Tuesday, July 27, 2010
I had hoped to write something each evening, but WOW, Monday was full and exhausting.
We were up before 5am, showered, packed (separating things for our rafting trip from our Las Vegas stuff), and went to the hotel dining room for breakfast. Got on the tour's bus, went to the small airport, then rode a prop plane to a dude ranch. Got into a helicopter that took us to the river. Wheeeeeee! My oldest son got to ride in the front with the pilot.
After everyone was there, they did the "boat briefing", then with life jackets on our bodies (and slatherd with SPF 100 sunscreen) , we climbed aboard. My boys wanted to be on the lower pontoons, so we all sat down there, getting splashed by muddy 50 degree water ... it was a blast. Lunch ... soooooo hungry! Then more unrated rapids. We got to our camp site well before dark, pitched our tents (boys wanted to sleep inside, but it was to hot) and after a delicious dinner of spaghetti, we slept in our cots like the dead. i was asleep before desert was even announced.
Tuesday morning, we had bacon and eggs for breakfast, loaded up the boat, and rode the river. Oven-hot breezes mixed with cool-water breezes, making us boil and cool off nicely. It was an interesting day. By lunch, i realized that SPF 100 was not enough for me ... my legs were burning. i put on my plastic rain pants, but my ankles were exposed ... eventually, they started to swell and burn. Even my feet through the shoes burned.
But the canyon was awesome. Some of the exposed rocks we saw were 2 billion years old. When dinosaurs roamed the earth, this was flat terrain ... since then, this entire plateau has raised up and been cut down, erasing all evidence of the dinosaurs locally. In places, its more than a mile up from the river to the rim ... most of the time, we can't even see the rim.
We saw goats and lizards. Cicadas have been our constant companions. My boys tried to kill every ant they saw. They played in the sand when we stopped, or skipped rocks. They charmed most of the rafters.
There are two pontoons going down the river on this tour; 2 guides per boat, plus 14 passengers. Fun people, including a cute young woman, Lacey, who claimed to be a princess, but was having a marvelous time getting soaked in the cold water. i'll admit, i'm not very fond of showering in 50 degree water, but there are some things that are just NECESSARY.
Today, Tuesday, we went down our one "rated" rapid, a level 7. My youngest has been focused on it since we got on the boat ... i think he was terrified of it, but we put him on top of the luggage with some of the others and he got much braver. i heard a lot of "yee-has" and "whoopies" from him after that. Our older son had a quieter time, but just as much fun. If he had smiled any more than that, we would have had to surgically remove the corners of his mouth from his ears.
Tonight, we had trout and steak for dinner. Delicious! The boys struggled through dinner, but gobbled up the cake. (They claimed it was AJ's birthday, and let him blow out the candles.)
At least this time, i lasted until the desert, although i didn't have any. i collapsed into bed, but slept poorly since there were no cool breezes this time. i was grateful when the full moon disappeared behind the cliff walls.
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Journal day 2
Sunday, July 25, 2010
There are people who want to go places and others who just like the trip. Many years ago, my husband and i wen to Australia and he kept asking me "so where do you want to go? And i answered that it really didn't matter, i just wanted to drive.
So, here we are in Las Vegas, and my husband is getting mad because i'm not giving him any feedback on where we should go or what we should do; and i answered that it really didn't matter, i just wanted to see stuff.
So, today, we walked in the early morning heat to the MGM hotel. We looked for the lions in their cage, but it was empty. We walked through smoke-filled lobbies of bleary-eyed gamblers. We eventually found the discount ticket place ... then realize its the wrong one, so we walk a few more blocks, through another hotel casino, and finally find the right place. We get tickets to see Blue Man Group, which, we are told, is great fun for the entire family.
Blessed lunch. Salmon and steak for the adults, hamburgers for the boys. Cold drinks all the way around refresh us. I take aspirin ... my hips and knees hurt.
Then we take the monorail to the hotel where the show will be to get our seat assignments. It's getting hotter ... 112 degrees now .... and we're all hot and hungry and we wander, lost, through more casinos. Eventually, we find the ticket booth. Wow, we saved $30 per seat! Not bad seats. We wander back to our hotel, but we are still lost, unsure of how to get back .... i take matters into my own hands and ask directions whenever my husband looks uncertain of where to go. It takes us MUCH less time to get back to the hotel where we collapse and shower. It was hard to breathe in the heat.
i can't imagine how people live here.
Sheri and Evan arrived, Larry's sister and brother in law. They were pleasant company. Then Teri and Dad arrived. Wow, no tension! Teri must be on drugs. (Only half-kidding)
Back into the fray ... we leave for the show ... it was frigging fantastic. Yes, not for everyone, but the boys were dancing in their seats, and we all had a grand time. It ended at 9pm, which is midnight for us ... found a food court in the hotel and ate, then made our way back to the hotel by taxi this time ... its too hot for metro and we're beat. We collapsed in bed, exhausted.
There are people who want to go places and others who just like the trip. Many years ago, my husband and i wen to Australia and he kept asking me "so where do you want to go? And i answered that it really didn't matter, i just wanted to drive.
So, here we are in Las Vegas, and my husband is getting mad because i'm not giving him any feedback on where we should go or what we should do; and i answered that it really didn't matter, i just wanted to see stuff.
So, today, we walked in the early morning heat to the MGM hotel. We looked for the lions in their cage, but it was empty. We walked through smoke-filled lobbies of bleary-eyed gamblers. We eventually found the discount ticket place ... then realize its the wrong one, so we walk a few more blocks, through another hotel casino, and finally find the right place. We get tickets to see Blue Man Group, which, we are told, is great fun for the entire family.
Blessed lunch. Salmon and steak for the adults, hamburgers for the boys. Cold drinks all the way around refresh us. I take aspirin ... my hips and knees hurt.
Then we take the monorail to the hotel where the show will be to get our seat assignments. It's getting hotter ... 112 degrees now .... and we're all hot and hungry and we wander, lost, through more casinos. Eventually, we find the ticket booth. Wow, we saved $30 per seat! Not bad seats. We wander back to our hotel, but we are still lost, unsure of how to get back .... i take matters into my own hands and ask directions whenever my husband looks uncertain of where to go. It takes us MUCH less time to get back to the hotel where we collapse and shower. It was hard to breathe in the heat.
i can't imagine how people live here.
Sheri and Evan arrived, Larry's sister and brother in law. They were pleasant company. Then Teri and Dad arrived. Wow, no tension! Teri must be on drugs. (Only half-kidding)
Back into the fray ... we leave for the show ... it was frigging fantastic. Yes, not for everyone, but the boys were dancing in their seats, and we all had a grand time. It ended at 9pm, which is midnight for us ... found a food court in the hotel and ate, then made our way back to the hotel by taxi this time ... its too hot for metro and we're beat. We collapsed in bed, exhausted.
Journal day 1
Saturday, July 24, 2010
i woke luxuriously at 8am, shower and put aside the last of the clothes for packing. i made breakfast for all while the boys played computer games. Larry and i played SecondLife. Next thing i notice is its 1pm and we haven't had lunch yet. We need to leave for the airport at 2:30! Larry has disappeared, probably for the shower (he had), but that meant he probably wasn't in a panic yet... i finished my packing, then made lunch for everyone. Leftovers. i packed snacks, then back into SecondLife for 15 minutes to say bye and zip off. NOW he's in a panic.
Xan has been picking on AJ for weeks. i guess that's what big brothers do, but its not nice. The heat doesn't help. It's 105 outside, and the heat and humidity are unbearable. It may contribute to everyone's irritability.
The taxi arrived smelling of sweat and smoke. The boys do the "he's touching me" routine in the back seat, so i sit between them. We get there in plenty of time, which was good because there's something wrong with the tickets. 30 minutes later, that's taken care of, then an hour to get through Security. i'm glad we arrived extra early. Everyone gets a snack, and i get aspirin for my back.
We are hit with a blast of heat as we board the plane. Then ... wow ... surrealistic fog fills the plane as the air conditioner cools down the air. My stomach is in knots and the boys, sitting next to each other, by choice, continue picking on each other. My husband is in the row behind, reading, then napping.
We arrive in Las Vegas at 10pm local time, and are greeted by 105 degrees of heat at night! Incredible. i now pity the yoghurt i used to make ... this is what the oven felt like.
i have two cranky boys... its past 1am for them. We are all hot and tired. We get to the hotel where i have two unhelpful boys. i make their beds and collapse into my own, still dressed.
i woke luxuriously at 8am, shower and put aside the last of the clothes for packing. i made breakfast for all while the boys played computer games. Larry and i played SecondLife. Next thing i notice is its 1pm and we haven't had lunch yet. We need to leave for the airport at 2:30! Larry has disappeared, probably for the shower (he had), but that meant he probably wasn't in a panic yet... i finished my packing, then made lunch for everyone. Leftovers. i packed snacks, then back into SecondLife for 15 minutes to say bye and zip off. NOW he's in a panic.
Xan has been picking on AJ for weeks. i guess that's what big brothers do, but its not nice. The heat doesn't help. It's 105 outside, and the heat and humidity are unbearable. It may contribute to everyone's irritability.
The taxi arrived smelling of sweat and smoke. The boys do the "he's touching me" routine in the back seat, so i sit between them. We get there in plenty of time, which was good because there's something wrong with the tickets. 30 minutes later, that's taken care of, then an hour to get through Security. i'm glad we arrived extra early. Everyone gets a snack, and i get aspirin for my back.
We are hit with a blast of heat as we board the plane. Then ... wow ... surrealistic fog fills the plane as the air conditioner cools down the air. My stomach is in knots and the boys, sitting next to each other, by choice, continue picking on each other. My husband is in the row behind, reading, then napping.
We arrive in Las Vegas at 10pm local time, and are greeted by 105 degrees of heat at night! Incredible. i now pity the yoghurt i used to make ... this is what the oven felt like.
i have two cranky boys... its past 1am for them. We are all hot and tired. We get to the hotel where i have two unhelpful boys. i make their beds and collapse into my own, still dressed.
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