Birthday trip

In celebration of Jonathan's birthday (the big two six) his parents came out for a trip to the Grand Canyon, among other sites. We started our adventure bright and early Saturday morning with a departure deadline of 8. Smack at 8 we piled into the car, and with Jackson in my lap, we drove to casa Hare where Jackson would be staying for the weekend. After supplies were handed off and instructions were provided we were whisked back to the car to head off to our first national monument, Montezuma's castle.

It just so happened to be a free parks weekend so instead of waiting outside the park entrance like a bunch cheap-os we strolled along with Jonathan's parents and uncle. Of course the obligatory hand held pics were taken and can be seen in the slide show to the left. I was most delighted that I as able to stamp my trusty national parks/monument passport, since the first time we visited the park we were passport-less, and I'm not dedicated enough to pay the $5 just to get the stamp.

Continuing on, we made it to Flagstaff around 1 and picked up lunch to be eaten at casa Hare numero dos. Granted it was about 15 degrees cooler (give or take), the sun was mighty toasty and the fresh air was delightful! With lunch out of the way, it was time to stop dilly dallying so we piled comfortably into the Sequoia and made our way to Walnut Canyon (photos to the left) and 4 wheeled in luxury over to the Grand falls (Navajo Reservation land). Apparently the Grand Falls are only grand for a limited amount of time due to the snow melt, and we just happened to be lucky enough to catch it in, or at least around, its prime. Day one summary: Early, on time departure, check, national monument, check, 4 wheeling until coated with dust, check, Mexican food dinner, check. A darn fine first day indeed.

Up with the sun on Sunday, being the delicate flower that I am, I managed to hurt my neck/upper back attempting to put on my shirt. Next to me Frankenstein would have looked like gumby. Oh well, no time for pain, the Grand Canyon waits for no man. The drive took a little over an hour and included plenty of lovely scenery plus an over sized Fred Flintstone hosted dinosaur park. Like good economy stimulators we ate lunch at the Bright Angel Lodge restaurant then started touring about the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. At 3 PM we attend a California Condor chat, and I don't know about the rest of the party, but I was darn skeptical that the chat would result in a condor sighting. Well, slap me silly and call me Sally, because those birds just kept flying over. Some may consider it a bad sign when a bird that specializes in eating decomposing carcases constantly hovers over-head, but I consider multiple California Condor sighting worth looking like a rotting meal.

With dinner reservations looming and plenty of sights to see we took off on a short rim trail hike. Little did we know that our hike would include not only gorgeous canyon views, but some up close California Condor sightings. Our vicinity to the condors was such that with a little extra zoom you can clearly view their tag numbers. According to the lecture there are currently 350 California Condors in existence, which is still a small population, but a much needed improvement from the 23 in existence only a few years back. They're no macaw, but their big feet, 9 ft wing span, shiny black feathers, and bald red head and neck have a beauty all their own.

After we shook some dust off of ourselves in our respective rooms we made our way to the restaurant in El Tovar for some delicious food and libations. Good food, wonderful company and a window side table looking out at the Grand Canyon at sunset, not a bad way to finish off day two.

Our final day in the canyon was spent busing/hiking to the farthest point on the South Rim trail (Hermits Rest) and enjoying canyon views, each uniquely beautiful. While we enjoyed the canyon I was delighted to receive word that Mr. Jackson was enjoying his visit with Zoe, Natalie, Max and Maggie. Its always nice to hear that your hairy kid is enjoying himself and providing good entertainment for all.

Our return to the valley was complete with a 20 degree rise in mercury and a very happy, vocal kitty greeting. Jackson seemed happy to see us when we picked him up, but would have surely been content to hang out with the Hares a while longer. During the Jackson pick up we learned that he found great joy in dragging a faux-fur bed throw from the guest bed, down the stairs and out into the formal living room. He apparently has a taste for the finer textures in life and I'm grateful he finds a way to continue sleeping on his fake sheep fur bed.

Be sure to check out the slide show to the left complete with Canyon views, cheeky hand held shots and of course a few pics of the California Condors.