When we had our 25Th high school reunion I was talking with Jerilyn and we decided that before we turned 50 we would hike the Grand Canyon. So this year I got a date set with everyone and we tried to book the Phantom Ranch. We knew that we would not be able to hike all our sleeping stuff down the canyon so we wanted to stay there. Unfortunately we could not get a room and I thought the trip would never happen. Jerilyn lives in Phoenix and suggested that we come out and she will take us on some hikes around the Grand Canyon. We meet in Flagstaff and stayed in a nice hotel. Just our kind of vacation.
It took us 8 hours to get to Flagstaff so the first night we just went out to eat and then hit the hot-tub. The weather was chilly and the warm water felt great. The next morning we got up and headed for the Grand Canyon. My daughter Taryn always does these jumping shots in her pictures so Gini said she would do it with me. Annette couldn't get the shot with her camera so we kept jumping. It was really freaky because as we would jump I would see tons of flashes. I guess everyone around us wanted a picture of some old ladies jumping. Luckily we got a shot with my camera.
Here we are all happy before our hike. It was perfect weather for me to hike. I hate the heat and with the cloud cover it made for a nice day. We decided we would hike down 2 1/2 miles and then come back up.
The hike down was harder for me because my knees ache with the down-hill walk. It's a pretty steep drop and with the rain they had received that morning it was pretty muddy. Luckily it wasn't the slick mud they have in Hawaii and we made it down safe with nobody falling. Gini did trip on the way up but she was trying to text at the same time.
This is truly how we felt at times on this hike.
It is so pretty down there and we would have to remind ourselves to look up once in awhile to see how beautiful it was. Luckily there were many people willing to take a picture. We would ask them and then hand them three cameras, but nobody complained.
We thought we were pretty cool doing this hike at our age until we meet Tom. He is 90 years old and two days ago hiked down the North Rim, stayed at the Phantom Ranch for two days and was on his way up the South Rim home. He was truly inspiring and I hope to be in that good of shape when I'm his age. We made it up to the top and the lightening started so we ran to the lodge to have some lunch. Okay we didn't really run because we were sore but we hobbled as fast as we could. Once we got inside the skies opened up and it hailed for about 20 minutes. We had beat Tom up the trail and were so worried that he was still on the trail when the hail hit. We had talked to his son up at the top so hopefully they got him up and safe. I really would like to hike all the way down and stay for a couple of days. Hopefully I can fulfill that dream some day.
The next day Jerilyn took us to Sedona. We took the scenic route there and drove through a canyon that was so pretty. I wish I could remember names, but I can't recall what it was named. I've heard about Sedona but didn't know anything about it. It is amazing and if you have the chance to visit I would encourage it.
We had all pulled various muscles in our legs yesterday on the hike in the Grand Canyon and after sitting in the car for an hour the sight of us getting out and trying to walk was hilarious. We looked even older then we are. Luckily we found a great 5 mile hike that was pretty level and not hard at all so after awhile we were able to walk normally. But every time we sat for awhile we would cramp up and had the hardest time walking. Going down stairs was the best and we would have to stop in the middle because we were laughing so hard at how funny we looked trying to walk down them.
We found a great spot to rest. Down below these rocks was a little waterfall and stream.
The hike ended on a big rock so you could overlook part of the valley. We tried a couple of jump shots off this rock but they didn't work. When I landed on my other foot I thought it was time to stop. I don't know if my friends could carry me out.
After the hike we went into town and had lunch at a wonderful Mexican resturant and then took a short 1/2 hour trolley ride to learn some history of Sedona.
She took us to the opposite side of town from our hike and we saw some more beautiful country. She told us about a box canyon up there that I would love to explore some day.
My camera batteries were low at the Grand Canyon so I wasn't able to take alot of pictures. Luckily I had charged the camera and could take alot of pictures of Sedona. I love this bottom one the colors are so pretty and to think I took it with a scuba camera. Not too bad.
The last day we went out to Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument. I'm surprised at how pretty it was with the broken lava rock. It also amazes me when I see trees growing up in the middle of it. After the lava fields we went to the Wupatki National Monument and were able to see some Indain ruins. They were really well preserved and the two we saw were big.
They had this blow hole that blew air. I've never seen a blow hole that wasn't close to an ocean but you would lean over and your hair would blow up. I thought I had downloaded the big picture of the house but I guess I didn't. If I could figure out how I would put it in. It was fun to try and figure out how they lived and what rooms were used for what. That afternoon we did what women do best and shopped in old town Flagstaff. They had alot of cute shops and everyone found a treasure. That night we wanted to hear Jerilyn sing again so we went to a karoke bar and went back 30 years when she belted out Pat Benatars "Hit me with your Best Shot". She still has a beautiful voice and it was great to hear her sing. It was a awesome week filled with yummy food, fun talk and lots of laughter. It's pretty amazing that we have known each other since kindergarten and are still friends. We already have our next reunion planned.
Here we are all happy before our hike. It was perfect weather for me to hike. I hate the heat and with the cloud cover it made for a nice day. We decided we would hike down 2 1/2 miles and then come back up. 
The hike down was harder for me because my knees ache with the down-hill walk. It's a pretty steep drop and with the rain they had received that morning it was pretty muddy. Luckily it wasn't the slick mud they have in Hawaii and we made it down safe with nobody falling. Gini did trip on the way up but she was trying to text at the same time.
This is truly how we felt at times on this hike. 
It is so pretty down there and we would have to remind ourselves to look up once in awhile to see how beautiful it was. Luckily there were many people willing to take a picture. We would ask them and then hand them three cameras, but nobody complained. 
We thought we were pretty cool doing this hike at our age until we meet Tom. He is 90 years old and two days ago hiked down the North Rim, stayed at the Phantom Ranch for two days and was on his way up the South Rim home. He was truly inspiring and I hope to be in that good of shape when I'm his age. We made it up to the top and the lightening started so we ran to the lodge to have some lunch. Okay we didn't really run because we were sore but we hobbled as fast as we could. Once we got inside the skies opened up and it hailed for about 20 minutes. We had beat Tom up the trail and were so worried that he was still on the trail when the hail hit. We had talked to his son up at the top so hopefully they got him up and safe. I really would like to hike all the way down and stay for a couple of days. Hopefully I can fulfill that dream some day.
The next day Jerilyn took us to Sedona. We took the scenic route there and drove through a canyon that was so pretty. I wish I could remember names, but I can't recall what it was named. I've heard about Sedona but didn't know anything about it. It is amazing and if you have the chance to visit I would encourage it. 
We had all pulled various muscles in our legs yesterday on the hike in the Grand Canyon and after sitting in the car for an hour the sight of us getting out and trying to walk was hilarious. We looked even older then we are. Luckily we found a great 5 mile hike that was pretty level and not hard at all so after awhile we were able to walk normally. But every time we sat for awhile we would cramp up and had the hardest time walking. Going down stairs was the best and we would have to stop in the middle because we were laughing so hard at how funny we looked trying to walk down them.
We found a great spot to rest. Down below these rocks was a little waterfall and stream. 
The hike ended on a big rock so you could overlook part of the valley. We tried a couple of jump shots off this rock but they didn't work. When I landed on my other foot I thought it was time to stop. I don't know if my friends could carry me out.
After the hike we went into town and had lunch at a wonderful Mexican resturant and then took a short 1/2 hour trolley ride to learn some history of Sedona.
She took us to the opposite side of town from our hike and we saw some more beautiful country. She told us about a box canyon up there that I would love to explore some day. 
My camera batteries were low at the Grand Canyon so I wasn't able to take alot of pictures. Luckily I had charged the camera and could take alot of pictures of Sedona. I love this bottom one the colors are so pretty and to think I took it with a scuba camera. Not too bad. 
The last day we went out to Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument. I'm surprised at how pretty it was with the broken lava rock. It also amazes me when I see trees growing up in the middle of it. After the lava fields we went to the Wupatki National Monument and were able to see some Indain ruins. They were really well preserved and the two we saw were big.
They had this blow hole that blew air. I've never seen a blow hole that wasn't close to an ocean but you would lean over and your hair would blow up. I thought I had downloaded the big picture of the house but I guess I didn't. If I could figure out how I would put it in. It was fun to try and figure out how they lived and what rooms were used for what. That afternoon we did what women do best and shopped in old town Flagstaff. They had alot of cute shops and everyone found a treasure. That night we wanted to hear Jerilyn sing again so we went to a karoke bar and went back 30 years when she belted out Pat Benatars "Hit me with your Best Shot". She still has a beautiful voice and it was great to hear her sing. It was a awesome week filled with yummy food, fun talk and lots of laughter. It's pretty amazing that we have known each other since kindergarten and are still friends. We already have our next reunion planned. 
1 comment:
What great scenery! Makes me want to go there. Can't believe you've known all of them since kindergarten. You'll have great memories of this trip.
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