It's hot in the desert.

June 7th, 2011

Wow, has it really been 5 days since I last wrote a nice long blog? I guess so. I have a lot to update you on.

When I last wrote, we were headed to the Grand Canyon. We woke up relatively early in Kingman and had a breakfast in our room of bagels, jam, and peanut butter. Let me tell you... after this trip I am done with the combination of peanut butter and jelly and Thomas brand bagels for quite awhile. When you're road tripping, you want to keep a supply of non-perishable food in the car during long drives to prevent having to stop to eat and waste valuable driving time. We've been surviving on the aforementioned pb&j and bagels, dried fruit, nuts, granola bars, apples, Nutella, cheese crackers, juice boxes, and LOTS of jerky. In fact, almost every time we stop for gas we pick up some jerky sticks. They're easy to eat and have lots of protein. 

We've also been drinking gallons of water. It's very hot and dry in the desert so you've got to constantly be drinking water to stay hydrated. It seems like I can't drink enough. I'm always thirsty. The problem with this constant thirst is that I constantly have to go to the bathroom.  Argh!

We got to Grand Canyon National Park around noon. By then the main campground Mather had filled up. The ranger told us there were 30 empty spots during last count in Desert View campground, which was about half an hour away from where we where. We debated for awhile about what to do... see if there were any spots left in Desert View and camp there for a few days or check out the canyon for a few hours and then head towards Phoenix. Mike had camped in Mather before and told me it was a disappointment. But, I really wanted to camp so we decided to chance it at Desert View. After all, our car was packed with camping supplies. 

When we got to Desert View, we discovered it was really nice. It was very quiet and had lots of plant life. We chose a site that was relatively secluded and set up camp. The campground had a little general store where we picked up some firewood, beer, and weenies to roast for dinner. 

We spent the rest of the day checking out the Watchtower and going on a little hike around the rim. Mike liked to scare me by walking perilously close to the edge of the canyon. I told him I was not ready to be a widow at the age of 34. 

I had read on Tripadvisor.com that the Desert View area was a great place to watch the sun set. Definitely true. I tried to take pictures of the sun setting over the canyon but no still photograph can do justice to how the canyon looks in reality. While we watched the sun sink over the horizon, we took in a ranger talk about "park-itecht" Mary Colter, the woman responsible for designing the Watchtower and the Hopi House. 

The wind died down after the sunset and we had a pleasant night's sleep. The next morning we had a leisurely pancake breakfast. By the time we were ready to go for a hike, it was about noon. As I am sure you all know, we both move at a slow speed. I even set the alarm for 7:30. I'm not sure why it takes us so long to get anywhere. 

We wanted to hike down into the canyon, but it's not a good idea to hike down into it after 10 am. The unbelievably hot temperatures are very dangerous during strenuous hikes. We decided to deal with the hellish heat and walk down to the first station anyways. I wanted to be able to say I hiked into the canyon- yah know, check it off my life list.

We packed a lot of water and some snacks and made our way down. Watching the panting and sweating people hiking back up worried me. There were quite a few signs warning of death which didn't help to assuage my fears. After a very steep hike downwards, we ran into a ranger who told us were only half way to the first station. I didn't want to wuss out, but I felt like it wasn't worth it. Besides, we were both feeling a bit dizzy even though we had been drinking a lot of water. I had heat exhaustion once before in my life and I didn't want it again. We turned back. Once we got up to the top we decided to hike around the rim for a bit. It was blisteringly hot, but we got to take in some very dynamic views.

That evening we made Hobo Dinners. We cut up a bunch of vegetables and covered them with spices and a few pats of butter. We wrapped this all up tinfoil and stuck it into the campfire for awhile. Delicious! That's living, my friends.

On Sunday we hit the road. On our way out, we stopped in the Navajo Reservation to check out their handicrafts. I picked up a beautiful turquoise and coral silver ring. It reminded me of digging through Mom's jewelry box as a child. In fact, any Native American arts and crafts make me think of Mom.

As we drove, we continued to listen to Keith Richards autobiography audio book. It's been so entertaining and have made the miles fly by. Ask me to do my Keith Richards impression for you.

The Phoenix area is surrounded by National Monuments, Parks, and Forests. When we drove past Wupatki National Monument, We decided to pull over and check it out. I have never seen Native American ruins, a lava field, or a crater... and here was my chance! If you ever find yourself in that region, definitely check that park out. The lava was crazy. It was a large area of large, twisted chunks of lava and black fields of cinder. The ruins were fascinating and beautiful. However, do not hike up the crater. After spending half an hour climbing a steep grade in 100 plus degree heat to see a subtle depression in the earth, I was quite disappointed.

We drove through Oak Creek Canyon and had dinner in Sedona. I haven't been there since I was a teenager. I had hazy memories of it being very red and full of t-shirts shops and new age crystals places. My memory was correct. It was pretty awesome to be back among civilization and eat something substantial, but we were ready to go after some lady tried to put the hard sell on us to stay in a fancy hotel for the night for the low price of $14 in exchange for enduring a timeshare marketing pitch. Mike had no idea what she was doing but I saw right through her. Besides, all I could think about was getting to Phoenix to see Grandma and Grandpa.

It was quite a haul to Scottsdale to Wayne and Leslie's townhouse. We arrived around midnight, showered, and fell asleep right away. I cannot thank W&L enough for letting us stay in this great place. It's been so comfortable and nice.

Yesterday we spent the day with Grandma and Grandpa in Sun City West. It was wonderful to see them! Which reminds me... I need to finish this blog and get over to see them again today. 

Blog at you again soon!