Elko, NV or Bust

After leaving West Yellowstone, MT, the next two days were essentially transit days.  I knew we could probably have pushed all the way to Reno in one day, but that would have been an extremely long day and probably exasperating for the kids (as well as Twiggy).  So I looked at the map, pulled out the Road Trips book, and scanned the Roadside America website for an interesting detour along the way.

To be frank, in my humble opinion, there is really not much to see or do in southeastern Idaho.  I did more than a little research on potential stops but could not find anything that seemed even potentially mildly entertaining to the kids.  In the midst of this, I had seriously entertained a side trip to see Craters of the Moon National Monument and so went on the park's website to see what there is to do there and what the park service recommends doing.

In the course of my due diligence I ran across the following passage, written by a former park ranger:

"Its like black vomit from the bowels of the earth" was the reaction of an 1860s emigrant when crossing the lava fields in the present day Craters of the Moon National Monument.  This colorful description was probably the most critical ever expressed about this volcanic landscape, but the negative comment most commonly heard at the visitor center desk is "This place is nothing but black rock."

After working at the monument for over 25 years, this phrase came to aggravate me every time I heard it. I wasn't aggravated by the visitor, but by the fact that I Knew that none of these visitors had really given themselves a chance to experience the place at its best.

Visitor surveys done at the park showed that statistically nearly all visitors to Craters of the Moon arrived between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. sometime during the months of July, August, or September.The problem with visiting the lava beds during this time is that all you experience is an overpowering, parching sun, a drying and too persistent wind, and a stark, seemingly lifeless, landscape of black rock.No wonder so may visitors never return and so many Idahoans fail to identify the place as being as beautiful as Yellowstone or theGrand Canyon. Given a chance, however, I am convinced that anyone who followed these simple rules would come to see Craters of the Moon as every bit their equal....

Reading this passage sealed the deal -- I will never go to Craters of the Moon National Monument, especially with three kids in the middle of the summer.  So I gave up on trying to find something interesting to see in this part of Idaho.  In hindsight, after the transit, it was probably the right decision.  The terrain is essentially high desert or farmland that is crossed by the meandering Snake River in many places.  The speed limit along the bulk of the route was 75 MPH.  And so onward we plowed to Elko, NV.

I was expecting Elko to be not much more than a strategically placed transit stop -- a remnant of both the California emigrant trail and the building of the continental railroad.  I expected a town that is really a collection of inns and eateries for the people driving from the Bay Area east or vice versa.  For those who view the 4 hour drive from San Francisco to Reno as too short for a reasonable day's journey and San Francisco to Salt Lake as a bit of a stretch, Elko is a good place to stop.

However, we were pleasantly surprised.  Instead of being a town full of slightly run down motels and gas stations, Elko was a nice little tidy community.  It does have its share of motels and gas stations, but the town is well-kept and had a nice little sparkle to it.  It had a number of good restaurants, including some highly recommended Basque places -- which were crowded.

As it turns out my preconceptions were misplaced.  What is driving the Elko economy is not simple hospitality, but rather gold.  It turns out that the state of Nevada produces more gold than just four other countries and most of that production is in Elko.  Elko is considered the capital of Nevada's gold belt and it shows.  

Reno and Bishop and onto LA

From Elko, NV we had a leisurely drive to Reno where we stayed at the Peppermill Resort and Casino. Casinos have a lot of overweight, unhealthy looking people as their clientele.  Lots of "wife-beater" tees in the casino's coffee shop even though it is probably one of the best hotels in Reno with nice rooms and a very good pool.

Twiggy had family business in Reno so I took the kids and went up to see my Uncle Dave and Aunt Judy at their place near Truckee at Tahoe-Donner.  After our visit, the kids and I continued our journey and we drove around Lake Tahoe, down to Carson City where we satisfied our craving for In-and-Out Burgers.  

In-And-Out has locations only in California, Arizona, Nevada, Utah, and Texas.  They are somewhat of a cult institution with a short published menu and a long non-published menu that you can order.  But don't worry, unlike New York, if you make a mistake, you won't be bullied and chastised for being uninitiated -- e.g. the Soup Man of Seinfeld fame or the gyro/falafel cart on 86th and Third.

Hot Creek Fish Hatchery

We then continued down to Bishop, CA a small town of 3900 people located in the high desert on the eastern side of the Sierras to see my brother and his family.  

The next day the kids and I picked up some sandwiches and ventured up to the Hot Creek trout hatchery near Mammoth where we eyed the fishes and had lunch.  

After lunch, we traveled back down the hill to Bishop and went to one of my favorite places to go when it is above 100 degrees -- Keough's Hot Springs.  Keough's is an interesting place to cool down.  It is a large free flowing pool that is fed by both geothermal hot water and cool water so anyone can find a spot in the pool where the temperature suits them.  Although the facilities are slightly run down, they are clean and the pool is very sanitary and without chlorine.  

The following day the kids and I and Uncle Jeff took a trip up to June Lake where our intent was to swim on the beach there and let the kids go fishing for trout.  The swimming was excellent and the water clear and not too cold.  However, the lightning-induced fires west of the area sent smoke across the Sierras and into the Mammoth and Bishop areas.  Sitting on the beach at June Lake made my eyes water and sting.  It was very much like being directly downwind from a campfire.  The skies weren't deep blue like they usually are -- they were white and hazy.  Between the stinging eyes and the increasing winds, we decided to bag the fishing.  

Twiggy met us that night in Bishop and we left the next day for LA.  We only had one night in LA before our morning flight to Hawaii.  Twiggy used to live in Manhattan Beach, a trendy beach community about 10 miles south of Venice and Santa Monica and just north of Hermosa and Redondo Beach.  There is a thriving downtown area with an abundance of casual and high end restaurants, nail salons, coffee shops, surf shops, etc .  We met one of our dear friends, Emily Beason, for dinner in downtown there at a gourmet pizza restaurant.  You would be hard pressed to find a pepperoni pizza on their menu, but instead pizza with fresh corn, arugula, goat cheese, and other fresh ingredients.  Even the vanilla brownie sundae we ordered for dessert was organic.  If only we could find similar restaurants in Rye that offer fresh, healthy food for a minimal price.  

Campbell and Grant on Manhattan Beach, CA

The next morning the kids spent a few hours walking on the beach where there was a national lifeguard tournament ongoing with teams from as far away as Hawaii and the Hamptons.   

We then went to the airport and onto the second third of our adventure -- Hawaii.

Hawaii -- A Goldilocks Story

Twiggy: 

Hawaii has always held a special significance for Randy and I.  We were engaged in Princeville on Kauai back in 1997 and honeymooned on the Big Island in 1998.

The Engagement Arraignment

The Sentencing

When we lived in San Francisco, it was relatively easy to make the trek to Hawaii.  We visited  the  islands it seems almost every year.  Having said that, we were also kidless for the first few years of our marriage.  Now that we live in New York, Hawaii makes less sense as a vacation destination so instead we get our sun and sand fixes in the Caribbean.  It's been at least 10 years since our last trip to Hawaii.  

Having now spent the last two and a half weeks on the Hawaiian Islands, in my humble opinion, nothing beats Hawaii, period.  It has some of the most beautiful beaches in the world, is part of the United States where you can use your cell phone to make calls just as if you are state side,  you can drink the water out of the tap, and people drive on the right side of the road ("Literally", as Joe Biden would say), and it is still exotic.  

Campbell has had an obsession with Hawaii for the past few years, and over the last year she has been telling anyone that would listen that she was going to visit Hawaii and attend a luau even before we had planned the trip.  We left the Great White Sienna loaded with the cowboy clothes at the hotel in LA and flew to Honolulu.  

Each of the islands has its own tempo.  Oahu is the busiest with Honolulu a built up city with traffic jams and bustle.  Kauai is very quiet, particularly on the north side near Hanalei and Princeville. Maui is spread out and somewhat in between although it does not have any cities, just smaller villages. 

We planned on spending 3 days in Oahu and then continue on to the northern part of Kauai in Princeville for a week, then finish up with a week in Maui in the Ka'anapali region.  This was all part of the vacation which was set up about a year ago.  

Oahu

The kids were disappointed that most hotels have given up the long-held tradition of greeting their guests with a fresh flower lei.  Nevertheless, everyone got over it after having arrived at the hotel and seeing the beautiful open lobby looking out onto the Pacific Ocean, feeling the cool trade winds, and celebrating our arrival with a a mai tai for the adults and a virgin pina colada for the kids.  The tiki torches were lit, the palm trees were swaying and everyone was happy.

Rainbow seen from George's kitchen window

Upon our arrival, we were to connect with our friend, George Mimura and his boys, Alex (14) and Andrew (10) who moved to Oahu about a year ago.  They were flying back home from the mainland about the same time we were to arrive, but George got food poisoning on the plane and we put off meeting until the next day.  George and the boys met us at the pool at our hotel the next day and we decided to go out to the beach where we rented some boogie boards and a stand-up paddle board for the kids, eventually adding a kayak to the mix.    

The water was about 75 degrees in temperature and perfectly clear.  The kids did not hesitate to jump right in.  Within a few short minutes, Campbell, who is 6 years old, had paddled out on a boogie board about 1/4 mile from shore  (about 3/4 of the way to where the waves are breaking in the picture below).  Of course this made Twiggy and me much more nervous than Campbell who seemed oblivious to any danger.  

George and Grant Turtle Hunting

Somehow everyone switched up water toys and Reagan and Campbell ended up on the SUP board with Andrew.  When the ever fearless Campbell saw a sea turtle swim under her, she was determined to swim alongside it and pet it, not once thinking that she might get her finger bitten off.  So she jumps off the board and dives down underwater in pursuit of the turtle which she eventually touches.

We enjoyed Oahu, and if we lived in Hawaii, we would probably choose to live here.   Clearly there are great food choices as well as a large international population there, particularly among the Japanese -- in fact, I would venture that one could live in Honolulu and only speak Japanese.  And despite Oahu's traffic and bustle, there are plenty of remote places away from Waikiki on the island that are readily accessible.  Having said that, for a vacation respite, I would prefer one of the other islands.  

Kauai

We flew to Kauai the following day for our week stay in Princeville.  Princeville is located on the northern, wet end of the island (Waialea, a mountain on the north end of the island is reportedly the wettest place on earth with over 450 inches of rain on average per year).   According to Wikipedia, Princeville was named by the plantation owner in honor of a visit to the area by Prince Albert Kamahemahe.  He named another area of the plantation Emmaville in honor of Prince Kamahemahe's mother, but the name never stuck.  Whereas Waikiki is tourist central with shops galore, Kauai is the complete opposite, a bit too quiet for my taste but beautiful nonetheless.   

Our weeks in Hawaii were more about activities than sightseeing.  We spent  a few days of our week in Kauai snorkeling at Tunnels Beach, almost at the end of the road past Hanalei.  To give you a sense of how less developed this part of Hawaii is, to get there we had to traverse numerous one-lane bridges that crossed streams or portions of taro fields, waiting for cars the other way to either clear the bridge or wait their turn before proceeding across ourselves.

One day Reagan, Grant and I rented bikes and rode the WaiKoa Loop Trail through Kauai Fresh Farms, a 500 acre farm which is owned by E-trade founder, Bill Porter.  Part of the farm includes the largest mahogany plantation in the United States.  Our plans were to meet up with Twiggy and Campbell at a waterfall created by an old stone dam originally built to provide irrigation water to the sugar cane plantation that used to be there.  I struggled on the first half of the journey cursing at first what I thought to be impediments of my age but when I realized the kids were having issues too, I blamed it on having to ride on grass the whole way.  I found the real cause of the difficulty on the way home where it quickly became apparent that while the route looked flat, it was imperceptibly uphill the whole way.  The trip back took a lot less effort and a lot less time and the bruise to my ego quickly healed.

Grant at the Prince Course in Princeville

Another afternoon Grant and I golfed at the Prince Course which is the number one rated course in Hawaii.  It was truly beautiful and worth just cruising around on the cart, even if you didn't play.  

While Grant and I were golfing, Twiggy and the girls went to the beach at the St. Regis and chased eels while snorkeling.  

Twiggy, Reagan, Grant and Campbell all suited up

Our last activity on Kauai was an ATV tour on the Kipu Ranch.  On one of our previous trips to the islands, Twiggy and I had taken an ATV tour through coffee fields and had a blast.  We did not expect this tour to be the same, especially since one probably shouldn't go full bore with kids bouncing around the vehicle inhaling red dust.  However, this tour was well worth the time, taking us through a privately owned farm which has been used for filming locations in many famous movies, including, among others, Jurassic Park and Indiana Jones.  The location was beautiful, there was not as much ATV activity but the tour offered unique access to a special location and it was great for the kids who got to swing off the same rope into the Hule'li River that Harrison Ford swung off evading captors in Indiana Jones.     

Grant as Indiana Jones

Maui

On Saturday, we flew from Kauai to Maui via Honolulu.  When I went to pick up the rental car at the airport, I was told I had made a mistake (this did not shock me too much as when I was arranging everything, I was having trouble remembering the city names given the proliferation of vowels and shortage of consonants in their names) and booked a car at their facility in Kauai that week instead of the facility at the airport on Maui.  Of course they were booked up and could not simply rent me another car.  After some negotiating, I arranged for us to get a reasonable price on a true land yacht -- a Crown Victoria -- which not only drove exactly like the 1971 Ford LTD that my parents owned, it looked about as dated on the inside as well.  Anyway, feeling like a member of Five-O, I swung around to pick up the family and immediately took my share of grief.  On the other hand, one fun part was watching other drivers start to panic and slow down when they saw us in their rear view mirrors.

Our timeshare was in a very large development in Kana'apali area of Maui, next to one of the best beaches in Maui.  All the units are housed in one very large building and by the time we got to the room through a seemingly never-ending maze-like collection of corridors I felt like I deserved a pellet.  It took us three days to find an efficient way to the pool and the car.  Having said that, the resort was nice and our accommodations were very spacious and comfortable. 

The kids on the Kapalua Resort Coastal Trail

Twiggy's sister, Karen, was also on Maui staying at a resort just south of where we were staying.  One day we met up with her and her friend, Vesna, and decided to explore the Kapalua Resort Coastal Trail which was about 14 miles north of where we were.  This was an incredible walk.  As we started walking along the Coastal Trail, we were in awe.  It was a place where every time you turned a corner, the view was as good as or better than the last.  We were stopping every 300 feet to take pictures and I was wondering if we would ever get more than 1/4 mile down the trail. Shortly, we came to a point where you could walk down and check out some tide pools formed in the lava rocks.  So we did, and as we were about to continue on, a few suspect looking guys come tumbling down onto the point and jump into the water about 6 feet below.  They keep getting out and jumping back in.  They appear to be low-wattage types, with low hanging shorts that expose their backsides, tattoos and the large primal earrings.  We engage them in conversation and they are completely nice people, but my first impressions about the wattage are confirmed when I notice that one of them takes his large dive knife out each time before he jumps in, then he re-sheaths it, climbs out, and repeats the process.  I ask him why and he says it is because he is afraid of sharks.  Anyway, the kids eventually end up jumping off in the same spot and we spend another 30 minutes there, watching a few large turtles come close by.  I find a seat on the rocks nearby as I don't have my bathing suit with me and I am getting warmer by the moment (note-to-self: never go anywhere in Hawaii without a bathing suit).

We continue along the trail through a ground-nesting bird sanctuary and eventually come to a large cove where people are jumping off of rock cliffs in various places from about 15-20 feet above the water.  The water is clear and reasonably deep.  After Aunt Karen and Vesna jump, Reagan is determined to go.  At this point I give it about 1 in 40 odds that she actually goes through with it.  But to my surprise, she takes the leap.  I am glad she had the opportunity to see Karen and Vesna jump as I don't think she would have done it with just our family there.  Even more to my surprise, Grant decides to go too:  

So for the next hour or so, everybody but Twiggy and I are frolicking in the cool water and taking turns jumping off of the cliff.   I am getting hotter and hotter by the minute.  Eventually I can't stand it anymore and decide to shed my shirt, belt and everything in my pockets and jump in too.  Twiggy is left in the scorching sun and dry heat alone without a bathing suit.  Then the kids start cajoling her to come in.  This cajoling goes on for some time and reaches a pretty high level of intensity before Twiggy slowly relents and agrees to come in.  But, for anyone who has not seen Twiggy enter a pool, she does it very, very slowly.  There is no jump, even from a modest height for her.  So she creeps over the rocks and eventually gets into the water -- stepping on a sea urchin and embedding its spines into the sole of her foot in the process.  

There were a number of local Polynesian-types hanging around who told us she had stepped on Wana.  That led to some discussion in our group over whether Wana was sea urchin or some other peril of the ocean.  Her foot was going numb and becoming swollen.  The locals were insistent that the remedy was to pee on it.  Twiggy balked at that, but as we were leaving, making our way back up the hill, we left to choruses of rotund Hawaiians shouting after us "Pee on it!".     We eventually fetched our car with the help of some German tourists and made our way back to the hotel, stopping to purchase some vinegar on the way.  They sell it by the gallon here, so I don't think this is an uncommon problem.  Twiggy soaked her foot in vinegar for the bulk of the evening and eventually the numbness went away and most of the spines disintegrated after a few days.  

Turtle off of Wailea

The following day we took a snorkel trip to Molokini with Trilogy Tours.  The boat was a very large catamaran and very stable, but we the hour long trip across the strait was heading into rolling waves and Grant became seasick and fed the fish off the stern of the boat for a while.  After snorkeling at Molokini the boat stopped again near Wailea where there are a lot of turtles.  Overall the snorkeling was OK, the food was good, the service was incredible and the overall experience made for a good day.  

The following night we attended the Old Lahaina Luau.  Twiggy had set this up more than a month in advance.  We had great seats and it was a pretty cool experience: roasted pig, hula dancers, great venue on the water, good service, all you can eat and drink.  The kids loved it.  I was expecting some dudes that threw, twirled or ate fire, but was disappointed that was not part of the show. 

Who doesn't like women in coconut bikinis?

On our last full day in Hawaii we went down to the Black Rock area of Kaanapali beach.  People were again jumping off the rocks here, but they were not as high as the jump in Kapalua. Nevertheless, Reagan and Grant had to take the leap.  

Grant does Black Rock

First impressions: Oahu is too busy, Kauai is too quiet, and Maui is just right.

TSA of Hoover Dam -- The Corkscrew Security Caper

Back in LA we were on Randall Time.  We arose early, reloaded the Great White Sienna and headed east with Hoover Dam as our first target.

Great breakfast place in the middle of nowhere

One of the things Twiggy and I often discuss is why we can stumble into any random restaurant on the West Coast and get a good breakfast, but we have no luck after searching diligently for years on the East Coast.  We have yet to find a place we would even look forward to going back to for breakfast in Westchester County or even in NYC for that matter.  Diners just don't cut it.  Yet we fall into almost any place west of the Mississippi and one can get really good breakfasts -- omelets with fresh spinach or avocados or, as you get closer to the coast, fresh crabmeat, different variations of Eggs Benedict, etc.  Simple but good.  

Our long-held beliefs were confirmed when we stopped for breakfast at a random place chosen from Yelp in Hesperia, CA.  Hesperia is in the middle of nowhere.  And the restaurant is in the middle of nowhere in the middle of nowhere...it is located in a residential district across the railroad tracks from an industrial district.  Given it was Sunday morning, when we pull up, there is a crowd loitering outside waiting to be seated.  All I can say is that the food justified the crowd.  It wasn't gourmet, it was just good, simple breakfast food at a reasonable price.

The family at Hoover Dam

After breakfast, we continued to Hoover Dam.  On the way there, we had to pass a checkpoint where we stopped and actually conversed with a military person who stopped us, looked us over and decided whether or not to let us pass.  After he made a snap determination that we were probably not trouble, we continued on another mile or so and parked in the parking structure a short way uphill from the dam.  We walked down the hill and headed into the visitors' center for a tour.  Our bags were scanned and I was stopped by the TSA-like security because I had a corkscrew in my backpack, which  I had thrown it in there because I knew I couldn't take it on the flight to Hawaii and I had forgotten about it.  I was informed I either had to schlep back to my car to stow it or surrender it to them never to be seen again -- they would not hold it until we finished our tour even though it wasn't very crowded and there were probably not many more coming through that day.  

In the power generating area of the dam

Now obviously a 99-cent Liquor Barn corkscrew is a dangerous weapon especially in such a vulnerable place as Hoover Dam which is 660 feet thick of solid concrete built into solid rock.  Really, what was I going to do -- shiv a docent?  

Anyway, we took a tour of the dam which includes going down 750 ft. or so in an elevator to a level just above the river where the water is released through turbines which generate electricity.  The inside of the electricity generating portion of the dam is quite impressive and, having been constructed between 1931-1936, it has that art deco feel much like the Golden Gate Bridge.

When we were here six years ago, the Tillman bridge (Mike O'Callaghan-Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge) was under construction about 500 yards south of the dam.  You could tell then it was going to be an impressive structure simply because of its height over the bottom of the gorge (it is the second highest bridge in the United States) and the distance of its span. It has been completed and is a spectacular structure, especially as viewed from the observation area of the bridge.

After our tour of the dam, we walked across it and then headed on to Williams, AZ.  

First impressions:  

1) Since we came here in 2007, six years after 9-11, there has been a massive increase in security around the place, notwithstanding the mis-application of common sense noted above.  The dam is as fortified as the State Department Building in Washington with car barriers at each end, a physical inspection (stop and greet of each car going to the dam for a tour), magnometers, and x-ray machines for people wanting to take a tour.  Either there are threats that demand this level of security -- in which case we are in trouble; or the government has lost all sense of proportion and the security apparatus is growing out of control -- in which case we are in trouble.  Conclusion: we are in trouble.  

2) The effort to ensure equal access to everyone impacts everyone.  As I observed at Mt. Rushmore, the inclusion of large subtitles on older production movies shown in the visitors center's of all these Federal Government run places is really distracting and takes away the enjoyment for those of us not hearing impaired.  There has to be a better way.  

3)  The Hoover Dam was completed two years ahead of schedule and under budget (while having to build entire manufacturing plants of historical scale on-site, developing new technologies and building entire towns to house the workers and their families).  Why do modern day government-run engineering projects go so far over schedule and over budget?  

Grand Canyon and Flagstaff

We woke up the next morning to rain and fog in Williams, AZ.   While the kids and Twiggy went to breakfast, I stopped by the rack of brochures in the lobby to see if we could get a tour at the last minute.  The last time we were at the Grand Canyon, we had cruised up and down the Rim Road, stopping at various lookout points without really knowing what we were doing.  Despite the guidebooks, we decided this time to take a half day tour, if possible, and then spend the afternoon by ourselves.  

Luckily, we booked a tour that departed from Tusayan, about an hour north of Williams.  So we quickly left the hotel and headed due north where we met our tour operator in the parking lot of the McDonalds.  Our family comprised the entire tour entourage.  We had an 4WD truck with an open back of stadium seats with plastic windows that could be rolled down to protect passengers from  the rain and Indian blankets for each passenger.  It was a perfect setup, especially with just us as the passengers since we did not have to worry about offending anyone with our intra-family banter and repartee.

The Grand Canyon shrouded in fog

How's the view?  Its so foggy their gizmo doesn't even work.

Now seven years ago, when we were here, the skies were very hazy with smoke from brush fires north of the area.  You could see the canyon, but it was hard to clear view of the distance and details were hard to make out.  This time, there was thick fog and rain.  Twiggy and I just had to laugh.  How was it that we would visit America's premier destination of grand vistas twice in seven years and not be able to really see it.  We toured some of the Kaibab National Forest and an old copper mine which supported a town into the 1950's and stopped to learn about the flora and fauna at various points before approaching the rim of the canyon.  When we eventually did get to the rim, the whole canyon was fogged in.  You couldn't see 100 yards and we had to laugh.  

We continued on the tour getting only a few glimpses into the canyon and eventually left the rim and made our way back outside the park and to Tusayan.  On the tour we did did see some animals including a California condor and a slew of mule deer.  When we came across a ranger with an exhibit that explained the condors and a tape measure, it became apparent that when you are looking down into the canyon it is really hard to keep your perspective.  The bird that looked like a small seagull was a bird with a nine foot wingspan. 

As the fog was lifting

The tour operator dropped us back at our car in the McDonalds parking lot and we headed back into the park, stopping at various points of interest and lookout points as we made our way east along the rim road and the exit toward Flagstaff.

Eventually, the fog alternatively lifted and dropped amid the rain that kept coming and going and we did get views of the sweeping vistas.   And quite a view it was.  There were less crowds given the time of year and the fact that most West Coast schools had been in session for a few weeks at this point.   The rain and the fog kept the weather temperate and it was actually quite enjoyable.  

Again I experienced a very strong sense of vertigo which was exacerbated by the fear of our somewhat random third child overestimating her capabilities.  This was the case at Hoover Dam as well as some of the overlooks in Yellowstone, but it was particularly acute at the Grand Canyon.  Each year numerous people fall off the canyon rim hundreds of feet to their deaths.  According to the tour guide the high month was when 38 people fell off the side into the canyon.  And its not like you fall a few feet before getting stuck in some brush.  You fall, bounce a few times, fall again and eventually find some resting place hundreds of feet below.  And there are thousands of people all trying to get their picture taken all along the edge..."Just one more step back, Honey.  I can't quite focus".   If a newlywed wife can do this, I was imagining what my wife was capable of after over 15 years of marriage, the last 30 days of which was in a minivan.  Maybe that also contributed to my sense of uneasiness and my reluctance to get too close to the edge.

In the picture below check out the guy on the left.  I can't tell whether he is getting ready to push her off or whether he is trying to keep her from falling over the edge.  I don't have my physics down cold, but my guess is that if she goes, he goes with her.  There is "literally",  as Joe Biden would say, nothing to hold onto.

Check out the guy on the left...

The tour guide had mentioned a few Trading Posts at which to stop on the Indian Reservation after we left the park and on the way to Flagstaff.  We stopped at a few in particular and bought some inexpensive Indian jewelry for the kids.  The people were very friendly at these places and often recommended proprietors a few booths down.  I thought to myself either they are all related or simply don't have a finely honed business instinct.  

Last time we were in Flagstaff, Twiggy and I had what we remember to be the best Mexican food in the world.  Neither of us remembered the name of the restaurant, but we both remembered what it looked like.  So as we finished our drive down the hill, we scouted about on Yelp trying to match their listings with what we remember the restaurant to look like.  We did find it, and eagerly clamored in for our anticipated meal.  The first bite was about the biggest letdown we could have had and it did not get any better.  It wasn't the ambiance, it was just that the food was about as disappointing as could be after carrying around a memory for 6 years.  Perhaps we had built it up too much in our minds, but perhaps it was because the food was just mediocre at best.  

Holbrook, AZ; Rock Shops; Petrified Forest and Painted Desert National Parks; and the Cadillac Ranch

Along Route 66 between Flagstaff and Albuquerque, sits the Petrified Forest National Park which is in the Painted Desert badlands just outside of Holbrook, AZ.

You will probably notice a theme of rocks and minerals throughout this blog.  The kids have always liked poking around with rocks and minerals and taken an interest in geodes and polished rocks.  Reagan has a rock polisher and has enjoyed making jewelry with her smooth creations.  I have always liked fossils and permanent renditions of long-ago extinct creatures.  When we remodeled our San Francisco house, one of my favorite choices of materials was the limestone tiles with imbedded fossils throughout.

Grant at Jim Gray's 

When we traveled Route 66 last time, on the recommendation of the book,  Road Trips USA, Cross Country Adventures on America's Two-lane Highways, we stopped at a local rock shop.  There are many in this area, driven by the abundance of petrified wood and minerals in the area.  We stumbled onto another large shop, Jim Gray's Petrified Wood Company, which was really, really cool.  Outside there are petrified trees laid out as if they just fell along with acres of geodes.  Inside there is everything from large pieces of amber with ancient mosquitos entombed in them, rocks, minerals and gems from throughout the world, fossils of various sorts, mammoth bones, a fossilized alligator and, of course, fossilized dinosaur poop.  As it turns out, this larger shop, and its proprietor, are very well-known -- he was the guy who donated the petrified trees in front of the Smithsonian (National Museum of Natural History).

We spent about an hour in the shop, bought a few geodes, a few rocks and embarked for the Petrified Forest National Park which is just a few miles down the road.  We toured the Visitor's Center, and then hiked around the area adjacent.  Then we started driving through the park and got about 10 miles down the road before Reagan realized she had just lost one of the Indian earrings she bought the day before at one of the Trading Posts.  She checked the last picture just recently taken on the iPhone and the earring was still on her ear then, so we decided to turn around, go back to the Visitor's Center and retrace our steps to see if we could find it.  Needless to say, that was a futile effort.  So we pressed onward.

At the Petrified Forest National Park

We drove through the Petrified Forest, and then through the Painted Desert National Monument, which is contiguous to the Petrified Forest National Park.  Actually, the two are part of the same National Park with the former occupying the northern section of the park and the later occupying the southern section.  From there we drove onto Gallup, NM.  In Gallup, NM, even though it was late in the day, we poked around the large of number of "trading posts" selling Indian goods (kachina dolls, Indian jewelry, clothes, turquoise, blankets, etc.).  Half of them seem to be simple trading posts and the other half seem to be a combination of pawn shop and trading post.  We fell into one in particular, the Indian Touch Trading Company....which sells locally made Indian goods.  The proprietor grew up in the Bronx and Brooklyn.  We spoke with him for a while and bought some trinkets.

It was around 6 pm and we were going to get some Mexican food (what else do you eat in New Mexico?).  The proprietor recommended a place called Genaro's.  On the way to the restaurant from the Trading Company, Twiggy pointed out that Genaro's Yelp review was less than stellar, and that there was another Mexican restaurant with much higher ratings on Yelp, but given we had a local recommend this place and we have had mixed experiences with Yelp reviews, we decided to try Genaro's.   Should have listened to Yelp.  (Note to self: don't take advice on Mexican food from a Brooklynite craving pizza, regardless of how long they have lived there).

After dinner we pushed onto Albuquerque, NM.  It was great when we got there and all my efforts to explain why the local baseball minor league baseball team is named the Isotopes were met with glazed and uninterested eyes.  (Not the first time on the trip, nor the last).

The next day, we traveled between Albuquerque and Oklahoma City.  On the way, we planned to stop at the Cadillac Ranch just outside the west side of Amarillo, TX.  (See also here).

Cadillac Ranch

The kids learned some urban skills while at the Cadillac Ranch -- how to "tag" cars.