(These are my own personal “Toms” shoes. Don’t worry, you’ll get the connection. Read on)

When you are the mother of 4 boys you tend to have friends that have all boys. Usually, they have 3-6 boys. You tend to spend a lot of time with each other because, frankly, no one else will have you over to their house. Mothers of boys are not surprised when you arrive at a friend’s house (another mother of boys) & find :   a. a baseball-sized hole in the living room wall
b.  someone who is about to get or recently got stitches
c. a full-sized wrestling mat
d. a new dent in a car
e. a request for a good attorney
I could go on but I digress from the real issue here.

When the Russo’s relocated from Prince William County to Fauquier County we were naturally concerned about how our younger boys would adjust in their new school. After their first day in their respective 1st & 3rd grade classes, I asked Eric and Darren if they had met any kids. Eric responded that he did, indeed, make a new friend. A boy named, T. J. came up to him and introduced himself  and they both hit it off. Darren, too, met a new friend. A boy named Tyler spoke to him. Every day the boys would come home with new tales of T. J. & Tyler. I was extremely excited for them! It wasn’t until later that I discovered that T.J. & Tyler were brothers. I thought this was providence. Two random brothers becoming friends with 2 random brothers.
Through the years, the Russo & Marable boys shared many adventures. Baseball teams & wrestling tournaments, ski trips & concerts, hospital visits & fund raisers. Halloween costumes & Harry Potter midnight book sales. You get the picture. It was like the 4 musketeers.
Then there was Trevor.
T. J. & Tyler had a little brother. He was 3 yrs old when we met. He liked to run naked into and out of the hot tub in the Marable’s back yard. He became little brother to all 4 bigger boys. The older ones would often have him do things that would amuse them. He learned a lot from those 4 big brothers. He still holds the record for acquiring the most girl’s phone numbers in one trip to the mall. Trevor also inherited his sense of style from his “big brothers”. T J. & Eric are shoe whores. Between them they own enough pairs of athletic shoes to open a store. Trevor comes by his love of shoes honestly. He had no choice, really.
Trevor is my unofficial youngest son. I have pledged to have his high school graduation party at Rancho Russo because when he was a little guy we would hold joint parties for graduations & such so naturally he expected his graduation to be held here as well. We wouldn’t have it any other way.
Trevor is trying to embark on a meaningful travel journey.
He started a blog to help get the word out.
He named his blog “Shoemageddon” (I LOVE THIS)
He wants to get votes so he can join the company, “toms” & help distribute shoes to needy kids.
For every pair of “toms” purchased, a pair goes to a child in need. (see my “toms” in the photo above)

www.shoemageddon.blogspot.com

Read Trevor’s blog. Encourage a kid to write & travel. Vote for Trevor.
(Thank You, Carmageddites!)

Follow

10 Observations For Dealing With Life’s Journey in the New Year

Happy 2013! Although I am naturally skeptical of a year ending in “13” it won’t stop me from eagerly anticipating the tidings inherent in a new year. On that note, I have reflected on our past year’s journeys through Carmageddon. Here are a few souvenirs from the road that I brought home.

1. Attitude is everything & it’s the only thing you truly have any control over. Flights get delayed, luggage gets lost and sometimes you are booked into a hotel with a circus theme.

2. Make memories instead of acquiring stuff. I have a hard time remembering Christmas presents of the past. I will never forget the sunset over the Grand Canyon.

9.  Have a creative outlet. Sing, dance, compose, draw, act, photograph, sew, cook – just for the fun of it. We are creative beings and need to express that.

10.  Appreciate what you have now.

Follow

(Waterfront at the National Harbor)

It began as a misty, grey morning with the promise of mild temperatures and clearing skies later in the day. We had agreed to meet for breakfast at 0800. I had set my alarm for 7:00 am and was awakened by the chiming sound of my phone alarm. Unbeknownst to me, my brother-in-law was receiving a wake up call from Shrek, himself, courtesy of the front desk. Apparently, you can choose your wake up voice from several of the Shrek movie characters. This morning the Petronellas were awakened by Shrek yelling at them to get up and then passing gas loudly over the phone. (Tomorrow, Darren has chosen Donkey to do the honors)
We arrived in the lobby and headed to the coffee shop. The lobby was practically empty and we enjoyed a little quiet time before the hoards of children would descend. This is apparently a huge family destination (surprise!) After breakfast we decided we would take a nice walk before heading over to “Ice”.

(Artsy shot of Don in front of the Hollywood mural)

When you enter, you first view a film that details how “Ice” is made. A large contingent of Chinese ice carvers are brought over to create the sculptures. You are then given an extremely unflattering blue parka and permitted to enter the exhibit. The temperature inside is about 9 degrees and it wasn’t long before I thought my fingers might fall off while I was taking pictures.

There are several slides made out of Ice that you can ride down. This is me flying down the slide. The highlight was that when I hit the end of the slide the girl who was working there leaned over to me and said, “I love your boots!” I guess my pants rode up and the turquoise colored tops were visible. It’s not every day that you get to go full throttle down an Ice slide.
The carvings were pretty amazing and they follow the story of the DreamWorks Christmas special, Shrek The Halls. At the end, there is a Nativity scene that details the real story of Christmas and then you drop into the obligatory gift shop. Once our appendages again had circulation flowing, we turned in our parkas and headed off to lunch.

(Don hoping for enlightenment)
We settled on Grace’s Mandarin for our lunch destination and we were not disappointed.

We had some awesome sushi and the presentation was amazing however I cannot get the image to rotate and save so you’ll just have to take my word on how amazing  and delicious lunch was. We then spent the rest of the afternoon on a lengthy shopping excursion. There were 2 little girls leaving The Gaylord with tiaras on and I commented, “Why don’t I have a tiara? They are amazing.” Lo and behold, my darling Don went out and bought me one. When I scrounge a copy of that photo from my sister, I will post it on Facebook.

We procured 2 bottles of wine and headed back to the hotel for cocktails and to open our Christmas presents. As usual, The Petronella’s were amazingly generous and thoughtful with their gifting and when we headed out for dinner later that evening I was sporting my new bronze-colored down coat.
When we arrived at the Mexican restaurant where we held reservations the wait was 2 hours for a table. Fortunately, we were ushered in after about 15 minutes. Again, the food was delicious at Rosa Mexicano. We ordered the guacamole, which was made table side. We almost licked the bowl.

Several margaritas later, we waddled back to the streets and into the masses that had descended on The National Harbor this Saturday night.

Follow

(The Gaylord Hotel at National Harbor)

(The Lobby)

If you live in the greater D.C. metro area you are familiar with how our traffic is and would probably rather have a tooth extracted than drive across the Woodrow Wilson on a Friday approaching rush hour. It was totally smooth sailing and we arrived in record time without a hitch. Of course, it wouldn’t be a Russo Road Trip if there wasn’t some slight problem and Don provided that by attempting to circumvent the bellhops by self-parking his car, entering the hotel through a rear door, commandeering a luggage cart and trying to assist himself to check in. Fortunatley, the bell captain was a former Navy guy who had been stationed on Don’s beloved J.F.K. so the repercussions were not too severe.
After we all checked in and scoped out our sweet rooms we decided to explore the place. Of course there is a full service spa, 2 bars, several restaurants, a coffee shop and a nightclub as well as several shopping venues. We had reservations at the Old Hickory Steak House this evening and still needed to procure our tickets for “Ice” which we planed to see tomorrow so it was off to the “DreamWorks” desk to acquire those tix.
The lobby is totally decked out in fully lit and decorated Christmas trees and wreaths. There is an atrium which houses a miniature train that kids can ride on as well as a shop where you can decorate your own gingerbread house. An enormous glass Christmas tree is suspended from the ceiling in front of the glass wall that overlooks the water and there are fountains in front of it.

(Don & I with Dawn & Darren)

Follow

After the deluge we awoke the next morning and set out to forage for some breakfast. The 4000 retail establishments inside the Circus Circus complex includes an amusement park, numerous casinos (the main one has live circus acts performing overhead), shops, restaurants, attractions but no Starbucks.

We settle on a bagel shop. In the middle of spreading my cream cheese, all the lights momentarily go out in the whole hotel. A generator kicks right in so there is no interruption in any of the activity. We head back to our room to prepare for the day. What we don’t realize is that the generator is intent on keeping the money making activities going but it does sacrifice some of the other amenities like illumination in your room, or running hot water or elevator service. After having to traipse to the main elevators (not the ones conveniently located by  my room) we stumble upon a housekeeper who informs us that yesterday’s storms have impacted the Nevada power company & some of the casinos (on the shit hole side of town) have lost service. AWESOME!
Back to the room for cold showers and Don’s cursing while nicking his head from shaving in the dark. Today is our last hurrah as we have an 11:00 p.m. flight out of Vegas. We had opted for the latest checkout offered: 6:00 p.m. so we would still have another day in Vegas. My sister, Dawn, and her husband, Darren are world travellers and told us we must have a meal at Mon Ami Gabi. (when the Petronella’s say I must do something, I do it) So, I call and make a 3:30 p.m. reservation. This gives us time to try and make a stop at the World Famous Silver & Gold  Pawn Shop. There is no filming going on today so we figure we may be able to actually get inside the place.

The line still wraps around the corner but it is moving pretty quickly as most folks just want to get a look. We get inside and are browsing all the stuff you have actually seen on the TV show. I decide I must make a purchase (or 2, Ok, three). While I am paying Don’s phone rings and he steps outside to take the call. (Don’s cellphone has been ringing constantly during this whole trip. I have threatened to throw it into Zion Canyon, bury it in Monument Valley & throw it off the south rim of the Grand Canyon. He has taken to hiding it in his inside jacket pocket because he has been around me long enough to know I don’t make idle threats)

When I come out of the shop I discover he is on the phone with my airline. It seems our flight is overbooked and they would like us to take a later flight in exchange for $150 in travel vouchers. I tell Don that I can go to the airport and volunteer and get $200 in vouchers so I will accept $200 each in vouchers and upgraded seating for my flights tonight. The airline agrees & we are now leaving Las Vegas at 11:30 p.m. instead of 11:00 p.m. Since I made about $200 in charitable donations at the casinos, I consider us winners.
We leave the Pawn Shop and decide to pick up our casino hopping that was interrupted from the night before and eventually we wind up at the Paris casino to dine at Mon Ami Gabi.

As per my sister’s instructions, we requested terrace seating and have an amazingly gorgeous view of the Bellagio’s Fountain Shows while we eat. Mon Ami Gabi bills itself as a French Steak House. Mr. Russo enjoyed a steak and I had some fish. The Petronella’s did not steer us wrong. The food was delicious.

(French Onion Soup & Heirloom Tomato Salad)

By the time we finished a leisurely lunch it was Friday rush hour on The Strip. We were gridlocked heading back to grab our belongings & meet our 6:00 p.m. checkout time. I called the hotel and explained our situation & they graciously gave us til 6:30 p.m. (Although I have been less than kind to Circus Circus in these entries I must say that 99% of the staff there went out of their way for us)
The good news was the power was back on so we didn’t have to finish changing and packing in the dark. The heavy Friday night traffic enabled us to get one more look at Vegas at night before we returned our car and headed off to the airport.

(Leaving Las Vegas)

Postscript: At 11:30 p.m. we left for Chicago & thoroughly enjoyed our extra leg room in our upgraded seats. We slept on the flight and landed in rainy, cold Chicago at 4:30 a.m. I enjoyed my first Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte of the season in O’Hare Airport. We had a 3 hr lay over and I was able to make productive use of my airport time blogging. We finally arrived at BWI at about 11:00 a.m. & then drove home. Since my arrival, I have been busy cleaning up the mess created by 2 adult males & one 6 yr old. Don is driving Darren back to school. We need a vacation to recover from our vacation.
Check out Carmaggedon 3 – coming this Spring!

Follow

(If you think it is easy setting up a photo on the strip at night that makes it look like you are the only one in Vegas with a drink in your hand, go ahead and try it! Props to Mr. Russo for intimidating every tourist within 500 ft)

After a 4.5 hr car ride through the desert down Route 66, I really wasn’t in a festive mood. The strawberry malted I chose to have from The Snow Cap instead of a healthy lunch was taking it’s toll on me. So after a couple of hours in a recumbent position I resurrected myself and headed out to see what this Vegas night life was all about.
Originally, we discussed taking the monorail down to the Luxor and then heading back down to our end of the strip (the cheesy side) for a little casino hopping trip. However, we vetoed that idea because we were both so stiff and cramped from all that time in the car so we thought we’d just head out and walk. I wanted to see the insides of the famous casinos and soak in the sights of the strip. It was about 8:30 p.m. and we figured we would see how far down the strip we would get before stopping for something to eat.
It was a cool night, by Vegas standards and we both had our jackets. The first stop we made was Treasure Island. For those of you who may not be aware, this hotel has two large pirate ships afloat in a moat & they do a swashbuckling show full of cannon fire.

It is also home to the Senor Frog Bar, which on this night was full of Canadian tourists playing a game where you pop a balloon between one man & one woman by imitating a sexual position. (Vegas is full of these juxtapositions of “family” type entertainment, i.e. the pirate show & “adult” type entertainment both within feet of each other)

Now, I have a plan that involves losing money in as many casinos as I can so I decide that my first donation will be to Treasure Island. Whilst I shake hands with the one-armed bandits, Mr. Russo is checking the score on the Yankee game in Senor Frogs (or so he claimed). Eventually I get bored and decide to move on down the road to check out The Venetian.
I decide I like The Venetian. It’s well lit (for a casino), nicely apportioned and the Sports Book sits right next to some slots so Mr. Russo can watch the Yankees while I make another donation. There are like 6 of the biggest TV screens I’ve ever seen lining the Sports Book section. Numerous events are being covered by these TVs but the one attracting the most attention is the Steeler’s football game. It’s a close score at this point so the bettors are reacting loudly to each play. All of a sudden the satellite reception on the screen hosting the Pittsburgh game goes down and the lights flicker. Pandemonium ensues as the Sport Bettors are now screaming and shouting about the inability to see the game. This becomes much more entertaining to me than losing more money but Mr. Russo senses potential for it to get ugly and we decide to plod onward.
We duck outside & discover that the problem with the satellite reception was due to an intense round of thunder and lightning that’s currently got top billing on the strip. A few drops are starting to fall & we think that maybe we should have taken those ponchos I’ve been lugging around all week in my hiking pack. We’re not too terribly far from our hotel (the cheese box) so we figure we’ll run back, grab the ponchos and some dinner then head out to the monorail.

Correct me if I am wrong but isn’t Vegas in the desert? Doesn’t desert by definition mean a dry, waterless environment? At least that’s what we thought. While strolling down the street the heavens decide that it is time to unleash precipitation of biblical proportion. Within 2 minutes the streets are almost unfordable and the water level is over the tops of my shoes. After 5 minutes the bell bottom type jeans I am wearing are soaked up to my shins. We are still long blocks from our hotel & now the hail starts pelting Mr. Russo’s cleanly shaved head with enough velocity to leave dents. I would say that we looked like 2 drowned rats by the time we reached the hotel, but I don’t want to insult the rats. I heard one Vegas native saying that he hadn’t seen rain like this in years.
We return to our room sopping wet and tired from practically running down the strip. Mr. Russo has to pour water out from the inside of his blue ostrich cowboy boots. Once we dry off, change clothes and try to hang up the stuff that is now creating little rivulets on the bathroom floor we decide to forgo challenging the elements again. I decide to continue my charitable contributions downstairs in the main casino. Mr. Russo decides he’s had enough at about 1:30 a.m. since his knee is bothering him after slipping around in his cowboy boots out in the rain. I relieve him of any cash he still has & continue my charity work until about 2:00 a.m.

Follow

(The woman who was the buyer for this shop lives on a farm with 4 horses. She has no direct electricity, only generator)(Don & friend)

(The Garden)

(The story goes that Tom Mix, legendary film cowboy, rode his horse up to the lunch counter above)

Historic Seligman Sundries (above blue building & lunch counter) has been in existence since 1904. Originally a trading post and then a soda fountain, it has a stage in the rear of the building where it housed dances and other social events. In 2007, new owners reopened it and were able to get it placed on the National Register of Historic Places. Today it is a frequent stop for bikers and tourists both foreign and domestic.
Once you pass through Seligman, AZ it’s pretty much open road & abject rural poverty. Growing up near the South Bronx, I was a witness to urban poverty. Then, I moved out to the country and started travelling around parts of Appalachia and realized that rural poverty tops urban poverty. However, there’s no poverty like Native American poverty. Historic Route 66 traverses a Reservation and after seeing this one as well as some in Utah, I don’t think anything can compare.
Our nice weather also ended on Route 66 as we ran headlong into a band of thunderstorms and dust. I also got to see my first real-life tumbleweed. Yes, they do exist!
Finally, exhausted and saddle sore, we arrived back in Las Vegas.

Follow

Flagstaff, AZ to Grand Canyon, AZ about 80 miles

The weather service promised us a clear, crisp day up on the south rim of the Grand Canyon. We packed a picnic lunch, lots of water and set out. It was a pleasant drive passing through what Arizona seems to think is a forest (widely spaced, short scrubby pine trees. Come to Shenandoah National Park if you want to see forest.). It was pretty wide open space and we failed to understand why the speed limit was consistently 55 mph. None the less, we arrived at the Canyon in about an hour and a quarter.
Today’s schedule involved us tackling the eastern part of the south rim by driving & stopping at the various view points and attractions. Then, we would take the free park service shuttle to the western part of the south rim (they don’t allow cars there) culminating in watching the sunset at Hermits Rest.

As was the case at Monument Valley, I was again surprised at the volume of foreign tourists. This time the Pacific Rim was well represented. It could have been an AARP convention as well, since the grey heads also ran a plenty. There was a noticeable lack of children, probably since school is in session.
We headed out to the first major overlook, Mather Point and Don took my hand and asked me to close my eyes while he guided me to the fence. When I felt the fence in front of me he told me to go ahead and open my eyes. I have to say that it was an inspired, cool way to get your first glimpse of the magnificence of the Canyon in one totally engulfing visual experience. (Thank You, Shannon Cate)
After the appropriate amount of awe, we forged on and headed to the Rim Trail and walked to the South Kaibab trailhead and then hopped the shuttle to Yaki Point.

(Sitting out on Yaki Point)

From Yaki Point we jumped back in the car and visited Grand View. Then we stopped for a picnic at Buggein. Did you know Pinot Grigio comes in a 1/2 liter waterproof, vacuum sealed container that is perfectly portable and stays fresh even while soaking in melted ice water in a styrofoam cooler?? Me either!
Once satiated, we plodded on to Moran Point. Between Moran Point and Lipan Point is a very small site that houses the Tusayan Museum and Ruin. This small but really cool site houses an ancestral Puebloan ruins site that is dated to 1100 a.d.

(Don standing next to a ceremonial ring. Me pointing out that this ruin is in better shape than Darren’s room.)

Lipan Point, our next stop, affords you the first glimpse of the Colorado River. We decided to take a little jaunt down one of the trails for a better view and quickly realized that while descending was tricky it was nothing compared to trying to climb back out of the canyon. (All props to Jill & Mike Allen, intrepid adventurers) For now we will stick to the Rim Trail.

( The Mighty Colorado River)

Our eastern excursion ended at Navajo Point, which is the highest point in the Canyon. We then hopped back on Desert View Drive and headed for the main Visitor’s Center. Since arriving out West, it has been my desire to view the sunset over one of these canyons. It didn’t work out in Zion or at Monument Valley but today I am determined to see the sun set over the Grand Canyon. We decide to grab the shuttle and head out to the end of the shuttle line at Hermits Rest for what I hope will be a spectacular, less populated view point. The Senior Citizen Brigade that is occupying my shuttle seems to opt for the closer in viewing areas and by the time we get to Hermits Rest there remains only Don & I, one other geezer couple and a few wannabe National Geographic photographer types.
I scurry out and climb up some rocks to stake my claim to a vantage point by spreading my pashmina out on the ground and proceeding to stand on it. ( That’s why the have dry cleaners, right?) I am not disappointed.

Night fall comes quickly after sunset out here and almost coinciding with sundown comes wind. We apply jackets and jump on the shuttle back to the Visitor’s Center to head back to Flagstaff. A small but significant fact that the guidebooks fail to mention is that the parking lots are not illuminated at night. Of course, I am prepared with a flashlight which happens to be back in the car that we now cannot find. Heck, we can’t even find the parking lot! Don looks like one of those deep ocean lantern fish as he holds his cell phone up in a desperate attempt to keep us in the vicinity of what we believe is the parking lot our car resides in. Eventually, we find said lot but since we can’t see anything it becomes a little challenging to locate the vehicle. Don starts pointing the automatic key in various directions and pressing the button. When he hits a northeastern point the car begins to signal back to us, “over here, assholes!” Unfortunately, in the pitch blackness he has hit the panic button instead of the unlock and the car continues to bellow at us while we cross the football field length parking lot until Don stumbles upon the disable button.
OK, now back to Flagstaff. Remember me telling you that we were laughing at what these Arizona folks refer to as a National Forest and that we could not understand why the speed limit was only 55 mph? Well, it became apparent to us as we were trying to make time back to Flagstaff. It seems the local deer schedule their speed dating meets in the middle of the highway about every 2 miles or so. After our second “near miss” we gain a new respect for the “National Forest”. Eventually, we arrive back in Flagstaff safe & sound and hit the sushi bar, sauna, whirlpool & bed in that order.

Follow

(Don at The Totem Poles)

Zion Canyon, UT to Monument Valley, UT/AZ (about 245 miles)

We groggily dragged ourselves out of bed this morning at 7 a.m. to prepare for our trek to The Navajo Tribal Park. Since we were planning on a 2-3 hour tour of Monument Valley we wanted to arrive in plenty of time to accomplish our goal and then drive to Flagstaff, AZ to spend the night. It was an ambitious schedule considering it was a 4.5hr drive to get there. The good news was we had to drive through the Zion Canyon Scenic Drive and this had been on our agenda for yesterday but time did not permit it so we were excited to find that it was a necessary part of our journey to Monument Valley. Also, we learned from yesterday that time was of the essence and we couldn’t afford any long stops so breakfast would consist of coffee from the lodge and honeycrisp apples with Justin’s Organic Almond butter on them. (These come in little foil packets that I took on the plane.) The low fat vegetarian me has to meal plan a little more wisely now. Mr. Russo reluctantly accepted my offer to share since there was no bacon nearby.
Except for the slow moving RVs along the way, we progressed well and had to restrain ourselves from stopping at the many scenic viewpoints.

(Our Navajo Guide, Ernie. OK, his Navajo name is “One Who Laughs While Fleecing Cash From Stupid White People” but that’s too long for me to type every time!)

Prior to my trips I do some extensive research. (What? You don’t count reading, “Travelling the West For Dummies” as research?) Now, you can drive a 17 mile barely there dirt road with your own vehicle and see the stuff all the other tourists see OR you can hire a Navajo stranger seedily sitting out in the parking lot in front of the visitor’s center smoking and playing cards. For an exorbitant amount of money (& yes, they take credit cards) he will load you into his jeep and drive you out to the restricted areas that can only be accessed by members of the Navajo Nation where you will see sights of wonderment and possibly never be heard from again. It was a no-brainer for us. Into the jeep we piled with Ernie. (OK, that was an attempt at a pun, referring to the Pulitzer Prize winning WWII correspondent Ernie Pyle. Google it, you youngsters.)

(Don standing out on John Ford’s Point)

Obviously, I am seldom at a loss for words. Don & I could not come up with any words to describe what we were experiencing and the best we could do was keep uttering, “Wow!” over and over. (Our jaws were literally hurting from dropping so often)
All of the buttes (the ones that stick up) as well as the mesas (the long, flat topped ones) have names that evoke what they are supposed to resemble and it’s pretty dead on. Obviously, many old western films were shot here as the director John Ford loved the place. Easy Rider and Forrest Gump also had sequences shot here.

(This one’s a shout out to my West Virginia Girls. Look closely to see the W V and no, I don’t mean the gang sign WV I’m flashing at you)

(Above Don’s head look for the drawing of a deer and fawn on the rock. This petroglyph dates to 1300ad)

This is The Ear of the Wind. While we were viewing another formation 2 other tour groups caught up to us. The younger tour guides had us lie down on the sloping rock wall and look up at the walls with them. They were pointing out various things the Navajo People see in the formation. The young female guide began to sing a Navajo song. The acoustics provided by the walls of the formation gave an ethereal sound to her song. When she was finished, the young guy guide sang. It was a very surreal moment and my favorite part of the day.

(The girl third from the right is singing)

Follow

Las Vegas, NV to Zion Canyon, UT (about 170 miles)

We are heading out of Las Vegas toward Utah and lo & behold we drive right past the world famous Gold & Silver Pawn Shop as seen on the History Channel’s smash hit show, “Pawn Stars”. It’s 10 a.m. and the line to enter wraps around the corner because they are filming today. I have Don pull off directly across the street so I can take this shot of the action. Vegas in the day light is kind of like Bourbon St. the morning after a Saints win. It doesn’t look nearly as cool as it does in the dark.
What does look really cool in the day time is the landscape heading out to Zion. For those of you with young boys, think Radiator Springs from the Disney movie “Cars”.

Since we have to make 2 pit stops on the way, the drive takes longer than expected and then we also hit numerous road construction tie ups. We don’t arrive at the park until mid afternoon. The good news is that the lodging we are staying at is literally right outside the gate to the park. The Cable Mountain Lodge is a rustic setting with very nice rooms. The river flows right behind it and across the river is a campground. Tonight, the campfires are lit and seeing them while smelling that woodsmoke evokes the spirit of Autumn. The locals  and visitors alike seem to share a passion for the outdoors and everyone looks like they could be in a Cliff Bar advertisement. Many of the tourists are Europeans from mountainous regions, lots of German, Austrian, Swiss and Netherlands natives here. This is a nice contrast to the glitz and glam of Vegas and much more my speed.

Zion Canyon was formed by the Virgin River from red and tan Navajo Sandstone. Native peoples had inhabited this valley for 8,000 years. Mormon farmers settled the region in 1847 naming it Zion. In 1909 President Taft decided to make it a public sanctuary then President Woodrow Wilson redesignated it Zion National Park. The canyon is only accessible by the park’s free shuttle system or you can drive in if you are a guest staying at Zion Lodge inside the park. There is a large network of hiking trails and to really appreciate the place you need to get on some of them. We set out to do the Emerald Pools trail to discover that it was closed so we wound up following the horse trails.

We then went down to the river walk, which is a paved trail that takes you down the canyon into the area where the canyon walls converge.

( I am having a Zen moment)

We built up an appetite in the Canyon so after the sunset we headed into Springdale looking for some good eats. Oscar’s Cafe is one of those off the beaten path eclectic places that I love to try. Our hostess informed us that there was, indeed, an Oscar. The original owner’s middle name was Oscar. He started the establishment and then it transferred hands. Our waiter and the hostess had been there for 17 yrs. The outside has a decent sized patio seating area that has a lot of mosaic work that was done by the owner’s daughter.

I was informed that the burgers were awesome, however, since adopting my new found vegetarian/pescatarian diet I passed on the meat and had a fresh, tasty salad and some fish tacos.

Also, I can’t resist a place that will prominently display politically incorrect statuary.

The enormous slab of the signature carrot cake they brought us complimentary for our anniversary dessert was the highlight of the meal for me.

(Don & friend)

The jet lag is improving and tonight I am getting to bed at 1:30 a.m. east coast time instead of the 5;30 a.m. My hydration status is better today, too. (no, it’s not just from wine-I drank a lot of water pre and post canyon you cynics) Tomorrow, we are attempting to squeeze in a side trip to Monument Valley. Let’s see how that works out.

Follow