Grand Canyon

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Heavy Heart and Peaceful Prayers

It is with a terribly heavy heart that I write this afternoon.  I learned early this morning that my closest cousins lost their 21 year old son, Mark, in a terrible car accident yesterday morning.  Mark was the very best of us.  Kind, wonderful, funny, handsome, athletic, loving.  It is far too early to have to feel the grief of losing such a phenomenal young man.  He leaves his mother, Diane (my favorite cousin and godmother), his father, Robert (a stellar man without fault) and his little brother, Evan (loving, funny and my godson).  My heart truly is breaking for this family, as a closeknit unit and as a whole we will be lost without Mark.  It would be our honor to have our children grow up to be the kind of man that he had become.  I love and miss you already, Mark.  May God shine upon you, and maybe you can look in on your mom and dad and brother, and even the rest of us once in a while and shine on us.

I learned of this horrible, heartwrenching news this morning on our way to Bryce Canyon.  At my cousins urging, we went on to enjoy the day, albeit with heavier hearts.  The canyons were breathtaking, the colors like a gift from above.  I found this to be very fitting as I visited Angels Landing and saw the enormity of what lay before me.  It was here that I prayed for the Bernotas and Prud'homme families.  It was here I said my first (of many I am sure) goodbyes to Mark, and thanked him for all he was able to teach us about being good in so short a time. 

Ian, Jean, Connor and Tressa were amazing as my family of four began the greiving process.  Carissa and Nick are suffering, as only children can - at the loss of such a friend.  Mark truly gave of himself whenever our family was in town.  He never denied them a game, a tussle, a swim, a joke or a smile.  My Nick and Carissa looked up to him, and still to his brother Evan, as hero's,  They saw with utter simplicity the joy that living a happy and kind life can bring to everyone around you.  They are incredibly saddened, and each time they shockingly remember this loss, it is with tears that they ask is it is true. 

While I did not find any answers in Bryce Canyon today about why we had to give Mark up to God so early, I did find a bit of peace.  The magnificence, the beauty and the feeling of greatness surrounded me and my family and gave us a bit of joy in a horrible situation.  I love you, Diane, Bob and Evan.  You are in my thoughts, my prayers and my heart.

Watch Out - that first step's a doozy!

Imagine 8 people, 4 adults, 4 children in a 10 passenger van with 6 feet of cargo space in the back.  Sleeping bags under seats, the back filled with tents, suitcases and coolers.  Now imagine 110 degree temps, and only minimal air conditioning.  Got this picture?  Now imagine lunch time, hungry and hot kids who ate last at 8:00 a.m. at Denny's - full of syrup and carbs.  A 5 hour drive, quickly turned into a 7 hour drive after a short jaunt into the local Super Walmart to load up on supplies and food.  The heat, the quickly melting ice and tempers all added to the experience of getting back on the road for the final two hours of our drive to the North Rim Campground at Grand Canyon.
Was it ever worth it.  Ian had found us two side by side campsites, within 20-30 feet of the canyon itself.  We could sit at our table and look at the breathtaking views surrounding us.  It gave all new meaning to the word awesome - not my 11 years olds "awesome, mom" when he gets a new lego set.  Awesome as in breathtaking, awe inspiring, reverent. 
I will add some pictures here later to let you all see what we saw, but know that there is no camera in the world that could capture these sights as well as the eye.  We were all humbled by the vastness and beauty of the canyon.  Even Dave, who stated that this was the leg of our journey he was least looking forward to!
I must digress a moment, and explain in greater detail one of the humorous moments at to our campsite.  The kids all have Nintendo DS or DSi's (think newer gameboys) to play.  We agreed as parents to let them enjoy these games during longer drives, mostly to save our sanity from hearing "how much longer," or "are we there yet?" or "I have to go to the bathroom".  However, Connor came to us and asked if he could play his games while we were enjoying the view from our camp.  He was told no, that it was for when he was in the car.  We found him, an hour and a half later, sitting in the car as we got ready to leave for a Park Ranger event.  Asking him why he was playing his new game, he stated very simply "you told me I could only play it in the car."  He wasn't wrong, but we more clearly stated our expectations - that the car had to be running, driven (by an adult) and with permission from said adult.  Point taken by all.
We have now left the Grand Canyon, and are at Glendale KOA campground.  Tomorrow we are off to Bryce Canyon (early - but 7:30 is never early when the sun rises at 5 with the birds singing a good morning tune!) to ride the horses and hike the trails!
Happy trails to all, and I look forward to sharing more of our adventures and pictures!

It's A Dry Heat

Let me start by saying hot is hot.  We arrived in Las Vegas yesterday before lunch, and when we stepped outside it was 95.  It felt wonderful, for about 10 minutes. Then all 8 of us were commenting on how hot it was and when was the van coming with the A.C.?  There was a lot of packing into the van - and surprise!  We could have packed more, since we have tons of room.  Lots of shopping coming up today though at Walmart for coolers, food, beverages and camp chairs.  Guess that will fill it all up. 
Once we got to, and checked into, the Circus Circus Hotel (very family friendly) we ate at the endless buffet.  They were not kidding.  Ponderosa in Williston has nothing on this buffet - room after room of healthy and kid (read unhealthy) choices.  Then it was on to the pool.
Good Grief.  Its a dry heat.  Being from Vermont, hot is hot.  When it is 90 degrees, and 50% humidity - the men sweat and the women glow.  It was 108 by the time we got to the pool at 2:30, the sun was out and the wind was present.  Not the breeze that we were expecting from the weather report.  This was a wind that took caps off heads, dried the water off your body when you climbed out of the pool before you could get to your towel, and dried out your eyes to the point they couldn't even water!  It was hot, damn hot. 
But it felt so good, because it was so different.  However, we were not staying out there all day and turning into one of those brown (or beet red) sunbathers, buying $15 drinks at the poolside bar.  We spent 2 hours in the limited shade skipping from pool to lounger and back again.  The kids stayed in the water the whole time, and by kids I mean Nick, Carissa, Connor, Tressa and Dave - the big kid.  They made friends with lots of others and played a mean game of shark.  When we ask the kids at the end of summer what their favorite thing was - we are pretty sure it will be that game of shark (tag in the pool).
We are heading out this morning after breakfast.  We all went to sleep at 8:00 last night since we were so tired, and were all awake by 5:00.  So here I sit at 6 am, ready to go!  We are off to Denney's for breakfast, then to Walmart and finally land at the North Rim of Grand Canyon around 3:00. 
Next time I will try to load in some pictures! 

Awesomeness!

So we are all at the airport, and I am reading a Mad comic.  We are having so much fun drinking down juice and donuts.  It's kind of cool that we leave at 8 for a 5 1/2 hour flight, and land at 10:30.  Great deal with the time difference.  Three hours - it will feel like i am staying up all night!
I will write more later!  Wish us luck.
Nick

Are You Ready? Are You Excited?

I have been asked by many colleagues and family members if I am ready for this trip?  Am I excited?  Heck, yes!  To both.  The Szabo and Tewksbury families have been planning this expedition for over two years, and as it came together stage by stage, our anticipation grew.  But it was still "out there,"  in the future - not really very real.  NOW it is real!  Today is my final day at work - if you can call what I am able to accomplish work.  I am getting through the tasks at hand, with grace and finesse and some humor.  My heart though, is packed between bathing suits, travel maps and hiking shoes!

I feel completely prepared, and disastrously under-prepared as we finalize and load up the car for the drive to New Hampshire tomorrow morning.  I have not over-packed (at least not in the normal sense), as we each have enough clothes for a week between laundromats. My biggest concern was making certain we had enough clean underwear and dry socks for hiking!  It has been a bit of a challenge to plan enough in advance for all possible weather conditions.  It is supposed to be 104 in Las Vegas on Thursday when we arrive, then down to the 40's at night at the Grand Canyon.  Yellowstone is still wet and cool, so what to pack?  We have it all, minus winter hats and gear.  Worst case scenario?  We find a motel and hole up there overnight!

We are all very excited, and I expect my next post will be from the airport! Yes, to all my friends - I am so excited that I can hardly sit still and wait any longer!  Not that I'm counting, but in 41 hours I will be taking off to the wild west.  Bon Voyage!

Toes, Feet, Hands and Eyes

It sounds like a children's song from Kindergarten, but it isn't.  It is the sad state three of the four adults find themselves in before we leave next week.  One of us is in a cast due to a broken foot (healing quickly though), one is in sandals due to an infected ingrown nail, and the third has an eye infection and a sore hand.  So we have the blind, leading the limping, leading the hobbler!  Poor last man standing, he's going to have his hands full cooking, setting up tents, watching kids while the rest of us relax and allow the sunsets to heal our aches.  I suppose this is a good indication that none of us is aging as gracefully as we had hoped!

Bryce Canyon Trail Ride - dotted line

No Worries

This weekend was spent with wonderful friends from college and our respective families, catching up, telling tall tales and waxing prophetic about all things great and small. One of the longer topics of discussion was our trip. There was much laughter around the variety of personalities in our group of 8. Jean and I, as two moms and career women, are probably the highest tension factor. Jean admits to being a bit "high maintenance" (wink wink), and I have just a little bit of Sybil in me. How will we manage extreme neediness and extreme emotions while in a large van, mid-size tents, or adjoining hotel rooms? Patience, strong and stable husbands, and Valium. Okay, the Valium is a joke.
We are all (and by all, I mean the adults) prepared for high emotions, and are all praying that the rain gods keep the cloudbusters at bay. There will be enough tension and excitement without adding rain and soggy, damp everything into the mix. We have already decided that at those times when emotions or fatigue are running high, we will divide and conquer. At those times, the two families will split up for a few hours or a day - and regain composure. We have even gone so far as to agree to rent a second vehicle if needed so one of the two families can go off for some alone time. We are all fully aware that this adventure is going to be one of a lifetime, and our kids are never going to forget it. BUT - we want it to be remembered for the right reasons, and not because we went postal on one another.
There is a lot to be learned in planning a trip like this one. Not just flights, van rentals, campsites and meals; planning on emotions, personalities, affinities and dislikes are large factors too.
I am certain that those of you reading our blog will follow closely our emotional roller coaster, as well as the exciting travels and sites we visit. No worries, though. We already know that while 8 are going out - 8 are coming home too!

Excitement Builds

Even Nick is starting to get excited about our trip! He is the final one to buy into this grand adventure. To him it was to be an exercise in parental torture, added with sibling annoyance and a "too much walking can't be good for you" attitude. With the assistance of just about every adult we know, Nick has turned the corner and is beginning to look forward to seeing National Parks and San Francisco.
I am completely packed and ready for takeoff. Dave, not so much. He told me today what he still needs to pack - so I will get those things this week. Luckily, he is a guy, and he is able to hand over the reins (read: wallet) when it comes to filling a suitcase with appropriate attire for temperatures ranging from 110 to 35 F. Hope he likes pink plaid bermuda shorts and orange striped polo's!!
Folks at work are helping me out by lending books on parks and areas to visit - and really what they are doing is helping me to think more about my trip than I should be during the work day!! It is becoming increasingly difficult to focus on the important things, so I have taken to wearing a rubber band on my wrist to snap whenever I see I am off task. I have quite a bruise to show for it too!
When all is said and done, I am very thankful to have a career that I love at an organization that supports this wonderful trip of a lifetime. While I look forward to leaving and traveling, it is never painful or upsetting to come back to work.

Fish- Check, Dog - Check, Hamster - Check

Well one of the tougher things to do while I prepare my family for this long awaited traverse around our country is finding the folks who can care for our menagerie of pets. I have each pet going to a loving home for the duration. And I learned in the meantime, that my step-mom loves hamsters! Who knew? And, my dad - not so much. It will be interesting to see how the little creature does with two big golden retrievers running around. They will also be watching Skipper, the beta fish. He's easy. Keep water in a bowl, throw in some fish flakes - good to go. Just hoping not to hear about any toilet side funerals!
Fortunately, a good friend, and fabulous babysitter is coming twice everyday to feed Partner and let him in and out. He's our biggest concern because he is a pretty social animal and needs to see people everyday. With T. coming at least twice everyday and my dad once/twice a week - he'll be fine!
I think that about covers the pet situation. Now, onto the next thing. Getting the AAA TripTik's.