Lake Powell/Glen Dam

Sunday, we had to drive back through Zion to Caramel Junction. We left the hotel early after getting ready and eating. The continental breakfast consisted of toast, Fruit Loops, Cheerios, english muffins and juice. Away we went. The next leg of our journey was about 3 hours and 140 miles. Yesterday's leg was 2 hrs 11 min and 142 miles. The road to caramel junction had a ton of switchbacks, road construction and 2 tunnels. I was less than thrilled to go into the 1.1 mile tunnel but I was the only one in the car who felt that way. This tunnel was a little different. It was completed in 1930 and had cut outs periodically that looked out into the canyon. It also had a sign before entered to remind you there was no stopping in the tunnel. Interesting combo. Great viewpoints, no stopping! Huh?! The rest of the road towards Powell Lake was pretty but nothing major to look at. Glen Dam was pretty cool though. Its on the opposite end of the Grand Canyon as Hoover Dam and also has a massive bridge nearby. We spent some time at the visitor's center and took some pictures. The one point in the Glen Canyon Recreational Area we were interested in was called Horseshoe Bend. The hike was listed as easy and may take an hour so we headed off. I did not anticipate the heat or the heat of sand in my sandles. The sand itslef was beautiful as long as it stayed out of the sandle. It was fine and red. Very cool. The walk down to Horseshoe point was very nice. And horseshoe point was incredible. The name comes from the bend in the river looking like a horseshoe. The Colorado river was low today but beautiful none the less. I'd like to say the hike back up was easy but I'd be lying. Mainly because of the sand. Upon returning to the car I peered into the mirror and wondered if my face was that red due to the heat or was it sunburnt. I'd say now it some some of both but it scared me greatly that it was all burnt. Even though we had drank lots of water and applied sunblock, I did not need a repeat of last year's burn. So, we opted next to try and check into our hotel for the night. But I had missed another time change and we had another hour to kill. We next went to Pizza hut for lunch and by time we were done we could check in. Bob and I layed down for a while and Alex lisited to the Ipod (I'm glad we won this. It sure has come in handy!) The rest of the day was pretty low key. We went to Walmart to replenish some supplies and had dinner at Sonic. Alex spent some much needed time in the pool and we made potential plans to head back to Vegas a day early. And as I had been up at the crack of 5:15 again. I was ready for bed early.

Zion National Park

Saturday, we, I mean I got up early as is the norm when we are in Vegas. I get up at my normal time of 6am, which is 4am in Vegas, and go wander around so Bob and whoever else might be in our room sleep. But today, I slept til 7:15 EC time and I was out the door by 5:35 Vegas time. I played a while and then strolled around the property to take some pictures. I'll post some when we return home. Today, by the way, we have just left Williams,AZ and are heading to Vegas a day early. More on that later.
Once I received a text from Bobber saying he was awake (Alex was awake when I left but playing her ds), I went back to the room. We reorganized our bags slightly, went to the breakfast buffet (breakfast buffets are my fav!) And then headed to the pool. As you can imaging, Alex was asking about the pool from the minute we landed. She spent about an hour there before we had to leave. We returned to the room, got ready to go, packed up and headed out the door. The Orleans check out time was noon so we were not rushed at all. Our first stop of the day was a Walmart. We were going to pick up coolers, lunch fixings, soda, water and a few toiletries we couldn't bring in our carry-ons. All in all, we were moving pretty well at a relaxed pace and would arrive in Hurricane, UT about the time we could check in at 2. On the way, we stopped at the Utah visitor's center. I love these and stop whenever I can. We didn't realize there was a time change so it was really 3. No biggie. We made our lunch in our hotel for the night and off we went. The drive from Vegas to Hurricane was more scenic than we had anticipated and was greatly enjoyed. Driving towards Zion was also entertaining. I wanted to stop and look at some large gemstone rocks but Bob wouldn't let me. Something about being to heavy for the luggage. Zion itself was incredible. We were only allowed to drive to a certain paint and then we needed to take a shuttle. The shuttle had large open windows on the sides and windows throughout the ceiling allowing great views on all sides. We had planned to do a hike to the Lower Emerald Pools. It was a pretty easy hike that ended at a falls. The amount of water at the falls is dependant on the snow fall from that year and the time of the summer. It was really more of a trickle and mist the day we were there. We also noted the lower temp in Zion. It was very pleasant for hiking. Upon returning from the hike we went to the visitor's center and decided to ride the rest of the shuttle loop which would take us all the way to the end of the canyon. At the last stop, Bob decided he wanted to go on this highly recommended hike called river's edge. We misunderstood the length of the hike but it was def worth it. Although maybe not to Alex. :) the hike took us into the canyon narrows and you have access to the Virgin River at many spots. On the way back we encountered an elk, mule deer and a very territorial squirrel. I have pictures of him fighting with another squirrel and he jumped out of nowhere infront of me on the walk back. Note to self: don't let Bob take the walking stick when walking by yourself. That hike took us to sunset time and we made our way out of the park and back to Hurricane. We like to try new restaurants on our trips but tonight we grabbed McDonald's and headed off to bed. we didn't even try the pool at this travelodge but it looked like the size of the hotel room itself so Alex was ok skipping it.

Friday, June 25th - the trip begins in Vegas

Hi from the road. We are currently just leaving Page, AZ on our way to the Grand Canyon. The trip has been fun so far and I can't wait to share pictures of our adventure!!
Friday, I worked til noon but had everything packed and ready to go and only a few work things left to do in my 4.5 hours there. Bob worked til 6am that morning and would set his alarm at 11. I was to call him by 11:15 if I hadn't heard from him by that time. And as has been the routine lately, Alex will call me a couple times during the day while he is sleeping. Today was no different but I didn't return her messages until 11:15. Two birds.... So, Bobber was now awake and getting ready to go.
I had had a couple of panics that morning. One with trying to check into our flight. For some reason I kept receiving the message "special requests or those traveling with infants must check in at the airport". Now time didn't really permit us to check in at the airport so, I called and asked what my request had been as I did have to indicate Alex's age of 9 when buying the tickets. Apparently though when you buy through an outside company like Expedia, Suncountry may not receive the correct info. So they showed Alex was an infant. I would like her to stay young for a while longer but, she's not sitting on my lap. Lol. The helpful agent fixed the issue and we were all set. The second panic came when Denise texted me to verify we would be there at 4pm and she was on the river. No our flight left at 4. That was just a mild panic though as they were within a short distance of their house. We are very fortunate to have Denise and Scott live in the cities. Not only are they close enough to visit whenever we want but the also have the best airport shuttle all around. They always make sure they are available to drop us off or pick us up. Thanks guys, we love you!
We arrived at the airport close to 2:30 and went directly to security. There were no issues through security like last year's flight to Florida as we had a long talk with Alex prior to getting there. Different this year for her was to only use our carry-ons. It went very smoothly and we were at our gate with plently of time to spare. The flight took off on time and was pretty uneventful. My only complaint was there was only one bathroom accessible to coach passengers. But one of the flight attendants let Alex use the First Class bathroom when the line was half way down the cabin. It was one of the first times we left the gate and took off immediately. I like that. It got us into Vegas 10 minutes ahead of schedule. Yeah! We made our way to the car rental facility shuttle as we didn't have to stop for luggage. Renting a car in Vegas is not a first for us but typically, we have Scott drive us around. Bobber did a great job even though he was very nervous. We arrived at our hotel for the night, The Orleans after just one small scenic detour. (I can now say I know where the Miller Beer distribution center is.) Check in was a breeze and our room was very nice. It smelled a little stale but the air conditioner took care of that. The rooms are the Orleans are bigger than most on the strip and we had a nice view of the pool. Alex announced that Las Vegas was heaven. Lol. We went ti TGIFridays for dinner so we could have a couple of drinks. Dinner was very good. Alex tried and loved the barbecue ribs. Next on our plan was to check Alex into the child care center and Bob and I were going to play for an hour or so. However, we were all exhausted so Alex and I took a few pictures and stopped at the shop while Bobber went to play. Alex and I were in bed sleeping at 9pm Vegas time, which is 11pm in EC. I can't say I've ever been to bed that early in Vegas. Bob came back to the room up $100 and was sleeping by 10:30pm. Short night for us but we would be on the road early the next morning so the extra sleep was a bonus.

Almost ready for Vaca!!

Everything is almost packed. All I have left is the electronics and their chargers. We have elected to take only carry-ons to avoid paying for the checked luggage. It's always interesting thinking you can pack all you need in a carry-on, then freaking because you don't think you can fit everything you need and then realizing you really can and everything will be fine. Whew! All I can say is it's a good thing Alex has small clothes. :)

So, here's the agenda.
6/25 - Fly into Vegas
6/26 - Zion National Park
6/27 - Glen Canyon National Recreation Area
6/28-6/29 - Grand Canyon
6/30-7/1 - Vegas
7/2 - Fly home

Tired of being tired......

Since I went to Antigo almost 4 weeks ago, I have been under the weather. Most of the time I'm just tired. Ok, tired would be an understatement. I was starting to feel better prior to last weekend's projects at my mom's house. But again since Sunday, I'm starting the cycle again. Exhaustion, swollen gland (yes only one) in my throat, followed by coughing, sneezing and a loss of voice. My office and child certainly don't mind the loss of voice. :)
I would really like this to go away before vacation next week! I haven't packed one single thing and am nowhere near ready to go. Ugh..... I need a nap!

Roofing

The roofing project is underway. We cancelled the family thrift sale and have focused entirely on my mom's house. Bob has been able to tear off half of the roof, replace the boards and fix the sags, and shingle the north side. Today he is working inside on the floor in the kitchen. We'll have to see what the weather has in store for us tomorrow.
After I get done with work at 1, I am off to make chicken, potatoes and pasta salad for tomorrow and enchiladas and fixings for tonight. All while cleaning. Yippee!!!! Thankfully, I've already made all the baked goods and most of the house is clean.
I hope tomorrow goes well.