Spring Break 2013, Part 3 — The Grand Canyon

After another good night's rest, we left Utah and headed south to the Grand Canyon.

We stopped at the Navajo Bridge—one of the two bridges that crosses the Colorado River. It was crazy high, and almost made me feel sick looking down. It was no small fete of construction either!

Really??? Cause I was tempted...NOT!

Our first stop once at the Grand Canyon national Park was the historic Watchtower.

We were able to climb up inside the watchtower and see an incredible panoramic view. I had seen hundreds of photos of the Grand Canyon, but nothing prepared me for what I actually saw. It was spectacular!

We continued on into the park, checked out the visitor's center, and took a leisurely stroll along the path along the south rim. 

We took the requisite "falling" pictures, though none really look as though we're falling!

After a while, we headed out of the park and to our hotel. We got checked in, and the kids were eager to jump in the pool. It was not warm outside, and we were at an elevation of about 7,000 feet. The pool was barely warmer than the air, but the kids jumped in nonetheless!

After dinner, we hopped back in the car to see the sun set over the canyon. Apparently, we weren't the only ones with this grand idea, and we missed the sunset. But we still managed to snap a few pictures.

We had decided that we'd hike the Kaibab Trail on Tuesday. It was rated as a medium difficulty hike, roughly 3 miles round trip, with a 1,500 elevation change from top to bottom. When we got out of the car on Tuesday morning, it was FREEZING cold. The wind was howling, and clouds were rolling by at a very brisk speed. Steve and I looked at each other and thought "this might not be good". But we decided to at least attempt it...if we got too cold and miserable, we could always turn around!

We rode the shuttle to the top of the trailhead, and set off. It started off with pretty steep switchbacks, going back and forth across the mountainside.

I brought up the rear, and listened to Grant's chit chat the whole way. "Watch out for mule poop", "watch your step mom!", "How long would it take a rock to get to the bottom?", and so on. I loved listening to his little voice!

We plugged along at a decent pace, and before we knew it, had reached the first main turnaround spot, appropriately named "Ooh Aah Point".

Many people were turning around at this point, and heading back up. We felt like we had just barely started, so decided to keep going. The trail turned from dirt to red clay, and there were points with steep drop offs on both sides of the trail.

About 50 minutes after we started our descent, we reached our goal of Cedar Ridge. 

It was incredible to look up and see how far down we'd come, and yet how much of the canyon was still below us. It really gave a good perspective to the enormity of it all!

After we'd rested for a while, Steve and I looked at each other, then looked at the climb that awaited us, and were both filled with a sense of apprehension. Sure, the kids had made it down in no time, with no complaints. But going back UP was another story altogether, and we both feared the worst. We both put on a smile, and said "Well, shall we head back up?" like it was no big deal at all.

We had packed an assortment of snacks and drinks, and had assured the kids that we could stop and rest as often as they wanted.

 It was a tough climb. We had fully expected it to take at least twice as long to get back to the top as it did for us to get to the bottom. But we made it back up in just over an hour and 15 minutes...without a single complaint! I don't know that I've ever been prouder of my kids than I was at that moment. They had done something REALLY HARD, and had done it with a smile and a good attitude. It was amazing!


I was so happy that Steve and I hadn't given up on the hike that morning when the wind was howling and the clouds were blowing by. We would have missed out on something so spectacular, that may well be a once-in-a-lifetime experience for us.

We piled back into the car—all feeling pretty exhausted. This is how the kids spent the rest of the day.

We arrived that evening in Kayenta, AZ. We were running low on clothes by this point, and I did a couple of loads of laundry in the hotel washing machine. The dryer only half-dried the clothes, so our room looked like a hurricane for the night as we air-dried our clothes.

No one fought going to bed that night, and I'm pretty sure we were all asleep within about 30 seconds of turning out the light!

Spring Break 2013, Part 2 — Hiking the Hoodoos

We woke up Easter Sunday and found the Easter Bunny had left some surprises in the car!

I don't know what I was expecting to see when we pulled into the parking lot at the trail head of our hike, but it wasn't this. I'd never seen anything like it in my life!

We decided to hike the Navajo Loop Trail, a 3 mile hike with about 600 feet in elevation change.

The first part of the hike made me think of Lombard Street in San Francisco!

We took our own sweet time, taking lots of breaks for snacks and pictures. 

This was our first "real" hike as a family, and the kids did great!

There was a rock that resembled Queen Elizabeth

And one that made us think of E.T.

There were tons of cool crevices and caves to explore.

We found a "garden" of cool rock piles. One was nearly as tall as Grant!

After we finished the Navajo Loop, we drove through the rest of Bryce Canyon National Park, stopping at various viewpoints. When we reached the top, we found snow! 

It was an awesome morning of blue skies and warm(ish) temperatures...just as we were finishing up our explorations at the top of the canyon, clouds rolled in, along with the wind, and snow flurries began to fall.

We spent the rest of the afternoon kicking back at the hotel, swimming in the heated pool, and were once again fast asleep by 8:00pm!

Spring Break 2013, Part 1 — Leaving Las Vegas

Because we just couldn't wait to start our vacation, we booked a 6am flight out of Oakland into Las Vegas. At the time, it seemed like a good idea. But when the alarm went off at 3:30 am for the 4:00am taxi pickup, I must admit I had second thoughts!

A Frappuccino from the airport Starbucks...the breakfast of champions!

We landed in Vegas just after 7am. While Steve was getting the rental car, he told me to go put $20 in the Wheel of Fortune slot machine...our lucky game. On the fourth play, I landed on "Spin the Wheel" and proceeded to win $125!

I quickly cashed out and had to laugh when Olivia said "And you said vacations don't pay for themselves!" It was a great start of a trip that just continued to get better!

Steve's Uncle Dean and Aunt Lucille live about 5 minutes from the airport, and had invited us for breakfast when we told them we'd be flying through. Uncle Dean was a POW in WWII, shot down and captured by German soldiers. Uncle Dean made waffles and we spent a wonderful couple of hours visiting with them.

After we left them, we headed to St. George, UT. We visited Steve's cousin and aunt who live there, then proceeded to our first night's destination . . . the home of a good family friend of my dad's. They live in a modest home just outside of St. George. And by modest, I mean over 8,000 sf, with a SLIDE from the upstairs family room into the downstairs play room!

Even though we'd been up since 3:30am, the kids stayed up sliding, swimming, and playing until after 9:00, when we all hit the wall and couldn't keep our eyes open any longer!

We woke up the next morning, had breakfast, and hit the road. Our first stop was the ghost town of Grafton, UT.

About 10 minutes off the main highway, this little ghost town gained notoriety when it was featured in the movie "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid".

For us, the notoriety hits a little closer to home. Steve's great-great grandmother lived in this little town as a girl, and witnessed a massacre by Indians where several townspeople were murdered. Quite a story to tell . . .

From Grafton, we continued on to Zion National Park. It was the first time we'd been there, and we'd heard all sorts of recommendations for hikes and adventures. Our first thought was to hike a portion of the famous Narrows. But that plan was squelched when the park ranger told us we'd need dry suits, as the water was shoulder deep and 45 degrees. On to Plan B.

Since we were all still a little tired from the long day before, we opted for a more leisurely hike up the Emerald Pools Trail.

After a gorgeous hike, we loaded back in the car and drove a couple more hours to our hotel, just outside of Bryce Canyon National Park. We got checked into our room, and were all fast asleep by 8:00!

I fought the law . . . and the law won!

Back in September, I was pulled over in the Safeway parking lot and issued a pricey ticket for "illegally crossing a traffic beacon or traversing a cone pattern". Don't get me started on the ticket itself, it was ridiculous and had very little ground to stand on. It was in the middle of our crazy fall, and getting a ticket was the last thing I needed.

When the notice from the courthouse came with the amount of the fine, I was flabbergasted! $367 if I wanted to pay it up front, or, if I wanted to go to traffic school, I could pay $425, PLUS the cost of traffic school! There was no way in heck I was going down without a fight, so I decided to go to court to fight it. I had to send in my "bail" with my not guilty plea, so I mailed off a check and waited for my notice to appear in court.

I'd never been to traffic court before, but everyone I talked to told me to pray the officer didn't show, in which case, my citation would be immediately dismissed.

On the designated day and time, I showed up at the courthouse with my file of pictures, testimony, and a whole lot of butterflies in my stomach. I had no idea what to expect. My case was number 27 or 27 to be heard in that session of court—I was in for a long afternoon.

When the judge came in, he first read off the list of all cases in which the officer was not present and dismissed those cases. As luck would have it, my name was NOT on that list. Officer Nicely (yep, that's his real name) was there and ready to testify against me.

I sat there for the next hour, listening to case after case, and the judge found the defendant guilty in each and every one. There were some doozies too . . . a woman driving 25 miles over the speed limit "because she was late to work", a guy driving with a suspended license "because he had to take his girlfriend to pay the water bill", a guy pulled over for not wearing his seatbelt "because he dropped his smoke and was bending over to find it". I can't make this stuff up folks . . . it was the real deal!

By the time my case was called, I felt pretty confident in my case, but still knew that chances were pretty good the judge would be siding with the officer.

When I asked Steve what I should wear, he told me to dress
grubby and not like I had any money. There went my
idea for the thigh highs and Louboutin heels . . . 

I took my seat at the "Defendant" table, while Officer Nicely (no, I did not change his name to protect his identity, his name indeed was Officer Nicely!) took his seat at the table next to mine. He proceeded to introduce himself, give his credentials, and explain what he was doing on patrol on the day in question, as well as the circumstances of the citation.

Then it was my turn. I had written a lengthy testimony, which I only shared a fraction of (I didn't want to wear out my welcome). I explained the circumstances from my point of view, and why I didn't feel that the citation had merit. I presented my photos and maps to the judge for review. I stated my case and asked for a reversal of the citation. Then I sat back and waited.

It didn't take long for the judge to make his ruling. "In the case of Alyson DeLong Whitaker vs. The State of California, I find the defendant GUILTY AS CHARGED!!!" What???? Are you kidding me???

Then, he went on to say that in light of the circumstances, he was reducing my fine to $197, and asked if I would like to pay now or over time, or did I want community service hours. I told him I'd already paid the amount in full, to which he replied that I would be getting a check in the mail.

My $170 refund check arrived about two weeks later, and the whole thing is quickly fading from my memory.

I haven't done a lot of "bad" things in my life, and I must admit, I felt just a smidge of giddiness at the fact that I was actually found guilty of anything in a court of law. That being said, I'm fairly confident in saying that this will probably be the one and only time that I hear a judge say my name and the word "GUILTY" in the same sentence.

Dancing with boys

When I was in junior high, I was terrified of boys. If a boy so much as looked at me with the slightest bit of admiration or attention, I was mortified.

I remember at a school dance, when I was in 7th or 8th grade, I was asked to dance by a boy in one of my classes. His name was Todd. I can still picture his flushed face and feel his sweaty hands when I think about that first slow dance. It was awful. I hated feeling his breath on my neck and couldn't wait for the song to end. It seemed like an eternity. He even had the nerve to say "You look really beautiful tonight." Can you imagine anything worse than that???

Fast forward 25 years, and my daughter is now attending middle school dances. And dancing with boys. She is much more confident than I was at that age—and thankfully, much more comfortable around the opposite sex.

All of us parents of her class have been going through our photos, pulling out pictures to use in the graduation slide show in a few months. Another mom sent me this photo she captured at one of the dances last year, and I nearly died laughing.

This poor boy has had a crush on Olivia since day 1 . . . and she patiently and kindly puts up with it (most of the time). But his smirk, her clenched eyes and pursed lips, and her friend's laughter at the whole thing, say to me that maybe the nut doesn't fall too far from the tree.

I just hope her first kiss is better than mine . . .