Having been with my company for a full year, I am finally eligible to use all that vacation time I've been accruing. The timing of this worked out beautifully, as this is also the time that my good friend Autumn (who I hadn't seen in 15 years) was planning her cross-country photography journey from Sacramento to New Orleans, and needed a place to crash. Coincidentally, my magician friend, Bizzaro (who I hadn't seen in 5 years), is doing a gig up by the Grand Canyon until the end of May. Hmmm...opportunity knocks.
Autumn arrived on Monday afternoon - and it was like no time at all had passed. There is the family you are born into, and then there is the family that you create for yourself. Autumn is a sister of my soul and just having her here to hang out and talk made me feel like a giggle-y little girl having a sleepover and a missing part of what makes me human was returned.
Tuesday morning came too early and we started on the road to the Grand Canyon via Sedona (so she could take pictures of the big red rocks). Right around Verde Valley you can start to feel the temperature get cooler, and believe me, at this time of year it's a welcome relief. We stopped at several "Scenic View" pull-ins once we hit Sedona and Autumn happily took pictures of everything with the various lenses she brought with her, as photographers do.
At some point after we decided to continue on our way, I must have missed a turn, because from there we took the scenic route up to Flagstaff, on a winding road through the mountains that has some beautiful trees - but no cell reception for checking your gps/google maps. Fortunately, there's The Butterfly Garden Inn, and a friendly face to give you proper directions.
I was able to pick up a physical map at a Chevron on Route 66 to prevent this from happening again.
I pulled into another gas station/gift store about twenty minutes from our destination to wake up Bizzaro (a notorious Night Person) and prepare him for our arrival and allow my captive passenger to take a potty break. As I waited in the parking lot, the first thing I noticed were these adorable benches lining the building. I totally want one.
The second thing I noticed was what I had parked across the street from. Bear with me, I was still groggy and didn't have enough sleep or coffee or I would have noticed it first. I swear I would have. If I come back this way I'll have to bring my boyfriend and his son and tell you what it's like. We didn't really have time for another detour at this point.
But I thought about it.
Finally we reached our destination and scooped up Bizzaro, who is another non-blood relation. Introductions were made, it was established that all of my friends are smart-asses and I was happy to discover that these two people got along like a house on fire (if you've seen Bizzaro's act, this is a possibility). Sometimes you worry that introducing two beloved friends is going to go horribly, horribly wrong. And then there are times when you know that without a doubt, the combination of your group will be perfect. This was one of those occasions and I think that's what made this trip more enjoyable than anything else.
Bizzaro was able to work his magic (har de har har) and get us into the Grand Canyon for free, which is great, because unlike you clever people who plan your trips properly, I didn't realize it cost money to enter a National Park and hadn't budgeted for it.
It really is beautiful up there. I joke about it being a big hole in the ground and I'm far less impressed with it than most people apparently are, but there are trees up there, and that made me happy. The local wildlife has completely lost their fear of people, so you can usually spot plenty of elk lounging around at close range, and they have to post warning signs not to feed the Plague Squirrels because the little rascals will run straight up to you and beg for handouts.
Now, I am a klutzy person and I like my steep cliffs to have railings so that's where I did most of my viewing and picture taking.
There ARE bare rocky portions you can climb onto to meet your thrill-quota if you're that kind of person, however.
I hear there's a book sold in the gift shop that names all the people who have died in the Grand Canyon. They update it every few years. I'll just leave that little bit of information hanging out there for you.
It's a long way down. Plenty of thinking time.
Once we were all Canyoned-out we headed over to the Big E Steakhouse & Saloon to catch dinner and the show along with a couple other friends of Bizzaro's who had made the trip separately (a juggler/clown and a children's magician - our dinner conversation was probably not what you'd call normal). The food was great, the service was meh (though I found out it was our server's last night, which may have explained that) and the Show was entertaining for all the wrong reasons. I'd have taken pictures but my cell phone was dead because it spent the entire time searching for signal (read: because I'm a moron and didn't put it on airplane mode or something). We had fun, but unfortunately had to leave before everyone else and make our 4-hour journey back to Phoenix. Down the mountains. In the dark.
We survived, just in case you were worried. I'm a good driver.
It was after midnight by the time we got back and the bed swallowed Autumn almost instantly. She says she forgives me, despite having to get up bright and early to do another 9-10 hours of driving to make it to Texas. Meanwhile, I got to stay home, lounge around all day and take a nap in the middle of the afternoon. That's how you know she's a good friend.
Her adventure is just beginning, but sadly this ends mine. Tomorrow I go back to the cubicle and daydream about roadtrips and Plague Squirrels. Someday I'll make my own artistic, cross-country journey. I hope it's soon.
