Utah Trip Days 1 & 2: So How Many People Do You Think Fall In The Grand Canyon

Last year, my family went to Disneyland and as a way to better remember the trip, I made notes at the end of each day and then blogged about as if it were a time journal. This worked out pretty well for us in helping us remember all that we had done so when we got ready to head out on our vacation last week, we decided to try it again. Over the next couple of weeks, I will blog another day of our vacation as if in real time. Please know that the times are approximated. I am not really that anal.

July 4, 2010

2:24 p.m. - We are packed and pulling out of the driveway. Had originally anticipated leaving a day earlier, but had to be at church and then count the tithing afterword because Rhett Dodge went on vacation the week previously and would not be home until later that night. So let me recap. Rhett gone to Hawaii for a week with only his wife and they flew. Misses church. We are going to Utah with all of our children and we are driving. Couldn't leave until church was over. Curse Rhett Dodge.

2:37 p.m. - We borrowed our parent's GPS. As we knew the way to Globe from Thatcher, we didn't necessarily need it early on in the trip. Braden begged to be able to hold it. Those who know Braden's obsession with all things electrical will understand. We handed it back, but it came with a warning. "Son, we know that the GPS is going to tell us to turn a different way than we are going to go in Globe. Don't argue with us on what the GPS is telling you."

2:38 p.m. - Braden begins a running commentary on the things we are passing. Not by...looking out the window, but rather what the GPS is telling him.

3:42 p.m. - "Dad, the GPS says we are supposed to turn in .4 miles."

3:43 p.m. - "Dad, it says we missed our turn and now it says we need to turn at Monroe St in .2 miles."

3:44 p.m. - "Dad, the GPS wants us to turn left at the road coming up in .5 miles."

3:44 p.m. - "Son, hand me the GPS."

5:31 p.m. - We made it to North Phoenix without a single stop and without a single tear shed. This is a truly momentous occasion for our family. We broke out the pizza in celebration. Shannon feels it is necessary to point out that I allowed the children to eat pizza in the van. She feels this is a major breakthrough. Honestly though, she had come to a nexus of the universe kind of place for a man who wants to keep his car beautiful and a man who wants to cover as much ground in the least amount of time as possible with minimal complaints from children. I opted for the latter. As I explained to her, I now have a truck to obsess over. I no longer need this van's inner beauty.

(A side note: Shannon wanted to avoid breaking the Sabbath with meals so she had started to plan on sandwiches. Then she realized that Braden likes ham with mustard while Abby does not like ham and would prefer turkey. Logan doesn't like either one and would prefer a butter and honey sandwich. Not peanut butter, butter. He hates peanut butter. This is the same child who hates both hamburgers and hot dogs. I don't know why. Anyway, she started to realize how expensive "simple" sandwiches were going to be. Then she had an epiphany, "Why don't I just order three pizzas from Dominoes for $7 each on Saturday and then put them in a cooler bag to keep until Sunday evening. GENIUS. I know it is genius because it is written in capital letters on the notes that we kept of our trip. In a totally unrelated item, Shannon is the one who took the notes for our trip.)

8:03 p.m. - Arrive at Little America Hotel in Flagstaff. Little America is the most luxurious and amazing hotel ever...if we had arrived in 1962. It is still an ok hotel, but it has not aged well. I will tell you what else had not aged well, the empty beer cans and wine bottle we found in one of the drawers of the dresser. Right there you can see a major problem. How many hotels actually have dressers anymore? Ok, that wasn't really the problem, but seriously, how many? That discovery scared me a bit, I am not going to lie. I hoped this was not an omen to our hotel experience throughout this trip. I am not exagerating how much I was sweating this, because our hotel for the next two nights in St. George I had found on-line with an amazing deal for $59 a night. It had sounded really awesome at the time. As I sat in our Little America room, it suddenly sounded like I had just given over all of our life savings to Bernie Madoff. Not a good feeling.



8:10 p.m. - We explored the hotel. Both Braden and Logan let out gasps of awe at the golden trashcans (1962). We called them the mystical golden trash cans. I mean why wouldn't we. The hotel was pretty cool in that it had a full playground set that allowed my car addled children a chance to work out some energy.

8:47 p.m. - We went into the lobby and looked at what was available in the gift shop. It had everything I would have expected to find in a Brady Bunch visits the Grand Canyon episode including the Mae West alarm clock (which Braden desparately wanted).

10:02 p.m. - Bed time. Mr. Marbles, is that you?

July 5, 2010

7:04 a.m. - Rise and start the process of getting everything packed and back in the van. Second floor, no elevator. Swear Shannon is packing hotel furniture in the suitcase.

9:12 a.m. - On our way to the Grand Canyon. Pull out of the parking lot and realized we were right across the street from Black Bart's. It made Shannon and I very sentimental to think of the night we visited Mike and Geralyn in college and went to dinner there because Mike had worked there as a singing waiter. Then we remembered that we slept on an air mattress in their NAU student housing kitchen/doorway/living room. All sentimentality left and we drove quickly away.

10:38 a.m. - For someone wanting to visit the Grand Canyon, the guy three cars in front of us does not want to get there very badly. One of my pet peeves is people who won't drive the speed limit except when a chance to pass legally comes along.

10:57 a.m. - Arrive at the Grand Canyon. Main viewing area closed. Must walk 1/2 a mile to closest viewing area. It's HOT!!! Kate, not walking so much. I get to carry her.

11:11 a.m. - Arrive at trail and see Grand Canyon for the first time. Kids reaction? Oh...are we done? NO! We paid $25 to get in here, we are going to enjoy it.









11:12 a.m. - Logan: "I have to pee." "Can you hold it?" "No" (Remember this conversation, it will come up again.) So Logan pees in the trees right off of the trail with hundreds of people around.









11:35 a.m. - Kate poops. No facilities. Can't figure out anything else to try and get the kids excited about so we start back. Shannon with dirty diaper in tow. Braden: "Aren't we going to finish the trail?" "No, you said you wanted to go back." "But now I want to finish the trail." AAAAAAGGGGGGGHHHHHHH!!!!!!!

11:58 a.m. - We see the sign of the day:

Q: How Many People Fall In The Grand Canyon?

A: Surprisingly few people have fallen in the Grand Canyon over the years, however, relatively few survive the initial 300 foot drop so be careful.

12:30 p.m. - Lunch at Wendy's. We literally beat the rush as over a hundred people descend on the restaurant just as we get our food. Half way through, Logan: "I have to poop." "Can you hold it until I am done with my food?" "No!"

1:10 p.m. - Leaving the Canyon and headed to St. George.

2:48 p.m. - GPS told us to go back into the park and exit on a different road. After driving this road almost out to the main highway, we realize there is no pay station to get into the park on this road. You apparently can just come in for free. We will remember that for the next time. Except, Braden's comment is probably pretty accurate. "Now I can come back when I am in my 30's with my kids." He says this because my last time to see the Grand Canyon was when I was 10. Shannon? 4. Sigh.

3:57 p.m. - Had planned on going through Page, but GPS says we should go by the North Rim of the Canyon and then through Fredonia. Never been that way. It will be an adventure. We leave a road with several cars on it. We head down a road with absolutely no cars on it. As we are making the turn, I do not lie, the song "The Road Less Travelled" by George Strait begins to play. It has the following lyrics, "And it all might come together, or it all might come unravelled. On the Road Less Travelled." Shannon and I look at each other. We're both a little scared.

5:18 p.m. - Logan: "I have to pee" "We are five miles from Fredonia, can you hold it?" "No!" We pull off on the side of the road in the middle of no where. No I take that back. Fredonia is the middle of no where so we were five miles from the middle of no where and Logan pees right outside the van door.

5:25 p.m. - Arrive in Fredonia. Stop at a gas station with a sign outside that reads: Lotto, Guns, Ammo, Beer. I mean really, what more do you need.

6:00/7:00 p.m. - Cross into UT and lose an hour to Daylight Savings. Daylight Savings sucks. Let's all pretend that it is later than it really is and it will make life better. What idiocy!

7:00 p.m. - Right on the border is Colorado City. I have to admit I was kind of excited to come this way because I wanted to see what it looked like. Well, it wasn't that special except that there were massive houses. I am not saying massive nice houses. Just massive houses. Like hotel size houses. I wonder what those are for.

7:01 p.m. - Passing the business section of Colorado City that is on the main highway, we see the following businesses: Caanan Corner, Merry Wives Club, Ephraim's Bank and Tacos to Go. Well I guess if it is Dad's night to make dinner, you can't go wrong with tacos.

7:20 p.m. - Pass through Hurricane, UT. I am sorry, it is Hurrican, UT, but we will throw on an extra "e" for no reason.

7:40 p.m. - Check into our hotel. Thankfully Little America was not an omen.

8:00 p.m. - Arrive at St. George temple grounds. Beautiful. Walk into visitor's center and are greeted by sister missionary. When we establish that we are from Thatcher, they mention there is a sister from Thatcher there. Of course it is Monique Mullenaux from our ward. We had totally forgotten that she was serving there. We left her a note.





8:10 p.m. - Kids distraught at the stairs that lead to doors with no handles.

9:00 p.m. - Dinner at Applebee's. As food is arriving, Logan: "I need to go poop." "Can you wait?" "No!"

11:00 p.m. - Finally get to bed. Daylight Savings sucks.