Well for the first time since the 13th of August (all of 8 days I think) I am now sitting in a room from which I can walk to the toilet, shower, fridge, and my clothing all without leaving the same four walls. We are camped out at Gold Canyon Resort and Golf Course for a wedding. I'd tell you who it is but I don't know how to spell their names... the groom is Kristi's cousin Bret(t) and the bride is a nice young lady who I think I saw in the parking lot today (not being creepy) and I think her name is Leigh Ann. It could be spelled differently but going to Facebook to find out at the moment seems like too much work... alright I'll check.
I'll miss my backyard...
So this is a little diddy about Brett and LeeAnn (I checked the names!) two American kids living in the hot land. You young folk probably don't even know what I just did there... oh yeah life goes on. Anyway today we woke in Zion and left probably the most beautiful camp site and location we have seen on our trip. With the exception of the shower situation this was by far our favorite place for at least 4/5 of us. Benny liked St. Louis because of the pool... can't argue with a boy and his pool. We loaded up and headed through the 1.5 mile tunnel under a mountain which was the longest tunnel in History (1927) and according to Kayleigh also the longest tunnel in Zion. The second longest tunnel in Zion is probably short enough that I could hold my breath while running through it. All in all this was probably one of the longer, yet "good" drives that we had. With the exception of a wasted 30 minutes or so in Flagstaff trying to get to Chik-fil-a we made great time and were at Gold Canyon in time to shower up (I didn't wear sandals!) and hit Chili's with Nana and Pa.
After dinner I raced through Walmart picking up a few things I needed for tomorrow. I cannot tell you how happy I was to see a Walmart... and like Ray I say Walmart (ok he said Kmart but most of those are dead) ______. Again kids you might not know that one, go watch Wapner and maybe you'll get it. As I was saying Walmart was great because it had what I needed at a price I was happy to pay. I think we had to pay nearly $5 for a box of lousy graham crackers at the Happy Campers Market in Zion. As nice as the national parks are I sure do think that people are getting greedy. I also find that interesting as many of the "homes" we've seen in the place we've visited don't look like the ones we are used to. I'd like to think it is a mix of what the climate calls for, but at the same time I can't help but notice people living in what I would consider run-down or poor conditions, all the while driving beautiful trucks. I'm not sure where I'm going with this other than to say that if you are reading this from the comfort of your couch or bed on your smart device please consider yourself pretty blessed. Or instead of feeling blessed maybe it is time we ask what we could live without.
Lest you think I'm getting too deep I'll leave you with pictures of my kids double fisting drinks at Chili's. Ben made Sprite water and Kayleigh Orange Juice Water. As I've said before I think Madeleine has really come into her own on this vacation, at least for me. She's talking up a storm and showing and incredible amount of personality and independence. Kristi pointed out that on this trip her favorite part was probably being a part of everything. We had nowhere to leave her, no one to watch her. If we did it, so did she and she loved it.
Ben was mostly Ben. He did a good job squishing a few bugs and was great at being our little leader while he had the energy in the Grand Canyon. He's a sensitive soul who loves hugs, taking care of his sisters, and watching the good guys triumph in movies like the Incredibles. He screamed so loudly today while watching that in the car. He also likes finding numbers and is incredibly competitive while at the same time not really knowing winning or losing.
Kayleigh loves to help. She showed some signs of total independence some good and some bad. Knowing the questions or songs to bring up when Ben was struggling showed good thinking on her part. Getting up in busy traffic just after I asked her to stay in her chair until I said it was safe was a bad choice. She's incredibly bright and as much as I know independent thought is going to be a key to her success in life I sure wish she'd reign it in a bit. I'm simply too slow to keep up.
Well I think that is it for now. I'm in need of some rest before showing the wedding party how to golf tomorrow morning. Thanks for reading, if I get a chance I'll post some pictures of the kids at the wedding. Or maybe I'll get a great video of Kristi and I doing the Boot Scoot 'n Boogie.
Good night everybody.
Random Thoughts:
1. When driving around high cliffs what is the point of a sign telling you to wear a seat belt? Chances are the vehicle goes flying off the cliff and at that point the seat belt is the least of your worries.
2. Why are passing lanes in Arizona always on the up hill?
3. Why is Arizona so cloudy and rainy? I thought it was a hot happening place?
4. Why do I have a craving for a salad?
One more to brag about my kids. They climbed this and then descended it, all with attitude.