over.
Okay, not everything but certainly this part of our lives. I know I need to figure things out but … right now I just can’t. I’m going to do like that chick did in that old movie Gone With The Wind; I’m going to think about it tomorrow.
sssarawolf
Has No Life - Lives on TB
Thank you.
beaglemama
Contributing Member
Thank you for all the new chapters, Kathy!
Every park is awful these days. The French were particularly awful when we explored the Cali parks. It was almost a hilarious riot in Redwoods. The kids were particularly nutty.
In Alaska and Hawaii it were the Asians. They did not understand personal space at all.
Sep 26th – The North Rim
Driving Route:
Moved to the North Rim campsite today. Boy is it quiet over here. Because of its 8,000 ft elevation and likelihood of early snowfall, most visitor services on the North Rim are only available during a short season that usually lasts from May 15 through October 15 of each year. I can tell they are already packing up some even though they have another three weeks until shut down. The way I understand it, only ten percent of travelers to the South Rim make it over to visit the North Rim. Or maybe that should be ten percent of the number of visitors. We met several people today that weren’t going to the South Rim at all.
The North Rim is so different from the South, though “different” isn’t really the term I’m looking for, that we found out it even has its own Junior Ranger program, completely separate and different from the South Rim. Benny pushed to finish it all today and he managed to pull it off including attending the ranger-led show at the amphitheater tonight where he turned everything in. Gotta say, that boy is something else. I told him it was okay if he didn’t get this one done but nope, he wasn’t having any of that. He wanted that badge and by golly that is what he did and without my help except on a couple of “big words.”
Benny is learning to manage his dyslexia really well. I think it is because he has such a good memory. I usually only have to tell him what a word is once, and it goes in his mental databank as a picture rather than as a phonetic listing. Personally I hate phonetics, though I’ve mastered using them though it wasn’t the easiest thing I’ve ever done and it can still be challenging. Hopefully one day Benny can as well, especially if he wants advanced academic training in something. But I bet if he got tested right now, he’d score higher than average on vocabulary. His writing wouldn’t be worth a flip, he still reverses letters and sometimes turns them on their heads, but he can read above average for his age. Another thing, don’t ask him to “write” a word, you ask him to “draw” the word. If I have to put him in public school, I’m sure it will drive his teachers crazy. I don’t even want to think about what it might do to him.
The North Rim is located on the "Utah" side of the Canyon. The nearest towns to the park's North Rim village are Fredonia, Arizona, and Kanab, Utah. There is no airport or rail service to the park; that means that the North Rim village can only be reached by road. Because the North Rim has a shorter season, Campground Reservations can be hard to get unless you plan as far in advance as I did.
The activities for the North Rim are similar to the South Rim. Similar, but not exact. First there was the North Rim Scenic Drive. Unlike the South Rim where you are restricted from using a car, the North Rim you don’t have any choice since there is no shuttle bus. The South Rim is also busy as all get out nearly all year long. The remoteness and quiet of the North Rim can be appreciated on the Scenic drive without an excess of people to deal with. Along the route, there are pull-outs and viewpoints to see Point Imperial and Cape Royal. The drive usually takes a half a day if you do all the short walks and photo opportunities. Point Imperial is approximately 11 miles or 20 minutes from the visitor center and Cape Royal is 23 miles or 45 minutes. There is a second, unpaved road that leads to Point Sublime, about 20 miles west of the visitor center but we didn’t do that part as I had heard that even rugged 4x4’s sometimes find it a challenge. No need to take the risk since we didn’t have to.
The North Rim, just like the South, has a visitor center but it isn’t as grand (pardon the pun) or as packed with exhibits. The North Rim Visitor Center is located next to the parking lot for Grand Canyon Lodge and has park information, maps, exhibits, ranger programs as well as a bookstore. It was a good place to start.
The North Rim even has its own Lodge, but again, not as packed with people or services. The lodge was built in 1927 using local stone and timber to blend into its surroundings. Repairs from a destructive fire brought renovations in the late 1930’s but the reconstruction strengthened the lodge and cabins to withstand the harsh winters of the North Rim.
The hiking we did along the North Rim Scenic Road was great though it was even drier than the South Rim. Some of the trails we did are named but most were just viewpoints. Here are a couple we did:
Bright Angel Point Trail is a paved trail perfect for a quick, easy hike but it provided stunning scenery. Starting at the log cabin next to the Visitor Center parking lot, the paved trail leads to Bright Angel Point in less than a mile round trip. Because the North Rim is about 1,000 ft higher than the South Rim, this view looking down to the South Rim is one of the most popular for photographers.
Cape Royal Trail was an easy trail with fantastic views. The trail started at the end of the paved Cape Royal Road and is another one that is less than a mile round trip. Although the magnificent vista can be seen from the car, the short walk to the rim was much better.
At the visitor center we found out about a little-known hiking trail. It is called Cape Final Trail. We added it to our list and I’m very glad we did. It was close to Cape Royal, and the parking was located at the same place as well. It was four miles roundtrip but what the heck, crowds were non-existent that could have slowed us down. The trail winds around through the forest away from the rim for a bit until emerging at a magnificent viewpoint. Cape Final Trail is considered an easy trail for hikers, you just need to wear a hat (tied under your chin due to wind) and bring enough water to hydrate with.
Well-before we won the “lottery” for the burros up the Bright Angel Trail, I had reserved a mule ride on the North Rim; another surprise for Benny’s Birthday week. I knew the drive time was going to be a problem so wouldn’t be able to do the first thing in the morning time. I had picked the last one of the day that started at 12:30. We were just able to get there on time after doing the North Rim drive and some morning hiking.
The itinerary was a three-hour mule ride to Uncle Jim’s Point near the Ken Patrick Trail, a trail there was no way we could do if we wanted to do anything else today. As at Phantom Ranch, I had to get a special waiver so that Benny could go due to his age, but I’d called ahead and made all the arrangements. Being “Aunt Gus and Little Bear” helped with this but like with the burros Benny had to wear a riding helmet. I tied a bandana around his neck to keep the sun off of him as he was still a little pink in that area from the previous ride and then our day of biking. This time, knowing what a treat it was, he didn’t scoff at the helmet at all and stood patiently while it was fitted properly.
The place we were heading to was named after 'Uncle Jim' (James T Owen), a game reserve warden who lived on the North Rim of the Grand Canyon for over ten years at the start of the last century. He is credited, among other things, with killing over 500 mountain lions in a (misguided) attempt to protect the local population of mule deer. Uncle Jim Point, the viewpoint commemorating Uncle Jim, is reached by a 5-mile loop trail of the same name.
The trailhead is at the far side of the carpark, next to the staging area for the mules that take guests down both the North Kaibab and Uncle Jim trails; this is also the start point for the Ken Patrick and Old Kaibab routes. An NPS information board by the start of the path had detailed maps of the area, plus various other notices. This time our mules were named Matt and Festus. Not too many people caught the references, but Dad had loved the old Gunsmoke television show so when I laughed I had to explain.
Benny road “Matt” and I road “Festus” who turned out to be a little girl shy. Go figure. I never thought mules could be shy, much less girl shy.
“Hey, Festus was my favorite character. Do him proud.”
People laughed at me for talking to the mules but either he liked my voice, or he wasn’t as “shy” as his handlers thought he was because that turned the trick, and he was a steady stead after that.
Uncle Jim Trail began by climbing gently into some tall trees and then running quite close to the rim and offering partial views down Roaring Springs Canyon. Wahoo. I knew we weren’t as close to the rim as we had been on the burros but the mules were taller and it felt like we were closer. After about a mile we turned more to the north and entered deeper forest that was a mix of aspen, fir, spruce and ponderosa pine. Our guides pointed out old damage from some wildfires that had done a lot of damage to the North Rim but the forest had come back.
The path crossed a small stream, climbs the far side then levels out, soon reaching a junction. The Ken Patrick Trail leads straight on - a much less used path (and no mules allowed) - while the Uncle Jim Trail continues to the right, descending quite steeply into a cool, moist area that holds melting snow well into June. After a short but equally steep climb up the far side, the trail divides again at the start of the loop section. Both branches reach the viewpoint after less than a mile; the left part is more level and passes close to the edge of the plateau, while the right part offers no canyon views and has a few short climbs and descents. The 5 mile round trip to this point can be done in as little as 90 minutes owing to the gentle gradients and shady conditions, though the NPS give 3 hours as the suggested time.
At the end of the loop trail (marked by a mule tethering frame), a fainter, hiker-made path leads down the exposed hillside a little way, until the bushy vegetation fades away and the canyon ahead is in full view. This is not the main Grand Canyon, however, just the upper few miles of the Bright Angel tributary. A short section of the South Rim is visible in the distance, but most of the Colorado gorge is hidden, behind the Walhalla Plateau in the east and Bright Angel Point in the west. Uncle Jim Point also overlooks the first few miles of the North Kaibab Trail, switchbacking several thousand feet down Roaring Springs Canyon.
After the mules we headed to camp where we did the Transept Trail. The Transept Trailhead is located at the campground and winds down along the rim to the Lodge. At the Lodge, many hikers continue on the Bright Angel Point Trail, but not us as we were limited on time. We kept to the easy trail of 3miles round trip.
The North Rim campground was half-price with our access pass. I could stand that any night of the week. I was really surprised at how empty the campsites were but then again only 10% of all visitors to the park visit the North Rim and an even smaller portion of them camp. Add to that this is late in the season for this side. Didn’t see any kids at all while we were here, not even any babies. Camping is also a little primitive. There are no hook ups but we don’t need them for only a night. There is no cellphone reception at the North Rim even with the cell booster but again, that’s not a hardship for the limited time we are here. The campstore was pretty extensive as such locations go and the prices reflected the store’s remote location but to be honest I didn’t consider it price gouging, just you pay for forgetting to bring it with you, running out at an inconvenient time, or something breaking. Such is life.
Tomorrow we start heading east in a more serious way. I said that I was going to think about things tomorrow, well tomorrow is here. And so is news that given the track of storms currently on radar, the spaghetti forecasts all have the hitting Florida; maybe not as a hurricane but Tropical Storms and Depressions can pack their own wallop. I have completely discounted moving back to Florida but it will make it challenging. And I’m more inclined to North Florida than I am South but that could mean complications. How close, or not, to I live towards Groucho. How close, or not, do I get to Uncle Daniel or my friends still in Jacksonville. In some respect it might be good to move some place completely new, but Benny needs a social support network in case something happens to me. I need to as well so it is less likely that something will happen to me.
All of the above is predicated on me getting a job and thus far I’m not having any luck. The age thing aside – which I can’t do anything about – Pei is right, it might just be better to go back to school and at least get a degree in something. Being an EMT or some type of first responder is high on the list … but then there is Benny. Even assuming I can get a grant or loan, and take all my classes online, this will eventually be the issue of being unable to have him with me 24/7 as I have had him most of his life. This would be easier if I had a partner. I think that is the way Lawrence envisioned things being … me being a partner to Penny. Yeah, that worked out. And I’m not going to be with someone just for Benny’s sake. I love the kid but not even for him could I arrange the rest of my life in that way. People might have done that in the old days, but I just don’t see it happening these days, at least not for a me type of person. If I was looking, and I’m not, I would want a partner. A friend. Someone I couldn’t walk all over, someone I could count on and trust Benny with, and someone that didn’t need me to be the boss all the time because he has mommy issues … *cough* Christopher *cough*. Like Grandma Barry and Meemo sometimes said, “If you have to put a leash on them because they won’t behave otherwise, they are too much trouble to be worth anything.”
I’ve edited my resume into a couple of different formats and content. I can’t post them anywhere right now due to lack of connection but at least I got that work accomplished. Yuck. I had to run the blasted things through spell-checker and grammar-checker more than I should have. I also finished the thesis for a couple of college applications. Again, I can’t post them tonight but at least the work is finished. The last thing I did was probably the most constructive and necessary. I ran the budget numbers. On the one hand, things aren’t as bad as they could be. On the other hand, we ain’t the Rockefellers or Carnegies. We aren’t the Musks or the Gates either though the Gates aren’t nearly as rich as they once were after most of it was syphoned into their woopty-doo Foundation for tax reasons and to save the legacy from being sued into oblivion when the ex-wife took it over completely after the old dude named Bill croaked and a lot of crap came out about his personal life. Maybe that’s why the Creator decreed I’m not rich … the drama and crap like that. Fine by me. Just help me make sure there is enough to take care of Benny and I’ll be all kinds of appreciative. And, in memory of the people who raised me, I don’t mean that in any blasphemous way.
Just for general purposes I have six months of expenses (including rent) for after the end of the Aunt Gus and Little Bear Big Adventure. I might be able to wring that into another month or two if I can keep the blog up and bringing in income and we are as frugal as possible. I’ve been thinking of ways to do that even if it is just how to live out of the van and that sort of thing. But then again, maybe not. Fuel is definitely going to be an issue if I have to keep driving around. If I can park the van in a RV lot or similar, I might trade manual labor for a moped or small, two-seater EV. Not my first choice but I have Benny to think of. Might have to do that anyway if fuel gets as expensive back East as it here in the West.
An idea I am playing with is seeing if an apartment complex or similar would trade me a one- or two-bedroom unit for being an on-site handyman or maintenance tech. I’d even do landscaping and the like if it is a small complex with limited grounds. They’d have to get over me being female but I could get a letter of recommendation from Groucho and also try and get one from the apartment complex where we lived right before moving to Key West. I used to help around there all the time to offset the utility expenses. Yeah, maybe that will work.
I’m trying to remain calm and hamster-free but it isn’t easy. At least now I’m positive I have time. Not a lot of time, but at least some time before I have to break into any of Benny’s trust fund. Mine should take care of our normal/daily expenses for a little bit, but even that isn’t a bottomless purse.
Resources:
Grand Canyon Pocket Map: South Rim Services Guide (nps.gov)
https://www.nps.gov/grca/planyourvisit/upload/Phantom-walking.pdf
Day Hike - Rim Trail (nps.gov)
Driving Route:
Moved to the North Rim campsite today. Boy is it quiet over here. Because of its 8,000 ft elevation and likelihood of early snowfall, most visitor services on the North Rim are only available during a short season that usually lasts from May 15 through October 15 of each year. I can tell they are already packing up some even though they have another three weeks until shut down. The way I understand it, only ten percent of travelers to the South Rim make it over to visit the North Rim. Or maybe that should be ten percent of the number of visitors. We met several people today that weren’t going to the South Rim at all.
The North Rim is so different from the South, though “different” isn’t really the term I’m looking for, that we found out it even has its own Junior Ranger program, completely separate and different from the South Rim. Benny pushed to finish it all today and he managed to pull it off including attending the ranger-led show at the amphitheater tonight where he turned everything in. Gotta say, that boy is something else. I told him it was okay if he didn’t get this one done but nope, he wasn’t having any of that. He wanted that badge and by golly that is what he did and without my help except on a couple of “big words.”
Benny is learning to manage his dyslexia really well. I think it is because he has such a good memory. I usually only have to tell him what a word is once, and it goes in his mental databank as a picture rather than as a phonetic listing. Personally I hate phonetics, though I’ve mastered using them though it wasn’t the easiest thing I’ve ever done and it can still be challenging. Hopefully one day Benny can as well, especially if he wants advanced academic training in something. But I bet if he got tested right now, he’d score higher than average on vocabulary. His writing wouldn’t be worth a flip, he still reverses letters and sometimes turns them on their heads, but he can read above average for his age. Another thing, don’t ask him to “write” a word, you ask him to “draw” the word. If I have to put him in public school, I’m sure it will drive his teachers crazy. I don’t even want to think about what it might do to him.
The North Rim is located on the "Utah" side of the Canyon. The nearest towns to the park's North Rim village are Fredonia, Arizona, and Kanab, Utah. There is no airport or rail service to the park; that means that the North Rim village can only be reached by road. Because the North Rim has a shorter season, Campground Reservations can be hard to get unless you plan as far in advance as I did.
The activities for the North Rim are similar to the South Rim. Similar, but not exact. First there was the North Rim Scenic Drive. Unlike the South Rim where you are restricted from using a car, the North Rim you don’t have any choice since there is no shuttle bus. The South Rim is also busy as all get out nearly all year long. The remoteness and quiet of the North Rim can be appreciated on the Scenic drive without an excess of people to deal with. Along the route, there are pull-outs and viewpoints to see Point Imperial and Cape Royal. The drive usually takes a half a day if you do all the short walks and photo opportunities. Point Imperial is approximately 11 miles or 20 minutes from the visitor center and Cape Royal is 23 miles or 45 minutes. There is a second, unpaved road that leads to Point Sublime, about 20 miles west of the visitor center but we didn’t do that part as I had heard that even rugged 4x4’s sometimes find it a challenge. No need to take the risk since we didn’t have to.
The North Rim, just like the South, has a visitor center but it isn’t as grand (pardon the pun) or as packed with exhibits. The North Rim Visitor Center is located next to the parking lot for Grand Canyon Lodge and has park information, maps, exhibits, ranger programs as well as a bookstore. It was a good place to start.
The North Rim even has its own Lodge, but again, not as packed with people or services. The lodge was built in 1927 using local stone and timber to blend into its surroundings. Repairs from a destructive fire brought renovations in the late 1930’s but the reconstruction strengthened the lodge and cabins to withstand the harsh winters of the North Rim.
The hiking we did along the North Rim Scenic Road was great though it was even drier than the South Rim. Some of the trails we did are named but most were just viewpoints. Here are a couple we did:
Bright Angel Point Trail is a paved trail perfect for a quick, easy hike but it provided stunning scenery. Starting at the log cabin next to the Visitor Center parking lot, the paved trail leads to Bright Angel Point in less than a mile round trip. Because the North Rim is about 1,000 ft higher than the South Rim, this view looking down to the South Rim is one of the most popular for photographers.
Cape Royal Trail was an easy trail with fantastic views. The trail started at the end of the paved Cape Royal Road and is another one that is less than a mile round trip. Although the magnificent vista can be seen from the car, the short walk to the rim was much better.
At the visitor center we found out about a little-known hiking trail. It is called Cape Final Trail. We added it to our list and I’m very glad we did. It was close to Cape Royal, and the parking was located at the same place as well. It was four miles roundtrip but what the heck, crowds were non-existent that could have slowed us down. The trail winds around through the forest away from the rim for a bit until emerging at a magnificent viewpoint. Cape Final Trail is considered an easy trail for hikers, you just need to wear a hat (tied under your chin due to wind) and bring enough water to hydrate with.
Well-before we won the “lottery” for the burros up the Bright Angel Trail, I had reserved a mule ride on the North Rim; another surprise for Benny’s Birthday week. I knew the drive time was going to be a problem so wouldn’t be able to do the first thing in the morning time. I had picked the last one of the day that started at 12:30. We were just able to get there on time after doing the North Rim drive and some morning hiking.
The itinerary was a three-hour mule ride to Uncle Jim’s Point near the Ken Patrick Trail, a trail there was no way we could do if we wanted to do anything else today. As at Phantom Ranch, I had to get a special waiver so that Benny could go due to his age, but I’d called ahead and made all the arrangements. Being “Aunt Gus and Little Bear” helped with this but like with the burros Benny had to wear a riding helmet. I tied a bandana around his neck to keep the sun off of him as he was still a little pink in that area from the previous ride and then our day of biking. This time, knowing what a treat it was, he didn’t scoff at the helmet at all and stood patiently while it was fitted properly.
The place we were heading to was named after 'Uncle Jim' (James T Owen), a game reserve warden who lived on the North Rim of the Grand Canyon for over ten years at the start of the last century. He is credited, among other things, with killing over 500 mountain lions in a (misguided) attempt to protect the local population of mule deer. Uncle Jim Point, the viewpoint commemorating Uncle Jim, is reached by a 5-mile loop trail of the same name.
The trailhead is at the far side of the carpark, next to the staging area for the mules that take guests down both the North Kaibab and Uncle Jim trails; this is also the start point for the Ken Patrick and Old Kaibab routes. An NPS information board by the start of the path had detailed maps of the area, plus various other notices. This time our mules were named Matt and Festus. Not too many people caught the references, but Dad had loved the old Gunsmoke television show so when I laughed I had to explain.
Benny road “Matt” and I road “Festus” who turned out to be a little girl shy. Go figure. I never thought mules could be shy, much less girl shy.
“Hey, Festus was my favorite character. Do him proud.”
People laughed at me for talking to the mules but either he liked my voice, or he wasn’t as “shy” as his handlers thought he was because that turned the trick, and he was a steady stead after that.
Uncle Jim Trail began by climbing gently into some tall trees and then running quite close to the rim and offering partial views down Roaring Springs Canyon. Wahoo. I knew we weren’t as close to the rim as we had been on the burros but the mules were taller and it felt like we were closer. After about a mile we turned more to the north and entered deeper forest that was a mix of aspen, fir, spruce and ponderosa pine. Our guides pointed out old damage from some wildfires that had done a lot of damage to the North Rim but the forest had come back.
The path crossed a small stream, climbs the far side then levels out, soon reaching a junction. The Ken Patrick Trail leads straight on - a much less used path (and no mules allowed) - while the Uncle Jim Trail continues to the right, descending quite steeply into a cool, moist area that holds melting snow well into June. After a short but equally steep climb up the far side, the trail divides again at the start of the loop section. Both branches reach the viewpoint after less than a mile; the left part is more level and passes close to the edge of the plateau, while the right part offers no canyon views and has a few short climbs and descents. The 5 mile round trip to this point can be done in as little as 90 minutes owing to the gentle gradients and shady conditions, though the NPS give 3 hours as the suggested time.
At the end of the loop trail (marked by a mule tethering frame), a fainter, hiker-made path leads down the exposed hillside a little way, until the bushy vegetation fades away and the canyon ahead is in full view. This is not the main Grand Canyon, however, just the upper few miles of the Bright Angel tributary. A short section of the South Rim is visible in the distance, but most of the Colorado gorge is hidden, behind the Walhalla Plateau in the east and Bright Angel Point in the west. Uncle Jim Point also overlooks the first few miles of the North Kaibab Trail, switchbacking several thousand feet down Roaring Springs Canyon.
After the mules we headed to camp where we did the Transept Trail. The Transept Trailhead is located at the campground and winds down along the rim to the Lodge. At the Lodge, many hikers continue on the Bright Angel Point Trail, but not us as we were limited on time. We kept to the easy trail of 3miles round trip.
The North Rim campground was half-price with our access pass. I could stand that any night of the week. I was really surprised at how empty the campsites were but then again only 10% of all visitors to the park visit the North Rim and an even smaller portion of them camp. Add to that this is late in the season for this side. Didn’t see any kids at all while we were here, not even any babies. Camping is also a little primitive. There are no hook ups but we don’t need them for only a night. There is no cellphone reception at the North Rim even with the cell booster but again, that’s not a hardship for the limited time we are here. The campstore was pretty extensive as such locations go and the prices reflected the store’s remote location but to be honest I didn’t consider it price gouging, just you pay for forgetting to bring it with you, running out at an inconvenient time, or something breaking. Such is life.
Tomorrow we start heading east in a more serious way. I said that I was going to think about things tomorrow, well tomorrow is here. And so is news that given the track of storms currently on radar, the spaghetti forecasts all have the hitting Florida; maybe not as a hurricane but Tropical Storms and Depressions can pack their own wallop. I have completely discounted moving back to Florida but it will make it challenging. And I’m more inclined to North Florida than I am South but that could mean complications. How close, or not, to I live towards Groucho. How close, or not, do I get to Uncle Daniel or my friends still in Jacksonville. In some respect it might be good to move some place completely new, but Benny needs a social support network in case something happens to me. I need to as well so it is less likely that something will happen to me.
All of the above is predicated on me getting a job and thus far I’m not having any luck. The age thing aside – which I can’t do anything about – Pei is right, it might just be better to go back to school and at least get a degree in something. Being an EMT or some type of first responder is high on the list … but then there is Benny. Even assuming I can get a grant or loan, and take all my classes online, this will eventually be the issue of being unable to have him with me 24/7 as I have had him most of his life. This would be easier if I had a partner. I think that is the way Lawrence envisioned things being … me being a partner to Penny. Yeah, that worked out. And I’m not going to be with someone just for Benny’s sake. I love the kid but not even for him could I arrange the rest of my life in that way. People might have done that in the old days, but I just don’t see it happening these days, at least not for a me type of person. If I was looking, and I’m not, I would want a partner. A friend. Someone I couldn’t walk all over, someone I could count on and trust Benny with, and someone that didn’t need me to be the boss all the time because he has mommy issues … *cough* Christopher *cough*. Like Grandma Barry and Meemo sometimes said, “If you have to put a leash on them because they won’t behave otherwise, they are too much trouble to be worth anything.”
I’ve edited my resume into a couple of different formats and content. I can’t post them anywhere right now due to lack of connection but at least I got that work accomplished. Yuck. I had to run the blasted things through spell-checker and grammar-checker more than I should have. I also finished the thesis for a couple of college applications. Again, I can’t post them tonight but at least the work is finished. The last thing I did was probably the most constructive and necessary. I ran the budget numbers. On the one hand, things aren’t as bad as they could be. On the other hand, we ain’t the Rockefellers or Carnegies. We aren’t the Musks or the Gates either though the Gates aren’t nearly as rich as they once were after most of it was syphoned into their woopty-doo Foundation for tax reasons and to save the legacy from being sued into oblivion when the ex-wife took it over completely after the old dude named Bill croaked and a lot of crap came out about his personal life. Maybe that’s why the Creator decreed I’m not rich … the drama and crap like that. Fine by me. Just help me make sure there is enough to take care of Benny and I’ll be all kinds of appreciative. And, in memory of the people who raised me, I don’t mean that in any blasphemous way.
Just for general purposes I have six months of expenses (including rent) for after the end of the Aunt Gus and Little Bear Big Adventure. I might be able to wring that into another month or two if I can keep the blog up and bringing in income and we are as frugal as possible. I’ve been thinking of ways to do that even if it is just how to live out of the van and that sort of thing. But then again, maybe not. Fuel is definitely going to be an issue if I have to keep driving around. If I can park the van in a RV lot or similar, I might trade manual labor for a moped or small, two-seater EV. Not my first choice but I have Benny to think of. Might have to do that anyway if fuel gets as expensive back East as it here in the West.
An idea I am playing with is seeing if an apartment complex or similar would trade me a one- or two-bedroom unit for being an on-site handyman or maintenance tech. I’d even do landscaping and the like if it is a small complex with limited grounds. They’d have to get over me being female but I could get a letter of recommendation from Groucho and also try and get one from the apartment complex where we lived right before moving to Key West. I used to help around there all the time to offset the utility expenses. Yeah, maybe that will work.
I’m trying to remain calm and hamster-free but it isn’t easy. At least now I’m positive I have time. Not a lot of time, but at least some time before I have to break into any of Benny’s trust fund. Mine should take care of our normal/daily expenses for a little bit, but even that isn’t a bottomless purse.
Resources:
Grand Canyon Pocket Map: South Rim Services Guide (nps.gov)
https://www.nps.gov/grca/planyourvisit/upload/Phantom-walking.pdf
Day Hike - Rim Trail (nps.gov)
Lake Lili
Veteran Member
Here in Newfoundland, we are challenged by the Iceberg tourists. They come out each spring to watch the icebergs float down from the Labrador sea... but they will trample everything in sight to get the perfect photograph. Normally our highways are packed with RV tourists but gas is at CDN$2.268/L or about US$6.81/gallon and they aren't coming across the Straits this year. Thankfully its pretty easy here to just head into the wilds - out the door and straight up inot the mountains.
Thanks for the amazing number of chapters today! What a treat!
Lili
Last edited:
Sep 27 – 28: North Rim >> Tuba City >> Petrified Forest National Park, Arizona
Driving Route:
Wifi/Cell Signal even with the cell booster was hit or miss. I’m sure without the cell booster we would have had no signal at all in most areas.
Sep 27th - Tuba City
Woke up before five this morning but was in no particular rush to get out. We were only driving to Tuba City which was three hours away with no stopping. I fixed a good breakfast of an omelet with all our bits and pieces of leftovers thrown in. Not that there were a lot of leftovers, but it certainly helped to clean up the frig and cleaned out the various silicone resealable bags so they could be washed and stored away neatly.
We still managed to be on the road by 6:30 and that was a good thing. From the North Rim campground we headed north through the Kaibab National Forest on 67, the same road we had come in on but this time we took the time to enjoy it. At one point we took off down FR-461 to do a two-mile trail to Jacob Lake. The only thing out and about on the trail that morning were chipmunks and trust me, when offended they made enough racket for an entire busload of people. But it gave Benny a tickle after he figured out they only sounded like they were going to eat us. My hamster nearly couldn’t stop laughing at the idea of cannibal chipmunks.
The next hike we did was the Kai-Vav-Wi Nature Trail that was a little further beyond where we were supposed to turn east onto 89. It was a mile loop trail in the Jacob Lake campground, so I didn’t worry about leaving the van in the middle of nowhere. We hadn’t met a soul on the trail, but the campground looked full. I don’t know where all the people were, but I don’t think they were in their tents.
Then we left Kaibab National Forest and started driving along the edge of the Vermillion Cliffs. It was like driving through an alien landscape; even more so than any of the other landscapes we’ve driven through including the Badlands. This is where we did the Sun Valley Mine Trail. It is rated a 2.4-mile, moderate, there and back trail. Benny and I had no trouble with it though by the time we got done it was definitely time for a healthy snack even after the good breakfast I’d fixed.
We did one more hike and it started out to be the longest one of the day. Soap Creek Trail was billed as an 8.3-mile moderate trail that took three and a half hours to complete. However, we didn’t do all the trail because I didn’t realize we would have to rappel in a couple of places. Nope. Benny seemed ready to give it a try, but Aunt Gus had visions of Mt. Rainier and since we were the only people on the trail, I was not interested in taking a chance so we sat and had a picnic and Benny thought I’d simply brought us out so that he could take pictures with our mascots. The hike started easy, until we got past the first few waterfalls (dry unless it rains) and got to the big boulders at the halfway mark. Signage was poor all along the trail but I’m sure we were in the right place but see the rappel lines? Nope, just couldn’t bring myself to risk Benny’s safety.
I was a little disappointed but nothing unmanageable since there were three more smaller hikes that I wanted to give a try before heading straight to Tuba City. The first was Cathedral Rock and at 1.3 miles and rated easy, it didn’t take us quite the time that the trail guide estimated it would; barely an hour. From the same trailhead we took the Cathedral Wash Trail. The site I used to find out the difficulty must have been run by technical climbers because I wouldn’t call it an easy trail, nor even a moderate one. It was measured 3.3-miles that felt closer to 5-miles to be honest. And while going down wasn’t too terrible if you followed the cairns, going back up proved a “little” challenging.
Benny and I wound up in a “train” of hikers on the way up. There was one guy who had taken a header going down and while he wasn’t in bad shape, he was a little on the shaky side. I gave the guy some first aid … cleaned his scrapes, made sure nothing needed to be splinted, etc. then followed them back up the trail. We started running into other people that were struggling to get back up as well. There was Benny and I, Jack (the guy who was scraped up), his friend Trevor, and a couple in their 50s that had overestimated their strength, and then a couple named Dirk and Denise who were toting a baby young enough she wasn’t crawling yet.
We gave the people boosts that needed a little help up … Denise was short enough that getting up was challenging and her husband had the baby on his back, thankfully wearing an infant helmet because at six-foot, Dirk sometimes forgot to duck. As one of the able bodied and trained in search and rescue, I took turns helping those up that needed it, playing first aider, and in return I had someone keeping an eye on Benny so he wouldn’t slide until I got up. Finally we all made it back to the trailhead right as a ranger arrived because someone had reported an injury on the trail.
“That’d be me,” Jack said waiving his hand and admitting to his injury rather than playing at being testosterone poisoned. I was a little shaky myself from all the “boosting” and was sitting down drinking some fake Gatorade[1][2] that I made up yesterday.
The ranger came over and asked me my name. “Gus Barrymore … er August Barrymore. Sir.”
He chuckled. “I thought that is who you were.”
“Excuse me?”
“Sorry, let me introduce myself. My name is Russ Carrington and I’m an Aunt Gus and Little Bear reader.”
“Oh?” I said trying not to grab Benny and toss him in the van and make a quick getaway.
Russ chuckled. “Yeah. That’s the same face you gave Hendry from what he said.”
Something clicked. “Hendry? Matt Hendry? From Mt. Rainier?”
“That’d be him. We’ve been guessing your route. Someone mentioned thinking that they’d heard some kid call out ‘Aunt Gus’ on the South Rim but they weren’t able to confirm the spotting.”
“Geez. Am I on a bigfoot spotting blog? Or where’s Waldo?”
That time he laughed outright. “No. More like a rare bird. I’m curious … if you don’t mind … but what kind of training do you have? And it isn’t for any official report if that is what you are wondering.”
It was no big secret so I told him and then added, “My certs are all up to date but that’s about all I can say. I don’t use the training as regularly as I used to, but I do keep in practice.”
He nodded. “Uh, you mind if …”
His face was red and I finally had to laugh at myself. “You want a picture to prove your ‘sighting’?”
He laughed realizing I wasn’t offended. “If it isn’t a problem.”
“You mind if Benny stands behind me? I don’t like posting his face online.”
“I noticed and it is a really good practice. My sister got in hot water with her ex when she posted pictures of their kids on social media and some creep got them and … altered them.”
“Jerks gotta jerk,” I said in disgust. “That’s just one of the reasons why I don’t post them. Also, he’s human and deserves some privacy until he can make his own choices, preferably when he is a lot older. I also didn’t realize how … er … well read the blog was going to get if you want the truth.”
“You might be surprised how popular it is, at least among park staff. You write so we can see it from the other side of the park experience. The fact that you give shout outs to specific rangers and staff means a lot to them.”
“I haven’t been using names.”
“No. But you usually give an initial and duty station and that’s enough for people to realize that someone was paying attention. You’d be amazed how much that can mean when all you normally hear are complaints.”
It was my turn to be embarrassed as I hadn’t given that enough thought. I need to make more of an effort to let people know I appreciate their efforts.
He got a call on his radio and Benny and I had to get on down the road so we said good bye after I made sure that everyone else that I had been on the trail with had already taken off.
Going back to 89 we quickly found ourselves at the Navaho Bridge Interpretive Center as well as the Old Navaho Bridge Trail (0.5-mile, easy, there and back trail). The bridge trail gave us some great views of the river and the interpretive center was an interesting and educational stop as well.
Going down 89 we went by two other “national” things. First was the Wupatki National Monument and the other was the Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument. I really wanted to stop at them, but all we had time for was a quick pic of the entrance signs.
Last hike of the day was in Tuba City itself. It was just a little 0.2-mile trail to see some dinosaur tracks, but Benny was enthralled. And the Native Americans hanging out to make a buck by being a guide were cool with him asking a million and one questions. I could see myself in their shoes and tipped accordingly and thanked them for their time.
Our stay for the night was five minutes away … or at least under five miles. A hundred and sixty bucks for a night in a hotel made the budget wince but I’d been saving a lot of money here and there and we needed a night off the road in a safe location. There were other places, but not many, and they were sold out. The Moenkopi Legacy Inn & Suites was sufficient to our needs … two queen beds, a bathroom, AC, and a window that overlooked the parking lot. And across the street was a Travel Center with a dump station … something I needed to take care of … gas station, a convenience store, to-go deli, and a gift shop. There was also a Denny’s restaurant which is where we ate dinner.
I need to do laundry but the laundromat that used to be in the area, and frequented by hikers, was no longer open. I packed in the Lavario and some lanyard rope and after Benny and I scrubbed down I did some laundry and then strung it up in the shower to drip dry enough overnight that I could pack it back down to the van in the morning and string it up to finish drying.
Benny was laughing. “What you monkey?” I asked.
“I look like I’m still wearing clothes!”
I looked and realized what he meant. “That’s what we call a farmer’s tan Kiddo.”
“How come you don’t have a farmer’s tan,” he asked me.
“I have one. I’m just not showing you where it’s at,” which set him to giggling. “Remember, most of my shirts are made with tan-thru material and my mother was Spanish. That’s why I get toasted instead of roasted; like your Dad.”
I nearly winced but Benny just nodded. “Mom grouched that Daddy never got burned but she turned into a lobster.” The he gave a surprised blink. “Hey! I remember that!”
Trying not to draw attention to possible difficult memories I just carried on. “Yeah, that’s true. You’re about half and half. You hair is a mix of your dad and mom’s but your skin leans more towards the Barrymore Brown. Grandfather Barrymore used to call me his Butternut. You know he is the one who taught me to canoe.”
“Really? But I remember Dad saying he was real old. I didn’t know real old people could canoe.”
I shook my head. “Some ‘real old’ people can do a lot of things. Grandfather Barrymore was … hmmm … he was particular but at the same time he would never ask you do to anything that he at least hadn’t tried to do a couple of times. He was in the Navy like your dad.”
“Was your dad in the Navy?”
“No. He was in something called the National Guard all the way up until …”
“Until he went to Heaven?”
“Close. I was a little older than you when they said he couldn’t do deployments anymore so force-retired him for something medical. Grandfather Barry and your dad taught me to canoe and kayak and all that stuff but my dad … he taught me to drive.”
“But you were a little girl,” he said suspiciously.
I laughed. “Yeah well, I didn’t say I drove on the roads with other people, but I did know how to drive. Tractors, side-by-sides, lawn mowers, golf carts, and even cars and trucks. I knew how to back up a tractor trailer before a lot of kids even thought about driving a scooter.”
“How come?”
“Oh … just because I guess. Have I ever told you about the time …” And I told different stories on the family as I remembered them until Benny’s eyes started closing. Suddenly he startled awake and wanted to go down to the van and check on woobie and all his stuff.
“Buddy, if we wake Woobie up now he’ll never get back to sleep and then he’ll wake up the rest of the stuffie brigade and before you know it someone will be giving me a call to go down and shut the party down before they wake everyone in the hotel up. Not to mention Little Bear and Gus Pelican are here and you don’t want to get them jealous.”
He laughed sleepily, swiped the two stuffies off the nightstand and pulled them into his bed, and finally fell into a full sleep. I still had a few things to do before I slept. Mostly of the adulting kind of chores, the blog, and a bunch of correspondence. I posted the updated resumes, uploaded the stuff for the college applications, and looked on job boards for motels and such that were offering a room for rent in exchange for maintenance work. I’m also trying to convince myself not to worry as the days slip too quickly by and I have no clue what to do next.
[1] How to make Homemade Gatorade - Recipe Boy
[2] How to Make Gatorade (heavenlyhomemakers.com)
Driving Route:
Wifi/Cell Signal even with the cell booster was hit or miss. I’m sure without the cell booster we would have had no signal at all in most areas.
Sep 27th - Tuba City
Woke up before five this morning but was in no particular rush to get out. We were only driving to Tuba City which was three hours away with no stopping. I fixed a good breakfast of an omelet with all our bits and pieces of leftovers thrown in. Not that there were a lot of leftovers, but it certainly helped to clean up the frig and cleaned out the various silicone resealable bags so they could be washed and stored away neatly.
We still managed to be on the road by 6:30 and that was a good thing. From the North Rim campground we headed north through the Kaibab National Forest on 67, the same road we had come in on but this time we took the time to enjoy it. At one point we took off down FR-461 to do a two-mile trail to Jacob Lake. The only thing out and about on the trail that morning were chipmunks and trust me, when offended they made enough racket for an entire busload of people. But it gave Benny a tickle after he figured out they only sounded like they were going to eat us. My hamster nearly couldn’t stop laughing at the idea of cannibal chipmunks.
The next hike we did was the Kai-Vav-Wi Nature Trail that was a little further beyond where we were supposed to turn east onto 89. It was a mile loop trail in the Jacob Lake campground, so I didn’t worry about leaving the van in the middle of nowhere. We hadn’t met a soul on the trail, but the campground looked full. I don’t know where all the people were, but I don’t think they were in their tents.
Then we left Kaibab National Forest and started driving along the edge of the Vermillion Cliffs. It was like driving through an alien landscape; even more so than any of the other landscapes we’ve driven through including the Badlands. This is where we did the Sun Valley Mine Trail. It is rated a 2.4-mile, moderate, there and back trail. Benny and I had no trouble with it though by the time we got done it was definitely time for a healthy snack even after the good breakfast I’d fixed.
We did one more hike and it started out to be the longest one of the day. Soap Creek Trail was billed as an 8.3-mile moderate trail that took three and a half hours to complete. However, we didn’t do all the trail because I didn’t realize we would have to rappel in a couple of places. Nope. Benny seemed ready to give it a try, but Aunt Gus had visions of Mt. Rainier and since we were the only people on the trail, I was not interested in taking a chance so we sat and had a picnic and Benny thought I’d simply brought us out so that he could take pictures with our mascots. The hike started easy, until we got past the first few waterfalls (dry unless it rains) and got to the big boulders at the halfway mark. Signage was poor all along the trail but I’m sure we were in the right place but see the rappel lines? Nope, just couldn’t bring myself to risk Benny’s safety.
I was a little disappointed but nothing unmanageable since there were three more smaller hikes that I wanted to give a try before heading straight to Tuba City. The first was Cathedral Rock and at 1.3 miles and rated easy, it didn’t take us quite the time that the trail guide estimated it would; barely an hour. From the same trailhead we took the Cathedral Wash Trail. The site I used to find out the difficulty must have been run by technical climbers because I wouldn’t call it an easy trail, nor even a moderate one. It was measured 3.3-miles that felt closer to 5-miles to be honest. And while going down wasn’t too terrible if you followed the cairns, going back up proved a “little” challenging.
Benny and I wound up in a “train” of hikers on the way up. There was one guy who had taken a header going down and while he wasn’t in bad shape, he was a little on the shaky side. I gave the guy some first aid … cleaned his scrapes, made sure nothing needed to be splinted, etc. then followed them back up the trail. We started running into other people that were struggling to get back up as well. There was Benny and I, Jack (the guy who was scraped up), his friend Trevor, and a couple in their 50s that had overestimated their strength, and then a couple named Dirk and Denise who were toting a baby young enough she wasn’t crawling yet.
We gave the people boosts that needed a little help up … Denise was short enough that getting up was challenging and her husband had the baby on his back, thankfully wearing an infant helmet because at six-foot, Dirk sometimes forgot to duck. As one of the able bodied and trained in search and rescue, I took turns helping those up that needed it, playing first aider, and in return I had someone keeping an eye on Benny so he wouldn’t slide until I got up. Finally we all made it back to the trailhead right as a ranger arrived because someone had reported an injury on the trail.
“That’d be me,” Jack said waiving his hand and admitting to his injury rather than playing at being testosterone poisoned. I was a little shaky myself from all the “boosting” and was sitting down drinking some fake Gatorade[1][2] that I made up yesterday.
The ranger came over and asked me my name. “Gus Barrymore … er August Barrymore. Sir.”
He chuckled. “I thought that is who you were.”
“Excuse me?”
“Sorry, let me introduce myself. My name is Russ Carrington and I’m an Aunt Gus and Little Bear reader.”
“Oh?” I said trying not to grab Benny and toss him in the van and make a quick getaway.
Russ chuckled. “Yeah. That’s the same face you gave Hendry from what he said.”
Something clicked. “Hendry? Matt Hendry? From Mt. Rainier?”
“That’d be him. We’ve been guessing your route. Someone mentioned thinking that they’d heard some kid call out ‘Aunt Gus’ on the South Rim but they weren’t able to confirm the spotting.”
“Geez. Am I on a bigfoot spotting blog? Or where’s Waldo?”
That time he laughed outright. “No. More like a rare bird. I’m curious … if you don’t mind … but what kind of training do you have? And it isn’t for any official report if that is what you are wondering.”
It was no big secret so I told him and then added, “My certs are all up to date but that’s about all I can say. I don’t use the training as regularly as I used to, but I do keep in practice.”
He nodded. “Uh, you mind if …”
His face was red and I finally had to laugh at myself. “You want a picture to prove your ‘sighting’?”
He laughed realizing I wasn’t offended. “If it isn’t a problem.”
“You mind if Benny stands behind me? I don’t like posting his face online.”
“I noticed and it is a really good practice. My sister got in hot water with her ex when she posted pictures of their kids on social media and some creep got them and … altered them.”
“Jerks gotta jerk,” I said in disgust. “That’s just one of the reasons why I don’t post them. Also, he’s human and deserves some privacy until he can make his own choices, preferably when he is a lot older. I also didn’t realize how … er … well read the blog was going to get if you want the truth.”
“You might be surprised how popular it is, at least among park staff. You write so we can see it from the other side of the park experience. The fact that you give shout outs to specific rangers and staff means a lot to them.”
“I haven’t been using names.”
“No. But you usually give an initial and duty station and that’s enough for people to realize that someone was paying attention. You’d be amazed how much that can mean when all you normally hear are complaints.”
It was my turn to be embarrassed as I hadn’t given that enough thought. I need to make more of an effort to let people know I appreciate their efforts.
He got a call on his radio and Benny and I had to get on down the road so we said good bye after I made sure that everyone else that I had been on the trail with had already taken off.
Going back to 89 we quickly found ourselves at the Navaho Bridge Interpretive Center as well as the Old Navaho Bridge Trail (0.5-mile, easy, there and back trail). The bridge trail gave us some great views of the river and the interpretive center was an interesting and educational stop as well.
Going down 89 we went by two other “national” things. First was the Wupatki National Monument and the other was the Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument. I really wanted to stop at them, but all we had time for was a quick pic of the entrance signs.
Last hike of the day was in Tuba City itself. It was just a little 0.2-mile trail to see some dinosaur tracks, but Benny was enthralled. And the Native Americans hanging out to make a buck by being a guide were cool with him asking a million and one questions. I could see myself in their shoes and tipped accordingly and thanked them for their time.
Our stay for the night was five minutes away … or at least under five miles. A hundred and sixty bucks for a night in a hotel made the budget wince but I’d been saving a lot of money here and there and we needed a night off the road in a safe location. There were other places, but not many, and they were sold out. The Moenkopi Legacy Inn & Suites was sufficient to our needs … two queen beds, a bathroom, AC, and a window that overlooked the parking lot. And across the street was a Travel Center with a dump station … something I needed to take care of … gas station, a convenience store, to-go deli, and a gift shop. There was also a Denny’s restaurant which is where we ate dinner.
I need to do laundry but the laundromat that used to be in the area, and frequented by hikers, was no longer open. I packed in the Lavario and some lanyard rope and after Benny and I scrubbed down I did some laundry and then strung it up in the shower to drip dry enough overnight that I could pack it back down to the van in the morning and string it up to finish drying.
Benny was laughing. “What you monkey?” I asked.
“I look like I’m still wearing clothes!”
I looked and realized what he meant. “That’s what we call a farmer’s tan Kiddo.”
“How come you don’t have a farmer’s tan,” he asked me.
“I have one. I’m just not showing you where it’s at,” which set him to giggling. “Remember, most of my shirts are made with tan-thru material and my mother was Spanish. That’s why I get toasted instead of roasted; like your Dad.”
I nearly winced but Benny just nodded. “Mom grouched that Daddy never got burned but she turned into a lobster.” The he gave a surprised blink. “Hey! I remember that!”
Trying not to draw attention to possible difficult memories I just carried on. “Yeah, that’s true. You’re about half and half. You hair is a mix of your dad and mom’s but your skin leans more towards the Barrymore Brown. Grandfather Barrymore used to call me his Butternut. You know he is the one who taught me to canoe.”
“Really? But I remember Dad saying he was real old. I didn’t know real old people could canoe.”
I shook my head. “Some ‘real old’ people can do a lot of things. Grandfather Barrymore was … hmmm … he was particular but at the same time he would never ask you do to anything that he at least hadn’t tried to do a couple of times. He was in the Navy like your dad.”
“Was your dad in the Navy?”
“No. He was in something called the National Guard all the way up until …”
“Until he went to Heaven?”
“Close. I was a little older than you when they said he couldn’t do deployments anymore so force-retired him for something medical. Grandfather Barry and your dad taught me to canoe and kayak and all that stuff but my dad … he taught me to drive.”
“But you were a little girl,” he said suspiciously.
I laughed. “Yeah well, I didn’t say I drove on the roads with other people, but I did know how to drive. Tractors, side-by-sides, lawn mowers, golf carts, and even cars and trucks. I knew how to back up a tractor trailer before a lot of kids even thought about driving a scooter.”
“How come?”
“Oh … just because I guess. Have I ever told you about the time …” And I told different stories on the family as I remembered them until Benny’s eyes started closing. Suddenly he startled awake and wanted to go down to the van and check on woobie and all his stuff.
“Buddy, if we wake Woobie up now he’ll never get back to sleep and then he’ll wake up the rest of the stuffie brigade and before you know it someone will be giving me a call to go down and shut the party down before they wake everyone in the hotel up. Not to mention Little Bear and Gus Pelican are here and you don’t want to get them jealous.”
He laughed sleepily, swiped the two stuffies off the nightstand and pulled them into his bed, and finally fell into a full sleep. I still had a few things to do before I slept. Mostly of the adulting kind of chores, the blog, and a bunch of correspondence. I posted the updated resumes, uploaded the stuff for the college applications, and looked on job boards for motels and such that were offering a room for rent in exchange for maintenance work. I’m also trying to convince myself not to worry as the days slip too quickly by and I have no clue what to do next.
[1] How to make Homemade Gatorade - Recipe Boy
[2] How to Make Gatorade (heavenlyhomemakers.com)
Sep 28th
Sleeping in a hotel room was just what the doctor ordered. The van is grand but sometimes a hotel room is just the break from things we need.
Our goal of the day was the Petrified Forest National Park. It was two and a half hours without stopping and I didn’t plan on stopping after getting fuel and a couple of food items. Hmm … and a stuffed dinosaur to add to Benny’s friend collection.
He just looked at it then at me and all I could say was, “I don’t think you are a baby. I just … Aunt Gus knows you like your ‘friends’ and when I can do something for you, I want to.”
“I love him Aunt Gus. I saw him yesterday, but it isn’t my birthday anymore and … and …”
“Benny you can ask for things. I might not always say yes, be able to say yes for some reason, but please don’t be afraid to ask.” First, he hugged me and then he hugged the dinosaur to him real tight before climbing in the van and getting all of his ‘friends’ out to introduce them to the newest member of the crew.
I’m not spoiling him. Most kids his age have a ton of toys, most of which they never play with. And the stuffies, for the most part, try and at least look real … friendly but real. Maybe when we settle some place he’ll outgrow them, but for now they are like his ship or crew and I can appreciate where he is at and the place they hold for him
I had meant to drive straight through, I really had, but I made a pit stop at Walnut Canyon National Monument which is right off of I40. The coolest thing was a one-mile trail called The Island Trail that let us see twenty-five cliff dwellings. The trail was paved but strenuous. We took an hour to complete it. And yes Little Bear, they had a Junior Ranger program. Holy smokes, the kid was excited and did everything required of him in the short amount of time we were there.
I also picked up the booklets for Sunset Crater and Wupatki national monument sites. Benny may not get to go to those places but he could watch a documentary and do the work as if he did. I’ll include it in his portfolio.
To make up for the time I spent at Walnut Canyon I removed one of the longer hikes I had planned at Petrified Forest National Park. It’s not like we weren’t getting out and stretching our legs on hikes enough. We entered the North Entrance at the Painted Desert Visitor Center. After picking up Benny’s junior ranger booklet we headed on and nearly crammed too much into the remainder of the day:
Whew. We hiked a total of about 11 miles, without counting what we did before the park, and Benny never even blinked. He loved “getting his wiggles out” as he calls it. He also loved getting another Junior Ranger badge. We picked the booklet up at one visitor center and he completed and then turned it in at the other visitor center. The ranger at the kiosk “knew” Little Bear and had been on the lookout for him. He thanked him for being an exemplary Junior Ranger. He said that the world needed more Little Bears that would grow up to be Big Bears and teach the new Little Bears about how to be good stewards of the land and how to enjoy it without wrecking it up. That put a spring in Benny’s step. So did the fact that I found a couple more hiking medallions for his walking stick.
The only messed up part of the day came after we left the park. I had reserved a spot at the K Bar RV Park in Show Low but when I got there I discovered they were a no-kid location. Great. Why can’t they advertise that better? Got the refund and then tried to figure out where we were going to spend the night because the only other RV park was also adults only. I’d driven an hour and it was starting to get late and Benny noticed. The nearby Fool Hollow Lake Rec Area was full as well. I decided to just start driving and see how far I could get before I got too exhausted which I wasn’t far off from being. But then I saw it and they had one room left.
The KC Motel Show Low. And would you believe it? It was only $68 for the night. I worried that meant it was a real dive or a place for hookers or affairs but not at all. I can’t say enough for how nice the staff was. They had a single that had one queen bed, but they offered me a cot. The room was on the ground floor as it was handicapable room but the people that had reserved had just called to cancel. And, since it was on the corner, I was even able to park the van close to the door. Benny was barely able to keep his eyes open, and then only enough to grab his night bag and his “Crew Bag” that held all his stuffie friends. I didn’t say a word about Woobie being on the bottom with all his “friends” sticking out the top. Lawrence’s flag was in there as well I suspect but I wasn’t going to make a big deal out of it.
I put Benny on the bed and I’m sleeping on the cot. I don’t care what anyone says, I would rather be on an old cot than woken up every few minutes under knee or elbow attack. Even with a weighted blanket I’ve never seen a kid who moves around in his sleep the way Benny does. I’m amazed he doesn’t wake up more tired than when he goes to bed.
And speaking of going to bed, now that all my emails read “sent” that is where I am heading.
Resources:
Petrified Forest: JrRangerBook2017-ndd.pdf (nps.gov)
Vermilion Cliffs National Monument | Bureau of Land Management (blm.gov)
fseprd597127.pdf (usda.gov) (North Kaibab National Forest Map)
Sleeping in a hotel room was just what the doctor ordered. The van is grand but sometimes a hotel room is just the break from things we need.
Our goal of the day was the Petrified Forest National Park. It was two and a half hours without stopping and I didn’t plan on stopping after getting fuel and a couple of food items. Hmm … and a stuffed dinosaur to add to Benny’s friend collection.
He just looked at it then at me and all I could say was, “I don’t think you are a baby. I just … Aunt Gus knows you like your ‘friends’ and when I can do something for you, I want to.”
“I love him Aunt Gus. I saw him yesterday, but it isn’t my birthday anymore and … and …”
“Benny you can ask for things. I might not always say yes, be able to say yes for some reason, but please don’t be afraid to ask.” First, he hugged me and then he hugged the dinosaur to him real tight before climbing in the van and getting all of his ‘friends’ out to introduce them to the newest member of the crew.
I’m not spoiling him. Most kids his age have a ton of toys, most of which they never play with. And the stuffies, for the most part, try and at least look real … friendly but real. Maybe when we settle some place he’ll outgrow them, but for now they are like his ship or crew and I can appreciate where he is at and the place they hold for him
I had meant to drive straight through, I really had, but I made a pit stop at Walnut Canyon National Monument which is right off of I40. The coolest thing was a one-mile trail called The Island Trail that let us see twenty-five cliff dwellings. The trail was paved but strenuous. We took an hour to complete it. And yes Little Bear, they had a Junior Ranger program. Holy smokes, the kid was excited and did everything required of him in the short amount of time we were there.
I also picked up the booklets for Sunset Crater and Wupatki national monument sites. Benny may not get to go to those places but he could watch a documentary and do the work as if he did. I’ll include it in his portfolio.
To make up for the time I spent at Walnut Canyon I removed one of the longer hikes I had planned at Petrified Forest National Park. It’s not like we weren’t getting out and stretching our legs on hikes enough. We entered the North Entrance at the Painted Desert Visitor Center. After picking up Benny’s junior ranger booklet we headed on and nearly crammed too much into the remainder of the day:
- Painted Desert Rim Trail (1-mile roundtrip with trailheads at Tawa Point and Kachina Point) offered spectacular views of the Painted Desert.
- Tiponi Point overlook
- Tawa Point Trail
- Kachina Point
- Chinde Point picnic area
- Pintado point
- Nizhoni point
- Whipple point
- Lacey Point
- Drove across the old Route 66 (how cool is that)
- Puerco Pueblo, a 0.3-mile paved loop trail amidst the remains of a hundred room pueblo, occupied by the ancestral Puebloan people over 600 years ago. Try saying that three times fast. We saw petroglyphs along the south end of the trail.
- Newspaper Rock
- The Tepees
- Blue Mesa hiking area was a 1-mile loop trail that descended from the mesa. Part was paved and part was gravel. The hike was through badland hills of bluish bentonite clay as well as petrified wood. There were also several sign-thingies about the fossils found in the area.
- Blue Forest Trail was three miles round trip. It wound through colorful blue and white badland hills. It was visually high-interest with views in both the foreground and background. The sign-thingies gave us a bit of history, a lot of scenery, a close up look at petrified wood being exposed by erosion, and a short geology lesson.
- Agate Bridge
- Jasper Forest was a 2.1-mile roundtrip trail that started in one of the overlook parking lots. We got to see giant sandstone boulders, and sparkling petrified wood. There were also some seldom seen petroglyphs. In the 1890s and early 1900s the area was called “First Forest”. This was the first stop for early tourists who came by wagon from the train depot at Adamana.
- Crystal Forest Trail – a 0.75-mile loop trail – gave us a chance to see some beautiful crystals that can be found in the petrified logs. We got a chance to get really close to the crystals and fossilized wood. You could see where people had vandalized them in the past but special security fencing prevents people from doing it now.
- The Rainbow Forest Museum and Visitor Center (South entrance)
- Giant Log Trail – a 0.4-mile loop trail – featured some of the largest and most colorful logs in the park. "Old Faithful", at the top of the trail, is almost ten feet wide at the base!
- Long Log and Agate House Trail – a 2.6-mile loop – was amazing. Long Logs is one of the largest concentrations of petrified wood in the park. It looked like a log jam. Agate House was an eight-room home that was entered through the ceiling.
Whew. We hiked a total of about 11 miles, without counting what we did before the park, and Benny never even blinked. He loved “getting his wiggles out” as he calls it. He also loved getting another Junior Ranger badge. We picked the booklet up at one visitor center and he completed and then turned it in at the other visitor center. The ranger at the kiosk “knew” Little Bear and had been on the lookout for him. He thanked him for being an exemplary Junior Ranger. He said that the world needed more Little Bears that would grow up to be Big Bears and teach the new Little Bears about how to be good stewards of the land and how to enjoy it without wrecking it up. That put a spring in Benny’s step. So did the fact that I found a couple more hiking medallions for his walking stick.
The only messed up part of the day came after we left the park. I had reserved a spot at the K Bar RV Park in Show Low but when I got there I discovered they were a no-kid location. Great. Why can’t they advertise that better? Got the refund and then tried to figure out where we were going to spend the night because the only other RV park was also adults only. I’d driven an hour and it was starting to get late and Benny noticed. The nearby Fool Hollow Lake Rec Area was full as well. I decided to just start driving and see how far I could get before I got too exhausted which I wasn’t far off from being. But then I saw it and they had one room left.
The KC Motel Show Low. And would you believe it? It was only $68 for the night. I worried that meant it was a real dive or a place for hookers or affairs but not at all. I can’t say enough for how nice the staff was. They had a single that had one queen bed, but they offered me a cot. The room was on the ground floor as it was handicapable room but the people that had reserved had just called to cancel. And, since it was on the corner, I was even able to park the van close to the door. Benny was barely able to keep his eyes open, and then only enough to grab his night bag and his “Crew Bag” that held all his stuffie friends. I didn’t say a word about Woobie being on the bottom with all his “friends” sticking out the top. Lawrence’s flag was in there as well I suspect but I wasn’t going to make a big deal out of it.
I put Benny on the bed and I’m sleeping on the cot. I don’t care what anyone says, I would rather be on an old cot than woken up every few minutes under knee or elbow attack. Even with a weighted blanket I’ve never seen a kid who moves around in his sleep the way Benny does. I’m amazed he doesn’t wake up more tired than when he goes to bed.
And speaking of going to bed, now that all my emails read “sent” that is where I am heading.
Resources:
Petrified Forest: JrRangerBook2017-ndd.pdf (nps.gov)
Vermilion Cliffs National Monument | Bureau of Land Management (blm.gov)
fseprd597127.pdf (usda.gov) (North Kaibab National Forest Map)
sssarawolf
Has No Life - Lives on TB
Thank you Kathy.
Sep 29 – 30: Saguaro National Park, Arizona
Driving Route:
Sep 29th
Great night at the motel. And a recommendation to go to the Show Lo Café for breakfast since the continental breakfast wasn’t anything that Benny could have. Oh. My. Gosh. Definitelly worth the spot. Grandma Barry would have approved, and Grandfather Barry would have eaten himself sick. So would Dad who always did like his “Hole In the Wall” type diners. Omelets that nearly filled the plate and something called “dark hashbrowns” that were so good I could have ordered some to go and nearly did, but it was time to get on the road. We didn’t have a short drive to make.
The only camping at Saguaro National Park is in the backcountry. That left out Benny and I so I had to once again use our KOA contact to find a campsite for tonight and tomorrow night. Bingo. But first came the park.
There are two districts, both famous for their hiking. Today we focused on Saguaro East after hitting up the visitor center.
First hike of the day was the Freeman Homestead Trail. It was only a mile long, but it packed a lot in. We wandered down the trail to the site of an old homestead foundation, a grove of large saguaros and a cool desert wash. For posterity a saguaro is a type of cactus that can grow extremely tall. They weren’t the only things of interest on the trail however. Great Horned Owls can often be seen in the cliff above the wash. Sign-thingies that cover the history and plant life along the way helped us to understand what we were seeing. There were also some Junior Ranger activities.
Next hike was the flat 3.8-mile Loma Verde Loop. From the trail we headed north through a grove of mature mesquite trees. Beyond the wash we climbed a bluff onto the bajada, the Spanish word for a gravel plain at the base of a mountain. We hiked passed the Loma Verde Mine and then took a right on the Pink Hill Trail where there was a short spur trail that led to an overlook of the cactus forest and Tanque Verde Ridge. We crossed a couple of other trails on the return trip but we didn’t investigate them.
Our last hike of the day was the Hope Camp and Ridgeview Trail. It was only two miles long but had a little more elevation change to it. There were some cool things to see like views of Rincon Peak and a view of Box Canyon, a major drainage area in the park. Waterfalls can be seen on the ridge during wetter times, but everything was as dry as a bone while we were there.
In addition to hiking, we saw petroglyphs. The Signal Hill Petroglyph Site occupies a small but very distinct rocky hill that is about 200 feet in diameter at its base and is 40 feet high, or so said the sign-thingie on site. The site consists of over 200 prehistoric Native American petroglyphs many of which can be viewed from the trail that climbs the hill. These petroglyphs were created from between about 550 to 1550 years ago.
Another sign-thingie explained that petroglyphs, which fall under the common, all-inclusive term “rock art”, are a global phenomenon. The oldest known rock art are cave paintings found in Europe, Australia, Asia and Africa that date from the Upper Paleolithic period. Native peoples were still doing them well after the first colonists landed in North America.
One of the last things we explored today was one of the visitor center’s cactus gardens. There was saguaro, ocotillo, and a lot of other desert plants that would not have looked out of place on an alien planet.
I was thinking about staying for sunset until I got a look at Benny. We’ve been going non-stop for weeks now and it wasn’t going to kill us to miss a sunset and head into camp a little early. Plus, it was a KOA for the next two nights. Yes! Okay, I know that sounds a little silly coming from me of all people, but sometimes you need a little luxury to balance out the “primitive”. Like coming into port after weeks at sea.
We pulled in and they had us a nice site all picked out with full hookups that included 20 channels of free cable. It was the most basic one they had and originally cost $42/night but with the 50% discount that made it $21/night. To be honest, it wasn’t the site so much as the amenities that I found to be the best value. The place has a year ‘round pool and I agreed if Benny helped me do a couple loads of laundry, I would take him to the pool if it was still open. No objections or complaints. And it was … still open I mean. He didn’t want to play, he just wanted to swim and relax on the steps. I was right there with him except I also took advantage of the hot tub and man was that thing hot. Got rid of all the cot kinks from last night.
Benny had just started to ask about dinner when my latest surprise pulled up. I’d been told at check in that a local restaurant delivered to your site. And it just so happens that the restaurant was a BBQ joint. I managed to find enough gluten-free items that we were both satisfied.
The free wifi wasn’t too bad so I used that for the blog and correspondence while I let Benny use my iPad to watch some national park videos and look at pictures and videos that we’ve taken. It put him right to sleep. As soon as I can finish moderating all of the comments on the blog, I’m hitting the hay as well. Hopefully the family beside us will quiet down as they go to sleep. Wine is fine but I think they are a bottle over their limit.
TODAY’S SURVIVAL SKILL: Washing and taking care of our clothes and why it is important.
Driving Route:
Sep 29th
Great night at the motel. And a recommendation to go to the Show Lo Café for breakfast since the continental breakfast wasn’t anything that Benny could have. Oh. My. Gosh. Definitelly worth the spot. Grandma Barry would have approved, and Grandfather Barry would have eaten himself sick. So would Dad who always did like his “Hole In the Wall” type diners. Omelets that nearly filled the plate and something called “dark hashbrowns” that were so good I could have ordered some to go and nearly did, but it was time to get on the road. We didn’t have a short drive to make.
The only camping at Saguaro National Park is in the backcountry. That left out Benny and I so I had to once again use our KOA contact to find a campsite for tonight and tomorrow night. Bingo. But first came the park.
There are two districts, both famous for their hiking. Today we focused on Saguaro East after hitting up the visitor center.
First hike of the day was the Freeman Homestead Trail. It was only a mile long, but it packed a lot in. We wandered down the trail to the site of an old homestead foundation, a grove of large saguaros and a cool desert wash. For posterity a saguaro is a type of cactus that can grow extremely tall. They weren’t the only things of interest on the trail however. Great Horned Owls can often be seen in the cliff above the wash. Sign-thingies that cover the history and plant life along the way helped us to understand what we were seeing. There were also some Junior Ranger activities.
Next hike was the flat 3.8-mile Loma Verde Loop. From the trail we headed north through a grove of mature mesquite trees. Beyond the wash we climbed a bluff onto the bajada, the Spanish word for a gravel plain at the base of a mountain. We hiked passed the Loma Verde Mine and then took a right on the Pink Hill Trail where there was a short spur trail that led to an overlook of the cactus forest and Tanque Verde Ridge. We crossed a couple of other trails on the return trip but we didn’t investigate them.
Our last hike of the day was the Hope Camp and Ridgeview Trail. It was only two miles long but had a little more elevation change to it. There were some cool things to see like views of Rincon Peak and a view of Box Canyon, a major drainage area in the park. Waterfalls can be seen on the ridge during wetter times, but everything was as dry as a bone while we were there.
In addition to hiking, we saw petroglyphs. The Signal Hill Petroglyph Site occupies a small but very distinct rocky hill that is about 200 feet in diameter at its base and is 40 feet high, or so said the sign-thingie on site. The site consists of over 200 prehistoric Native American petroglyphs many of which can be viewed from the trail that climbs the hill. These petroglyphs were created from between about 550 to 1550 years ago.
Another sign-thingie explained that petroglyphs, which fall under the common, all-inclusive term “rock art”, are a global phenomenon. The oldest known rock art are cave paintings found in Europe, Australia, Asia and Africa that date from the Upper Paleolithic period. Native peoples were still doing them well after the first colonists landed in North America.
One of the last things we explored today was one of the visitor center’s cactus gardens. There was saguaro, ocotillo, and a lot of other desert plants that would not have looked out of place on an alien planet.
I was thinking about staying for sunset until I got a look at Benny. We’ve been going non-stop for weeks now and it wasn’t going to kill us to miss a sunset and head into camp a little early. Plus, it was a KOA for the next two nights. Yes! Okay, I know that sounds a little silly coming from me of all people, but sometimes you need a little luxury to balance out the “primitive”. Like coming into port after weeks at sea.
We pulled in and they had us a nice site all picked out with full hookups that included 20 channels of free cable. It was the most basic one they had and originally cost $42/night but with the 50% discount that made it $21/night. To be honest, it wasn’t the site so much as the amenities that I found to be the best value. The place has a year ‘round pool and I agreed if Benny helped me do a couple loads of laundry, I would take him to the pool if it was still open. No objections or complaints. And it was … still open I mean. He didn’t want to play, he just wanted to swim and relax on the steps. I was right there with him except I also took advantage of the hot tub and man was that thing hot. Got rid of all the cot kinks from last night.
Benny had just started to ask about dinner when my latest surprise pulled up. I’d been told at check in that a local restaurant delivered to your site. And it just so happens that the restaurant was a BBQ joint. I managed to find enough gluten-free items that we were both satisfied.
The free wifi wasn’t too bad so I used that for the blog and correspondence while I let Benny use my iPad to watch some national park videos and look at pictures and videos that we’ve taken. It put him right to sleep. As soon as I can finish moderating all of the comments on the blog, I’m hitting the hay as well. Hopefully the family beside us will quiet down as they go to sleep. Wine is fine but I think they are a bottle over their limit.
TODAY’S SURVIVAL SKILL: Washing and taking care of our clothes and why it is important.
Siskiyoumom
Veteran Member
I was able to visit the Saguaro National Park right when they were in full bloom. I loved the fragrance and I think that is what heaven may smell like. At the visitor center a tourist was uptight that all the rangers were wearing side arms. I think the tourist said they were from Connecticut. Any how the ranger lady in her late sixties said that with the high crime rate of Tucson and the dangers on the high ways and buy ways it is prudent to open carry. She gave me good advice on routes and things to watch out for.
Sep 30th
We hiked a lot today but at the same time we took it easy. Doesn’t make a whole lot of sense from a word perspective but for Benny and I it wasn’t all that strenuous a day despite the number of miles covered. We also saw more animals today than we have in a bit: kangaroo rats, horned lizards, roadrunners, javelina, bobcats, coyotes, and peccaries.
First hike of the day was the longest; 6.4 miles Garwood Dam and Wildhorse Tank (6.4 miles. If you want to see cacti of every size, shape and age – this is the hike for you. We saw thousands upon thousands of saguaros, prickly pear, barrel, and yes, even the dreaded jumping cholla cacti. The Jumping Cholla is both a tale and the truth. The chain-fruit or jumping cholla has garnered the reputation of being capable of “jumping” from the ground or from a parent cactus to a person’s clothing or skin. But don’t worry, the “cactus that shoots needles” does not actually jump or shoot needles. It just quickly and easily detaches itself from the parent plant and hooks stubbornly onto (and sometimes into) people who venture too close or who happen to be near the plant when a strong breeze blows. This ability to attach itself easily is probably why people say it jumps or shoots needles.
From the Douglas Spring trailhead, we continued until we took a right on the Garwood Trail. We entered the kind of cactus forest that inspired the creation of this park in 1933. It was really amazing, but just because the jumping cactus is a “myth” doesn’t mean that people don’t have reason to be wary of it. I wound up “rescuing” a couple of girls my age that had come in conflict with one of the succulents when they got too close while trying to take some selfies. They’d squatted down to get a good angle … and you can imagine what happened. Both of them had a couple stuck to their butts.
I felt sorry for them but it sure was difficult not to laugh at their predicament. The more they tried to pull them off, the more stuck they became. But I’ve found myself in equally dumb circumstances in my life, including waking up with a baby gator snuggling in my boot … and only discovering this when I tried to put my boot back on in the morning … or having a pelican decide to take a break on my sea kayak only to realize it couldn’t take back off and cussing at me nearly the entire way back to shore like it was Captain Bligh’s reincarnation. That’s where Gus the Pelican originally came from as I got it for Benny so he wouldn’t be so scared of the big stinky birds as he was for a while.
“You have gloves?! Oh my gawd. Thank you!”
I couldn’t help it. They could probably tell I was trying not to chuckle. “Hold still and I’ll try and get all the spines out at the same time. And yes, I have gloves. One of my aunts had a cactus garden when I was little. The things used to reach out and slap me every chance I gave them. So I just figured … better safe than sorry.” One particular spine I had to pull out with my multi-tool. Benny refused to look at “girls doing girl stuff” as he was a 6-year-old guy and he was too old for that.
I couldn’t tell if the one girl was crying or laughing in embarrassment or a bit of both. The other girl was standing very still and very stoic, but cactus mischief managed and they were both extremely appreciative of the help. We hiked together for a while and the “Big Adventure” came up and they also have a travel blog of sorts. The girls are cousins, and they are traveling with two other male cousins, in their grandparents’ old airstream trailer, repeating a trip that their parents all took in the trailer when they were kids. They were supposed to put the trailer up for sale at the end of the year, but they are rethinking it as they are having too much fun.
We finally caught up with their male counterparts who wanted to know what took them so long; they’d started to get worried. We waived goodbye as thy were were threatening to drop rocks on their cousins’ heads if they dared to blab and tell anyone else. The guys, as you can imagine, were nearing rolling in laughter … until one of them had their own intimate encounter with a cholla.
We stayed on the Garwood trail until we hit the Carrillo trail, and took a left. A steep section led us to the Garwood Dam. It was built by Nelson Gardwood in the 1950's. The Dam provided a steady supply of water for Nelson Garwood and his ranch before the area was part of the National Park system.
From there it was on to the Carrillo trail through a series of switchbacks. In 1868, Don Emilio Carrillo built his Buena Vista Ranch. He would later change the name to La Cebadilla, after the wild barley growing along the ranch’s creek. Carrillo had been living in the Tucson area since the age of 12, and, with some hard work, he built his ranch into a successful cattle operation. Carrillo and other ranchers ran so many cattle in the foothills of the Rincons that vegetation was destroyed for generations to come. Lime kilns, operating in the 1880s, also seriously deforested the area. The remains of these kilns can be seen along the Cactus forest Trail.
As with most history - there is good and bad in the story. In 1904, bandits seeking to cash in on some of Carrillo’s wealth ransacked the ranch in search of gold that they believed was buried on the property. The robbers also hanged Carrillo by the neck from the rafters and tortured him—almost to death. Carrillo lasted another few years before passing away from complications from the attack. Carrillo’s ranch changed hands several times eventually coming to be named the Tanque Verde Guest Ranch and is family owned and operated today and you can hang out by those deadly rafters in the ranch’s present-day card room.
We started to get beautiful views on a ridge in the foothills. Beyond the ridge we intersected with Wildhorse Trail, turned right and onto a steep (.3 mile) trail to Little Wildhorse Tank, one of the only perennial areas of water in the park.
We continued back onto Carrillo trail until we reached the steel tank. From there it was down and through the wash. This section had incredible views of the Santa Catalina Mountains to the north. Finally, it was back down the Douglas Spring trail and back to the trail head.
I didn’t see an airstream so either they’d left it in camp or had somehow left before us. Either way it was on to our next hike; a 1.8-miler called Wild Dog Trail. The there-and-back trail started on the Hohokam Road trailhead before heading south with a very gradual climb in elevation. The trail crossed four small washes in the first 0.3 miles before climbing up to a ridge about 180 feet up. The trail never got steep and was very well maintained and easy to follow. The trail's views weree limited because of the lack of any significant elevation gain, but there were some views to the north of Panther Peak and Twin Hills.
At 0.7 miles, the trail crossed a ridge and was at the highest point on the trail. Once on the ridge, there were a lot of intersecting trails so I had to pay close attention to our map. From there, the trail headed downhill for 0.2 miles and ended in Bajada Wash, 0.1 miles from Bajada Loop Drive. Fifty yards before Bajada Wash was the junction with the Valley View Overlook Trail. The overlook is 0.3 miles from this trail junction, and the views from the overlook made this short side trip worth it.
This was our first sighting of what we’d seen signs for all over the place … a rattle snake. As is true with all the trails in Saguaro National Park, we were warned repeatedly to keep an eye on the trail for snakes, especially in the early morning and evening. The rule is if you are checking out the scenery as you walk, it is best to keep that third eye on the trail. The rattler was sitting in the middle of the trail like it was playing Billy Goat Gruff. We waited the cranky ol’ thing out and it slithered off the trail and kept going. We have our own cranky rattlers in Florida so I was not averse to giving it its due. And to be honest, I’ll take a rattler over a water moccasin. Just can’t stand moccasins and it is the one animal that I will shoot/kill on sight. Those things will stalk you and no it is not my imagination. We had to deal with another rattler in the parking lot but those were the only two that we saw either day.
Our last hike of the day was the King Canyon/ Gould Mine Loop. It was 2.4 miles with a little elevation change to it. The Kings Canyon – Gould Mine loop hike starts just a short distance down the road from the Sonoran Desert Museum. The place was packed with people searching out some air conditioning so Benny and I opted not to stop. The trailhead we were looking for was at a small parking lot off the right side of the road. The Kings Canyon trail started as a gentle ascent along a dry creekbed.
Although the views from the parking lot were decent, they got a lot better once you got onto the trail. It was dry and hot but not awful and Benny and I could keep a better than reasonable pace. The further along the trail we got the better the views.
Unsurprisingly, the saguaro the park was named after are plentiful. Many of the multi-armed cacti had to be over a 100 years old based on their size. The average age of a 1-inch tall saguaro is ten years. It can take up to 200 years to reach their maximum height of 45-feet. Unfreaking believable.
We stopped frequently, mainly to take in the desert views, so different from Florida. But we also took breaks to drink plenty of water and to wait out some of the groups that hadn’t come quite as prepared.
“It’s soooooo hot!”
I lost count how many times I heard this during our hike. Mostly it was kids but there were even some adults whining about it. Not my little bear. He did like to stand in the shade I made but I remember doing the same thing as a kid. There are some benefits to being shorter than everyone else. I almost told a few of them they didn’t know what hot was, that they needed to visit Death Valley. Nah. I didn’t really feel like socializing anyway.
We reached an intersection that lacked signage, but took the trail that went in the direction I knew we needed to go to connect to the Gould Mine trail. No more than 15 minutes later we found the sign that could take us back around the hill to the parking lot.
That was our last hike and I think Benny and I were both ready to head back to the KOA. Another relatively early night back into camp but I figure if I am paying for all the amenities then we should use them. I did another couple of loads of laundry, this time the bedding which needed it badly. I also spritzed the sleeping “mattresses” with fabric freshener and let the entire van air out. I bought another tank of propane and replaced the one that was empty. We used some “spare change” in the fish feeder by the pond and Benny had fun the same way I had at his age throwing one piece in at a time to draw the fish to the surface, then tossing out a bunch and watching them all go crazy trying to get their share. We ended the day with another swim and hopefully our suits will dry overnight.
Tomorrow is the first of October. I got my first nibble on a job. A small RV and trailer park said they were looking and were willing to offer me lot rent as part of my compensation package. I don’t know about a “package” but a space with hook ups would go a long way towards giving me some breathing room in the budget. Starting in November wasn’t a problem as that’s when their current handyman is scheduled to leave.
They are still interviewing. They are honestly looking for someone that has ties to the area rather than someone transient but being from north Florida didn’t hurt my application. I need to send them copies of my certs as well as a list of things that I have done for my other employers. Or should that be “employers” as mostly I’ve bartered my services in the past. Either way I’m less frazzled – for now – and maybe I can get through some seasonal work until something more permanent comes along.
Today's Survival Skill: snake safety
Resources:
https://www.nps.gov/sagu/planyourvisit/upload/SAGU-Jr-Ranger-booklet_Cover.pdf
https://www.nps.gov/sagu/planyourvisit/upload/SAGU-Jr-Ranger-booklet_Inside-pages_REDUCED.pdf
https://home.nps.gov/sagu/learn/historyculture/upload/Garwood-Ranch-Brief.pdf
We hiked a lot today but at the same time we took it easy. Doesn’t make a whole lot of sense from a word perspective but for Benny and I it wasn’t all that strenuous a day despite the number of miles covered. We also saw more animals today than we have in a bit: kangaroo rats, horned lizards, roadrunners, javelina, bobcats, coyotes, and peccaries.
First hike of the day was the longest; 6.4 miles Garwood Dam and Wildhorse Tank (6.4 miles. If you want to see cacti of every size, shape and age – this is the hike for you. We saw thousands upon thousands of saguaros, prickly pear, barrel, and yes, even the dreaded jumping cholla cacti. The Jumping Cholla is both a tale and the truth. The chain-fruit or jumping cholla has garnered the reputation of being capable of “jumping” from the ground or from a parent cactus to a person’s clothing or skin. But don’t worry, the “cactus that shoots needles” does not actually jump or shoot needles. It just quickly and easily detaches itself from the parent plant and hooks stubbornly onto (and sometimes into) people who venture too close or who happen to be near the plant when a strong breeze blows. This ability to attach itself easily is probably why people say it jumps or shoots needles.
From the Douglas Spring trailhead, we continued until we took a right on the Garwood Trail. We entered the kind of cactus forest that inspired the creation of this park in 1933. It was really amazing, but just because the jumping cactus is a “myth” doesn’t mean that people don’t have reason to be wary of it. I wound up “rescuing” a couple of girls my age that had come in conflict with one of the succulents when they got too close while trying to take some selfies. They’d squatted down to get a good angle … and you can imagine what happened. Both of them had a couple stuck to their butts.
I felt sorry for them but it sure was difficult not to laugh at their predicament. The more they tried to pull them off, the more stuck they became. But I’ve found myself in equally dumb circumstances in my life, including waking up with a baby gator snuggling in my boot … and only discovering this when I tried to put my boot back on in the morning … or having a pelican decide to take a break on my sea kayak only to realize it couldn’t take back off and cussing at me nearly the entire way back to shore like it was Captain Bligh’s reincarnation. That’s where Gus the Pelican originally came from as I got it for Benny so he wouldn’t be so scared of the big stinky birds as he was for a while.
“You have gloves?! Oh my gawd. Thank you!”
I couldn’t help it. They could probably tell I was trying not to chuckle. “Hold still and I’ll try and get all the spines out at the same time. And yes, I have gloves. One of my aunts had a cactus garden when I was little. The things used to reach out and slap me every chance I gave them. So I just figured … better safe than sorry.” One particular spine I had to pull out with my multi-tool. Benny refused to look at “girls doing girl stuff” as he was a 6-year-old guy and he was too old for that.
I couldn’t tell if the one girl was crying or laughing in embarrassment or a bit of both. The other girl was standing very still and very stoic, but cactus mischief managed and they were both extremely appreciative of the help. We hiked together for a while and the “Big Adventure” came up and they also have a travel blog of sorts. The girls are cousins, and they are traveling with two other male cousins, in their grandparents’ old airstream trailer, repeating a trip that their parents all took in the trailer when they were kids. They were supposed to put the trailer up for sale at the end of the year, but they are rethinking it as they are having too much fun.
We finally caught up with their male counterparts who wanted to know what took them so long; they’d started to get worried. We waived goodbye as thy were were threatening to drop rocks on their cousins’ heads if they dared to blab and tell anyone else. The guys, as you can imagine, were nearing rolling in laughter … until one of them had their own intimate encounter with a cholla.
We stayed on the Garwood trail until we hit the Carrillo trail, and took a left. A steep section led us to the Garwood Dam. It was built by Nelson Gardwood in the 1950's. The Dam provided a steady supply of water for Nelson Garwood and his ranch before the area was part of the National Park system.
From there it was on to the Carrillo trail through a series of switchbacks. In 1868, Don Emilio Carrillo built his Buena Vista Ranch. He would later change the name to La Cebadilla, after the wild barley growing along the ranch’s creek. Carrillo had been living in the Tucson area since the age of 12, and, with some hard work, he built his ranch into a successful cattle operation. Carrillo and other ranchers ran so many cattle in the foothills of the Rincons that vegetation was destroyed for generations to come. Lime kilns, operating in the 1880s, also seriously deforested the area. The remains of these kilns can be seen along the Cactus forest Trail.
As with most history - there is good and bad in the story. In 1904, bandits seeking to cash in on some of Carrillo’s wealth ransacked the ranch in search of gold that they believed was buried on the property. The robbers also hanged Carrillo by the neck from the rafters and tortured him—almost to death. Carrillo lasted another few years before passing away from complications from the attack. Carrillo’s ranch changed hands several times eventually coming to be named the Tanque Verde Guest Ranch and is family owned and operated today and you can hang out by those deadly rafters in the ranch’s present-day card room.
We started to get beautiful views on a ridge in the foothills. Beyond the ridge we intersected with Wildhorse Trail, turned right and onto a steep (.3 mile) trail to Little Wildhorse Tank, one of the only perennial areas of water in the park.
We continued back onto Carrillo trail until we reached the steel tank. From there it was down and through the wash. This section had incredible views of the Santa Catalina Mountains to the north. Finally, it was back down the Douglas Spring trail and back to the trail head.
I didn’t see an airstream so either they’d left it in camp or had somehow left before us. Either way it was on to our next hike; a 1.8-miler called Wild Dog Trail. The there-and-back trail started on the Hohokam Road trailhead before heading south with a very gradual climb in elevation. The trail crossed four small washes in the first 0.3 miles before climbing up to a ridge about 180 feet up. The trail never got steep and was very well maintained and easy to follow. The trail's views weree limited because of the lack of any significant elevation gain, but there were some views to the north of Panther Peak and Twin Hills.
At 0.7 miles, the trail crossed a ridge and was at the highest point on the trail. Once on the ridge, there were a lot of intersecting trails so I had to pay close attention to our map. From there, the trail headed downhill for 0.2 miles and ended in Bajada Wash, 0.1 miles from Bajada Loop Drive. Fifty yards before Bajada Wash was the junction with the Valley View Overlook Trail. The overlook is 0.3 miles from this trail junction, and the views from the overlook made this short side trip worth it.
This was our first sighting of what we’d seen signs for all over the place … a rattle snake. As is true with all the trails in Saguaro National Park, we were warned repeatedly to keep an eye on the trail for snakes, especially in the early morning and evening. The rule is if you are checking out the scenery as you walk, it is best to keep that third eye on the trail. The rattler was sitting in the middle of the trail like it was playing Billy Goat Gruff. We waited the cranky ol’ thing out and it slithered off the trail and kept going. We have our own cranky rattlers in Florida so I was not averse to giving it its due. And to be honest, I’ll take a rattler over a water moccasin. Just can’t stand moccasins and it is the one animal that I will shoot/kill on sight. Those things will stalk you and no it is not my imagination. We had to deal with another rattler in the parking lot but those were the only two that we saw either day.
Our last hike of the day was the King Canyon/ Gould Mine Loop. It was 2.4 miles with a little elevation change to it. The Kings Canyon – Gould Mine loop hike starts just a short distance down the road from the Sonoran Desert Museum. The place was packed with people searching out some air conditioning so Benny and I opted not to stop. The trailhead we were looking for was at a small parking lot off the right side of the road. The Kings Canyon trail started as a gentle ascent along a dry creekbed.
Although the views from the parking lot were decent, they got a lot better once you got onto the trail. It was dry and hot but not awful and Benny and I could keep a better than reasonable pace. The further along the trail we got the better the views.
Unsurprisingly, the saguaro the park was named after are plentiful. Many of the multi-armed cacti had to be over a 100 years old based on their size. The average age of a 1-inch tall saguaro is ten years. It can take up to 200 years to reach their maximum height of 45-feet. Unfreaking believable.
We stopped frequently, mainly to take in the desert views, so different from Florida. But we also took breaks to drink plenty of water and to wait out some of the groups that hadn’t come quite as prepared.
“It’s soooooo hot!”
I lost count how many times I heard this during our hike. Mostly it was kids but there were even some adults whining about it. Not my little bear. He did like to stand in the shade I made but I remember doing the same thing as a kid. There are some benefits to being shorter than everyone else. I almost told a few of them they didn’t know what hot was, that they needed to visit Death Valley. Nah. I didn’t really feel like socializing anyway.
We reached an intersection that lacked signage, but took the trail that went in the direction I knew we needed to go to connect to the Gould Mine trail. No more than 15 minutes later we found the sign that could take us back around the hill to the parking lot.
That was our last hike and I think Benny and I were both ready to head back to the KOA. Another relatively early night back into camp but I figure if I am paying for all the amenities then we should use them. I did another couple of loads of laundry, this time the bedding which needed it badly. I also spritzed the sleeping “mattresses” with fabric freshener and let the entire van air out. I bought another tank of propane and replaced the one that was empty. We used some “spare change” in the fish feeder by the pond and Benny had fun the same way I had at his age throwing one piece in at a time to draw the fish to the surface, then tossing out a bunch and watching them all go crazy trying to get their share. We ended the day with another swim and hopefully our suits will dry overnight.
Tomorrow is the first of October. I got my first nibble on a job. A small RV and trailer park said they were looking and were willing to offer me lot rent as part of my compensation package. I don’t know about a “package” but a space with hook ups would go a long way towards giving me some breathing room in the budget. Starting in November wasn’t a problem as that’s when their current handyman is scheduled to leave.
They are still interviewing. They are honestly looking for someone that has ties to the area rather than someone transient but being from north Florida didn’t hurt my application. I need to send them copies of my certs as well as a list of things that I have done for my other employers. Or should that be “employers” as mostly I’ve bartered my services in the past. Either way I’m less frazzled – for now – and maybe I can get through some seasonal work until something more permanent comes along.
Today's Survival Skill: snake safety
Resources:
https://www.nps.gov/sagu/planyourvisit/upload/SAGU-Jr-Ranger-booklet_Cover.pdf
https://www.nps.gov/sagu/planyourvisit/upload/SAGU-Jr-Ranger-booklet_Inside-pages_REDUCED.pdf
https://home.nps.gov/sagu/learn/historyculture/upload/Garwood-Ranch-Brief.pdf
Oct 1 – 3: Guadalupe Mountains National Park, TX >> Carlsbad Caverns National Park, NM
Driving Route:
Oct 1st
Didn’t relish the drive this morning but you do what you must. Seven hours between Tucson and Guadalupe National Park. It was mostly interstate all the way … I10 which was a bit of a reminder of home … but I tell you getting through El Paso suuuuucked. What a mess. I’d been warned by some fellow travelers I ran into when I was topping off fuel last night. They were from the El Paso area and said there’s been construction for as long as they could remember, that it never seems to end. All it seems to do is move from bad to worse and back again. I know Jacksonville could be bad but geez Louise. When they say Texas does everything big, I guess that includes traffic problems. And making sure I didn’t accidentally take a wrong turn and get into outgoing lanes that would have made me slip over the Mexican border was the kind of interesting I could have done without. And all the radio wanted to do was spit out the latest crime statistics for the area. You have a 1 in 50 chance of being a victim of a violent crime in the area. The statistics for non-violent crimes are even crazier.
There was razor wire everywhere. It looked like the freaking DMZ. What nearly brought the hamster out to play was the line of mini tanks that had El Paso Police stenciled on their sides. I mean what the frick. Florida is just one long border but we keep our military hardware on boats off-shore. Although Miami does have a few howitzers in the harbor, but they are hidden in the sea grapes.
Just on the outside of El Paso we switched to 62 which was nearly as bad until we got away from the city more than just a few miles. I was so happy to get away from the madness of that border town that the remaining miles just flew by. Except when I realized how far off the highway I would have to go to top off with fuel again. I’d read over and over that there was NO fuel to be had in or near Guadalupe Mountains National Park. I wasn’t going to be taking any chances. I also made sure to top off the extra fuel tanks I have. Wasn’t cheap as it was over $10/gallon but there’s that supply and demand thing they keep talking about in the news. And people are also warned that there are no EV plug-ins so top off however you do, or else. Of course, charging in public EV stations is at least as expensive as old-style fueling. The promise of the fuel price drop has never materialized. I wasn’t counting on it but it sure would have been nice.
Not too long after I got back on the highway after fueling up and picking up some extra drinks for the frig from the stop-and-shop, I saw a Greyhound Bus Station of all things. I nearly stopped and took a picture of it. I know they used to be a popular way to travel, and you see it in a lot of movies, but I personally had never seen one. They aren’t allowed in Florida any longer after that series of electric public transportation busses burned and blew up before they could recall all of the batteries.
After that it was into the park. And speaking of gas, they even asked at the entrance gate how much fuel we had and warned us against running the van unless we absolutely had to due to fuel scarcity in the area. They also reminded us that the RV spots had no hook ups and their potable water stations were not for filling up the freshwater tanks. And they don’t have dump stations and a lot of other rules and regs that people should have known before going to the park.
The only concern I had was having enough water to drink. Showers were going to be out for a couple of days for sure. I told Benny we needed to use the camp toilets unless absolutely necessary or they were too gross. For everything else I was going to fill up every container we had and keep them in the frig which was also a little on the empty side. I’m using the camp meals since we haven’t really done it that much up to this point and I don’t want a lot of leftovers at the end of the trip. I didn’t explain it that way to Benny however. To Benny it is like the Adventure will never end. For me it is the first day of October and I only have 30 days to figure out where we are going to land. I only have the one nibble on my job applications and none of my college applications have been pulled to be looked at yet. I think I might have missed the Spring deadlines.
We got lucky and they still had space in the first-come-first-serve campground since for them it is getting close to being off-season. I got a spot as soon as we got to the first of the four visitor centers in the park – Pine Spring Visitors Center. It is the main one and has the most information. It also had Benny’s Junior Ranger packet. He only had to complete four of the activities to get the badge but completing six would earn him a certificate, the badge, and the patch and I could see the determination written all over his face. Geez he is Lawrence’s mini-me for sure and they both remind me a lot of Grandfather Barry. I notice it more and more. I hope it turns out to be a good thing.
The other three visitor centers are only staffed intermittently … Dog Canyon, Dell City, and McKittrick Station. All three have exterior exhibits so I’m not worried about finding times when they are manned as I got all the trail info we needed at Pine Springs.
Since we only had a half day to hike today, I stuck with the Pine Springs area. We started with the Pinery Trail which was only a 20-minute hike. I wanted to get a feel for the weather which was very dry. The Pinery Trail, trailhead beside the Pine Springs Visitor Center, offers visitors an opportunity to take a quick walk on a paved trail. The trail features signage identifying common local plants. The trail also featured ruins of the Old Butterfield Stagecoach Route Pinery Station built in 1858.
I got a level of comfort that Benny would be able to hike so long as we had plenty of water, so we moved on to one called The Devil’s Hall Trail. It took us a little over two hours, but they warn it can take as long as four depending on how slow you go in the heat of the day. The Devil's Hall Trail is a well-maintained trail for one mile. It then enters a rocky wash, which requires the hiker to scramble over large boulders. The trail offers spectacular views of geologic formations, steep canyon walls, tall trees, and mountaintops.
The last hike was just around the campground itself. Pine Springs Campground Loop is a 0.2 mile moderately trafficked loop trail located near Salt Flat, Texas that offers the chance to see wildlife and is good for all skill levels. The trail is primarily used for walking and camping and is accessible year-round. Dogs are also able to use this trail but must be kept on leash. We met a couple of mutts on the trail, but they were all too hot to really want to play and their owners weren’t exactly in a good mood either.
I considered doing another trail but decided just to go set up camp and relax as much as we could and try and plan the best way to use tomorrow. There is a wildfire in the park – which explained some of the crankiness from people that had scheduled to be here longer than us, and several trail areas are closed throwing my planned itinerary out of whack.
As for the Pine Springs Campground where we are staying, it is near the Pine Spring Visitor Center (duh!) and is a pretty simple, near primitive location located at the base of a mountain which made it interesting to look at. The only potable water, as explained, is for water bottles and hydration packs only. They do have flush-toilet restrooms, a utility sink, and pay telephones (what a blast from the past), but that really is it beyond a location to get rid of your “pack it in, pack it out” garbage. Any kind of open flame fire … wood or charcoal … is not permitted either. I heard a couple squabbling about that when their camp stove went kaputz for some reason. I would have shared ours, but I didn’t like their cranky attitude, especially when I heard them “whispering” that they hoped “the kid” didn’t make a bunch of noise because they’d come for the peace and quiet. Since Benny was the only kid in sight, I nearly popped off at them that the only ones making noise was their own foul selves. The nerve of some people and their inability to look in a mirror.
Dinner was yellow rice and chicken with black beans on the side. I had to use canned chicken so I washed it well because sometimes they pack it in fluid that has gluten in it. I usually buy Hormel or Kirkland brand which are gluten free, but I had to buy an off brand last time. The label didn’t reveal any gluten, but I prefer to be safe than sorry and so far so good, no reaction from Benny.
TODAY’S SURVIVAL SKILL: Another cooking lesson.
Benny was content to work on his Junior Ranger papers for a bit, go to the evening ranger program, and then switch to having a “crew meeting” with all his stuffies which he fell asleep in the middle of as they stargazed by laying on top of the picnic table and looking up. Big boy that he is getting to be he let me carry him and this bag o’ Crew to his bed and roll him in after taking his camp shoes off. Wherever we settle I have got to make it a priority to get him involved with a peer group. Maybe some kind of scouting program. Something, anything. I don’t have a problem with him having an imaginary play life, I just don’t want that to be all he has.
No new nibbles on job applications. Did get a response from the RV & Trailer Park to let me know they received the documents they had requested and even thanking me for being so quick about it. They did ask if I had any other referrals. I asked Stella and Groucho to write theirs separately – Groucho as owner of the BnB and Stella as office manager of the mechanic shop – but I’m struggling to find anyone more recent than that. Doesn’t give me a good feeling but I guess I don’t have any choice but to wait and see.
Driving Route:
Oct 1st
Didn’t relish the drive this morning but you do what you must. Seven hours between Tucson and Guadalupe National Park. It was mostly interstate all the way … I10 which was a bit of a reminder of home … but I tell you getting through El Paso suuuuucked. What a mess. I’d been warned by some fellow travelers I ran into when I was topping off fuel last night. They were from the El Paso area and said there’s been construction for as long as they could remember, that it never seems to end. All it seems to do is move from bad to worse and back again. I know Jacksonville could be bad but geez Louise. When they say Texas does everything big, I guess that includes traffic problems. And making sure I didn’t accidentally take a wrong turn and get into outgoing lanes that would have made me slip over the Mexican border was the kind of interesting I could have done without. And all the radio wanted to do was spit out the latest crime statistics for the area. You have a 1 in 50 chance of being a victim of a violent crime in the area. The statistics for non-violent crimes are even crazier.
There was razor wire everywhere. It looked like the freaking DMZ. What nearly brought the hamster out to play was the line of mini tanks that had El Paso Police stenciled on their sides. I mean what the frick. Florida is just one long border but we keep our military hardware on boats off-shore. Although Miami does have a few howitzers in the harbor, but they are hidden in the sea grapes.
Just on the outside of El Paso we switched to 62 which was nearly as bad until we got away from the city more than just a few miles. I was so happy to get away from the madness of that border town that the remaining miles just flew by. Except when I realized how far off the highway I would have to go to top off with fuel again. I’d read over and over that there was NO fuel to be had in or near Guadalupe Mountains National Park. I wasn’t going to be taking any chances. I also made sure to top off the extra fuel tanks I have. Wasn’t cheap as it was over $10/gallon but there’s that supply and demand thing they keep talking about in the news. And people are also warned that there are no EV plug-ins so top off however you do, or else. Of course, charging in public EV stations is at least as expensive as old-style fueling. The promise of the fuel price drop has never materialized. I wasn’t counting on it but it sure would have been nice.
Not too long after I got back on the highway after fueling up and picking up some extra drinks for the frig from the stop-and-shop, I saw a Greyhound Bus Station of all things. I nearly stopped and took a picture of it. I know they used to be a popular way to travel, and you see it in a lot of movies, but I personally had never seen one. They aren’t allowed in Florida any longer after that series of electric public transportation busses burned and blew up before they could recall all of the batteries.
After that it was into the park. And speaking of gas, they even asked at the entrance gate how much fuel we had and warned us against running the van unless we absolutely had to due to fuel scarcity in the area. They also reminded us that the RV spots had no hook ups and their potable water stations were not for filling up the freshwater tanks. And they don’t have dump stations and a lot of other rules and regs that people should have known before going to the park.
The only concern I had was having enough water to drink. Showers were going to be out for a couple of days for sure. I told Benny we needed to use the camp toilets unless absolutely necessary or they were too gross. For everything else I was going to fill up every container we had and keep them in the frig which was also a little on the empty side. I’m using the camp meals since we haven’t really done it that much up to this point and I don’t want a lot of leftovers at the end of the trip. I didn’t explain it that way to Benny however. To Benny it is like the Adventure will never end. For me it is the first day of October and I only have 30 days to figure out where we are going to land. I only have the one nibble on my job applications and none of my college applications have been pulled to be looked at yet. I think I might have missed the Spring deadlines.
We got lucky and they still had space in the first-come-first-serve campground since for them it is getting close to being off-season. I got a spot as soon as we got to the first of the four visitor centers in the park – Pine Spring Visitors Center. It is the main one and has the most information. It also had Benny’s Junior Ranger packet. He only had to complete four of the activities to get the badge but completing six would earn him a certificate, the badge, and the patch and I could see the determination written all over his face. Geez he is Lawrence’s mini-me for sure and they both remind me a lot of Grandfather Barry. I notice it more and more. I hope it turns out to be a good thing.
The other three visitor centers are only staffed intermittently … Dog Canyon, Dell City, and McKittrick Station. All three have exterior exhibits so I’m not worried about finding times when they are manned as I got all the trail info we needed at Pine Springs.
Since we only had a half day to hike today, I stuck with the Pine Springs area. We started with the Pinery Trail which was only a 20-minute hike. I wanted to get a feel for the weather which was very dry. The Pinery Trail, trailhead beside the Pine Springs Visitor Center, offers visitors an opportunity to take a quick walk on a paved trail. The trail features signage identifying common local plants. The trail also featured ruins of the Old Butterfield Stagecoach Route Pinery Station built in 1858.
I got a level of comfort that Benny would be able to hike so long as we had plenty of water, so we moved on to one called The Devil’s Hall Trail. It took us a little over two hours, but they warn it can take as long as four depending on how slow you go in the heat of the day. The Devil's Hall Trail is a well-maintained trail for one mile. It then enters a rocky wash, which requires the hiker to scramble over large boulders. The trail offers spectacular views of geologic formations, steep canyon walls, tall trees, and mountaintops.
The last hike was just around the campground itself. Pine Springs Campground Loop is a 0.2 mile moderately trafficked loop trail located near Salt Flat, Texas that offers the chance to see wildlife and is good for all skill levels. The trail is primarily used for walking and camping and is accessible year-round. Dogs are also able to use this trail but must be kept on leash. We met a couple of mutts on the trail, but they were all too hot to really want to play and their owners weren’t exactly in a good mood either.
I considered doing another trail but decided just to go set up camp and relax as much as we could and try and plan the best way to use tomorrow. There is a wildfire in the park – which explained some of the crankiness from people that had scheduled to be here longer than us, and several trail areas are closed throwing my planned itinerary out of whack.
As for the Pine Springs Campground where we are staying, it is near the Pine Spring Visitor Center (duh!) and is a pretty simple, near primitive location located at the base of a mountain which made it interesting to look at. The only potable water, as explained, is for water bottles and hydration packs only. They do have flush-toilet restrooms, a utility sink, and pay telephones (what a blast from the past), but that really is it beyond a location to get rid of your “pack it in, pack it out” garbage. Any kind of open flame fire … wood or charcoal … is not permitted either. I heard a couple squabbling about that when their camp stove went kaputz for some reason. I would have shared ours, but I didn’t like their cranky attitude, especially when I heard them “whispering” that they hoped “the kid” didn’t make a bunch of noise because they’d come for the peace and quiet. Since Benny was the only kid in sight, I nearly popped off at them that the only ones making noise was their own foul selves. The nerve of some people and their inability to look in a mirror.
Dinner was yellow rice and chicken with black beans on the side. I had to use canned chicken so I washed it well because sometimes they pack it in fluid that has gluten in it. I usually buy Hormel or Kirkland brand which are gluten free, but I had to buy an off brand last time. The label didn’t reveal any gluten, but I prefer to be safe than sorry and so far so good, no reaction from Benny.
TODAY’S SURVIVAL SKILL: Another cooking lesson.
Benny was content to work on his Junior Ranger papers for a bit, go to the evening ranger program, and then switch to having a “crew meeting” with all his stuffies which he fell asleep in the middle of as they stargazed by laying on top of the picnic table and looking up. Big boy that he is getting to be he let me carry him and this bag o’ Crew to his bed and roll him in after taking his camp shoes off. Wherever we settle I have got to make it a priority to get him involved with a peer group. Maybe some kind of scouting program. Something, anything. I don’t have a problem with him having an imaginary play life, I just don’t want that to be all he has.
No new nibbles on job applications. Did get a response from the RV & Trailer Park to let me know they received the documents they had requested and even thanking me for being so quick about it. They did ask if I had any other referrals. I asked Stella and Groucho to write theirs separately – Groucho as owner of the BnB and Stella as office manager of the mechanic shop – but I’m struggling to find anyone more recent than that. Doesn’t give me a good feeling but I guess I don’t have any choice but to wait and see.
Oct 2nd
Smell of smoke on the air was noticeably stronger and I found out they closed the Dog Canyon area and were going to close more areas by tonight. We only got two more hikes in before they closed everything but the Pine Springs area. Most of the closures are precautionary and some for air-quality.
The two hikes we did get in were nice. In McKittrick Canyon we hiked to the Pratt Cabin a 4.8-mile there and back trail. It was the shortest distance into the heart of the canyon. Along this walk we crossed a stream twice before arriving at the historic structure. I’d brought a snack to enjoy at the picnic tables near or at Pratt Cabin, but we weren’t especially hungry since breakfast hadn’t been that long ago. I should have just had a snack for breakfast and then eaten a breakfast burrito or something like that at the picnic site. You could sit on the porch but you weren’t supposed to have food up there. Sometimes they have re-enactors at the cabin but not this time. It was still neat to take a look inside the stone structure. We took three hours, including having our midmorning snack at the picnic tables.
We also did a hike in the Frijole Ranch area called the Smith Springs Loop, a 2.3-mile there and back trail. We had decent luck there for animal sightings … birds, mule deer, and elk … as we walked the loop trail to the shady oasis of Smith Spring. We took an extended break there to enjoy the gurgling sounds of the tiny waterfall and so Benny could work on his Junior Ranger booklet. Then we continued around to sunny Manzanita Spring. Scars from previous wildfires are evident along the trail. The trail is rated moderate, with a round-trip distance of 2.3 miles. I’m still not sure why it is rated moderate unless it is because of the sand, gravel, and need to bring plenty of water. It really wasn’t that bad.
We headed back to camp very early and I noted that about half of the campsites were empty and several more looked like they were packing up. Benny and I walked to the ranger station to check and see if things needed to change but everything was cool. I figured that people were either just aggravated or smoke that was starting to cause a haze (and smell) wasn’t making them comfortable. I gave it some thought and decided we would stick it out for the night since tomorrow’s drive was a short one and our reservation couldn’t be changed. Benny turned in his Junior Ranger work, got the whole treatment which he never seems to tire of, and we headed back to our campsite.
“Benny, you have to promise not to leave camp if Aunt Gus takes a nap.”
“I promise,” he said solemnly. “Can I play inside the van? It stinks out here.”
“Okay, just don’t lock me out. Capiche Little Bear?”
“Capiche,” he said.
And I did crash and burn for about 90 minutes. Thankfully it was under the awning or I have a feeling I would have awoken lobsterized. I don’t normally nap during the day. In fact it was kinda rare, but it was nice having some down time. However, the smoke has started blowing this way so I’m glad I have dinner finished and all the rest. I’ll get up in the morning and we’ll just pull out rather than trying to do anything like I had planned.
TODAY’S SURVIVAL SKILL: Stop, drop, and roll.
Smell of smoke on the air was noticeably stronger and I found out they closed the Dog Canyon area and were going to close more areas by tonight. We only got two more hikes in before they closed everything but the Pine Springs area. Most of the closures are precautionary and some for air-quality.
The two hikes we did get in were nice. In McKittrick Canyon we hiked to the Pratt Cabin a 4.8-mile there and back trail. It was the shortest distance into the heart of the canyon. Along this walk we crossed a stream twice before arriving at the historic structure. I’d brought a snack to enjoy at the picnic tables near or at Pratt Cabin, but we weren’t especially hungry since breakfast hadn’t been that long ago. I should have just had a snack for breakfast and then eaten a breakfast burrito or something like that at the picnic site. You could sit on the porch but you weren’t supposed to have food up there. Sometimes they have re-enactors at the cabin but not this time. It was still neat to take a look inside the stone structure. We took three hours, including having our midmorning snack at the picnic tables.
We also did a hike in the Frijole Ranch area called the Smith Springs Loop, a 2.3-mile there and back trail. We had decent luck there for animal sightings … birds, mule deer, and elk … as we walked the loop trail to the shady oasis of Smith Spring. We took an extended break there to enjoy the gurgling sounds of the tiny waterfall and so Benny could work on his Junior Ranger booklet. Then we continued around to sunny Manzanita Spring. Scars from previous wildfires are evident along the trail. The trail is rated moderate, with a round-trip distance of 2.3 miles. I’m still not sure why it is rated moderate unless it is because of the sand, gravel, and need to bring plenty of water. It really wasn’t that bad.
We headed back to camp very early and I noted that about half of the campsites were empty and several more looked like they were packing up. Benny and I walked to the ranger station to check and see if things needed to change but everything was cool. I figured that people were either just aggravated or smoke that was starting to cause a haze (and smell) wasn’t making them comfortable. I gave it some thought and decided we would stick it out for the night since tomorrow’s drive was a short one and our reservation couldn’t be changed. Benny turned in his Junior Ranger work, got the whole treatment which he never seems to tire of, and we headed back to our campsite.
“Benny, you have to promise not to leave camp if Aunt Gus takes a nap.”
“I promise,” he said solemnly. “Can I play inside the van? It stinks out here.”
“Okay, just don’t lock me out. Capiche Little Bear?”
“Capiche,” he said.
And I did crash and burn for about 90 minutes. Thankfully it was under the awning or I have a feeling I would have awoken lobsterized. I don’t normally nap during the day. In fact it was kinda rare, but it was nice having some down time. However, the smoke has started blowing this way so I’m glad I have dinner finished and all the rest. I’ll get up in the morning and we’ll just pull out rather than trying to do anything like I had planned.
TODAY’S SURVIVAL SKILL: Stop, drop, and roll.
Oct 3rd – Carlsbad Cavern
Man, the air was bad when we woke up this morning. I’m glad I had the van mostly closed but it still needed airing out. We only had a 40-minute drive to Carlsbad Caverns. Not a bad commute. We opted for smoothies for breakfast just to get out of there.
I’d made a reservation months ago for the first cave tour of the day so we needed to sign in by 8 am since it started at 8:30. We picked up Benny’s Junior booklet at the same time we signed in. He was jazzed.
Due to crowding the ranger-led tours get booked way in advanced. Rather than be forced to take an odd-time tour I opted for the self-guiding tour that start at 8:30 when the first elevator went down, this way we weren’t forced to move faster (or slower) than we wanted. I got lucky and managed to avoid the worst of the early morning crowds as we did The Big Room trail which is the most popular route. It is the largest single cave chamber by volume in North America. The 1.25-mile trail is relatively flat, and took us about 1.5 hours to complete. I overheard one of the ranger’s spiels and he said that actor and comedian Will Rogers called the cavern, "The Grand Canyon with a roof over it." Having recently been at the Grand Canyon I’m not sure I agree but it is a good exaggeration or tall tale for the kiddos.
I’m going to record the trail as best I can. It isn’t easy. I’ve been in caves plenty since we started the Big Adventure, but I gotta admit that Carlsbad is something else.
The trail, and the King’s Palace Tour, are the most popular trails at Carlsbad Caverns National Park. All three are paved, lighted walks with handrails lining the trails, but the Big Room Trail is the only one that is considered easy. In fact, a 1.0-mile section of the trail is accessible to those in wheelchairs.
We began our exploration of the Big Room from the Underground Lunchroom. I’m not kidding, there’s an underground lunchroom down there. From there we walked through a well-lit passage, and were immediately surrounded by amazing speleothems. Then on the other side of the passage the cavern opened up into the largest cavern we have ever been in.
The Big Room is like no other cave we have visited. That’s no exaggeration. The rock formations along this trail are lit to provide the most dramatic and impressive views and one after another after another appear around every turn.
We passed the Sword of Damocles, a stalactite that looks like a sword, the Lion’s Tail, a stalactite with a gnarly bulb at the end, and an enormous limestone column called Temple of the Sun. We walked through the Hall of Giants with several giant towering stalagmites — the 16 foot wide Giant Dome stands 62 feet tall and the Twin Domes are just a little smaller.
We stood among what felt like a sea of popcorn covered stalagmites on the floor, while soda straws (tubular stalactites) covered the ceiling above. We marveled at other stalagmite formations like the Caveman and Totem Pole, and a gorgeous stalactites grouping called the Chandelier.
Sign-thingies along the trail told the stories of cave and formation discoveries, and an old rope ladder hangs into a large hole in the floor of the cave — that ladder was the original way cave explorers accessed the Lowers Caves.
Just a bit farther down the trail there was a better view into the Lower Caves. Soon we made it to the area of The Big Room known as the Top Of The Cross, named for its position on the shape of the Big Room Trail. Here there are rows of benches installed in a mini theater setting with plenty of room for groups to take a break and relax. Years ago the stage was used for underground concerts but they don’t do that these days as they worry about sound vibrations damaging the geology.
Next we passed Mirror Lake and the Bottomless Pit that isn’t really bottomless — it measures 140 feet deep. This marked the approximate halfway point of the Big Room Trail. As we worked our way back to the Great Room and the Underground Lunchroom, we passed a wall of glittering rock, a huge live stalagmite named Crystal Spring Dome, examples of draperies and cave bacon, painted grottoes, the Rock Of Ages formation, and a pool of ice-blue water.
Both Benny and I were sorry to go back up the elevator, but you can’t stay down there forever. But when we got up a woman pulled us to the side. “Excuse me but are … are you Gus and Little Bear?”
I made a face. “Okay, who is taking bets?” I said and laughed.
She chuckled laced with a little guilt. “No bets but someone else gets to make the coffee in the morning if I came out and asked you.”
We chatted and laughed over how we were turning into a “Where’s Waldo?” game for the rangers. I didn’t mind I told her if it lightened their day and workload.
“Oh, you have no idea,” she said with a grin.
In the process of chatting with a couple of rangers that had finally gotten the nerve to come over I found out there is another entrance that is rarely used but is still open. It is called the “Natural Entrance.” It is a 1.25-mile trail and extremely steep. She wouldn’t have recommended it if we weren’t experienced hikers and wearing hiking boots with good treads. Depending on if you decide to hike up or down, you gain or lose about 750 feet—equivalent to walking up or down a 75-story building. My calves were complaining once we got to the bottom. The hike takes about one hour for most people to complete. The sights were different, and we got to follow in the footsteps of early explorers and see formations like Devil's Spring, the Whale's Mouth, and Iceberg Rock. At the bottom we had a pass to take the elevator back up instead of going out the same way we came in.
The cave isn’t the only activity at Carlsbad though it is the most popular. We did some surface hiking as well after eating a lunch made out of most of the leftover bits and pieces as well as the fresh food still in the frig.
Some of the other things we did included:
I laughed but maybe I should have just made the decision anyway. The next trail took four hours. Man. Within the day use area, you can begin this trail at the dirt road adjacent to the natural entrance to Carlsbad Cavern. It follows the historic road used to haul guano from the cavern in the early 1900s, and hikers will see ruins and debris from the mining operation about a mile from the entrance. Bat crap. Yuck. The trail runs 3.7 miles descending the escarpment, and ending at the Whites City campground. One-way travel takes an estimated two hours at an easy activity level with a 750 feet change in elevation. Going down wasn’t bad, it was the up that had me regretting dragging poor Benny along though he didn’t seem to be bothered by it at all. Little sooter booger.
Our last activity before leaving was the Bat Flight Program we’d heard so much about. It was at the amphitheater. The bats haven’t migrated yet though their numbers have thinned as some bats from further north have already headed that direction. The numbers will thin more and more until by the end of October all of them will have headed towards their warmer winter homes.
After the cool show … not really a show but a natural phenomenon … we headed to the van. I was hacked when I got there. I put Benny in the van and was doing my routine of checking the van over after we’ve been away from it for a while. That’s when I saw that it was obvious someone had tried to get into the galley box. They probably tried to bump the lock but there’s a reason I had Groucho show me how to change out the cheapo cabinet lock for the same kind of secure lock used on freezers that are stored outside. You can’t shove a screwdriver in there and turn it. Found that out on my grandparents’ outside freezer when they had to replace one of those funky keys when their plastic one broke.
Here's where things went calliwumpus. I know things are tough all over but to try and break into someone’s vehicle at a national park that is out in the middle of nowhere seemed calculated to be criminal, not just someone down on their luck and desperate.
I was in the middle of checking the rest of the van over – thank the Creator I had put Benny inside the van and locked the door – when someone came up behind me and thought they’d take me out with a chop to my neck. Dang stupid people wandering this planet. I managed to hold onto the mag light in my hand when I went down to one knee and then turn around and popped the guy with the flashlight on his knee cap. I got off the ground and my next “tap” got him in his pearlies and sent a few of them flying. Another guy ran towards me but then changed his mind and fled when several men came running from different directions, having seen what was happening.
Well, that took a couple of hours to clear up. But that didn’t even start until I had gotten Benny calmed down. He’d been watching out the windows the entire time. Whew, it had scared him so bad he had an episode like he hadn’t had since right after Lawrence didn’t come home. Not even Penny’s choice caused one this bad. I nearly had a meltdown of my own until an older lady came over and asked, “PTSD?” I looked at her and she nodded her head towards Benny’s bracelet. “You’re Gold Star?”
I was holding Benny and walking back and forth but I nodded.
“My name is Charice Banning. I work at Bethesda. Is he on meds?”
I wanted to grind my teeth, but I figured she was just trying to help. “No. We got it under control with counseling and getting him off gluten. He has severe separation anxiety.”
“Understandable. My brother is a pediatric psychologist so I’m aware of some of the issues. You mind if we try some relaxation techniques? See if that breaks the cycle?”
At that point I was willing to try anything. Turns out he was partially feeding off the adrenaline rush I hadn’t been able to quite control. My initial outburst had been survival but then it had gone from anger to my own type of fear of leaving Benny alone. See, Benny wasn’t the only one that needed a little counseling along the way.
After he stopped hyperventilating and crying he said, “I’m sorry Aunt Gus. I shoulda been a big boy. I’m six years old.”
“Hey … hey, hey, hey,” I told him softly. “You ARE a big boy. You follow the rules. You help me out all the time. You are NEVER a crybaby or rotten snot or any of those things. You give everything a try rather than running away. But everyone gets topped off sometimes. And some people have more reason than others to get topped off. This just made you remember some scary stuff. But now you’ve got it under control. You know what’s real and what isn’t. Right?”
“You didn’t leave me.”
“No. I didn’t leave you. And you didn’t leave me.”
He blinked owl-eyed at me at my own admission of fear. We hugged each other but I could feel he was still shaking. “Look, Aunt Gus isn’t going far. In fact, if they want to talk to me, they can come over here. But I need to be responsible and tell the police what happened.”
“Are you in trouble?”
A man’s voice said, “No Son, she isn’t.”
Benny jumped and grabbed my neck but I’d seen the man walking around the outside of the ruckus and had tracked him from the corner of my eye. I turned to give him my full attention. “My name is Beckett Dempsey. I’m here with my family but in real life I’m an attorney. And no, I’m not being an ambulance chaser, just wanted the kid to know that it is a clear case of self-defense. My brother even has the evidence on film from his RV cameras. The guy was stalking you and then attacked. My brother’s mother-in-law is a nurse and wants to know if you need anything.”
“Uh … no. Thank you.”
Well, if you can judge a person by their handshake his was a firm one without being overpowering. I watched him walk over to one of those super luxury RVs, you know the ones that look like a penthouse on wheels. If the inside looked as luxe as the outside, I knew they were making bank on something. Didn’t have anymore time to think about it as it was my turn to give my statement.
It was a lot later than I had wanted but we finally made it to the Quality Inn & Suites in Carlsbad, NM because there is no camping in Carlsbad Caverns NP. And there isn’t exactly a lot of hotel rooms near there either. Benny had refused to sit in his seat so his booster was temporarily attached to the front passenger seat. I will have to change it back in the morning and I hope he doesn’t give me any trouble about it. I really needed to fill the freshwater tank and pick up some groceries but that wasn’t going to happen.
After getting into our hotel room and getting Benny settled, I played ET and reached Stella on the first ring. I asked if Groucho was available.
“What’s up Kiddo? Van having problems?”
“No,” I answered. I proceeded to tell him what had happened. He asked if Benny and I were okay.
“Yeah.”
“Er … I’m not your pops Gus. And I don’t wear a collar so I’m not your priest either.”
“I know that, but you trusted me to do right by Benny and …”
“You’re shook up more than you want to admit aren’t you.” Perceptive man.
“Maybe. I’ll deal. I …” I checked to make sure Benny was asleep and went into the bathroom. “He made me mad Groucho. All I could think was what would happen to Benny if something happened to me. I don’t know if that is selfish or …”
“Gus, listen to me. Stop second guessing yourself. You got a right to be worried. But sometimes you have to do the right then, right there … because it is the right thing or because it is a matter of survival. You blame Lawrence because he was a hero?” Again, perceptive man.
“No. At least not now, not most of the time. But he’s not here. Benny is. I just want to be up for the job. I need to be up for the job.”
“Gus, if I ever had any doubts? I don’t now. That shit on the mountain. Now this incident today. Probably other things you haven’t told me about. It tells me you’ll fight and do whatever you have to. And that’s all anyone can ask of you. Including Benny. If I say you gotta do anything else it is build connections. Maybe rebuild some.”
“Rebuild.”
“Yeah. Your uncle calls every couple of days. Gets a big kick out of that blog.”
“Uncle Daniel?! You gotta be kidding me Groucho. He all but threw Lawrence and I …”
“I know what he did. More importantly he knows what he did. And he knows he made a mistake.”
“And how do you know this?”
“’Cause he told me. But that’s between the two of us. Just because he knows he was a jackass doesn’t mean he is ready to admit to you he was a jackass. Got me?”
I sighed. “Yeah. I suppose I do. Lawrence wasn’t exactly using Ms. Manner’s Book of Polite Conversation when he got me out of there. Told Uncle Daniel that he wouldn’t be letting me be raised by him anyway because he’d already proved the only thing he could do was raise welfare queens and pot heads.” Feeling pretty bad even though none of it was my fault. “Lawrence refused to go to Jerry’s funeral after he drove high and wrapped his Camaro around that tree. Jerry, Trish, and Robbie … all gone just ‘cause he had to have his “medicine” … I used to babysit Robbie when he was a baby.”
“Got news for you. Daniel figured out who sent that anonymous prayer card.”
“Uh …”
“The postage was cancelled in Jacksonville.”
I winced at how naïve I used to be. “Did he ever tell Lawrence?”
“Yeah. Lawrence and him met up a couple months later.”
“What?!”
“Guess you don’t know everything. And instead of hearing it from me maybe you should at least give the old guy a chance. Even if nothing comes of it, you’ll be able to tell Benny you tried … for his sake.”
“Jerk,” I muttered. “That’s blackmail.”
Groucho laughed. “Maybe it is and maybe it isn’t. Now go get some rest Gus. Tomorrow is another day and Benny needs you to be bright eyed and bushy tailed.”
“That’s ship shape and Bristol fashion.”
“Yeah … whatever. Give us a call back in a couple of days to let us know how you’re doing. And Stella says thanks, and so do I, sticking your nose in with Garrett even when you did need to. He arrived and Stella is really happy.”
Groucho may be eccentric and a hardcase extraordinaire with weird friends that are even more eccentric than he is, but he is also a stand-up guy to have on your side and smarter than he lets on. And he’s right. I need a crew … or something similar. Benny needs to learn what a social support network is. He needs to learn to let himself be able to count on other people. You can sail a ship with one person but having a crew is a lot better, especially when a storm comes.
Resources:
https://www.nps.gov/gumo/learn/kidsyouth/upload/Jr-Ranger-Booklet.pdf
Man, the air was bad when we woke up this morning. I’m glad I had the van mostly closed but it still needed airing out. We only had a 40-minute drive to Carlsbad Caverns. Not a bad commute. We opted for smoothies for breakfast just to get out of there.
I’d made a reservation months ago for the first cave tour of the day so we needed to sign in by 8 am since it started at 8:30. We picked up Benny’s Junior booklet at the same time we signed in. He was jazzed.
Due to crowding the ranger-led tours get booked way in advanced. Rather than be forced to take an odd-time tour I opted for the self-guiding tour that start at 8:30 when the first elevator went down, this way we weren’t forced to move faster (or slower) than we wanted. I got lucky and managed to avoid the worst of the early morning crowds as we did The Big Room trail which is the most popular route. It is the largest single cave chamber by volume in North America. The 1.25-mile trail is relatively flat, and took us about 1.5 hours to complete. I overheard one of the ranger’s spiels and he said that actor and comedian Will Rogers called the cavern, "The Grand Canyon with a roof over it." Having recently been at the Grand Canyon I’m not sure I agree but it is a good exaggeration or tall tale for the kiddos.
I’m going to record the trail as best I can. It isn’t easy. I’ve been in caves plenty since we started the Big Adventure, but I gotta admit that Carlsbad is something else.
The trail, and the King’s Palace Tour, are the most popular trails at Carlsbad Caverns National Park. All three are paved, lighted walks with handrails lining the trails, but the Big Room Trail is the only one that is considered easy. In fact, a 1.0-mile section of the trail is accessible to those in wheelchairs.
We began our exploration of the Big Room from the Underground Lunchroom. I’m not kidding, there’s an underground lunchroom down there. From there we walked through a well-lit passage, and were immediately surrounded by amazing speleothems. Then on the other side of the passage the cavern opened up into the largest cavern we have ever been in.
The Big Room is like no other cave we have visited. That’s no exaggeration. The rock formations along this trail are lit to provide the most dramatic and impressive views and one after another after another appear around every turn.
We passed the Sword of Damocles, a stalactite that looks like a sword, the Lion’s Tail, a stalactite with a gnarly bulb at the end, and an enormous limestone column called Temple of the Sun. We walked through the Hall of Giants with several giant towering stalagmites — the 16 foot wide Giant Dome stands 62 feet tall and the Twin Domes are just a little smaller.
We stood among what felt like a sea of popcorn covered stalagmites on the floor, while soda straws (tubular stalactites) covered the ceiling above. We marveled at other stalagmite formations like the Caveman and Totem Pole, and a gorgeous stalactites grouping called the Chandelier.
Sign-thingies along the trail told the stories of cave and formation discoveries, and an old rope ladder hangs into a large hole in the floor of the cave — that ladder was the original way cave explorers accessed the Lowers Caves.
Just a bit farther down the trail there was a better view into the Lower Caves. Soon we made it to the area of The Big Room known as the Top Of The Cross, named for its position on the shape of the Big Room Trail. Here there are rows of benches installed in a mini theater setting with plenty of room for groups to take a break and relax. Years ago the stage was used for underground concerts but they don’t do that these days as they worry about sound vibrations damaging the geology.
Next we passed Mirror Lake and the Bottomless Pit that isn’t really bottomless — it measures 140 feet deep. This marked the approximate halfway point of the Big Room Trail. As we worked our way back to the Great Room and the Underground Lunchroom, we passed a wall of glittering rock, a huge live stalagmite named Crystal Spring Dome, examples of draperies and cave bacon, painted grottoes, the Rock Of Ages formation, and a pool of ice-blue water.
Both Benny and I were sorry to go back up the elevator, but you can’t stay down there forever. But when we got up a woman pulled us to the side. “Excuse me but are … are you Gus and Little Bear?”
I made a face. “Okay, who is taking bets?” I said and laughed.
She chuckled laced with a little guilt. “No bets but someone else gets to make the coffee in the morning if I came out and asked you.”
We chatted and laughed over how we were turning into a “Where’s Waldo?” game for the rangers. I didn’t mind I told her if it lightened their day and workload.
“Oh, you have no idea,” she said with a grin.
In the process of chatting with a couple of rangers that had finally gotten the nerve to come over I found out there is another entrance that is rarely used but is still open. It is called the “Natural Entrance.” It is a 1.25-mile trail and extremely steep. She wouldn’t have recommended it if we weren’t experienced hikers and wearing hiking boots with good treads. Depending on if you decide to hike up or down, you gain or lose about 750 feet—equivalent to walking up or down a 75-story building. My calves were complaining once we got to the bottom. The hike takes about one hour for most people to complete. The sights were different, and we got to follow in the footsteps of early explorers and see formations like Devil's Spring, the Whale's Mouth, and Iceberg Rock. At the bottom we had a pass to take the elevator back up instead of going out the same way we came in.
The cave isn’t the only activity at Carlsbad though it is the most popular. We did some surface hiking as well after eating a lunch made out of most of the leftover bits and pieces as well as the fresh food still in the frig.
Some of the other things we did included:
- Walnut Canyon Overlook, a paved walkway that provided a scenic view into Walnut Canyon along a short trail of 180 yards. It only took about 5 minutes to go from the parking lot to the overlook. The trailhead is located along the paved road to the visitor center.
- Chihuahuan Desert Nature Trail was a half-mile long day use trail. One-way it only took 30 minutes and had several sign-thingies on the flora of the Chihuahuan Desert. It is closed just before and during Bat Flight programs which was something else I’ll get to.
- After lunch we did the Slaughter Canyon Cave Trail. This one had a little elevation change, gaining 500 feet over a rugged path. The views of Slaughter Canyon were spectacular. Considered a difficult trail, hikers generally take about 45 minutes to go from the parking area to the cave entrance. It took us an hour and a half to do the entire thing and I was really surprised. We didn’t cover much ground but there was a lot of elevation change in a short distance making it more challenging. Plus we stopped to take lots of pictures.
I laughed but maybe I should have just made the decision anyway. The next trail took four hours. Man. Within the day use area, you can begin this trail at the dirt road adjacent to the natural entrance to Carlsbad Cavern. It follows the historic road used to haul guano from the cavern in the early 1900s, and hikers will see ruins and debris from the mining operation about a mile from the entrance. Bat crap. Yuck. The trail runs 3.7 miles descending the escarpment, and ending at the Whites City campground. One-way travel takes an estimated two hours at an easy activity level with a 750 feet change in elevation. Going down wasn’t bad, it was the up that had me regretting dragging poor Benny along though he didn’t seem to be bothered by it at all. Little sooter booger.
Our last activity before leaving was the Bat Flight Program we’d heard so much about. It was at the amphitheater. The bats haven’t migrated yet though their numbers have thinned as some bats from further north have already headed that direction. The numbers will thin more and more until by the end of October all of them will have headed towards their warmer winter homes.
After the cool show … not really a show but a natural phenomenon … we headed to the van. I was hacked when I got there. I put Benny in the van and was doing my routine of checking the van over after we’ve been away from it for a while. That’s when I saw that it was obvious someone had tried to get into the galley box. They probably tried to bump the lock but there’s a reason I had Groucho show me how to change out the cheapo cabinet lock for the same kind of secure lock used on freezers that are stored outside. You can’t shove a screwdriver in there and turn it. Found that out on my grandparents’ outside freezer when they had to replace one of those funky keys when their plastic one broke.
Here's where things went calliwumpus. I know things are tough all over but to try and break into someone’s vehicle at a national park that is out in the middle of nowhere seemed calculated to be criminal, not just someone down on their luck and desperate.
I was in the middle of checking the rest of the van over – thank the Creator I had put Benny inside the van and locked the door – when someone came up behind me and thought they’d take me out with a chop to my neck. Dang stupid people wandering this planet. I managed to hold onto the mag light in my hand when I went down to one knee and then turn around and popped the guy with the flashlight on his knee cap. I got off the ground and my next “tap” got him in his pearlies and sent a few of them flying. Another guy ran towards me but then changed his mind and fled when several men came running from different directions, having seen what was happening.
Well, that took a couple of hours to clear up. But that didn’t even start until I had gotten Benny calmed down. He’d been watching out the windows the entire time. Whew, it had scared him so bad he had an episode like he hadn’t had since right after Lawrence didn’t come home. Not even Penny’s choice caused one this bad. I nearly had a meltdown of my own until an older lady came over and asked, “PTSD?” I looked at her and she nodded her head towards Benny’s bracelet. “You’re Gold Star?”
I was holding Benny and walking back and forth but I nodded.
“My name is Charice Banning. I work at Bethesda. Is he on meds?”
I wanted to grind my teeth, but I figured she was just trying to help. “No. We got it under control with counseling and getting him off gluten. He has severe separation anxiety.”
“Understandable. My brother is a pediatric psychologist so I’m aware of some of the issues. You mind if we try some relaxation techniques? See if that breaks the cycle?”
At that point I was willing to try anything. Turns out he was partially feeding off the adrenaline rush I hadn’t been able to quite control. My initial outburst had been survival but then it had gone from anger to my own type of fear of leaving Benny alone. See, Benny wasn’t the only one that needed a little counseling along the way.
After he stopped hyperventilating and crying he said, “I’m sorry Aunt Gus. I shoulda been a big boy. I’m six years old.”
“Hey … hey, hey, hey,” I told him softly. “You ARE a big boy. You follow the rules. You help me out all the time. You are NEVER a crybaby or rotten snot or any of those things. You give everything a try rather than running away. But everyone gets topped off sometimes. And some people have more reason than others to get topped off. This just made you remember some scary stuff. But now you’ve got it under control. You know what’s real and what isn’t. Right?”
“You didn’t leave me.”
“No. I didn’t leave you. And you didn’t leave me.”
He blinked owl-eyed at me at my own admission of fear. We hugged each other but I could feel he was still shaking. “Look, Aunt Gus isn’t going far. In fact, if they want to talk to me, they can come over here. But I need to be responsible and tell the police what happened.”
“Are you in trouble?”
A man’s voice said, “No Son, she isn’t.”
Benny jumped and grabbed my neck but I’d seen the man walking around the outside of the ruckus and had tracked him from the corner of my eye. I turned to give him my full attention. “My name is Beckett Dempsey. I’m here with my family but in real life I’m an attorney. And no, I’m not being an ambulance chaser, just wanted the kid to know that it is a clear case of self-defense. My brother even has the evidence on film from his RV cameras. The guy was stalking you and then attacked. My brother’s mother-in-law is a nurse and wants to know if you need anything.”
“Uh … no. Thank you.”
Well, if you can judge a person by their handshake his was a firm one without being overpowering. I watched him walk over to one of those super luxury RVs, you know the ones that look like a penthouse on wheels. If the inside looked as luxe as the outside, I knew they were making bank on something. Didn’t have anymore time to think about it as it was my turn to give my statement.
It was a lot later than I had wanted but we finally made it to the Quality Inn & Suites in Carlsbad, NM because there is no camping in Carlsbad Caverns NP. And there isn’t exactly a lot of hotel rooms near there either. Benny had refused to sit in his seat so his booster was temporarily attached to the front passenger seat. I will have to change it back in the morning and I hope he doesn’t give me any trouble about it. I really needed to fill the freshwater tank and pick up some groceries but that wasn’t going to happen.
After getting into our hotel room and getting Benny settled, I played ET and reached Stella on the first ring. I asked if Groucho was available.
“What’s up Kiddo? Van having problems?”
“No,” I answered. I proceeded to tell him what had happened. He asked if Benny and I were okay.
“Yeah.”
“Er … I’m not your pops Gus. And I don’t wear a collar so I’m not your priest either.”
“I know that, but you trusted me to do right by Benny and …”
“You’re shook up more than you want to admit aren’t you.” Perceptive man.
“Maybe. I’ll deal. I …” I checked to make sure Benny was asleep and went into the bathroom. “He made me mad Groucho. All I could think was what would happen to Benny if something happened to me. I don’t know if that is selfish or …”
“Gus, listen to me. Stop second guessing yourself. You got a right to be worried. But sometimes you have to do the right then, right there … because it is the right thing or because it is a matter of survival. You blame Lawrence because he was a hero?” Again, perceptive man.
“No. At least not now, not most of the time. But he’s not here. Benny is. I just want to be up for the job. I need to be up for the job.”
“Gus, if I ever had any doubts? I don’t now. That shit on the mountain. Now this incident today. Probably other things you haven’t told me about. It tells me you’ll fight and do whatever you have to. And that’s all anyone can ask of you. Including Benny. If I say you gotta do anything else it is build connections. Maybe rebuild some.”
“Rebuild.”
“Yeah. Your uncle calls every couple of days. Gets a big kick out of that blog.”
“Uncle Daniel?! You gotta be kidding me Groucho. He all but threw Lawrence and I …”
“I know what he did. More importantly he knows what he did. And he knows he made a mistake.”
“And how do you know this?”
“’Cause he told me. But that’s between the two of us. Just because he knows he was a jackass doesn’t mean he is ready to admit to you he was a jackass. Got me?”
I sighed. “Yeah. I suppose I do. Lawrence wasn’t exactly using Ms. Manner’s Book of Polite Conversation when he got me out of there. Told Uncle Daniel that he wouldn’t be letting me be raised by him anyway because he’d already proved the only thing he could do was raise welfare queens and pot heads.” Feeling pretty bad even though none of it was my fault. “Lawrence refused to go to Jerry’s funeral after he drove high and wrapped his Camaro around that tree. Jerry, Trish, and Robbie … all gone just ‘cause he had to have his “medicine” … I used to babysit Robbie when he was a baby.”
“Got news for you. Daniel figured out who sent that anonymous prayer card.”
“Uh …”
“The postage was cancelled in Jacksonville.”
I winced at how naïve I used to be. “Did he ever tell Lawrence?”
“Yeah. Lawrence and him met up a couple months later.”
“What?!”
“Guess you don’t know everything. And instead of hearing it from me maybe you should at least give the old guy a chance. Even if nothing comes of it, you’ll be able to tell Benny you tried … for his sake.”
“Jerk,” I muttered. “That’s blackmail.”
Groucho laughed. “Maybe it is and maybe it isn’t. Now go get some rest Gus. Tomorrow is another day and Benny needs you to be bright eyed and bushy tailed.”
“That’s ship shape and Bristol fashion.”
“Yeah … whatever. Give us a call back in a couple of days to let us know how you’re doing. And Stella says thanks, and so do I, sticking your nose in with Garrett even when you did need to. He arrived and Stella is really happy.”
Groucho may be eccentric and a hardcase extraordinaire with weird friends that are even more eccentric than he is, but he is also a stand-up guy to have on your side and smarter than he lets on. And he’s right. I need a crew … or something similar. Benny needs to learn what a social support network is. He needs to learn to let himself be able to count on other people. You can sail a ship with one person but having a crew is a lot better, especially when a storm comes.
Resources:
https://www.nps.gov/gumo/learn/kidsyouth/upload/Jr-Ranger-Booklet.pdf
sssarawolf
Has No Life - Lives on TB
BIg thanks Kathy. When I'm hurting it is nice to read and help me coop and get my mind elsewhere. Was a big work day where some things just had to be done. But I didn't get the rhubarb pulled.
Last edited:
Caught up after spending Thursday beginning my becoming a cyborg, left hip. Reading the hiking is a little bittersweet, my long hiking day are over for the foreseeable future.
Use to raise more succulents than I do now. The thicker cooking type of chopsticks came in handy when handling or transplanting the type that wanted to grow attached to you. Folded, eight or twelve layers, strips of newspaper were good on ones you didn't want to take a chance on it becoming damaged. Smaller diagonal cutter, florist or jewelers' size, are good for cutting longer spines away so that more don't become attached.
Use to raise more succulents than I do now. The thicker cooking type of chopsticks came in handy when handling or transplanting the type that wanted to grow attached to you. Folded, eight or twelve layers, strips of newspaper were good on ones you didn't want to take a chance on it becoming damaged. Smaller diagonal cutter, florist or jewelers' size, are good for cutting longer spines away so that more don't become attached.
Oct 4: Big Bend National Park, Texas
Driving Route:
October 4th
If it isn’t one thing it is another. Right before I went to bed I caught the weather which was calling for hail. “What’s next?” I wondered. Locusts?
I was worried about leaving Benny in the room by himself, but I figured I was only going to be outside the door. I didn’t want to wake him up. I was wimbling back and forth when Benny woke up on his own and caught me walking back and forth to the door then changing my mind twice.
“Aunt Gus?”
Relieved I didn’t have to make the decision myself I told him, “I need to go put the cover on the solar panels. You okay in here by yourself if I make triple sure to lock the door?”
“Can I watch from the window?”
“I wish you would just get some sleep Buddy but if you want, you can pull a chair over to the window and watch me play monkey. Just don’t slide out of the chair if you go back to sleep. ‘K? I’m not too sure that any of the crew would appreciate getting squashed.”
He gave me a sleepy smile but still got up and drug a chair over. Sigh. I suspect I’m going to have to help him with his independence again. The wind was really picking up by the time I was finished covering the panels. I was a little worried about the windows as well if I’m being honest. They had hurricane film on them in addition to the tinting, but a broken window or chipped windshield was the last thing I wanted to deal with.
I wasn’t the only one out there. A woman was trying to take down her canvas luggage cover off her car, but the wind wasn’t helping. Instead, I helped. Me and another guy that we then helped to get his surfboard down off his car as his buddy was sleeping off a double dose of Dramamine.
Turns out the hail never got more than pea-sized in Carlsbad but further south the hail was knocking out windows and there were even reports of it putting holes in roofs.
Carlsbad might not have had much in the way of hotels, but it did have a wallyworld supercenter that opened at 6 am. Benny is six and getting too big for a buggy seat, but I was grateful they had a couple of those buggies with the “big kid” seats. It was like driving the van without powering steering, but it let us get the job done without Benny having to ride like freight in the basket. We were at the door when it opened at 6 am and out before it turned seven. I topped off the fuel tank as well and that meant we made it to Big Bend national park before the clock struck noon.
Benny perked up when he found out that Big Bend did have a Junior Ranger program … not the first time I’d been wrong … and we got the booklet at the Persimmon Gap visitor center, which is also where we entered the park.
I was surprised at being asked to wait with some other people coming in the entrance and we all went through a safety orientation. These are the special circumstances about being on the border:
In addition to the safety issues, I was on the lookout for any trail closures, etc. that could affect the plans I had. I did get a little advice I wasn’t expecting. The rangers didn’t like the kayak on the van. I understood their concern so during the day we are going to slide it inside the van despite the inconvenience and I’ll keep the curtains pulled. At night I’m going to chain it to the roof as normal because no one is climbing up there without me knowing since they’d need their own ladder and taking it off would make enough noise to wake me. Depending, I may also have to leave the solar panels covered. That’s more than inconvenient but such is life.
TODAY’S SURVIVAL SKILL: I used the safety orientation as today’s skill and off and on the remainder of the day we’d review it at appropriate points.
First hike of the day started just across from the Persimmon Gap Visitor Center. It was a 1.8 mile trail called Persimmon Gap Draw. It was a little busy but not too bad as most of the visitors seemed to be taking a siesta during the middle of the day. Everything had a real sleepy vibe to it. The first third of the hike gradually gained elevation along a fairly clear wash. Like other trails in the drier environments of Big Bend, there was plenty of scrub brush to hinder progress if your aren’t paying attention. About a third of the way in, some climbing is required to get to the east side of the trail. That I didn’t expect and there are no warnings. I’ll need to be more specific in my questions next time. That section involved some easy ladder-like climbing on rocks that are fairly natural distances for human movements. No big or little steps all mixed together, just steep steps. Once past the climb, there was a spur to get great views back into the basin to the south and good views of Rosillos Mountain range and Chisos to the south. The eastern side of the wash, on the way back to the trailhead, gave more desert hiking with some good views in the expanse on the Stillwell side of the park.
Next trail had a funny name; Dog Canyon Trail. It was a four-miler that began at a pull-off, 3.5 miles south of the Persimmon Gap Visitor Center. This one was flat with no climbing. The destination canyon was visible across the desert flats from the trailhead, and was well-marked with obvious cairns. I would have preferred actual signs but I’ve found the trails out west tend to use natural materials rather than park signs or spray paint. At 1.5 miles the trail does drop into a wash, but it wasn’t precipitous. A left turn put you into the canyon just a half mile further.
The canyon had some interesting geology. At the far end of the canyon there were horizontal rock strata. The narrow slot canyon to the right (south) of Dog Canyon is called Devil’s Den. A hike along the rim of Devil’s Den offers good views into the slot canyon and wide panoramas of the surrounding desert. However, a ranger told me it is NOT recommended that you attempt a trip through canyon without a companion and proper gear. I decided to stick with that advice so we were back to the trailhead in under two hours.
ICE and the Border Patrol was out and they had a several trucks full of illegals they’d caught. I will admit it made me cautious so I decided to do a scenic drive next that I had been saving for later in the week. We drove down Terlingua Ranch Road to get to the Dagger Flat Auto Road. This seven-mile road (14 miles round-trip) winds eastward to a small valley with a forest of giant dagger yuccas. The road is open to most vehicles, and is also good for mountain biking. Speed limit on the narrow road is 25 mph. The last couple days of rain made the road muddy in places but it was already drying up and cracking. I saw here a few vehicles had turned around but the van with its four wheel drive did just fine. We stopped and got out in a couple of places to take pictures and Benny even conned me into a “Group Photo” not once, but twice. It was actually cute and he wanted a funny photo and a serious photo each time. The kid has an imagination, a much bigger one that I had at his age. I hope that means he can avoid some of the pitfalls of behind a Barrymore. I know that doesn’t sound like it makes much sense, but as a “literal” and OCD Barrymore myself I say it does.
After the road we stopped at the Fossil Discovery Exhibit. Pretty cool even without an imagination the size of Benny’s. Specimens from Big Bend's fossil record were combined with some incredible artwork that even I could appreciate to make a fascinating representation of Big Bend's ancient history. A short trail also led to a panoramic view of nearby geologic points of interest, and highlightd the sediments that protect Big Bend's fossils. There was a shaded picnic area is nearby that we took advantage of, and it has an assortment of fossil-themed climbing structures for kids that Benny enjoyed for a bit.
We stopped at the Nina Marie Seawell Hannold Gravesite Trail. It was more of a pull out than trail as it was only 0.2 miles long. The short easy stroll leads to the gravesite of a pioneer mother with interpretive panels telling her story. It is an "oh, that's intersting" type of thing, but not a must-do but it was one of the things mentioned in the Junior Ranger booklet so we did it. The woman lived from 1880 to 1911. Life was hard on women back then, physically harder than it is now for sure. She lived all over the place at the men in her family, father to husband, moved around looking for financial freedom or adventure. She had great ambitions for herself, including becoming a doctor, but instead got married a started a family when she fell in love. She was her husband’s second wife and left this earth in the same way the first one did … complications from childbirth.
We next went to Panther Junction Visitor Center so we could check that off the ranger booklet. There was a post office there that you could get a cool cancellation mark on a post card so … I did. A little silly but a bit of a piece of history for me when Benny and grown and gone on his own adventures and I only have memories. Everything always comes to an end so make memories the best you can. We also did a really short walk there called Panther Path. It is a 0.1 mile loop that features local plants and wild flowers with lots of little sign-thingies.
Last hike we did was in the Dugout Wells area called the Chihuahuan Desert Nature Trail. It was a half-mile stroll and was busier than I expected. As the day cooled off, more and more people started coming out. It wasn’t busy but it was busier than when we had arrived.
We are overnight for three night in the Rio Grande Village RV Park; the next two and then our last night in the park on the 8th. Feels luxurious with full hook ups and we are lucky to have one of the 25 sites. Despite on-site security, we were asked not to leave anything outside of the van at night as a temptation, not even or maybe especially shade items and such. Just in case I rolled up the awning. I used the solar oven and made chicken kabobs in no time flat. They went over so well that I’ll probably be doing the same thing for dinner every night while in the park, just with different combinations of thing.
What we don’t have much of is wifi or cell signal. That leaves out trying to adult but I’m worried that I’ll miss a job offer. I checked while we were at the visitor centers by piggy backing on signals that weren’t really mine to use but oh well, I tried to pay the “help” forward while in the park by picking up trash and some stuff like that. Do I feel guilty? Meh. Not really. I wasn’t watching cartoons or anything like that, I was making sure I was being responsible. Hopefully the Creator doesn’t hold it against me. A basketful of shoes dropping is something I don’t need to encourage by being a screw up.
Driving Route:
October 4th
If it isn’t one thing it is another. Right before I went to bed I caught the weather which was calling for hail. “What’s next?” I wondered. Locusts?
I was worried about leaving Benny in the room by himself, but I figured I was only going to be outside the door. I didn’t want to wake him up. I was wimbling back and forth when Benny woke up on his own and caught me walking back and forth to the door then changing my mind twice.
“Aunt Gus?”
Relieved I didn’t have to make the decision myself I told him, “I need to go put the cover on the solar panels. You okay in here by yourself if I make triple sure to lock the door?”
“Can I watch from the window?”
“I wish you would just get some sleep Buddy but if you want, you can pull a chair over to the window and watch me play monkey. Just don’t slide out of the chair if you go back to sleep. ‘K? I’m not too sure that any of the crew would appreciate getting squashed.”
He gave me a sleepy smile but still got up and drug a chair over. Sigh. I suspect I’m going to have to help him with his independence again. The wind was really picking up by the time I was finished covering the panels. I was a little worried about the windows as well if I’m being honest. They had hurricane film on them in addition to the tinting, but a broken window or chipped windshield was the last thing I wanted to deal with.
I wasn’t the only one out there. A woman was trying to take down her canvas luggage cover off her car, but the wind wasn’t helping. Instead, I helped. Me and another guy that we then helped to get his surfboard down off his car as his buddy was sleeping off a double dose of Dramamine.
Turns out the hail never got more than pea-sized in Carlsbad but further south the hail was knocking out windows and there were even reports of it putting holes in roofs.
Carlsbad might not have had much in the way of hotels, but it did have a wallyworld supercenter that opened at 6 am. Benny is six and getting too big for a buggy seat, but I was grateful they had a couple of those buggies with the “big kid” seats. It was like driving the van without powering steering, but it let us get the job done without Benny having to ride like freight in the basket. We were at the door when it opened at 6 am and out before it turned seven. I topped off the fuel tank as well and that meant we made it to Big Bend national park before the clock struck noon.
Benny perked up when he found out that Big Bend did have a Junior Ranger program … not the first time I’d been wrong … and we got the booklet at the Persimmon Gap visitor center, which is also where we entered the park.
I was surprised at being asked to wait with some other people coming in the entrance and we all went through a safety orientation. These are the special circumstances about being on the border:
- Big Bend National Park shares the border with Mexico for 118 miles, and therefore can be a chance to learn about our neighbors to the south, and preserve the larger Big Bend ecosystem together. Being on the border, however, does come with its own challenges and concerns.
- If leaving your vehicle for an extended period, keep valuables out of sight and lock your vehicle.
- Do not pick up hitchhikers.
- People in distress may ask for food, water, or other assistance. It is recommended that you do not make contact with them, but note the location, and immediately notify park rangers. Lack of water is a life-threatening emergency in the desert.
- Drug smuggling and illegal border crossings occasionally occur within Big Bend National Park. If you see anything that looks illegal, suspicious, or out of place, please do not stop or intervene, but note the location, time, direction of travel, and call 911 when possible.
- Mexican Nationals may leave items for sale such as walking sticks, bracelets, and other crafts on the U.S. side of the Rio Grande. If you purchase their items or make a donation, you are encouraging illegal crossings of the river, which may result in the individuals arrest and deportation through Presidio (100 miles away). Additionally, they may be fined or incarcerated. Do not encourage this practice. Do not make contact with these individuals regardless of circumstances. Report them to the ranger station.
- Items purchased are considered contraband and can be seized by officers. Rocks, minerals, archaeological items, etc. cannot be purchased, imported, or possessed in the national park.
- In addition, illegal trade damages natural resources, including the creation of social trails, cutting of river cane, erosion of riverbanks, and an increased amount of garbage along the Rio Grande. Supporting this illegal activity contributes to continued damage.
- You may legally purchase crafts made in Boquillas, Mexico, or purchase Mexican hand-crafted items at camp stores in the park. These items are purchased directly from Mexican artisans and are processed through a legal Port of Entry before being brought to the park. All wholesale proceeds go to the artisans.
- Please check with the staff at the Boquillas Crossing Port of Entry concerning items which may be purchased in Boquillas, but may not be legal to import. Rocks, minerals, and archeological items are still illegal to purchase, import, and possess in Big Bend National Park.
In addition to the safety issues, I was on the lookout for any trail closures, etc. that could affect the plans I had. I did get a little advice I wasn’t expecting. The rangers didn’t like the kayak on the van. I understood their concern so during the day we are going to slide it inside the van despite the inconvenience and I’ll keep the curtains pulled. At night I’m going to chain it to the roof as normal because no one is climbing up there without me knowing since they’d need their own ladder and taking it off would make enough noise to wake me. Depending, I may also have to leave the solar panels covered. That’s more than inconvenient but such is life.
TODAY’S SURVIVAL SKILL: I used the safety orientation as today’s skill and off and on the remainder of the day we’d review it at appropriate points.
First hike of the day started just across from the Persimmon Gap Visitor Center. It was a 1.8 mile trail called Persimmon Gap Draw. It was a little busy but not too bad as most of the visitors seemed to be taking a siesta during the middle of the day. Everything had a real sleepy vibe to it. The first third of the hike gradually gained elevation along a fairly clear wash. Like other trails in the drier environments of Big Bend, there was plenty of scrub brush to hinder progress if your aren’t paying attention. About a third of the way in, some climbing is required to get to the east side of the trail. That I didn’t expect and there are no warnings. I’ll need to be more specific in my questions next time. That section involved some easy ladder-like climbing on rocks that are fairly natural distances for human movements. No big or little steps all mixed together, just steep steps. Once past the climb, there was a spur to get great views back into the basin to the south and good views of Rosillos Mountain range and Chisos to the south. The eastern side of the wash, on the way back to the trailhead, gave more desert hiking with some good views in the expanse on the Stillwell side of the park.
Next trail had a funny name; Dog Canyon Trail. It was a four-miler that began at a pull-off, 3.5 miles south of the Persimmon Gap Visitor Center. This one was flat with no climbing. The destination canyon was visible across the desert flats from the trailhead, and was well-marked with obvious cairns. I would have preferred actual signs but I’ve found the trails out west tend to use natural materials rather than park signs or spray paint. At 1.5 miles the trail does drop into a wash, but it wasn’t precipitous. A left turn put you into the canyon just a half mile further.
The canyon had some interesting geology. At the far end of the canyon there were horizontal rock strata. The narrow slot canyon to the right (south) of Dog Canyon is called Devil’s Den. A hike along the rim of Devil’s Den offers good views into the slot canyon and wide panoramas of the surrounding desert. However, a ranger told me it is NOT recommended that you attempt a trip through canyon without a companion and proper gear. I decided to stick with that advice so we were back to the trailhead in under two hours.
ICE and the Border Patrol was out and they had a several trucks full of illegals they’d caught. I will admit it made me cautious so I decided to do a scenic drive next that I had been saving for later in the week. We drove down Terlingua Ranch Road to get to the Dagger Flat Auto Road. This seven-mile road (14 miles round-trip) winds eastward to a small valley with a forest of giant dagger yuccas. The road is open to most vehicles, and is also good for mountain biking. Speed limit on the narrow road is 25 mph. The last couple days of rain made the road muddy in places but it was already drying up and cracking. I saw here a few vehicles had turned around but the van with its four wheel drive did just fine. We stopped and got out in a couple of places to take pictures and Benny even conned me into a “Group Photo” not once, but twice. It was actually cute and he wanted a funny photo and a serious photo each time. The kid has an imagination, a much bigger one that I had at his age. I hope that means he can avoid some of the pitfalls of behind a Barrymore. I know that doesn’t sound like it makes much sense, but as a “literal” and OCD Barrymore myself I say it does.
After the road we stopped at the Fossil Discovery Exhibit. Pretty cool even without an imagination the size of Benny’s. Specimens from Big Bend's fossil record were combined with some incredible artwork that even I could appreciate to make a fascinating representation of Big Bend's ancient history. A short trail also led to a panoramic view of nearby geologic points of interest, and highlightd the sediments that protect Big Bend's fossils. There was a shaded picnic area is nearby that we took advantage of, and it has an assortment of fossil-themed climbing structures for kids that Benny enjoyed for a bit.
We stopped at the Nina Marie Seawell Hannold Gravesite Trail. It was more of a pull out than trail as it was only 0.2 miles long. The short easy stroll leads to the gravesite of a pioneer mother with interpretive panels telling her story. It is an "oh, that's intersting" type of thing, but not a must-do but it was one of the things mentioned in the Junior Ranger booklet so we did it. The woman lived from 1880 to 1911. Life was hard on women back then, physically harder than it is now for sure. She lived all over the place at the men in her family, father to husband, moved around looking for financial freedom or adventure. She had great ambitions for herself, including becoming a doctor, but instead got married a started a family when she fell in love. She was her husband’s second wife and left this earth in the same way the first one did … complications from childbirth.
We next went to Panther Junction Visitor Center so we could check that off the ranger booklet. There was a post office there that you could get a cool cancellation mark on a post card so … I did. A little silly but a bit of a piece of history for me when Benny and grown and gone on his own adventures and I only have memories. Everything always comes to an end so make memories the best you can. We also did a really short walk there called Panther Path. It is a 0.1 mile loop that features local plants and wild flowers with lots of little sign-thingies.
Last hike we did was in the Dugout Wells area called the Chihuahuan Desert Nature Trail. It was a half-mile stroll and was busier than I expected. As the day cooled off, more and more people started coming out. It wasn’t busy but it was busier than when we had arrived.
We are overnight for three night in the Rio Grande Village RV Park; the next two and then our last night in the park on the 8th. Feels luxurious with full hook ups and we are lucky to have one of the 25 sites. Despite on-site security, we were asked not to leave anything outside of the van at night as a temptation, not even or maybe especially shade items and such. Just in case I rolled up the awning. I used the solar oven and made chicken kabobs in no time flat. They went over so well that I’ll probably be doing the same thing for dinner every night while in the park, just with different combinations of thing.
What we don’t have much of is wifi or cell signal. That leaves out trying to adult but I’m worried that I’ll miss a job offer. I checked while we were at the visitor centers by piggy backing on signals that weren’t really mine to use but oh well, I tried to pay the “help” forward while in the park by picking up trash and some stuff like that. Do I feel guilty? Meh. Not really. I wasn’t watching cartoons or anything like that, I was making sure I was being responsible. Hopefully the Creator doesn’t hold it against me. A basketful of shoes dropping is something I don’t need to encourage by being a screw up.