What Holiday Rush?

Almost immediately after Thanksgiving certain people will starting asking me if I am ready for Christmas yet. Wait a minute, I thought I had at least a month yet.

Part of the Joy of Christmas to me is in the preparation.  I love putting up my tree. Each one of the ornaments reveals a special memory. When we were first married, I envisioned, eventually, a tree filled with homemade ornaments. Each year I bought a kit and made half a dozen new ones to add to the collection. I still hang those even though I haven't added to that collection for many years now. A few were made for me during those early years by my mother and mother-in-law. Now that they are both gone, their spirit is with us in our tree. Now I collect ornaments on our trips and as I hang each one I can revisit those special destinations and the memories they hold for me. Many were simply gifts from people who have walked through our lives and left footprints on our hearts. Then, of course, there are the precious ones made by the little hands of both my children and grandchildren.



The basement parties were always the best

 Every year we host a party at our home for the Silver Spokes and Spokettes, our biker friends. This is generally in the first week of December so we get our Christmas decorations up and this is our initiation into the Holiday Season.

A few years ago, I found myself wondering about why I wasn't filled with the excitement of the season. Then about 2 weeks before the actual holiday the holiday spirit finally hit me. Wait a minute, I thought, that's when it should hit me.

Retail has put so much pressure on us to begin preparing even before Halloween.  This year the black Friday sales started a week before thanksgiving. I tried to buy a few early presents this year and got it all wrong and had to return them already.

Some people are afraid that if you don't shop early there will be nothing left. Well, guess what, there is always underwear left and it looks quite pretty tied up in nice paper and ribbons.

Christmas is still 9 days away so please don't ask me if I am ready for it. I have a few more presents left to buy and none of them are wrapped yet, cookies to bake, and a few more pre holiday events to attend. It will all get done before December 24 in plenty of time for the jolly old man to make his appearance.

In the meantime I intend to enjoy every minute of it. Oh, yes, there are still a few more Christmas movies to watch. I am a real sucker for those.

Let the Holidays Begin

I love Christmas. I love it as much as ever anyone did with all the decorations, presents, parties, and good will it evokes.

That said, I think I have learned to love Thanksgiving even more for its relative simplicity. With most of both our extended and immediate family living at least an overnight stay away, Thanksgiving is not just a day but a week-end. Thanksgiving is all about appreciating the abundance with which God has blessed us and the food. 

On Thursday we had our traditional turkey dinner with our faithful guests, my brother and two nieces, Jim, Lindsay and Beth. As has become my habit the past two years, my turkey was slightly overcooked while I participated in the Wii tournament in the basement. Thanksgiving dinner is all about the sides anyway, isn't it?

On Friday our Green Bay Chilsons hit Chicago in their usual  lively fashion. Of course, on the agend is pizza from Papa's and Chicago hot dogs and Italian Beef from Portillos. In addition, I cooked a large ham dinner as my gift to them.

Another niece and nephew, Jason and Johanna, along with their two charming girls added to the delightful mayhem both Friday and Saturday evenings.

The real joy of the week-end came in spite of the food, however in our total enjoyment of each other and watching the antics of the kids, both old and young.

I had the good fortune of needing an outfit for a New Year's wedding. I say good fortune, because having been the only female in the family until my boys took brides, I generally do all my shopping solo. This time I was priviliged to have the company and assistance of my daughter-in-law, Amy, niece, Lindsay and granddaughter Ella. They  put the fun in shopping especially Amy who loves to enable me to spend my money without guilt. They outfitted me for the wedding in the greatest style which is ANTHING BUT "dowdy old lady."

Meanwhile at home, Niece from Virginia was watching the UVA footbal game upstairs, while son from Wisconsin was watching their football game downstairs. Another right of Thanksgiving week-end. It doesn't get any better than this.

In Search of Fall Colors

Since Laborday we have been to Door County, Wisconsin, Atlanta, Georgia, Minneapolis, Green Bay and Branson, Missouri. Around here we usually travel to the North Woods for spectacular fall color. In Door County we were a little early, in Minneapolis and Green Bay we were a little late. Of course, September in Atlanta is still summer. So where did we finally meet up with spectacular annual display of Mother Nature at her finest? Branson Missouri and Eureka Arkansas in October.

First day out we hit the Thousand Hills golf course which did me in on our last visit 6 years ago. The best way to describe it is to describe the third hole which is a par four with a stream right in front of a green which is raised about 6 feet up behind the water and weeds. I am happy to say I conquered the course this time with a minimum number of ball casualties and a score of 97. What a great start. The trip would go down as a success no matter what happened the rest of the week.

Branson, land of music, God, and Country, is set deep in the Ozarks.  Nowhere else in this country is God and patriotism lumped together so tightly and unabashedly. Every show honors the veterans, touts clean comedy, and includes a bit of gospel. We saw a few shows, took a couple of hikes, and made a road trip to Eureka, Arkansas for the Passion Play.

The grounds of the Passion Play are akin to a mini attraction park. There is a Living Bible Experience, a dinner show of gospel music and comedy, a few short faith based shows, and, of course, the Passion Play itself. Ensconced on the grounds is a gigantic statue of Christ of the Ozarks, arms outstretched watching over his people with enduring love.

Over all the trip was a great experience, shared with our good friends and frequent travelling companions.

Celebrate Life - Not Age

Birthdays. You can either look forward to them with trepidation or embrace them as a celebration of life. I have always chosen to embrace mine. In fact, I have found that it takes at least a month to properly celebrate.

Mine started the day before the actual date of my birth with a gift from our beloved Illini football team of their fourth straight victory for the year. ( incidentally they are currently 6/0).

The actual day of my birthday began delightfully with a phone call from my Grand Niece and her parents singing Happy Birthday. By the end of the day all of the children and grandchildren had weighed in with their wishes. After church we were scheduled to participate in the annual Silver Spokes Golf Outing. Said outing was not created as a party for Moi, but since it was on my birthday, and since I had won the privilege of signing the cards for longest drive and closest to the pin as "the Birthday Babe", and since my friends arranged a birthday tiramasu for my dessert, it will go down in the books as one of my best birthday parties ever. What better way to celebrate the continuation of your life than by doing what you most love to do
surrounded by the best  friends in the world?

My real party was supposed to be the next day with our annual Jean's birthday bike ride on the Lakefront bike trail. Unfortunately it was rainy and cold and bike riding was out of the question. So I had to opt for lunch out with the friends who were to join us. It was a lovely lunch and the well wishes and love continued helped to compensat for the indefinite postponement of the anticipated ride.

About a week later the weather cleared and the sun once again shone brightly on my parade and we were able to find a day when our friends were available. I don't fully appreciate what a wonderful thing this tradition is until I am into the ride. I am so thankful that we live near the most beautiful city in this country if not in the world. Chicago has an amazing lakefront, every inch of which is public access surrounded by beautifully maintained parks. We began at Belmont Harbor, stopped at Navy Pier for lunch and proceeded on past McCormick Place to the Fallen Firefighters Memorial park before returning to our point of entry.

We took a moment out to remember Chicago's first responders who have fallen in the line of duty. I am sure that many Chicagoans and certainly even more suburbanites do not even know that there are two beautiful parks and monuments set aside for their fallen first responders, both police and fire fighters.  What a great day and a great way to officially end the birthday marathon.



Northerly Island formerly known as Mieg's Field



Pike's Peak or Bust

Alas we come to the final episode in Jack's Big Adventure. However, this was by no means the least. Our goal in Colorado Springs was to ride bikes from the top of Pike's Peak to the bottom. We started out at 6:45am at Challenge Unlimited where we were served a continental breakfast while watching them load the bikes up onto the van we would all be transported in to the top. Thankfully, we did not have to bike up the mountain as it rises to over 14,000 feet.

I took this trip once before about 8 or 10 years ago and it was one of the scariest events of my life. The top 14 miles above the tree line were dirt road with hairpin switchbacks and no guardrails. As I lay in my bed the night before the ride I was asking myself why I set myself up to do this again. I was already panicky before we ever left home in the morning.

Imagine my pleasant surprise when I found out that since we were last here they had actually paved the road and put up guard rails at most of the switch backs. The only thing I had to worry about now was how to breath at 14,000 feet.

At first there was some concern that the ride might be cancelled, as the wind was cold and gusty at the top. Challenge Unlimited threw down bags of extra clothes from the top of that truck and we were all outfitted warm and toasty until we got low enough to shed. The wind cooperated and slowed to a bearable gale and the ride proceeded as planned with no interference by the weather. (the last time I did this it snowed )

Jack took on the challenge like a ride around the block only better. He was amazing, always leading the pack and keeping up with our guide, Kent. He followed all the safety rules and never missed a step. He was all smiles from ear to ear.

The hairping turns were still the same but he took them like a pro. Kent said he is born to be a mountain biker. He even recommended a self guided mountain bike ride they offer on unpaved trails down the mountain. We told Jack he had to wait for his Daddy to take him on that one.

Of course the views were spectacular and there were plenty of stops to take in the scenery so we could concentrate on staying on the road while riding.

Well everyone made it to the bottom safely where we were served up a light lunch before returning to town.

Later that day we took in another of Colorado Springs famouns sights, Garden of the Gods. This is a beautiful park full of red rock formations which was bequeathed to the city on the condition that it always remain free to the public. So, basically, it is one thing in town that is unspoiled by commercialism. As we all know Jack likes to climb so he had some final opportunities to get it out of his system before heading for home.


So now we on our long trek home. A couple long days driving and it all gets filed away into the memory banks. But what great memories they are. I guess the best indication that Jack had a great time is that he has already planned our next trip.

Mesa Verde National Park



Next on the road was Mesa Verde National Park, located in the Southwest corner of Colorado. To access this park you must drive up 2000 ft. to the top of the various Mesa's in this park. This park contains the most complete Pueblo cliff dwellings in the world  where Puebloans lived and thrived about 800 to 1000 years ago.  The dwellings are built into the surrounding cliffs of the Mesa's. To get up close the park service gives guided tours into some of the dwellings. To get up close you must either climb down steep stairs built into the crevices of the cliff or climb down ladders attached the sides of the cliffs. Jack was thrilled by this opportunity for adventure.
                                                                                        

Cliff Palace


It is hard to believe how these people survived in such a harsh climate and how their homes have survived for 800 to 1000 years. Our home will not last that long. Their basic food was corn grown on top of the Mesa's and water was collected from the infrequent rains and snow. Cliff Palace contained 150 rooms. Balcony House was much smaller, but the adventure was high because of the climb up and down ladders attached to cliff walls to gain access to this dwelling. also, a crawl through a tiny tunnel increased the adventure.

Inside Kiva

Jack was fascinated by the Kiva's which were round family rooms covered by a roof. The Kiva was vented to allow for fires inside. The ranger manning the dwelling allowed Jack to climb down inside a Kiva.

Cliff Wall Ladder

Jack also joined the Junior Ranger progrm. He had to complete a book of exercises where he had to find the answers on signs and at the museums around the park.



 

Jack entering tunnel





Junior Ranger Oath





Even a Flat Tire Can't Stop This Group

We left the Grand Canyon and headed back in the direction of home with a few more stops to make on the way and a few more adventures to be experienced. We came through Monument Valley on the way to Moab, Utah, a place Don has always wanted to see since so many John Wayne movies were filmed there. Of course, we had to explain to Jack who John Wayne was.

When we pulled into the Canyonlands Campground in Moab we discovered a flat rear tire on Bertha. It was some sort of miracle that the other tire held up until we were off the road. We immediately called Good Sam and after some run around, we were hooked up with Jeff the tire guy from Chip's Grand Tire in town. We were a little concerned when they could not be sure how long it would take to get a new tire from Salt Lake City and Good Sam would not cover a repair.No matter, this tire was beyond repair anyway.

Jeff was just great. He knew we were here to enjoy Moab and took care of us just great. He was here first thing in the morning to remove the tire and diagnose the problem so we could take off for Canyonlands National Park in late morning. Canyonlands is a continuation of the Colorado river and the Green River and they join forces in the middle.

 Much of this park is accessible only by 4 wheel drive. But an ample sampling is available by car and foot.

We took a few short hikes to the best viewpoints. We have learned that the definition of easy hikes in this part of the country still involves up and down steep inclines studded with rocks and loose sand.


Jack was really impressed with this natural arch. This of course was before we went to Arches.

We returned home in the late afternoon to rest and have a bite to eat before heading out to Canyonlands by Day and Night for a moonlight cruise on a speed boat into the Canyons. Our narrator, Rubin was a pleasure to listen as he pointed out many of the aspects of canyon life. After the cruise, we had dinner with the cruise people.

The next morning Jeff had procured a tire attached it to the rim and arrived at the campground to apply it to the coach while we were visiting Arches National Park with the promise that we would bring payment to the shop first thing the next morning. We love doing business in small towns like this. They are so accommodating and trusting. We had a similar experience in Terrace Bay, Ontario a few years back when we had a crippling problem with our pop-up.

Park Avenue

Arches excited Jack from the moment we arrived. The drive in is studded with fantastic rock formations with names such as Three Gossips, Park Avenue, and Balancing rock. We had great fun finding names for many formations on our own. We had planned a few short hikes to see the highlights of the park as it was the hottest day of the year and water is not readily available in the park.



Jack building his own cairn



We both learned a new word that day - cairn - a pile of rocks which mark the trail. When we got out of the car at balancing rock, the trail around the rock was marked with cairns. In fact, it seems to be the practice for visitors to build their own cairns leaving something like a garden of them at the base of the formation. We decided that Karen was absolutely an appropriate name for our GPS after all.



Balancing Rock



I mean, this is hardly seeing it for real

 Our next project was a short 3/4 mile hike straight up to a spot where you can view the Delicate Arch, Utah's state symbol from a distance without taking the strenuous hike up to its base. When we reached the top it was so far away it was very disappointing so we mulled it over and decided to eat our peanut butter sandwiches then bite the bullet and hike up to the delicate arch. The problem was that this hike rises about 500 feet over slip rock for about 1 1/2 mile. Having done it now I can say it was much more strenuous than the hike out of Grand Canyon. It is desert climate temperature close to 100 and no shade. That said we had about 2 liters of water for the three of us. There is no water available at this trail head and because we were slightly short on gas, Don did not want to use gas running up to the only place in the park that had water available. Therefore he decided not to make the hike with us which was very smart because Jack and I were rationing our water until a very nice couple from Indiana insisted on giving us a fresh cold bottle of water which got us safely to the end of the trail.



Compare this view to the one above

 The hike was extremely difficult for me while Jack carried our pack and raced ahead to scout the trail out for me. He was very encouraging and kept saying it's not much further. At least twice I considered giving up and letting him go the rest of the way himself, but shear stubbornness and the desire to be sure he saw this spectacle kept me going. No way could I rest easy sending him off on his own. I don't think he would have gone either. Funny thing, at the top, once I cooled off a bit, the hike suddenly lost its sting. The trip down was quite easy except for the nagging thirst in spite of the large amounts of water we drank. I was too involved in keeping moving to take pictures of the actual trail. You just have to take my word for it that it was tough but kind of fun at that. Another funny thing is that 40 years ago Don and I took this same hike and it didn't seem bad at all. They must have moved the trail.

After that we proceeded to Devil's trail head where there was drinking water to refill our bottles and you'd better believe that all three of us guzzled water for at least 5 minutes. Refortified we proceded to our next walk on this trail to see Landscape Arch. This trail was listed as relatively flat. Well compared to the last hike, I guess it was "relatively" flat at least by Utah definition of flat. It took us about another 3 miles and this time we had plenty of water and were able to take our time. The trail itself was so beautiful that the destination was not necessarily important anymore.


Our George of the Jungle hats have served us well

 While I looked like this:

Jack was doing this.

There is Nothing Grander Than the Grand Canyon

It has taken a few days to recover physically from the Grand Canyon as the hikes are strenuous, the weather hot, and the rewards awesome. We were so excited to see Jack's eyes bug out at his first glimpse of the canyon.

We arrived early enough the first day to set up camp then hike up to the rim, take a few pictures, have dinner at the Bright Angel Restaurant, and still catch sunset on the canyon. We soon learned how to take the shuttle bus where we wanted to go as everywhere you want to go is uphill and the maps of walking trails to get there are awful. This is the first time we have been to a National Park where is is more difficult to find your way around on foot than motor vehicle. However, by the time we hiked first the rim of the canyon on Sunday, then into the canyon on the Bright Angel Trail on Monday, we appreciated the free rides anyway.

Sunday morning we went to mass in Canyon Village. Unfortunately, this was the first time since we left home we have been able to get to Sunday Mass. The first Sunday we were in Yellowstone and the nearest church was about 50 miles away. The next Sunday we were in Arco, Utah where the only churches within 35 miles are Mormon. We love our fellow Christians, the Mormons, but are not ready to embrace their faith.

So here in the Grand Canyon we actually found a Catholic Church. I believe the name was El Cristo del Rey. They have 35 families in their membership. Mass takes place in a lovely chapel with a mural of the Grand Canyon behind the alter. What a wonderful environment in which to worship the Lord in all his splendor.

After Mass we packed up our peanut butter sandwiches, granola bars, and water bottles and took off for the Canyon Rim. We hiked several miles from one view point to the next, and hopped the shuttle a couple of times between viewpoints for a rest. We finally made it to the end, Hermits Rest where we enjoyed an ice cream snack before jumping the shuttle back to camp.

When we had dinner at the Bright Angel Restaurant, Jack was given a great activity book about the canyon which he spent many hours with that evening. In the center was a map of the canyon with 4 gift shops marked on it. If you get a sticker at each stop, you get a free gift. He was on a quest to get all four stickers, so we stopped at the last gift shop before returning to camp, got his sticker, and the prize was a stuffed Kokopelli doll. Kokopelli, we discovered, is a god who appears in many of the hieroglyphics in the canyons of Utah and Arizona and has become a symbol of the area. It also turns out that he is a fertility god which blew Don's mind because now he is embarrassed that he bought a T-shirt with the little guy on the front.

 The next day was to be our big adventure. We were to leave camp at 5AM to start on the Bright Angel Trail to the bottom of the canyon at the crack of dawn in order to finish at least most of the hike before 10 am when the heat of day begins. Well, when you are retired you rarely have to set an alarm clock and since the clocks we have were purchased post retirement, we never quite got the knack of setting them properly. Hence, I awoke when daylight came through the bedroom window which was about 5:30 am. We put together our packs with our water bottles, peanut butter sandwiches, and other snacks, and hustled out to our car to park at what we thought was a lot just a hop skip and a jump to the trail head. Well one hour later with 1.6 miles already on the pedometer, we finally reached the trail head and started down at 7:00, one and a half hours behind schedule.

The trail down was much rougher than I had expected and my ankles were having trouble navigating the rocks in spite of my good hiking boots. It took 1 1/2 hours to go 2 miles into the canyon and expecting it to take about twice as long to hike out we had to give up the hike. By the time we reached the top, the pedometer read over 6 miles total, and it was 10:30 am. Jack is such a sweetheart. He knew I was having trouble with the rocks going down and reached a point where he said, "I don't think we will see anything much different by going any further down" so that's when we headed back up. Just as I thought, the hiking was easier for me going up than down as long as I stopped to catch my breath at intervals.

We were all pretty whipped by the time we got back to camp. We tossed the PB&J sandwiches, made a real lunch and took a shower. After some recuperative time, we headed out again to the visitor center and found our way back to the ice cream place by figuring out the map. That was an additional 2 mile hike, but at least with the promise of ice cream, it was easier going. (it was also downhill).

In the evening Don and Jack attended a ranger program while I cleaned up the coach and got ready to move the next day. All in all, a very exciting trip to the Grand Canyon.

Adventures in Zion

So, Don decided we could save quite a few miles getting to Virgin, Utah, our base for visiting Zion Canyon, by going through Zion National Park instead of around it on the interstate. Well like many short cuts turn out so this one did by being not so short. We knew we were in trouble as we approached the Park gates and there was a sign telling you that RVs need an escort to go through the canyon. Next we saw several RVs of varying size pulled over on the side of the road. So we did too. As it turned out it was a good thing we did. It turns out this was a caravan going through and their leader had done this before. He strongly suggested we disconnect the car and drive through separately. This was the best advice ever. The road twisted, turned, rose, descended, and passed through two tunnels with 13'1" clearance in the middle and 11' 1" on the sides. Our clearance is 12'6". Need I state the obvious?

Jack was in the navigator's seat directing Don down the middle of the tunnels, one of which was 1 mile long, and keeping him away from the side. I was following in the car, my knuckles turning white, just driving our little tow car.

The scenery was the most stupendous we had yet to see as we wound through the red canyon walls, and the sad thing is that there was no opportunity to stop and take a single picture. So we cannot even show our adventure through the tunnel.

We did manage to arrive safely at the visitor center on the other side of the park and immediately started exploring the Canyon before proceeding on to camp in Virgin. We first walked over to the campground where we played in the river for awhile cooling off. This is about the same spot where Bob, Don, and Mike blew a hole in their rubber raft floating up and down the rapids 23 years ago. It brought back some great memories. Jack persevered chasing a little fish until he actually caught. We are not sure what it was but we got a good picture of it before he released it back into its home.

We then took the park shuttle to the Emerald Pools trail head at the Zion Lodge. It was a moderate hike up the the wonderful viewpoints terminating at a small waterfall creating Emerald Pools.

Of course, we stopped at the Lodge before taking the shuttle back to our vehicles for an ice cream and discovered the most wonderful aroma of Pizza. We had to promise Jack pizza for lunch the next day to get him to leave.

We finally found our way to the Zion River RV Resort in Virgin. This place was the most luxurious camping we have ever done and for no more cash than the KOAs. The pool was so great that Jack went swimming each evening when we returned to camp, ate dinner, then went swimming again. One evening he took time out to attend the movie "Dr. Doolittle" the swam until the pool closed.

Weeping Rock



Entering the Narrows

 The next day was our big adventure. We prepared ourselves to hike the Narrows of the Virgin River. It was the most bittersweet day of all. We first took a short hike up to Weeping Rock. Then we had a short wait for the Shuttle to take us to the Temple of Sinawava where we found the trail head to the Narrows. Well we started up the trail when Jack remembered that he left his camera at the last bus stop. Well we hopped back on the bus to retrace our steps and of course it was gone by then. Well this little boy's heart was broken. That camera is one of his prize possessions, not to mention it contained all of the pictures he had taken up to now. We tried to reassure him that we would probably find it back at the visitor center on our way home, and that helped just a little. His mom told me once that she could tell how Jack was feeling by the way he walked. Well, I hope I never have to see that walk again. The dejection started to wear off as we started into the river, and he felt totally better when Grandpa forgot to take his own camera off his belt before entering the deepest part of the river where the water was over his waist. So with Jack's camera MIA and Grandpa's soaking wet we have very little to show of the narrows.

I am very proud of us. Don and Jack rocked across the rocks through the rapids like monkeys, I conquered my fears with the aid of my trusty walking sticks and although I lagged behind them I went the distance. At one point for a very short way the water was slightly over Jack's head and he just dove in a swan through it. We stopped when we reached a rapid that Jack felt was just too swift for him to forge.

So after we consumed the promised pizza which, incidentally was the best piece of pizza I have ever had outside of the Chicago metropolitan area, we descended to the Visitor Center where some kind soul had turned in Jack's camera. He had already decided it was kind of good thing he lost it so it didn't end up swimming in the Virgin River like his Grandpa's. Another bright ending is that Grandpa removed his battery and memory card immediately and was able to dry out the camera and it is still working, at least for now. Keep your fingers crossed that it doesn't rust before we finish our saga.