In all my travels I've never been to the Grand Canyon. So now that my good friend Peter, his lovely wife Lorna and their new son, Hazard live there, Peter is a Park Cop supervisor at the South Rim, I felt it was imperative to visit. I did just that last weekend.
I drove over on Friday and got in early in the afternoon and headed to the kids house in the Village. It's a pretty drive in from Cali, the environment slowly changing from empty desert to more sage and scrub trees. I got the tour of their new digs and then Peter and I headed out for some errands while Lorna took care of H. They of course, looked like exhausted new parents. We ran to the post office, stopped in the little store and killed some time. Pete commented on how small their grocery was, and I kind of chuckled because its about 4 times the size of the one in Helendale. It's all relative. When we got back to the house, we snatched up Hazard and headed to the rim. It is impressive on a scale that seems unreal but somehow smaller than I expected. I guess I thought you wouldn't be able to see the other side or something along those lines. Still it is sublime. Pete regaled me with tales of his job. Plane rides, helicopter jaunts, cool hikes, base jumpers and others who end their time on this earth with a long fall and a sudden stop. We walked and talked until Haz started getting grumpy then we headed back to the house and watched a movie, Ted.
Saturday we got up and took naps. H had been up during the night and the kids were tired from lack of sleep, so they napped in shifts. Poor Lorna was so tired. We finally all got up and got going around 10ish and hit up the best restaurant in the park. I had a ribeye and eggs that was pretty darn good. We then ran across the street to an old stacked stone building that had been turned into an artist studio and gift shop. I was mostly interested in the building. I like the Southwest style home, of course it only makes sense to have one in an environment that is a dry as the southwest, but they are cool. This one kad a kiva fireplace in teh corner of the room, which was begging to be lit. Since the Park is at 7000 feet and it is still February, it was cold, bone chilling cold in part due to the winds. We headed out for a walk along the rim and we poked our heads into another shop or two along the way, we even hiked down the trail into the canyone for a bit befroe turning back and heading home. Peter and I took H and the dogs for a good long muddy walk in the woods. Then it was time for more napping. Babies sure do wear their parents out!! Lorna and Peter worked together to make an awesome dinner of pork loin, kale, and mashed potatoes and then Lorna was off for a girls night out with the other ladies from the Park staff. The fellas came over and we had drinks and talked into the night.
Sunday was a chill morning, we headed out to Hermits Rest at the end of the developed part of the park, but it was too cold for much walking this morning. So we headed back, grabbed a sandwich of left over pork loin and i hit the road the drive back to Cali. It was cold and windy but again the scenery helped pass the time. I can't wait for it to warm up a bit and to go back and hike down to the canyon floor and pee in the Colorado River.
Hazard Hutton Maggio the messy. his jammies have moose and fat little beavers on them with footies with moose antlers
Peter and H
Not as messy, yet!
the digs, mostly baby proof
Keep them ears warm boy. Looks like a little cosmonaut
Pete's sis sent this fabric frisbee over.
The side facing H looks like a manhole cover.
Waiting patiently for some grub.
Look at that toothy grin
liquid love. Oooooooh. yuck.
Becky, Pete and Lornas doggie. She's wound a bit tight.
Sundays walk included a stop at Maricopa Point.
Do what?!
Walking out to the point.
Pretty colors.
Da Maggios
Hermits Rest, awesome fireplace, should have had a blaze going though. Wood is hard to come by around these parts though.
This is Gus, their friends dog they were sitting while his owner was surfing in Costa Rica.
