Hiking the Narrows

Years ago, when the boys were much younger, we took a similar road trip to Nebraska. While Joe & Zach have some memories of the trip, David just doesn't remember it. So I wanted to make sure that we went to some of the same places we enjoyed on that first trip including three National Parks in Utah: Zion, Bryce Canyon, and Arches.

Yesterday we went to Zion National Park. We stopped in town and rented some footwear and a walking stick, because we were going to hike the Narrows! Or at least part of it. This was something I always wanted to try, but the boys were just too young and we weren't prepared back then.

Zion National Park is a gorge that has been slowly eroded by the Virgin River. The sides of the canyon tower over you as you drive to the different trailheads. Many of the peaks have biblical names and even a few Mormon titles. The three most impressive are The Three Patriarchs: Abraham, Isaac, & Jacob. They keep a watchful eye over the many visitors as they travel through.

While there were many hikes we would have liked to venture on, our purpose was to hike the Narrows. So we took the shuttle to the end of the line at the Riverside Walk. This is a mile-long paved hike that takes you alongside the Virgin River. It was hot, really hot, but we were on a mission. When we arrived at the end of the Riverside Walk, we walked down to the river edge and continued to hike up and IN the river. It was awesome!

Hiking the Narrows from the bottom up is about a 5 mile hike one way. 75% of the time you are in the water; there just isn't any dry land to walk on. You can also hike from the top down and that's about 16 miles. The river is shallow and at most you might have to hike in waist deep water. The views are spectacular and majestic.

We only had time to hike about a mile or two up the river, but it was fabulous and exhausting. I chose the rocky shoreline when available, but Zach and David always took the hardest route, against the current. Although cold, the water was cool and refreshing and most of the time we were in the shade as the canyon walls were so close to each other that direct sunlight couldn't find its way into the canyon.

We left around 6:30 p.m. and headed to Bryce Canyon. The drive was beautiful, but we were tired and couldn't wait to check into the Lodge and get some dinner. After settling in we had a light dinner at 9:00 p.m. and collapsed into bed. The only sad part of the day was that Joe wasn't with us. It was his birthday, and I think he would have liked the hike.

We are staying in Bryce Canyon National Park, so WiFi is limited to the lobby and coffee shop. David and I woke up early to see the sunrise over Bryce Point. We snagged a quick breakfast at the coffee shop, uploaded our photos and blogs and now we are headed out to explore Bryce Canyon and then on to Arches National Park.

Vegas, Baby!

In typical McKay fashion, we left two hours late. The car was finally packed and we headed out of San Diego and on to the blistering heat of Las Vegas. 

Our first stop was the Hoover Dam. We arrived too late to go on a tour of the power plant, but we wandered through Visitor Center, went on the observation deck, and walked across the dam. It is an impressive structure. Made of 2.6 million cubic meters of cement blocks, the Hoover dam is 221.3 meters (726.4 feet) tall and 201.2 meters (600 feet) wide at the base.

We were not only impressed with the size of the dam, but also by the fact that men built this thing in the crazy heat! And ahead of schedule and under budget to boot!

After about an hour or so, we drove to our hotel in Las Vegas. As we drove past a bank, the marquee declared the temperature to be 119 degrees at 7:00 p.m. We are spending the night at South Point. My husband, Matt comes here every year to see his favorite singer, Crystal Gayle. Our room is nice, but in typical Vegas fashion, we had to walk through the casino to check in, to get back to our car, to go get dinner, or pretty much anytime we wanted to go anywhere. Hmmm...I wonder why they do that...?

Dinner was late, but delicious at Steak and Shake. As the City of Lights carries on through the night, we are drifting away into sweet slumber looking forward to a day at Zion National Park. Good night!

My Three Sons

It's 6:30 a.m. and the house is still fairly quiet. I've been up for about 30 minutes enjoying the solitude before everyone else begins to stir. Today is the day we head out once again for a summer road trip. This week, as I've run around completing errands getting ready for the big trip, the anticipation has been growing. We are headed to Lincoln, Nebraska to visit my sister and her family. My parents are also going to be there, so it should be a blast. I LOVE road trips and even more I absolutely adore going on road trips with my sons!

Years ago, when Joe, Zach, and David were just toddlers and preschoolers, I would grow sad as I thought about the day when my babies were all grown and wouldn't need their mother. I fearfully envisioned being one of those overbearing matriarchs who couldn't cut the apron strings. I even told my mother-in-law one time to smack me upside the head if she saw me acting that way. But at some point, I stopped prematurely grieving the loss of their childhood and created memories. I also learned that parenting is a slow process of instilling independence to release your children into adulthood as responsible citizens who contribute to the good of the world. Also I realized that if I didn't mess things up too much, I  just might have my sons as friends one day.

Recently, a friend asked me what it was like to have adult children. I shared with her my early fears and resulting epiphany. As mother and sons, we have gone through many stages together: nurturing mama, playful mommy, disciplinarian mom, demanding teacher, worried mother, comforter, cheerleader, coach, and counselor. As the years progress, we have moved between and through these different relationship dynamics. I was able to tell my friend, "I love adult children!" I love having adult conversations with them. I love hearing their perspectives, and debating issues. I love seeing their spiritual lives develop, and their relationships with God becoming their own. I feel so blessed to have my sons as friends.

Although there are times that I miss my babies,  I can honestly say that I wouldn't go back to those days. These times are so much richer and deeper. And I hear that grandchildren are even greater. So there's even more to look forward to!

But, I digress. We are going on a road trip! And we'll be leaving within the hour. You can see our itinerary here: Summer Road Trip 2013

I plan to write every day and my youngest, David is also going to write in a blog. You can read his perspective on the trip here:
http://favoritesonsspiel.blogspot.com

Sweet Endings

Yesterday was our long trip home. We checked out of our hotel around 9:00 and drove toward the Oakland Bay Bridge. It was fun to be able to drive on this double decker bridge which is quite a bit longer than the Golden Gate Bridge. It even has an exit to Treasure Island while you are in the middle of the bridge still driving over the bay. On our way to the bridge, we drove up several steep hills and renamed the Little Red Car, to The Little Red Car That Could. We weren't sure we'd make it, but it always got us to the top of each hill (barely).

It was about an hour drive northeast to Fairfield, California, the home of the Jelly Belly Factory. We stopped for breakfast at the slowest Denny's I've ever been to, but eventually we were parking and walking (well, I was still hobbling) into the visitor center. The line was long, but I wasn't going to turn back now. It was about a 45-minute wait for our 45-minute tour of the working factory. We walked above the factory looking through glass windows and watching different videos explaining the history and process. We got to see people working in the different stages: mixing, flavoring, coloring, molding, polishing, sorting, packaging, and shipping. We saw conveyer belts, robots, and billions of jelly beans. We also got to taste a jelly bean in the three stages of it's formation. It was fun and educational.

Marilyn in Jelly Bellies

One other interesting tidbit of the tour was the art gallery. There were dozens of portraits of famous people all completed in the style of mosaics, but with Jelly Bellies instead of tile. It was pretty impressive. President Reagan was featured a lot in the portraits. After all, he was the president that put Jelly Belly on the map.

It was time to start the trip back home. So we strapped ourselves in and headed south. This time we took the quicker, but more boring trip down the I-5. On the trip we listened to the audiobook Ender's Game so that helped to pass the time and we finished it about an hour away from home. We pulled into the driveway at 11:45 p.m. exhausted and happy to sleep in our own beds once again.

It was a fun trip for me. I got to vacation one more time with my three sons. I thought last year would be the last time we got to do this, so this trip was an added bonus. I got to see many parts of Northern California that I've been wanting to see. I got to learn something new. I even got to purchase some license plates that I was missing (including a California one). Yep. I'm pretty happy.

Escape from Alcatraz

On Wednesday morning when I stepped out of bed I winced from the pain shooting through the heel and arch of my foot. This was not good. It loosened up a little bit the more I walked, and I hobbled around our hotel room. I moved much slower than normal on this day, but I was determined to finish our trip to San Francisco if it killed me (or crippled me whichever came first).

Our first destination was a tour to Angel Island and then on to Alcatraz. Angel Island is a lovely island right behind Alcatraz. It has a lot of history including being the "Ellis Island" of the west. We had an interesting tram ride and enjoying the scenery and narration of the tour. But our real interest was in Alcatraz. The self guided audio tour was well done as we walked through the cell blocks listening to testimonies from prisoners and guards alike. I can't believe how small a 5' by 9' foot cell is!

Regulation #5 from the Alcatraz rule book given to every prisoner on arrival states, "You are entitled to food, clothing, shelter, and medical attention. Anything else that you get is a privilege." The boys bought this plaque to hang in our "ballroom" (a room with many license plates and old time tins). They knew I'd like it. Many of the rules at Alcatraz make fine rules for raising boys too. I do add one more entitlement to the regulation (for boys that is) which is...love.

Back at the hotel courtesy of Muni 8BX and Muni 30 Jefferson Loop (make sure the bus says Jefferson Loop!), we regrouped and piled into the car for a trip over the Golden Gate to Muir Woods. We arrived so late in the day that admission was free, and setting sun shining through the trees was gorgeous. I love Muir Woods. It was a complete contrast from Alcatraz and a great way to cap off a day of whirlwind activity. And thanks to my aching foot, I had to walk slowly and softly through this serene valley of ancient redwoods. It was a reverent experience.

Our stomachs were starting to growl and we stopped in Sausalito for a late dinner. The food was good at Taste of Rome, but the service was impressive. This small cafe was a combination coffee shop, pizza place, wine bar, and restaurant. It was crowded when we walked in, always a good sign. There was one guy at the counter who welcomed us and pointed us to the only open table at the end of the counter and gave us some menus. The entire time we were there, the line at the counter was non-stop. People were ordering food, paying bills, and chatting all with this one guy. He was a total rock star. I was completely impressed with his multi-tasking skills, and his efficient use of space and time all the while keeping a smile and great attitude. Our food came quickly and we left full and satisfied.

We drive home today after a quick detour to Fairfield, California for a visit to the Jelly Belly Factory. We have to have at least one factory tour on this trip, you know!

 

The Streets of San Francisco

It was not the day I had originally planned, but in the end it all turned out okay.

We started the morning by finding a Honda service place. It was fortuitous that there was one almost across the street from our hotel. So after a quick explanation of what the problem and a recommendation on where to eat breakfast, we headed out to explore the city by foot and mass transportation.

Breakfast was yummy with homemade scones, banana pancakes, homemade granola, and freshly squeezed cantalope juice. The Home Plate was a popular local restaurant just a block down the street. As we have found with everything in San Francisco, it was a tight squeeze inside a small space. But the service was excellent and Joe especially liked all of the baseball memorabilia adorning the walls.

Next was a nice walk to the waterfront. We walked by Fort Mason and Ghiradelli Square. Our mission was to purchase a 3-day Muni pass so that we could ride the buses, cable cars, and other modes of transportation around the city. We purchased our tickets and then stood in line for about 40 minutes waiting to ride one of the cable cars. It was worth the wait. We hung on as we rode up and down the hills on Hyde Street through Chinatown and almost to the end of the line where there were shops. It looked kind of like Horton Plaza in downtown San Diego.

Once we disembarked, we had to figure out how to get back to where we started or better yet how to get to Fisherman's Wharf. Of course our first attempt was to try to catch the a cable car on the same street going the opposite direction. But after the fifth one told us no room and "wait for the next one", we decided to try to find a bus. We had a map with what seemed like hundred different bus lines criss-crossing through the streets. We were pretty disoriented, so quickly found a Starbucks where I could download an app with a trip planner for SF on to my phone. 

After several more attempts we eventually made it to Fisherman's Wharf which sure smells a lot like fish! We found an old-fashioned penny arcade called Musee Mecanique. We all played several of the antique games, and it was really a lot of fun!  Of course some of those "antique" games, I clearly remember playing in my youth. You know, relics like Pong, Ms. Pacman, and Centipede.

By now it was getting pretty late in the day and we hadn't heard about the condition of my little red car. So after a phone call, I was informed that they'd need another day to figure out what the problem was. This did not make me happy since I had already postponed my plans to use the car to visit places outside of the city. and we only had one more day. One more bus trip and we arrived back at the Honda Service place to get a jacket out of the car. We were surprised when the service adviser told us the car was "fixed" or more accurately, they couldn't figure out what the problem was, but it had fixed itself when they "reset" the computer. They didn't charge me for the diagnostic and I got my car back which made me a much happier customer than I had been on the phone.

That evening, Joe headed on a bus in one direction to attend the Padres vs. the Giants baseball game and Zach, David and I headed in the opposite direction on a different bus for a walk across the Golden Gate Bridge. The Pads lost, but Joe had fun attending the game at AT&T Park and eating garlic fries. The sun was setting, the wind was blowing, and the temperature was dropping, but we made it across the 1.7 mile span of the Golden Gate and back. The view was incredible and the noise of the cars rushing by was deafening. I loved it!

After the bridge, the three of us ate dinner at a restaurant in Ghiradelli Square and David topped off the evening with a Ghiradelli chocolate brownie sundae. I was starting to feel like we had this mass transit thing nailed until our trip back to the home via Muni 30. Needless to say, we rode the bus quite a bit longer than necessary, but with the help of our bus driver and several bus riders, we found our way back to our beds. My feet hurt from all of walking and chasing buses, but my heart was happy that we had accomplished several things on my "to do list" leaving only Alcatraz and Muir Woods for the following day.

Spending the Day in Monterey

Yesterday, as we walked through the massive Monterey Bay Aquarium, I kept thinking to myself, "I wish we had come here when my sons were younger." We've been to several aquariums and this one is definitely the most expensive and the most designed for kids. In some ways it was a hybrid of a children's museum and an aquarium. Every exhibit had a ton of hands on activities for young ones to learn about the ocean and it's inhabitants. There were many touch pools and an assortment of crawling, climbing, and exploring equipment everywhere you walked. It was a child's sensory paradise.

My favorite exhibit was the Seahorse Exhibit. It was fascinating. I already knew some of the unusual facts about seahorses like how the males are the ones who get pregnant and carry the eggs around in a little pouch. But I was totally impressed with the beauty and mystery of these intriguing animals. There were so many types and sizes, and I loved watching them swim around almost like they were floating on air. They would wrap their tails around coral just like a monkey uses his tail to hold onto a tree. I think the most amazing thing was watching a video of the mating dance of a female and male seahorse. They were so graceful as they danced in unison, twirling around each other and nodding their heads to each other. Everyone who walked through would stop and just stare at this video. It was really enchanting.

We also saw many other things...translucent jellyfish, a kelp forest, sharks, sea turtles, sea birds, and more! One thing the aquarium did that was very effective was the choice of music in each exhibit. It really set the mood and enriched the experience overall.


After our visit to the aquarium, we decided to eat dinner in Cannery Row. David is a big fan of the movie Forrest Gump, so we decided to try Bubba Gump's Shrimp Company. Of course no one (except Zach) in our family even likes seafood, but it was a fun experience and I'm sure the waiter wondered what was wrong with us when three of the four of us ordered something other than shrimp. The food was very good (even the non-fish stuff). Zach really like his crab stuffed shrimp and even got Joe to try some of it. The waiter quizzed David on trivia facts about the movie and the atmosphere overall was a lot of fun.

We still had about two hours of driving until we reached our hotel, so we said farewell to Monterey and headed north. We ended the night watching Forrest Gump. It just happened to be on T.V.


Our one unexpected event so far is that my little red car is having some trouble on this trip. So this morning we are dropping it off at the mechanic and exploring the city. As Forrest's mama would say, "Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get."


Hopefully, all will be well with the car and we'll be able to flex with our change of plans. It's time to hit the streets of San Francisco!