AN ORDINARY LIST OF EXTRAORDINARY EXPERIENCES

We wandered in the sand dunes of the Southern California desert

We saw the Saguaro cactus flowers during their once a year two-week bloom and watched the fruit bats feeding on their nectar

We soared above the mountains in the wicker basket of a hot air balloon

We soaked in the heated waters of a natural mineral hot spring

We got pelted by hail during the same soak

We walked through history in the Puebloan villages of Mesa Verde

We cheered on our favorite cowboys and cowgirls at a real Southwestern rodeo

We stood in four states at the same time at Four Corners, Utah/Arizona/Colorado/New Mexico

We stood next to a John Deere harvester with wheels bigger than Gene

We tracked dust devils

We swam in the Pacific Ocean

We hiked a mile down into the Grand Canyon

We bicycled on Route 66

We crossed the Rocky Mountains

We drove right through the end of a rainbow (sadly, no pot of gold awaited us)

We observed the graceful flight of rescued-from-the-brink-of-extinction California Condors

We got sworn in as Junior Rangers in two National Parks

We marveled at the beauty of Colorado’s Treasure Falls

We fed wild chipmunks right from our hands

We basked in a glorious sunset over the Grand Canyon

We laughed through the familiarity of a real country auction

We ate Navajo tacos, fry bread, vegetarian burgers, amazing homemade pies, and melt-in-your-mouth ribs from the back of a truck

We rooted on the contestants in a boot race

We got sprayed with water from a fire truck

We wondered at the magic of a double rainbow from the balcony of our cabin

We had a close encounter with an elk

We reunited with an old friend and met a newly found relation

We stayed in cheap motels, funky inns, National Park lodges, historic stage stops, and cabins

We met expatriot New Yorkers, New Jerseyites, Californians, Texans, Floridians, Australians, and Canadians


And we’re only one quarter of the way through this adventure!



For Gene's very different view of the same journey, check out his blog at www.ConnorsArmy.blogspot.com
To learn more about Connor's Army go to www.ConnorsArmy.org
To see exactly why we're doing this go to www.SunriseDayCamp.org
To make a tax deductible donation go to https://www.wizevents.com/register/register_add.php?sessid=1809&id=1056

REDEMPTION

We walked into the room and I held my breath waiting for the onslaught of whining.  Luckily, the kids were too caught up in the initial surprise of actually staying inside a National Park and in exploring the room to notice the lack of television right away.  By the time the TV issue arose they’d found the balcony overlooking the glorious hundred mile view of Mesa Verde (translation – Green Table) and the point was gratifyingly moot.

And the air conditioning? At 8,000 feet we were just grateful there was a heater!

We spent our first evening playing a cutthroat game of UNO, and our second watching a vicious lightning storm followed by an incredible double rainbow glowing in the rain-washed sunset.

Television.  We don’t need no stinkin’ television.



For Gene's very different view of the same journey, check out his blog at www.ConnorsArmy.blogspot.com
To learn more about Connor's Army go to www.ConnorsArmy.org
To see exactly why we're doing this go to www.SunriseDayCamp.org
To make a tax deductible donation go to https://www.wizevents.com/register/register_add.php?sessid=1809&id=1056

MAKING LEMONADE

I have a confession to make.  I haven’t told my husband or my kids, but I think I’ve made a terrible mistake.  And it’s all because of a previous mistake.

As I explained in my very first blog, I am a person who likes to plan.  Some (i.e.  my husband and children, my parents, my brother, my sister-in-law, all my friends, well, you get the idea) might say over-plan.  But for some reason, or rather for very specific reasons also explained in my very first blog, with this trip I did the exact opposite.

Despite the fact that this is probably the single most complicated thing I’ll ever execute – much more so than my wedding or the countless other weddings and events I coordinated as the owner of a special events company; more so than two moves, one of which was with a toddler and infant twins; more so than the dreaded college application process that we'll be facing in a few years.  Despite my absolute knowledge of that truth, I waited till only a few weeks beforehand to really begin the preparation.

Yes, I had made reservations at the Grand Canyon; and I’m darn lucky I did because those rooms all opened for booking twenty-four months in advance and I snagged mine only eleven months before we were to pull into town.

And that’s where this saga of guilt, hasty atonement, misjudgment, and manipulation begins.

Most everything we do on this trip is a first, and more than likely an only.  As in “This is the only chance we’re going to have to walk on the sand dunes of the California desert.”  Or “This is the only time we’re going to bicycle on Route 66.”  Or more to the point “This is the only trip we’re going to make to the Grand Canyon.”  And my goal has been to make the most of it by not missing any opportunities.

I thought I had gotten a great room only one mile from the entrance to the park.  Yes, there were lodges in the park itself; but they were expensive, not to mention completely unvacant by the time I looked to make a reservation.  When we pulled into the Red Feather lodge, we loved it.  Although one of the least expensive hotels we’ll be staying in, it was also on the more luxurious side.

It was only when we reached Grand Canyon Village after a long day of hiking, saw the cabins and hotels there, and fully realized the unfettered twenty-four hour access those guests had to one of the seven natural wonders of the world, that my regret surfaced.  My family would have had an unforgettable experience if I had gotten myself together far enough in advance and booked one of those rooms.  Gene kept telling me that where we were was perfect, but in my heart I knew he was wrong.  Every time we went past them, my remorse deepened.

Then yesterday, I remembered it.  A way to make up for my mistake.  A way to give my family a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

Saturday we would arrive at Cortez, the small Colorado town from which we’re going to explore Mesa Verde National Park.  We'd have a day off there to fully enjoy this amazing Pueblo site, and we were booked into a lovely mom-and-pop motel only ten miles from the entrance to the park.

Sound familiar?

Yeah, to me, too.

I immediately got on-line and went to the website of the glorious, but too expensive only hotel inside Mesa Verde National Park.  I wasn’t going to make the same mistake twice.  There are times to watch your budget, and times the experience is far more valuable than the extra $100 a night.

Holding my breath I went to the website that’s the only way to book a room and discovered that not only did they have a room available for us; but they now had a special deal running that included the tours we’d planned to take, and ultimately made the whole package less expensive than it would have been if we’d stayed at the mom-and-pop and bought the tours separately.

SCORE!!

I cancelled the mom-and-pop, snagged our once-in-a-lifetime room, and nursed my surprise like a goose sitting on a golden egg about to hatch into a platinum gosling.

Late last night I went back on the website to gloat over my great wisdom and glory in the gift I was giving my family.

That’s when I saw it.  Plain as day and repeated several times as if in warning to make sure everyone fully understood before they made their non-refundable reservations.

“Our rooms are perfectly designed to help you escape the stresses of daily life.  No television or air conditioning to distract you from the beauty of the nature around you.”

How many times had I read that before I made my non-refundable reservation?

"No television to distract you."  No television to distract three children with whom I’m spending 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

"No air conditioning to distract you."  Since when has air conditioning in the desert in the summer been a distraction?

And the only way to go back to the mom-and-pop was to lose the expensive full deposit of our two night stay.  In other words, it was impossible.  It was time for damage control – Mama style.

We’d already been talking about the fact that James and I were getting so many bloody noses because of the air conditioning.  Last night I had another one.  This morning I casually mentioned how nice it might be to stay in a hotel someplace quiet where we could sleep with the windows open and not get so dried out.  James heartily agreed.

Score one for Mama.

Today when we pulled into our latest motel, we were talking about watching our favorite vacation television show, “Cupcake Wars” and the fact that the next episode is coming up on Sunday.

“We’ll be in a new time zone,” James enthused.  “So it’ll be right during dinner.  Can we get our dinner and eat it in front of the television?  Pleeeease!”

You guessed it.  Sunday we’ll be in our fabulous TV-free hotel.

“We’ll have to see,” I responded.  “You know I don’t like to plan things around a television show.  And anyway if we ever miss it, we can watch it when they show it again.”

“They show it again?”

“Oh, yes.  One time during the week.  We just have to find out the day”

“Great.”

Score two for Mama.

“Like the time we’re staying in the cabin in Pueblo.”  I pushed my advantage by bringing up one of the places they’re most excited about.  “We’ll be there on a Sunday, and there’s no television in the cabin.  So we’ll have to watch on the second day.”

“No television?” piped in William in distress.

“Nope.  It’ll be just like when the power went out and we played games,” I countered quickly, following my disarmament strategy.  “I brought UNO and Scrabble, and a bunch of games you’ve never played before.”

“Cool!”

Score three for Mama.

No air conditioning.  No television.  No problem.

Once-in-a-lifetime, here we come!

For Gene's very different view of the same journey, check out his blog at www.ConnorsArmy.blogspot.com
To learn more about Connor's Army go to www.ConnorsArmy.org
To see exactly why we're doing this go to www.SunriseDayCamp.org
To make a tax deductible donation go to https://www.wizevents.com/register/register_add.php?sessid=1809&id=1056