A Beautiful List

I've been thinking about all the places we've gone to in the first year we've had our Airstream, so I made a mental list. But now I feel like I want to write it down and admire it. 

October 2015 - Canyon Point Campground, above the Mogollon Rim in Forest Lakes, Arizona (3 nights)

November 2015- Dead Horse Ranch S.P in Cottonwood, not far from Sedona, Arizona, with Brian's mom (2 nights)

December 2015 - Lake Havasu S.P, Arizona (3 nights)

January 2016 - McDowell Mountain Park and Estrella Mountain Park mountain biking races (1 night each)

February 2016 - Kartchner Caverns S.P., Benson, Arizona, with my parents (2 nights)

March 2016 - Joshua Tree N.P. in California and then another mountain biking race at the White Tank Mountains the next weekend (3 nights and 1 night)

Springtime was busy with work and school, but we managed to go tent camping with some friends at Chiricahua National Monument over Memorial Day weekend.

June 2016 - our big summer trip to Sequoia, Kings Canyon, and Yosemite National Parks (7 nights)

We went tent camping again with Matthew's cub scout pack in Sierra Vista, Arizona.

September 2016 - Grand Canyon National Park over Labor Day weekend (3 nights)

October 2016 - Wahweap Campground in Page, Arizona (3 nights)

So far, we've taken the Airstream on eleven outings and slept in it for 29 (nonconsecutive) nights. We came pretty close to hitting our goal of using it once a month and have lived in it for what it equates to about one month. It's far from the dream of living in it, but our time for that is not now.

In a few weeks, we're going to visit Saguaro National Park near Tucson to add another trip and three more nights to our camping log. 

After that, we are thinking of going to southern California over Christmas break to visit Universal Studios. We want to see the new Wizarding World of Harry Potter, so we're considering a more urban location at an RV park in the city and exploring Los Angeles for a few days. But, on the other hand, a nice pad along the ocean at a California state park across from Catalina Island sounds nice, too. I'll figure it out. In the meantime, I'll enjoy reviewing the above list and planning more and more outings with the family in our delightful Airstream.

I Voted.

And then tonight I helped GiGi with her ballot, cancelling out my votes for president, US Senate, and county sheriff. I view these as extremely important races, so I'm disappointed. However, she's 99 and still voting so I give her credit. She even laughed every time she told me her vote and I said, "Are you sure?"

The rest of her ballot she left blank. I could have easily filled it out my way, but that wouldn't be right. I would never commit voter fraud! But I'm honestly now more worried than I have been. How many GiGi's are out there? I guess we'll know in nine days.

Back to the Books

Now that Harry Potter has ended for me, I picked up one of my kinds of books again. I'm more into nonfiction because, I don't know, I feel if I'm going to "waste" time reading then I should read to learn. I already know I'm weird, but thanks.

I started this one a few days ago, and it's extremely relatable. 

If you've ever been a substitute teacher or, really, spent any time in a classroom, many goings-on written here will sound familiar. Behaviors and attitudes I originally thought belonged only to Arizona public school children are also found in Maine's public school children, where the author does his substitute teaching. That leads me to assume that the same is true all along that diagonal line across our country. While that makes me feel better as an Arizonan, I wouldn't say it makes me feel better as an American.

But I don't don't want to concentrate on the bad stuff. I really enjoy the hilarious anecdotes, and I'm mostly interested in regaining a healthier (and less burned out) perspective on being a guest teacher nearly every day. This is helping. 

Even some of the chapter titles are suitably funny: She Stole My Grape; That's Just the Way School Is; and I Suck at Everything. I am honestly looking forward to the chapter titled There's Nothing Exciting or Fun Happening Today. A day with a sub should not be exciting. The one thing that scares me the most is when kids walk through the door first thing and are way too excited to have a sub. I try to nip that in the bud, begin forcefully, and not smile for at least an hour. I'm kidding. Or am I? Stay on your toes because you just.don't.know.

On the other hand, being a sub has taught me to not take myself so seriously. According to kids, subs know nothing. We're a bunch of dummies who need to be told what to do by twenty-five kids. In some ways, that's true and it's always nice to have one or two go-to kids that you know you can ask for help. Discreetly. But admitting that you don't know everything, is actually quite a relief. I've learned a lot in the two years I've been subbing, but learning that there's so much I don't know is probably the best thing I've learned so far. One of the most memorable quotes from this book was in the first paragraph:

I didn't have a teaching certificate, and I'd never taught in a primary or secondary school, but that didn't matter--all you need is a high school diploma (bachelors degree in anything if you live in Arizona), a clean criminal record, and a willingness to tolerate your own ineptitude.

A willingness to tolerate my own ineptitude. Yep. That's what I got!

And...Done.

I finished the Harry Potter series this morning. It was worth the effort. I read these words and wept over Snape.

I fall for it every time. I hated Darcy, was appalled by Darcy, and then became a sobbing pile of mush over Darcy. Same with Snape. I'm either a fool or an author's dream.

So Grim

I don't watch that show The Walking Dead. I never have, as I'm certain it's not for me. Judging from my Facebook feed, last night's episode was so violent that diehard fans are now walking away. I have no idea what happened, nor do I want to, but people are taking it so hard that it seems like they just need a hug.

Me? I'm desperately trying to finish the seventh Harry Potter book. Hogwarts is under attack. People are dying. Kids are dying. The whole place is in shambles. If I'm having a hard time with this children's series--which I have to say gets darker by the year--I better never turn on The Walking Dead.

Visit to Page

Even though our trip to Zion, Bryce, and Capitol Reef didn't work out this fall break, Brian managed to swindle his boss into letting him take a Friday and Monday so that we could get away for a long weekend. Our original plans had us spending a night in Page, Arizona, on our way to Zion, so I figured we could spend three nights in Page because there's a lot to see in that area.

So we left early Friday morning. Brian drove us up the mountain to Flagstaff, and I drove us the rest of the way because it was flat. Most of it was one-lane each way, but there were occasional spots where there would be two lanes for passing. I'd simply pull over, slow down to 60, and let the line of cars behind me pass. It was a nice and calm drive, and I felt comfortable. Towards the end there was a steep pass through a rocky mountain area, but I made it and worried about driving down it the rest of the weekend. I kid. Sort of.

Anyway, we had a nice trip up there and arrived at Horseshoe Bend just a little before 11:00 am. It's about a half mile hike from the parking lot to the outlook, and we were surprised at how many tourists were visiting this spot. Also surprising is that there are no railings or any kind or protection to keep people from falling a thousand feet into the Colorado River. We were very careful, but I don't see how more people don't fall from this place; there were a lot of people making questionable choices.

We settled in at our campsite at Wahweap Campground right beside Lake Powell.

Then we wanted to check out the lake. It's about a half-mile walk down there, but we were just in time to see Elizabeth and Matthew finish the Lake Powell Half Marathon!

Kidding again. They were setting up for the race in the morning. It was neat to watch the runners in the morning. We could see and hear the finish line festivities from the Airstream on Saturday morning.

Late Friday afternoon, we took a sunset hike at the Hanging Gardens Trail. It's an old Jeep trail that takes you across some slick sandstone to a spring where lots of plants grow in the desert. This was a really pretty time to do this one-mile trail.

There were great views of the lake from the gardens, too.

On our drive back to camp, the full moon started to rise.

We stopped at an overlook so Brian could snap some shots.

Here's the sunset outside our Airstream door.

And also over the lake.

In the morning, I walked down towards the lake and did some yoga at sunrise. It was beautiful!

There was a lot of activity getting ready for the race, too.

We ate breakfast while watching runners finish. Then we headed out to Marble Canyon, about 45 minutes away. We wanted to see the Navajo Bridge and hike Cathedral Wash.

Navajo Bridge--the left is old, the right is new

We spotted a California Condor on the bridge! This is very exciting because we were looking for them the entire time we were at Grand Canyon. There are only about 400 of these left, so we were happy to finally see one and watch it fly.

Cathedral Wash begins close to Lee's Ferry and ends at the Colorado River. The Vermillion Cliffs are in the background.

Our kids love climbing on rocks. Just love it! So this was a good hike for them.

The geology changes frequently as you descend further into the wash.

Elizabeth got a bloody nose, so she and I sat out for a bit. It certainly was a gorgeous place to rest.

The trail was more challenging than we thought it would be. You really had to work hard to find the best (safest) way to go.

At the big drop, we took our time.

We thought the river would be around every bend.

We finally made it to the river, and it was worth it. Such a pretty place, and we can now say we've touched the Colorado River.

We had a snack and then started on the 1.5 mile trek back the way we came.

Some of the spots were Ninja Warrior-like. :)

We made it out of the wash and then took a photo along the remote road.

We picnicked at Lee's Ferry and watched rafting trips end and get ready to begin.

We didn't get back to camp until around 4:30. Matthew wanted to fish, so Brian took him down to the lake. It didn't last long. After a few minutes, Matthew just wanted to play around by the water. So they stayed there while I got dinner ready and Elizabeth drew in her sketchbook. They got to see another moonrise by the lake.

On Sunday morning, we visited Antelope Canyon. Now this is something we've been wanting to do for a very long time. Everyone has seen photos of it and has been amazed, but we wanted to see it with our own eyes. This isn't a hike you can do alone. You must go with a guide, but you have a few choices. Upper Antelope Canyon tours drive you out to the entrance of the canyon. It's above ground and you walk into it and out of it the way you came in. For Lower Antelope Canyon, you park right at the canyon, hike about ten minutes above ground, and then you descend steep staircases and hike through the canyon. Upper is more accessible, and there are four tour companies to choose from. Lower requires more maneuvering, so we thought that one sounded more adventurous. There are just two companies to choose from, so we went with the one that was a few bucks cheaper. There is no difference in the tours as they start from the same place and follow the same trail. The other company has a nicer building, that's all.

So now that you know all that, I'll just leave you with the 372 National Geographic photos our tour guide helped us take.

approaching the entrance to Lower Antelope Canyon

staircases

You got down the five staircases and then make your way back up throughout the canyon. Very cool!

Is anyone surprised that Matthew didn't play along? :)

Brian emerging from the canyon.

It doesn't look like much from the top, does it?

From Antelope Canyon, we went to Glen Canyon Dam. We had a picnic outside under a shade tree and then went inside for our dam tour. I'd never been inside a dam before, so it was pretty neat to see the tunnels and the power plant and learn how and why it was built.

We checked out Wahweap Marina after that. Lots of houseboats. Lots of gigantic houseboats!

Then we spent another evening relaxing down by the lake before dinner.

On our way out the next morning, the kids earned their Junior Ranger badges and we took a shot to remind us that we want to come back and see more in the Vermillion Cliffs. This area is just so gorgeous.