so much to post!!!!

we are now in sedona. We spent the last few days boondocked on a mountaintop by a lake next to flagstaff AZ. Flagstaff was in the middle of a horrible forest fire and it is still dry so no campfires all this week. Sedona is hot but we are having a blast. I am blogging from a bench in front of Safeway... lots of people buying groceries and staring at me. It is about 2:00 and already over 100.

Flagstaff was a blast. Our campsite was great. We stayed up there the last 4 nights and made day trips to different places. Everything was much cooler on the mountaintop. I didn't think there were mosquitos when I went to bed the first night. In the morning I found out that after it gets below 50 they come out in a thick fog. The whole side of my right thigh looked like I had chicken pox. Lots of itching. We kept the windows closed after that. Flagstaff is a college town with tons of atmosphere. We had fun hanging out on the square talking and people watching. We flattened pennies on the railroad tracks because Lauren had never done that. We wanted to go to the observatory to check out the stars at night but didn't get the chance. Flagstaff was a blast and has been our home away from home the last few days.

One day trip we went on was to the grand canyon. I made Lauren hike Bright Angel trail with me. We did 10 miles of it and made it down to Indian Gardens. I thought I was going to die on the way back up. We spent 2 hours going back up the first mile and a half. We would take baby steps and go a hundred feet or so before taking 5 minutes to catch our breath. In the five miles uphill hike we covered 3200 feet of elevation change. Thermometer in the gardens was pegged out at 120 degrees. We heard from a few campers it was topping out at more than 140 degrees in phantom ranch.

Dad.... I don't know how u and I did the full 20 miles to the river and back in a day all those years ago. At one point when Lauren and I were in the bottom I got tunnel vision and nearly blacked out. My whole face went numb and I couldn't drink any water cause I wasn't breathing right. As it was happening I was thinking... man if I have to get hauled outa here that would be expensive. It was a lot tougher hike than I remembered. Really glad we got to do that together. Lauren and I made it out .... it was smoother after the bottom stretch in the sun and Lauren and I pushed our way out. The worst part about our hike was the 90 minute drive home. Lauren slept.

The hike behind us, we spent yesterday resting, eating, and shopping in sedona. I did a little climbing in Oak Creek canyon before driving home last night. This morning we are all packed up and found a new campsite about 40 minutes south of sedona. We will be there a couple days.

Lots of funny things happening. Mom.... we are seeing all kinds of coco pali crap!!!.>>>>>> I knew that would make you jealous. Tril and barrett..... we were in a store the other day and I heard nicolas gunn... sounds of the grand canyon playing........ out of nowhere there was this horrible music playing and a voice saying "formed 320 million years ago in the jurasic period... home to over 300 species of birds.. .. 1200 species of fish.... 9 species of grasshopper..." I took a video you will like of me talking with a lady who was obsessed with nicolas gunn and had all his cds (which she showed me) and for the record... the van doesn't have any NOS to pop but I am drifting all over the dirt mountain roads.


Last few days have been good to us... we are looking forward to the next few and will probably post again in the next day or two. Hope you are all well and safe travel mom and dad.

road miles so far 3672 (partly off road miles : P )
altitude 4348 feet
current temp 101

ps... dad i'm sure u got us beat on miles... why not give us a look at the odometer?!?