Jumping and GG

The kids got out some of their energy at this trampoline/inflatable place. I believe it was called Antigravity, or something like that. They had a great time jumping around for an hour, but Ethan could have jumped for an hour more and was not ready to leave.

After lunch at Jimmy John's--yum--we went to visit GG. We had a short visit and the boys got to play her electric organ and try to solve her Rubik's Cube. Jonah exclaimed, "I could stay here all day!"

After dinner we all went over to swim at the neighborhood pool. It was over 100 degrees until the sun went down and the water felt so good. It's 10:30 pm now and has cooled to 82.

I'm going to join Robert outside to look at the stars and maybe see some lightning. 

How Grand!

Isaac and Brighty

We got up early this morning and drove about three hours to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. The drive was beautiful and a big surprise was the green pine trees that got thicker and taller as we neared our destination. I guess we thought it would be kind of barren and deserty. 

We started out with a Ranger talk for--you guessed it--Jonah and Isaac's Junior Ranger program. It was a short presentation about Brighty, a little burro who was a popular and much loved part of the early days of the Grand Canyon. There is even a kid's book by Marguerite Henry titled, Brighty of the Grand Canyon that tells all about him. I went right to the book store and picked up my own copy. 

The first hike we took was the Bright Angel's Point trail, a one mile walk out to a beautiful overlook. There were some pretty steep hills and the 8000 feet elevation was not kind to my lungs. Thank goodness I'm in such fine shape or I would have really struggled!

No picture can do justice to the scenery, but this one came close. How many family pictures do we have from this trip? This might be the first one. Thanks to the stranger who offered to take our family picture. 

Bright Angel's Point

The thing I loved about the North Rim was that it wasn't crowded. There were plenty of people there, but nowhere near the numbers we found at Yosemite or Zion. The stunning lodge was surrounded by small log cabin rentals complete with rocking chairs on the front porches. Some even had a front row view of the canyon. I bet sunrise is spectacular.

Looking out from Point Royal

Our second hike was Point Royal which required a 45 minute drive down a winding road to access the .6 mile, flat trail. In other words, hike easy, drive hard. And the drive was hard only because the boys were complaining slash threatening to throw up slash whining.

But the view from Point Royal was completely different than the one from Bright Angel's Point. We could actually glimpse a small section of the Colorado river. 

Angel's Window

On the way back to the car, Robert, Ethan and Jonah took a short detour to Angel's Window overlook. (See picture above) Isaac was ready to be done with the Grand Canyon Adventure, so I left Robert with the boys and worried the whole time we were apart that they'd all fallen over the edge. When I saw pictures like this, I'm glad I wasn't with them. I probably would have had a heart attack watching Jonah lean up against the railing.

Oops

Today the boys got to ride Poppy's 4-wheeler. Isaac was first. He didn't have the turning radius he thought it did and ran right into our parked van. He was going pretty slow and was not hurt at all, although I think he felt pretty bad when he saw the marks on the Honda's bumper.

Poppy took some wax and rubbed it right out though, so all is good.

I mean, the most important thing is that Isaac was not hurt, right?

All the other boys had a turn to ride and I'm sure I'll get some pictures of them zooming around on another day.

Hiking is Hot

You know what's really fun to do when it's 104 outside? I bet you didn't say "go on a hike." 

But we're on a schedule here people. We've got places to see and teenagers to disappoint. Onward!

Today's stop was Zion's National Park. It was amazing and beautiful and no photograph I took could possibly capture the awe these red sandstone mountains and cliffs inspire. But, that didn't stop me from trying.

We decided to take a short hike to the Emerald Pools. Now, "Emerald Pools" sound beautiful and exotic and refreshing. Actually, they were slimy moss-filled water holes. But they were definitely emerald in color. The hike was easy, but did I mention it was hot? And did I suggest that maybe one of our company wasn't fully on board with the adventure?

The path took us under a couple small waterfalls that lightly sprayed us with water as we walked by. So refreshing--I could have stood all day in the spray. At the end of the one mile trail, we took the short path down to the Lower Emerald pool. We all dipped our feet, except Ethan. Who was . . . well . . . not quite on board with the adventure and fairly determined to have a miserable time.

Here he is, in the photo that will haunt him for the next 15 years. See that "headband" he's wearing? Well, take note young ladies, because this enterprising young lad removed his socks (the ones he'd just hiked a mile in) and dipped them in the cool water. Then he tied them together to make a headband. That's right. A sock headband. 

I don't know if this is something he learned at Scout Camp, but I was conflicted about whether to be impressed with his ingenuity, or disgusted by the fact that every time he got hot, he'd squeeze some liquid out of the sock headband and let it trickle down his face.

Just three years and he'll be available for dating, girls.

Jonah spotted a little frog down in the pool and it hopped onto his hand. He returned it to its habitat and continued to look for more interesting things to see. He also spotted a lizard and little fish.

Both Jonah and Isaac took their Junior Ranger duties very seriously and helped out Ranger Sarah with her demonstration on how the different layers in the rock are formed. They got to help make her geological "cake" as part of her presentation. 

We stopped by one of the several rock shops on the way home and Jonah and Isaac picked out some rocks before we finally headed back to Grammy and Poppy's house--the air conditioner blowing full blast all the way home.

104 degrees! But it's a dry heat.

Driving Day

They put the dvd player in between them so they could both see. Ethan has his own.

We watched the temperature rise from the 70's to the 100's as we drove from San Diego to Ivins, Utah. The boys watched Sponge Bob: The Movie, and Robert and I watched the scenery. There wasn't much until we got to Las Vegas. Then we saw a car engulfed in flames on the side of I-15 and three crazy crashes. Once we were past "The Strip," however, traffic eased and drivers seemed to keep their eyes more on the road.

We were disappointed to learn that there is no such thing as a $6.99 all-you-can-eat prime rib buffet. There is, however, a $49 all-you-can-eat buffet at The Bellagio. We did not stop.

If I can stay awake, I'll sit out side and watch for meteors later this evening. Friday and Saturday were the big viewing days, but  there might be a few meteors still left for viewing tonight. It's 10pm and still pretty hot outside. 

Rubio's, I Will Miss You the Very Most

We started the day at Balboa Park with a one hour + botanical tour of palm trees. It was interesting to me, but not to three little boys. So I took them to look at koi in the pond. I could have gone for an architectural tour as the buildings at Balboa Park were stunning. Maybe another day.

We found a science museum in the park and our OMSI pass worked for free entry. The boys had a great time in the hurricane simulation chamber (two dollars) and building structures out of these little planks. I wish we had a couple thousand of these at our house. 

After lunch we headed over to Point Loma and checked out some tide pools and did a little exploring around the cliffs. The boys constantly freaked me out by walking out to the edge of the drop-offs. 

Just a short drive past Point Loma is the Cabrillo National Monument where Jonah and Isaac became Junior Rangers for the third time. So this Cabrillo guy "discovered" California. Later he died from either a broken arm or broken leg in New Spain. Or something like that.

The view from the National Monument was pretty great, but would have been better with out the fog obscuring the mountains. Still, we could kind of see Mexico.

We headed back to Old Town to tour the Whaley House.  It's the most haunted house in North America. Only Ethan and I were brave enough to try the tour. It was interesting and creepy as the guide shared lots of details about people who died at the house. Evidently the house is also haunted by people who didn't die a the house. 

Neither Ethan or I saw any ghosts on our tour, but there is a Facebook page where visitors post photos of ghosts they've taken. Most of the ghosts are simply "orbs" which are paranormal spots on the camera lens. At least that's what they look like to me.

Finally, we had dinner at Rubio's. I will miss Rubio's when we leave San Diego. In this picture, Ethan shows us his forehead tan line and his tongue while at Rubio's.

Goodbye Anaheim, Hello San Diego!

Did some laundry, swam in the hotel pool (kids, not me), hopped in the car and drove south to San Diego. Our first stop, after lunch and the new hotel, was the Mormon Battalion. What an amazing presentation! I highly recommend it if you are in the San Diego area.

Isaac was a reluctant volunteer to dress up as a Mormon soldier. The soldiers chose to forgo the uniform and send the $40 allowance back to their families en route to the Salt Lake Valley. But they did have a few distinguishing items to wear and carry, including a nearly 5-foot-tall flintlock rifle. Once Jonah and Ethan saw that Isaac got to carry it, they wished they'd been the ones to volunteer.

After the show, we got an old-timey picture taken and emailed to us, we headed out to pan for gold. This part of the tour was actually a representation of what the members of the Mormon Battalion did when they journeyed through Northern California and into the Salt Lake Valley. Several stayed at Sutter's Mill and found a little of the shiny stuff. The boys loved it and actually found several chunks of iron pyrite in the flume, which you'd guess from their excitement was the genuine article.

We walked over to Old Town. I wanted to tour the Whaley House, which is haunted, but it was not to be. Mostly because it would have been $35 for a guided tour and after Disneyland, we're looking for cheaper activities.

Everything is very "Day of the Dead" in Old Town. But when you aren't looking at flowery skeletons, it's all paper flowers, tooled leather purses, velvety sombreros, embroidered shirts and skirts, and brightly painted pottery and tiles. So pretty and colorful, but also so much like I remember Mexico from when I was five. In fact, I found giant paper flowers identical to the ones my mom had in a huge ceramic pot by the fireplace for years. 

We listened to a mariachi band, had burritos, enchiladas and tacos seated outdoors and Jonah and Ethan both ate these innocent looking banana peppers. 

Jonah ate his because he thought it would be no big deal. I thought the poor kid was going to self-combust. His eyes were watering and his face was red and his feet were tapping in a mad panic. Ethan ate his just to show that he was tougher than his little brother. I took a picture as he was grabbing his burning lips, but it turned out blurry because he was also rocking back forth in agony.