The GRAND Canyon....

Ya know.....you don't really need to say anything else than that...it is THE Grand Canyon...and it is gorgeous. We drove from Sedona on 17N to Flagstaff (cute town, but we went thru rather quickly), then to the canyon on 180 Scenic Highway.....among the Ponderosa Pines....beautiful. We stopped to look at this little chapel that was just on the side of the road....

On the inside it simply said the landowner built it for any and all to enjoy....Chapel of The Holy Dove

Stopped in Tusayan just before entering the park to watch an IMAX film about the discovery of the canyon, was pretty good. Then entered Grand Canyon National Park....to the visitors center and Mather's Point.
My last visit to the Grand Canyon was in a motor home with my family 35+ years ago....this visitors center was not even here.....is really nice. We got the low down and walked to the lookout....WOW!!!

It's just breathtaking........I could sit there all day and just look at it........

 

 



I remember the canyon from years ago...we even flew over it in a small plane....but as age will do, you can appreciate it more now. A ranger was there give is lots of cool info....we were at 7000 ft elevation and the bottom of the canyon is approx 2000 ft....big difference! He has hiked it many times, to stay at Phantom Ranch in the bottom, and he said it was interesting to see and experience the different eco-systems along the way as you go up and down. I can only imagine. With the binoculars we could see the very eco-friendly buildings of Phantom Ranch for hikers. Without binocs you would never know they were there.

We moved on to see Lookout Studio and Kolb Studio and the El Tovar hotel. The Kolb Brothers were photographers and built this house in 1904 to take and develop pictures of people taking mule rides in and out of the canyon, and then sold them to them. What a sweet job...and their house is literally on a cliff....no stepping off the porch....not a bad backyard view. Then in 1914 Mary Colter built a home, Lookout Studio, just a few yards away to compete with the Kolb Brothers....it too had a lovely view and was nice, for those times. Many of the original walls and windows are still there and in 2014 it will be 100yrs old.....geez, not sure we make them that good anymore!!!

Inside the Kolb Brothers home...now holds all the neat things from their lives and photography

Lookout Studio...built in 1914 by Mary Colter

Then....on to the El Tovar.... an older lodge, but very kept up and somewhat modernized for us spoiled folks. We were lucky enough to be able to eat dinner there...at a table with a view....wonderful.

The El Tovar was gorgeous from a distance...was built in 1905 and renovated in 2005, has that great out west feeling and ambiance.

This was built for the "rich and famous" back in the day.....the wide porches are sooooo nice to sit on and just watch the canyon. Sunset was amazing! For those that have visited me in FL, you know I call the folks that come to the beach for sunset..."beach zombies"....well, I was a "canyon zombie".....the colors on the walls of the canyon were terrific. I even took a few pics with the camera looking through the binoculars....pretty neat trick!!

We looked at Bright Angel Lodge and few others as we were leaving, and saw some really tiny hiker cabins....bunk beds and enough room to turn around, but it beat sleeping outside with snakes and scorpions!!!

It was getting dark fast and we had a 2hr ride ahead of us...so we headed south for Sedona.

It was a wonderful day.....I think I'll come back before another 35yrs go by!!!

The Great West!!

Well...it was time to see something other than palm trees and beach....though I love it, a change of scenery was past due. I love the west, the mountain, the animals....and has been way too long since I've been there. So, it was time for a trip.
Flew into Phoenix and spent one nite. Then we headed to Boulder City, Nevada to see Hoover Dam. The drive across 93 was very diverse. We kept being amazed at how much the landscape changed depending on if the area got rain or not. It's like there are "pockets" where rain happens and it's nice and green. Then, no rain and lots of brown. There were even different cactus in different areas. There were a few palms, but again it seemed to depend on if there was rain or not. We also decided if you lived here, you needed to have a satellite phone....cell is not good enough!!!
There is no real good way to describe this marvel called Hoover Dam. It was constructed in the 1930's....way before computers and it is amazing. At it's base, it is 2 football fields thick...was built to last 1500-2000 years and an earthquake of 9.0...I think it will be just fine. We did a tour of the power plant and went "inside" the dam. When they built it, they built in tunnels (yes you walk, you don't crawl), so they could keep a check on concrete cracks. They also built the tunnels for tourist. Even back then they expected to make money on tours...smart folks. It is truly a site everyone should see. We walked across the top and drove across. Until 2010 it was the only way across the Colorado River...now there is a big huge new bridge.....so the dam and its road are for touring, not necessity.  Boulder City is where all the workers and families lived. It is a quaint town with way more square miles than people. They increased the size of their town way more than necessary to keep Las Vegas from coming over and having gambling in their town. Vegas is only 30miles away. You see, Hoover Dam and the Colorado River are split down the middle 1/2 in Arizona, 1/2 in Nevada....but seems to work ok.

On top of the bridge looking down....wow.

A view of Lake Mead, some of the water handlers and the back/top of the dam

The new bridge..now folks don't have to cross over the dam ....is much more efficient.

Got a cool nighttime picture

The inside tour....very cool, these make electricity

Some steps going to another level 

We stayed at the Hoover Dam Hotel....a sort of B&B. It has about 30 rooms, but you do get a full hot breakfast in the restaurant...very nice. The hotel was built back in the 1930's and has that era of charm. Antiques....a piano in the lobby....very nice and the feeling of "back when". Famous folks used to stay here when they came to "see" the dam being built. You see it was the only place in town that had private bathrooms with the rooms....wow! They have a cool museum on site about the dam, is small but worth it.

In the evening these Bighorn Sheep just wander around this park....cool

We ate dinner a the Big Horn Restaurant....wonderful!! In fact, we liked it so much we ate there both nites we were in town. The prime rib, pork chops and salmon were awesome. The owner Paul was very nice and chatted with us each nite about our day and things to do. He suggested a zip line of Bootleg Canyon. I'd seen this in a magazine I'd picked up and was already curious....so we signed up to do this on Saturday. For now, it was time to hit the bed we were tired.

Saturday we had to be at the zip place at 830a for a 9a run. We got there, got into our gear and headed up the mountain. Was a bumpy dirt road but was gorgeous. We did 4 zips in 2hrs.....the hikes were not bad. We watched a big horn sheep for a long time, he got a little close to us....was really cool. The guys handling the zip were great. http://www.flightlinezbootleg.com/  this is the place we zipped with, they were really great. Zipping is something you just have to experience...it's fast, fun, and the scenery is for sure a bird's eye view!!

One of the platforms where we would get "hooked up" so we could zip to the next platform

At the next platform the guys were waiting on you...

                                                  Denny is coming in for a landing....

Here I come....when in doubt legs out....that's what we were told...helps to slow you down....

A view of Bootleg Canyon....very rugged, lots of rocks....and bighorn sheep, and we got a bird's eye view.

After zipping , was time for showers and to hit the road to head towards Sedona. We took the slow drive as we wanted to drive the famous Rt 66. We did 80 mi on Rt 66...it was very nostalgic. They even have some of the old Burma Shave roadside signs up. We stopped at some Old General stores along the way that must have been there back during the time RT 66 was used a lot. These stores had several old cars of the 1950's outside, some in good condition, some not...but really neat.

I think he died trying to fix it!!!!

Will the real person please stand up???

Denny was having find memories of all the old cars...

Santa is alive and well on Rt 66

Road Kill  Cafe'......YUM!!

Inside there was tons of memorabilia from that era...and all soft drinks were sold in bottles!!! It was a really fun ride. We connected up to I40 and drove to the the town of Williams. WOW it was busy...there was a Labor Day weekend rodeo in town. We walked around, got some dinner and headed for Sedona. It was late, we were tired and it was time to find our condo for the week. http://www.highlandsverderidge.com/ This is our home away from home for this week....a lovely new unit. Great location and fantastic scenery. I think I'm going to like it here!!!
We got settled in and quickly to bed. Tomorrow, Sunday, we are sched for an orientation breakfast and a  train ride.
Sunday.....orientation and breakfast were great....now we know a little more about the area. However, our AAA books and info had us fairly prepared and informed. We had a little time before our 1p train ride so we drove to Jerome. It is an old mining town and known as a ghost town now. It's very thriving with little shops and such and waaaay up on a mountain, gorgeous views. And the ghost part is played up, we will likely do a tour later this week. However, it was time to head for the train depot.

Cool paint job on the engine...this area is known for having lots of eagles, we'd hoped to see some, but didn't

We headed down the tracks and pretty quickly spotted these old cliff dwellings...neat

                                 spent lots of the ride out on the open car...don't wanna miss anything

Coming around a big curve.....

headed into a tunnel......

We went "first class"...gave us some snacks and a table....was very nice

We crossed lots of bridges and saw some beautiful country .....the rugged red rocks, cactus streams, it was all very peaceful

http://verdecanyonrr.com/   this was out train ride. Through Verde Canyon...a 4hr round trip. Breathtaking....my neck got tired from looking up. We went first class in the Sycamore car. We had  some hot and cold snacks and truly enjoyed the ride. I spent much of my time in the outside open car....I'm like a kid, don't want to miss anything. The views were so varied. This area is so well known for having bald eagles that the train engines have them painted on them....however, we did not see any at all...bummer!!! This train is over 100 yrs old and is lookin' good! We went from milepost 38 to 18, then back again. It was a wonderful afternoon. There was a bit of cloud cover, but that was ok, it kept the heat down when on the open air car.
After the ride we checked out Dead Horse State Park...not much there to do but a pretty park. Good camping and some nice day use areas. We were a bit tired, had been a little busy a good bit of driving so we headed "home". We needed to do some laundry, as we did that we took a swim and hit the hot tub. Got back, watched a movie and fell happily to sleep....tomorrow....we drive to the Grand Canyon!!!

Until then.....

Catch Up Blog!!!

Well....since I still sit in cube world in a corporate building 5 days a week..it's hard to find good blogging material. However, I am behind, I have done some cool things in these past 5 months. Hopefully, I will get better at blogging. April was a busy work month. I was beginning my transition into a new project and with a new manager. I had to train others to do what I've been doing so I can move on. It was all good, just busy. I had to take a business trip to Minneapolis, which gave me the chance to shop and play at the famous Mall of America....a must do if you are in that area. It was a quick but good trip. On the weekends I was busy going to Chad and Ashley's ball games...always a fun outing....basketball and softball. Then at the end of April I was able to bring Chad to work with me for Take Your Kid to Work Day....what a blast. Some of these pics are from the 2011 Take Your Kid to Work Day, but 2012 was about the same as 2011.

Cute car outside the training center where the kids spent most of their day....

Inside the cockpit of an airplane that is in the Delta Museum Hanger 

I got us Chick-fil-A to eat under the airplane on display in the hanger....cool or what??

Delta and Chick-fil-A are VERY close friends!!

A friend of mine Jeff Rourk works at the jet base and was able to give us a private tour....WAY cool, not many kids got to do this....THANKS Jeff.
                         Jeff explains how this machine works as another co-worker looks on.....

  You mean those are all just rivets or screws that hold that airplane together????

  This is the emergency exit of an MD88.....hopefully this  the only time we'll have to see this!!!

  Did you know the nose flipped up and all the GPS equipment is in there???

Man the tires are big!!

                                                               Headed up..............

                                                        To where the luggage rides.....this is so cool.

May started with the new Atlanta International Terminal opening.....I participated in a "mock up" exercise to see if they were "ready" for business. I had to take packed bags and everything...it was a blast. I attended Ashley's last band concert as a Middle Schooler, Chad's 5th grade graduation and his crossover ceremony from a Cub Scout to a Boy Scout....he is Eagle bound now. It was a busy family month.
I also went to Stowe, VT with my good friend Reba. We had a blast. We stayed at this awesome resort, www.smuggs.com We drove over 500 miles during the week we were there seeing the sights. Just to name a few, Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream (YUMM, and be sure to go see the 'graveyard' of flavors that did not make it...too funny)...Cabot Cheese (also YUMM), Boyden Valley Winery (bought a bottle of Glog, is served warm, great for the cooler evening and drank the whole bottle during that week), VT Maple Outlet (had some really cool maple goodies to bring back), we saw some old beautiful covered bridges and took a guided tour of The Trapp Family Lodge. Remember the Von Trapp Family for the Sound of Music?? Well...that's a true story and the family settled in VT many years ago. They now run a lodge, very fascinating. We even got to meet one of the granddaughters of Maria Von Trapp....lovely place.
http://www.trappfamily.com/ a really neat story and experience. We also went to Cold Hollow Cider Mill....we are not big cider fans, but enjoyed the tour and had to have a famous Cider Doughnut...they were good, but one was plenty. We were there during what is called "shoulder season"....the plus was, it was not crowded, the minus was some places were closed. We still found plenty to see and do and got in some slow mornings and R&R at night. I must not forget Snowflake Chocolates....the BEST in the area.
http://www.snowflakechocolate.com/ we actually went twice.....was VERY good.
We were very close to many small towns and really enjoyed Jeffersonville....cute with many neat restaurants. A favorite was http://www.158main.com/ it was a true surprise. Some of the best food ever and you would never guess it from the outside. Their Seafood Chowder was awesome...a must get again.
There were some places not open that maybe we could try next time. We tended to eat a light breakfast at the condo....have lunch out, but might be later in the day...and have a light dinner at the condo. We were kinda boring on the going out.....we were about the R&R.  We did really enjoy Depot Street Malt Shop in Stowe....good food, great milkshakes. Then we walked the streets of Stowe to work it off.
We did walk up and down the main street in Burlington and shop there one day, but we really much preferred the mountains to the city. It had been a long time since I had been in that part of the country and it was a good trip.

My great nephew Dylan James Perez was born in May ....what a sweet baby boy, the family is growing.

My next adventure was over Memorial Day weekend to Cabbage Key, Boca Grande, Cayo Costa State Park and Pine Isle. Places not far from my home, I'd never been to and was very curious. Boca Grande is a long slim island with a cool lighthouse you need to see. Much other than that.....it's pretty, but basic.
Then on to Pine Isle where we had a small fishing cabin for the nite. Our main goal was to take a ferry ride out to Cayo Costa state park and Cabbage Key....both only accessible by boat. Our "cabin" was a concrete block structure, not much to it, but would do for 1 nite. The next morning we were up and on the ferry. Our first stop....took 2hrs to get there, was to Cabbage Key. A wonder secluded place. Has cabins for rent, one restaurant and lots of R&R.... http://www.cabbagekey.com/home/  no phones and wonderfully serene. We had lunch there, the famous Cheeseburger in Paradise.....I won't spoil the story go see for yourself!!
Then we went to Cayo Costa....again, only by boat. Read all about it http://www.floridastateparks.org/cayocosta/ there are some private homes, some basic cabins (no water no electricity) for rent and lots of tent camping. The beach is unspoiled....it's really neat. A need to see once at least.  We did treat ourselves to a wonderful dinner at the famed Tarpon Lodge.
http://www.tarponlodge.com/home/ delicious, but a bit spendy.
And that was May.........busy in many ways but loads of fun.

June was a quiet month, it needed to be. Chad and Ash started their summer swim meets, those are fun, but HOT. I got doctor appts out of the way and summer began.
July has been quiet, even spent July 4th at home....watched fireworks on the TV. Went to the local theatre in ATL to see some friends in the production Always Patsy Cline and saw a music review show in Sarasota. So was a bit of an "artsy" month.
August looks like a slower month, just travel between home in FL and job in ATL, GA. Then in September I will be heading west for a week in Sedona, AZ. Want to see the sights around there, take in a train ride, see the Hoover Dam and maybe the Grand Canyon (again).....so, until then.....
Hope your days are filled with good times and good friends.