Travel Tip? Keep your trip safe by researching well the activities and skill levels required for activities, including that amazing hike that you've been told, "You gotta do it".
This particular spring, my sons, Phil and Henrik, were 10 and 7, respectively. This was to be our first trip taken together that involved a plane ride, rental car, and exploring a part of our country we’d never seen together. I’d had my part-time job for two years since our move to Philly, so there was money in the bank to be used specifically for exploring. Now, the question was, how to plan this amazing escape?
I had heard so many good things about the Southwest region of our country from family and friends. With our boys now both in scouts at the time, it seemed like a great idea to head out west and do some real hiking. I was at a loss as to how best to get started with the planning. We got our first home computer in 1997, but it was years before I really figured out how to use “www” effectively. For this trip, I used guidebooks loaned to me from my friend Jennifer. She and her family were visiting basically the same sites that spring of April 2001, but were driving “the loop” in opposite directions. We mothers made plans to meet up at two of the destinations, Zion, New Mexico, and Sedona, Arizona during our week long trip.
First stop, the Grand Canyon. I didn’t know much about it other than that my husband and his brother could have perished during their “day hike” during their motorcycle trip in 1980. HIking down to the bottom of the canyon and back, wearing only shorts, t-shirts, and taking no real food or much water proved almost life threatening for those two young bucks. From hearing about their experience, I knew that our young family would not be doing ambitious hikes to the canyon floor. Still, the mystery surrounding the Grand Canyon and its magnificent colors and depth seemed definitely worth a peek.
Because I wanted to stay in one of the hotels within the park, we splurged on a double room at the El Tovar. The photograph in the guidebook didn’t do the old hotel justice. It was amazing!! My sons and I had never stayed in an inn remotely like it. Basically constructed as an enormous log cabin, the interior of the lobby made me giddy. Taking in the huge burning fireplace, rustic furniture, and western themed artwork, the whole place seemed as if it had been plucked from a wild west movie set depicting the 1880’s.
We were on a budget, so the four of us stayed in one room with two beds. After settling in, we set out exploring the immediate area that evening, dining casually in an adjacent lodge’s cafeteria style restaurant.
When we woke up the next morning, we quickly learned two lessons.
First, the time difference between Mountain Time and Eastern Standard does impact sleep, particularly with young children.
Despite the clock reading that it was 4 am (MST), all of our internal clocks were still set on EST….6 am. By 5 am we were all dressed and ready to start the day.
When we walked outside of our hotel, we discovered something else we hadn’t expected or planned for. Remember, this was still in the days before we had cell phones to consult about time AND weather because….
There was snow! “Snow?, I thought. It’s April! Aren’t we technically in the desert?”
It wasn’t a lot of snow but it was enough to discourage walking down into the canyon very far. We learned a good lesson right off the bat. When packing for a trip, prepare for any weather. We hadn’t brought along winter gear beyond our hiking boots. We weren’t alone. There were more than a few young women visitors out that morning in little white socks and high heels gingerly making their way through the slushy white stuff, their faces exhibiting as much surprise as ours.
It was here that my young men discovered the joys of a good gift shop. After making their first purchase on the trip, we walked a bit along the south rim before packing up and heading on to our next stop, Zion National Park. We all hoped for better weather, at least not additional snow.
LIttle did I know that for the first time since being a mother, I would find out what it felt like to really experience terror during this next stop. Yup, white hot terror.
The drive to Zion is amazing and driving through the tunnels hand dug by hard working men in the 1920’s is an incredible experience I highly recommend. This national park is essentially traversed in reverse. You drive to the bottom of the deep canyon and hike up. I remember our faces being plastered to the windows of our rental as we took in the waterfalls and gorgeous colors of the canyon as we descended.
It was here at Zion, that we learned valuable lesson number 3
What may be enjoyed and approved by one family does not make it necessarily best for another family.
We hadn’t done our homework on the various trails and hikes at Zion so I was open for suggestions. It was suggested by a friend back home to try the “chain trail”, taking hikers up 1000 vertical feet in one mile. The views were described as being “spectacular”. “Ok, I thought, we’re physically fit. We can do that”.
Pete and I should have heeded the first warning sign we came upon where the trail narrowed significantly. It read “WARNING, FALLS WILL RESULT IN DEATH”. A little stick figure shown flailing backwards added an additional graphic message. At the time though, the trail didn’t seem too steep or too narrow, so we proceeded up…and up…and up.
Eventually the path seemed no wider than about two feet across. There was a chain attached to the mountain side to our left to hang onto, and believe me, we all clung to it fiercely. No one needed to be reminded about this safety point. The boys were doing a great job, proving plenty fit, until it no longer seemed like a great idea to be on this particular “Trail of Potential Death” with a 7 and 10 year old.
Pete offered to scout out the next couple of bends to determine if we should continue. When I asked him if it was worth going the last few yards to capture the broader view over the steep canyon floor, he said, “Nope, it looks about the same as here”. Not needing any further convincing, I said, “We need to go back, now”, with rapidly growing concern. “What the heck are we doing?”,I asked myself as we all turned around and headed back down the perilously steep slope.
It wasn’t too long before seven year old Henrik let go of the chain, crying out, “Owww, I caught my finger in the chain”. From where I stood, I watched him cry a little as he was sucking on an injured index finger. Sure, I was concerned he had possibly drawn blood but there was something more terrifying to me at the moment.
Henrik was no longer hanging on to the safety chain.
“Ellen, go see how bad it is”, said Pete, who was in front of us all by a good fifteen feet.
“I can’t move”, I replied, my eyes kept sharply focused on Henrik, my mind willing him to just stay put.
For the first time in my life, I knew fear at its most paralyzing. I was literally frozen in my tracks, staring at Henrik, willing him to not panic, lose his balance, and possibly fall to certain death from the side of the cliff.
“I’ve got him,”reassured Pete who carefully traced back to where Henrik was now standing more quietly, his finger apparently feeling better. But…he was still not holding on to the chain. My heart was pounding and all I wanted to do was be off the side of that mountain.
The rest of the hike back to the canyon floor was uneventful though I don’t remember anyone saying a word. After we made it down safely, I asked Pete what he would have done if Henrik had lost his balance and had gone over. “I’d have probably gone after him”, said Pete. Visualizing this scenario still makes me cringe today, 21 years later.
It’s rare for me to ask for anyone’s personal hiking recommendations to this day. Instead I read reviews on the park website and seek out advice from the park rangers. These well trained park professionals have proved through the years to be the best source for information for questions regarding level of difficulty, safety, and directions. I also pay a heck of a lot more attention to signs. If I ever see a sign again that says “Death WILL Occur”, I’m turning around.
After our big adventures in Zion, we next drove to Las Vegas. In 2001, Vegas was trying to reinvent itself as more of a family vacation spot. Never having been there, I was more than willing to try it out thinking all those bright lights and super fun looking hotels would be perfect for my imaginative men. And I sure was right!
We stayed at the Excalibur, a good hotel for a family with its own “Fun Dungeon” arcade and medieval castle decor. It was just a place to sleep though as obviously, half of my family was too young to gamble or hit the bars in the evening. Saving money when we could, we mixed it up with our dining options. Dinner at Dennys was just fine for our picky eaters for the first evening. On the second day, we walked the entire strip, tried the super fun coaster at hotel New York New York, and enjoyed the afternoon under the Big Top at Circus Circus. On our second morning, we splurged on breakfast at the hotel Paris where Henrik learned he LOVED (and still does) “real” croissants. I think he had about five. Finally, during our last evening, we were among the lucky but nearly last audiences to enjoy dinner in the dungeon before enjoying the Caesars Magical Empire show. We had a fabulous evening, despite the meal being just so-so. With kids, we learned that as long as any menu had mac n cheese on it, we’d be just fine.
The evening highlighting several different magic shows was incredible, especially the last performance where we met this adorable genie personally. He implored us audience members to sign a petition to help “Save the Magic '' because it was rumored that Caesars had other ideas for this particular space. Apparently, the rumor was true. The Magical Empire show closed for good the day after my 40th birthday the following year. The space was soon demolished to create a larger, more grand arena for a new performer coming to town, Celine Dion.
After Vegas, we took a drive over the Hoover Dam, which was still open for thru car traffic pre-September 11, 2001 (just mere months away). From there, we went on to Sedona, Arizona. I had booked our stay in one of the guest cottages at the Briarpatch Inn, a lovely spot recommended by dear friends. Briarpatch is by far one of the most magical places our family has ever visited. We stayed two nights in a lovely cabin with a fireplace that apparently fairies kept burning because we never saw a soul come or go to restock the wood or stoke the fire during the breakfast hours. We explored the river bed, the boys captured their fill of lizards,and it was also here that we met up again with our friends, the Parkers. On our second evening, we all enjoyed fabulous steaks on the grill and family time at its best.
The trip was a huge success. Our boys proved to be great travelers. The travel bug had bitten me, and good. Now, all I had to do was figure out where to go next? What to do? How to do it?
Unfortunately, an upcoming event, completely out of my control, would put a halt to our family’s travel for the indefinite future…along with everyone else in the United States.
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