Where to next?

Tuesday – AZ to NM
We grab McDonalds and hit the road by 7:30 – we will be driving along Rt 64 to catch more glimpses of the Canyon and then heading south to Montezuma’s Castle then on to Albuquerque.
We stop for one great photo opp with the clouds dancing thru the Canyon. The next stop is not as photographic but it is wild to see the clouds roll thru in seconds. The magnificent view is quickly masked and we move on ~ hoping for one last glimpse before we head south.
8:18 – Lipan Point – 7360 ft and totally cloud covered; it is a shame.
8:45 – We leave the Grand Canyon National Park and enter Kaibab National Forest.
9:03 – Every “Indian” Stand we pass is deserted or closed. Now at 5000 ft ~ we have started our decent. The rain has picked up too. I am hoping it is drier 2 hours south.
9:09 – Looks like someone was listening and I thank Her. The skies are starting to brighten and the clouds are more patchy. We stop to take some shots if Navajo Land – it is a shame to see their poor living conditions.
We stop at a Navajo ran shop to stretch and look around. The were pleased to see us and have our business. The sky is clear and bright & it is much warmer ~ time to shed some layers.
9:56 – Back to 6000 ft – Cococino National Forest
10:05 – We pass Humphries Point – the high point of AZ (Bill drools). Only 15 miles to Flagstaff and about an hour to the castle.
10:15 – We enter the City of Flagstaff ~ elevation 6906 ft. This explains Candi’s throbbing head and my left eye wanting to pop out of its socket.
11:09 – We stop at the McGuireville rest area to stretch and pee. The view is an added bonus. The rain keeps catching up with us ~ bless it!
11:19 – We turn off of Rt17 and head up the road to Montezuma’s Castle – passing by Cliff Caverns Casino… it is only a little commercial. I didn’t know they made colored bulbs bigger than a human head.
12:28 - Montezuma’s Castle was very cool. We got good pics, but sadly no video. We got back into the visitor’s center just in time to miss a down pour. The exhibit is did a great job of trying to show what these Native American’s culture was like so long ago.
12:20 – We stop at Crusty’s Café (I am scared) for lunch. It turns out to be decent… I would love to take some of that bread with us!
1:23 – We see a blinking sign on the highway warning of “Winter Driving Conditions – Be careful” – is it that cold out? It is probably due to the elevation; my ears start to fill as we head north on Rt 17.
2:24 – Albequerque – 299 miles! It is delightful to see fluffy white clouds and an expanse of clear clue skies ahead. Dare I say we have driven out of the storm?
2:39 – We roll past the exit for the Meteor Crater & Meteor City, deciding that $12/head is stupid to see a big hole in the ground. Of course, after the Grand Canyon, what can compete? Meteor City also boasts having the world’s largest dream catcher – also rather lame.
3:05 – we skirt the edge of the Painted Desert – I will have to remember to get a post card.
3:14 – We have hopped off Rt40 to see the National Petrified Forest and we are back on old Rt 66 again. The National Petrified Forest was amazing, but a bit longer of a detour than desired. The trees we are seeing were there 225 million years ago and are now unearthing as quartz.
The Painted Desert – OMG! This is such an amazing view –the rich red vibrates from the ground – my second favorite view.
Onto Albuquerque @ 90 mph – trying to catch up on time. The Christian Radio station keeps us awake.
8:40 – We made good time getting to Albuquerque but then we hit a detour from HELL trying to get into the city. After several turn arounds we find our way to Central – a huge Neon Rt 66 sign greets us.
We meet up with Chris and Susan and head to the Rt 66 Diner for dinner. Two words – Pumpkin Milkshake or Peanut butter Milkshake (ok, so that is 3 words) but holy cow were these suckers good! After the hushpuppies and the extra crispy fries we were about to roll out of the building.
We wrapped up the evening posing w/ Marilyn Monroe under the Rt 66 wall mural. It plots out all of the cities along old Rt 66. The locals think we are off our rocker. We score some super cute schwag – Rt 66 pins and postcards of the front of the diner on our way out.
The Silver Moon Lodge was built in the 50’s and is a little scary at first glance but we crash hard and are out for the night. This was after Candi and Bill discovered that their first hotel room lacked a necessity – a bed. They got a new room – one complete with a place to sleep!

The Canyon ~ it was Grand

Monday – Needles to AZ
After a semi decent bagel and gassing up (as well as procurring the required snacks) we hit the road. Eastbound on Rt 40 with the goal of the Grand Canyon. We have a little rain but it isn’t enough to dampen our spirits (yea, that reads as lame on paper as it sounded in my head).
We try a turn off onto old Rt 66, but it turns out not to be a thru street. Only 42 miles of old Rt 66 are paved… this is a road that once stretched from Chicago to CA. But it gives us an opportunity to stretch and get some good shots of the mountain range and a train running along the Colorado River.
We pop back onto 40 and cross the river to officially put us in Arizona. The next exit for Rt 66 is more promising, with the potential of a ghost town! After a lot of rocks, cactus, and a few stops for some awesome pictures (and wild sage) we are surprised by the cute and rustic town of Oatman.
We could not have had better timing because there was a gun fight in the street 10 min after we got into town! The cowboys were hysterical and did a great job entertaining the crowd. They were even nice enough to pose for a picture. We then poked into a few shops, bought some postcards, and tried on some cowgirl hat (pink of course) before hitting the road.
Rt 66 climbed up a mountain and the constant switchbacks made me thankful for taking Dramamine earlier in the day. We eventually reach Sitgreaves Pass – elevation 3550 ft (about 2pm). The view is phenomenal and we saw a coyote!
After taking some choice shots and video of the scenery we take the fun switchbacks back down the mountain and finish our trek to Rt 40. We pass many “shanty towns” and trailers we can’t imagine people living in.
Once back on Rt 40 we break for lunch in Kingman at the local Cracker Barrel. Listening to the local is entertaining (I think they think the same of us) and my Apple Harvest Grilled Chicken Salad is tasty. After perusing the gift shop we hit the road. It is about 2 hours to the Grand Canyon.
3pm – We just passed an elevation sign ~ 5000 ft… wow. No wonder my ears feel solid. It is odd to see “flat” plains so far above sea level. But there are still fabulous views of mountain ranges and it reminds me of where we are. Only 103 miles to the Grand Canyon!
3:40 pm – Candi asks Bill if he wants to take a nap. He says “No.” “Why?” she asks. “Because I might miss something.” He says. “Right,” I say “like a tree.” As we come around the bend I am in shock and say “Or a rainbow!” It was a beautiful and complete arch of colors.
4:15pm – Herd of sheep ~ Alex says “Holy sheep!”.
We stop for gas @ Rt 64 & Rt 40 and the chick behind the counter said they are expecting a storm, possibly snow ~ wow.
4:24 – New elevation ~ 6000 ft.
4:52 – New elevation ~ 6540 ft. We have arrived at the little town outside of the Grand Canyon Park. Onto the Canyon itself! We shielded out eyes as we drove up, got out of the truck and put our shoes on. We all wanted the first look to be non-moving and undistracted. There are no words for how awesome I found the canyon to be. I teared up as I looked across the expanse. I could have sat for hours and still found new things to look at. We walked west along the south edge, trying to see as much as we could before the rain caught up or it got dark. I think we might have used more than 2 rolls of film trying to capture the view. I knew the colors I saw wouldn’t be reflected in the photos, but I could try.
The rain is starting to move in and we forced ourselves to turn around and head back to the car. Walking briskly uphill at this elevation proves to be a challenge and we are pleased to make it back with both lungs. After checking into the hotel we have dinner at a nearby sport’s bar. It has been a long day and we are quickly starting to wind down.

On the road again....

On the road (Sunday) – We are off to Needles, CA. 3:30 is later than we expected, but it could have been even later if we hadn’t had the help of some fabulous crew members. We are sore and tired but very excited for the adventure ahead.
The first “wow” view came from seeing an amazing mountain range that truly looked like a movie backdrop. It towered above smaller mountains and filled the sky with shades of grey, purple, and blue.
So, the definition of nothing? ~ The Mojave Desert… it is a whole lot of nothing as far as you can see. Wait… yup, more nothing. It was beautiful for the first 20 min and then you know you have seen all there is to see. Night fell as we trekked across the nothing and gave us dark nothing to look at; way more exciting.
We struggle to stay awake, mile after mile and after 5 long hours we make it to Needles. We knew it was close as we saw pin-pricks of light appear in the vast darkness. The city lights make a hard line with the edge of the dark open desert.
After checking in and grabbing a bite at Denny’s (why do cheesy fries sound better late at night?) a bath is just the thing sore backs need. Of course nodding off in the tub is not a good plan. We pass out by 11 and sleep like the unraised dead till morning.

Last one for today... Day 3

Day 3 – We are up and at breakfast by 4am. Today we pack up camp and head to closing ceremonies to drop off all of the gear. It is a cold morning. I am SO glad I started the day in my pants. Candi and I huddle together on the truck tailgate waiting for the walkers to start flooding over. We get our wish and moving bags helps keep us warm until the sun creeps over the horizon. There is a nasty pile of evil tents that came back in piece, missing pieces, or with a “I don’t know how to fix it”. No problem… we LOVE rolling tents! Jim saves us and says to just make them fit. Works for me!We now play the waiting game to head out to closing ceremonies. There is tasty rice cracker snack mix to help us pass the time. Finally it is warm enough to change into shorts and I do so in the truck cab ~ not an easy feat. Then there is Alex harassing me from the truck next door via Nextel.We get to the unload site which is woefully small and happens to be uphill to boot. Woohoo! Oh, and there is like 2 volunteers. Looks like another round of manual labor. We unload truck after truck… remember how it warmed up? Well now I am wishing for a breeze. Instead we get the exciting episode of the sprinkler system going off. We all start running for rolls of plastic and I go for a bag right in the line of fire. As I drag it out of the way the sprinkler flips over and nails me in the back. Hello chilly! I guess I got the cool off I was looking for. Alan (who I know think is the quickest thinking) says “Stand on it!” Ah, relief! But not for long, as Alan and Lisa keep the sprinklers in check dark clouds start to roll in. We take some time to cover as much luggage as we can before it starts raining. I have discovered that the rain (at least that weekend) is much lighter than any rain I have ever dealt with. If anything it is refreshing as we drag 50lb bags up the stupid hill.Once we get good ole Q unloaded we decided to break for out last 3-Day meal. After finishing our fruit cups, cookies, coleslaw, and mystery sandwich we find out that the sammich is actually the garden patty and wild rice from the night before. It had been all chopped up and mixed in with mayo and mustard. It was nothing to write home about, but when you are hungry, you eat. Once we were done eating we hear a cheer… apparently the last truck had been unloaded. I almost feel bad about not helping out more… almost.Candi and I manage to get a fabulous crew member to take our truck back to the airport for us. The boys catch a ride with Brandon to go get the rental from the fairgrounds. (Which saved us from a $50 cab ride, SCORE!) Candi and I hang out in the shade watching walkers from afar and enjoying sitting still for a bit. Eventully our ride arrives and we pack everything up. One last stop and we are on the road.We pop into “holding” which is where the walkers and crew hang out until closing ceremonies. It is festive and upbeat… some walkers are even dancing. How does one dance after walking 60 miles… not that is some spirit! We get our finisher shirts and say goodbye to our new friends. We have been told that we are required to come back next year. Candi and I wouldn’t mind walking next year… that way we can see San Diego this time!

You guessed it... Day 2!

Day 2 – We slept into till 6:30, which feels fabulous. Our backs and biceps are a little sore, but we soon warm up and are ready for a new day. At our breakfast meeting we discuss the day’s plans. Since we are camping in the same location tonight we don’t have to move camp (WOOWOO!!) We will be helping out at the lunch stop today! We are excited to be on the route and interacting with walkers.
We are transported to the lunch stop and finishing helping the lunch crew setup. Before we know it walkers are staring to pour in. We direct people to the lunch line, help answer questions, and make sure their water bottles are full. We wander about the field “peddling” our wares… “Water! Sports drink!” we call out.
I was heading back to the entrance to continue pouring my libations when I overhear a group of walkers. Once gentleman has brought lunches back for his friends “But I forget my drink!” he exclaims. I tell him I have what he needs and hold up the beverages. He is so excited he gives me a big hug (it is amazing the response that water gets once you have walked 8 miles). Later, as I am dancing to the music while waiting for more walkers the same guy comes up to me “I know you are working” he says as he starts dancing with me, “but you need to have some fun too!”
Many hours and 20 gallons of water/sports drink later and we are on the bus back to camp. Some of the early walkers will be in soon and we have dinner duty that evening. There is no rest for the Mighty Gear & Tent Crew!
We take our hour of downtime and go sit at the camp entrance to cheer walkers back “home” after their second day of walking. We alleviate “clapping hand ache” by sporting our pink and white pom-poms. We still cheer and yell our heads off and are a bit horse by the time we head to dinner duty.
Dinner this evening is roasted chicken, wild rice, carrots, and rolls. Can I tell you how much I love and hate dinner duty? The pans of chicken are mixed dark and light pieces. We are told to just serve the next piece you come to… that flies, well about as well as the chicken we are serving. “Don’t you have a breast in there?” ~ “We have what is in the pan ma’m, there are thighs left”. “Well what about the other lines?” ~ “You are welcome to get in another line to look.” We get the dirty stare and they move on, asking for extra rice, which I am happy to oblige. We go thru basket after basket of rolls until we come to some rather cold ones… in fact they are frozen. It looks like some weren’t pulled out early enough. The dining team races to start heating up breadsticks as a replacement. It takes a while and there is no disappointment like the look on a walkers face when you tell them “No bread right now”, after they walked 20 miles.
Alex was kind enough to put a tent up in the back of the truck for us to sleep in. After a hot shower in the shower truck (the fact that shower trucks exist and they are big ole 18-wheeler trailers still amazes me) I am ready for bed. The tent helps hold the heat in and it is a much more comfortable night. Until someone up the road decides it is the perfect night for a party. I roll over at midnight to screaming and music… 1am… 2am… 3am, they are still going strong. There is the added joy of the pitter patter of rain on the roof of the truck at 3am. We are in San Diego… what do you mean it is raining? Thankfully it is spotty and has all but stopped by the time we start our early day.

I am on a roll... Day 1

I didn't want to leave anyone hanging on the 3-Day adventure, so here is the dirt on Day 1 of the 3-Day.

Day 1 – Talk about early, we get up at 3am (really it should feel like 6am to us) to get ready for Day 1. It is rough, but we know it will be worth it. It is pitch black and, to my dismay, cold when we arrive. We have the quiet before the storm as we unlock our trucks and setup our signs. Soon a flurry of walkers arrive – bag after bag we pass along smiles and good wishes to get their day started.
We then get the pleasure of cheering on 4200 walkers as they start their journey. It is no less than a parade, with teams sporting special hats, shirts, and themes. Just a few of the many we saw:
“Walking for Boo-bees” – complete with wings, antenni, and a striped vest.
“F**k Cancer” – The man that leads this team lost his wife to breast cancer last year. They walk in honor of fight as well as many others.
“Twin Peaks” – The even had their own flag on display in camp!
Then there were teams whose name I didn’t catch, but their attire stood out among the crowd: the ladies with the pink “dingly bobbers” head bands, the group with “smiley face” headbands, and many who more big foam pink flamingo on their hands.
We clapped, yelled, whistled, hooted and hollered until we didn’t think we could anymore… and then we kept clapping and yelling some more. If this brave group of people were going to walk 20 miles today the least I could do is cheer for 20 minutes. One woman emerged from the building already overwhelmed by emotion, as so many of them were. She looked me in the eye and I impulsively stepped forward to give her a quick hug. She looked at me, smiled, and went along her way; I never saw her again. There is so much hope and love and caring wrapped up in this weekend you could feel it in the air. It is truly amazing.
We head back to the trucks, pack up our signs, and start our caravan to camp. The site is small compared to twenty-six 24-foot Uhaul trucks that we go in groups of 3 and 4. This is when being truck Q is not the most thrilling spot in the line up. It was sunny and gloriously warm, so we tanned out arms and enjoyed the breeze. If it weren’ for sitting on blacktop I would have though we were at the beach. Finally our turn came and the moment arrived to get our beast out on the open road. Candi is the fearless driver and I am the trusty navigator. The trip will be interesting, as we have no idea where we are. (Now I know how the out-of-towners felt in DC in 2004). We are successful and safe (despite a crappy transmission) and make it to camp. We discover that we will be camping in a park on Mission Bay – gorgeous! It is a bit windy, which we find out later can be a challenge.
After the joy of unloading four 24’ trucks (at least there are 7 of us working together) we head to a team meeting. Out of the corner of my eye… what do I spy? It is a tent (without the required bag inside) caught in the wind, flipping end over end… heading towards the bay! Not let me take a moment to tell you ~ I don’t run ~ I walk… I can walk quite far in fact. But running is not my forte. But in the sense of duty and the lack of a desire to wade into the bay after the tent there I went; hauling arse after this tent. Six inches away and what graces me? An extra little gust that keeps the tent just out of my reach as I lunge for it. I hear Bill come up behind me… he is better at this running thing than I am. We gain on the tent, reach out, and snatch it from the wind’s hold. Heavy lifting and wind sprints… it is going to be a great weekend.
As the walkers arrive, tired and aching, we help them find their bags and assist them in putting up their tents. My favorite statement remains to be: “It is black and has wheels” (mind you, so do 50 of the bags we drug all over creation today). Once everyone is settled in we go to dine on penne & sauce, garlic bread, salad, and berry cobbler (yea… this camping stuff is rough). They have speakers thru out the evening and one announcement includes the amount of money raised by the walkers and crew. 10.2 million was raised by approximately 5000 people ~ how awesome! Exhausted and ready for bed we layout our sleeping bags in our truck and pass out. Remember all that hydrating we were reminded to do? I won’t dispute that it is a good thing to do, but once you are done sweating there is only one place it can go… and I was up twice that night. Hobbling to the port-a-john is SO much fun! It was a chilly night in the truck and morning sunshine was well greeted.

Finally... something cool to post!

Ok, so I finally got our 3-Day and Travel Blog typed up. And yes our trip was in October... but I wrote a lot. In the end it was about 11 type pages, not bad.

Anyhow, here is the first installment... this is "Day Zero" which is the day before the San Diego 3-day kicks off. "What is a 3-day?" you may ask... read on!

The 3-Day
Day 0 – We flew out to San Diego, leaving crappy rainy weather and entering a bright, sunny, and warm oasis. Getting on a shuttle to the rental car terminal proves to be our first challenge. Everyone seems to be using Budget Rental for their transportation needs. While waiting we spy a woman that must be a 3-day walker; she has the tell-tale fanny pack and water bottles and like us is in attire that is suited for cooler weather. Bored I go to chat with her and discover that she certainly is a 3-Day walker and happens to be from Alexandria; small world.
Finally, snug in the van with 15 other folks and about 50 bags we are off to the rental lot. The couple thinks we are kidding when we share our cross-country plans. They can hardly believe we could make it in only a week. I decide to ignore the naysayers and try to admire the view of the luggage rack during the rest of our trip. At the rental office we find a new line awaits us; full of those who caught the shuttles before us. Soon enough we are wandering across the parking lot in search of our ride and off to the Crew Check-in.
We find our way to the fair grounds and Check-In. There is some initial concern about the team we will be working with, as it is huge and the majority of them know each other from previous events. After all of the logistical stuff is done and we have had multiple mini-meetings to discuss the next three days we are armed with our Nextels and blue Crew shirts.
We finally head out to find something to eat. The last meal consisted of a latte and a scone at 7am in Dulles. One of the team members recommends Il Fortanto – a little pricey, but delicious. We find ourselves driving along the Pacific coast and the view is awesome. We settle in at our table and are thrilled to see the same view of the Pacific. A tasty bread basket arrives and is promptly devoured. After a minor snafu with the appetizer we get our entrees. The food deserves the praise it was given (not with holding the fact that we were starving).After wandering the patio and taking a picture with the pacific as out background we head to our hotel. We settle into our boushie room (complete with the over-priced chocolate basket) and pass out for the evening, anxious for Day 1 to begin.