Havasupai

Well, Im back from hiking Havasupai in the Grand Canyon. I had an amazing time! Everything from waking up at 2:30am and driving 3 hrs to get there, to the hike, the camping...it was all a lot of fun!! Not having to take care of kids, I felt like a kid again.

The hike in wasnt bad at all. Its 10 miles and the first mile is practically straight down, the switch backs. Then after that, its just a LONG walk. It was a beautiful walk though and I didnt get any blisters at all. Im sure not having to carry our packs made a huge difference.


The campsite was amazing! A large creek running through the middle and lots of little brooks and creeks all over the place! The spot we got was surrounded on both sides by creeks. We were right against the canyon walls and there was a really cool cave right up above us that had 4 tunnels that went back about 200 feet. The water falls were the most amazing waterfalls Id ever seen. They blew anything Id seen in Hawaii out of the water. Havasupai falls was nice, but the 2nd day we hiked to Mooney Falls and wow, it was so awesome! We had to go through this crazy little cave, and climb down latters and hold onto ropes and chains to get down. It really was one of the coolest spots Ive ever seen in my entire life.


Everyone hiked out, but my mom and I took a helicopter out. Aside from waiting forever, it was really cool. When you are in the bottom of the canyon, all you can see is the walls right by you, so the canyon doesnt look as big. But flying out, I saw all the other canyon walls that were set back and I was like, wow this really is the grand canyon! There is a village down at the bottom that 300 natives have been living in for over 1000 yrs. It was crazy seeing houses down there. The only way in is to walk, horse back or helicopter. They all keep their cars at the hilltop and fly in. I cant imagine living down there, totally cut off from the rest of the world. We saw horses carrying mail bags out.

Anyways, the whole trip made me realize how much I need to get back outdoors and starting camping and hiking again. I really enjoyed the rock climbing as well. It was scary but when I was down and saw what I climbed, I was so proud of myself. It was amazing being in a spot where there were no cars, no music, no noise at all but the creek. You couldnt even hear the other campers. It was really neat.

Here is the link to an awesome slide show that Carl made if you want to check out more of our pics:
3sevens.myshowit.com/havasupai2009

Dude will be missed

I am sad to say that we lost a loved member of our family this week. Our crazy beloved dog, Dude. He was a character for sure. When I met Carl and started dating him, he had only had Dude for 3 months. He rescued him through Pointer Rescue. Dude was a 9 month old hunting dog that his original owner couldnt handle. He was high energy! Carl took him and gave him a loving home and good life. Dude was a bit crazy sometimes. To say that he was lively and rambunctious would be an understatement. He was extremely jealous when I came on the scene and would get up on the couch next to me and lean his whole body on me. If I called Carl on the phone and he talked to me, Dude would bark in the background. Sometimes when I was over, Dude would stand in front of me and just bark at me and Carl would have to put him outside, then he would throw himself against the windows and doors until we let him back in and he went into his kennel in the kitchen. Then he would try to dig his way out of the kennel, and the kennel would be bouncing across the room, until it was facing a wall and then he was really unhappy...barking and making a ton of noise...we had a difficult time watching a movie . I laugh when I remember that now. Dude was not going to accept me easily.

Poor Dude had Carl alone for 3 months, then Carl met me and got married and then 2 kids came along....he was never first place again. He didnt like to be left alone and was known to demolish an entire leather couch one vacation that Carl left him home. He also loved to steal food off the counters any chance he could.

With all of Dude's challenges to us, he was a really great dog. I dont think there was a mean streak in him at all. This dog took a lot of abuse from the kids and never once snapped at them and in time he also came to love and depend on me. Charlie is going to miss Dude a lot because one of his favorite things to do is to drape his blankie over him, then hang on him and suck his thumb. Im really feeling the void that his loss has left here. Every time I walk into my closet, I expect to see him there, laying on the floor like he always did. Its strange around here without him. He definitely had a place in our home and now he will be missed. RIP Dude. 2000-2008.

Sam's 1st Diamondbacks Game

Yesterday Carl took Sam to his first Diamondbacks Game. What a fun time it was. They got baseball caps from the team store. They ate hot dogs and snacks. Sam made friends with some kids sitting close by and whenever he was bored of the game, played with them. They managed to stay for the entire game and see the Diamondbacks win against the Washington Nationals 5-0. Afterwards, Carl took Sam to Hooters for dinner. I know, not my first choice for them, but hey, it was guys day out. And look how much having a cute little redhead with you can be a chic magnet. HAHA. I think Sam and Carl are both looking forward to more games.