Photos from the Grand Canyon

Snow at the Grand Canyon

Jen: We arrived yesterday at the Grand Canyon and purchased our National Parks Pass ($80 which lasts for a year and will not only give you access to all national parks but you get discounts on camping and some state park entrance fees too). Within minutes of being in the park gates it started to snow. Nothing was sticking to the ground, but the flakes looked big and promising. On our way to the campground we stopped at several vista points. I have been to the Grand Canyon before, when I was about 13 with my parents, but seeing it again feels like the first time. It’s enormity is unfathomable. A tiny helicopter in the distance gave us a scale in which we could compare it against. We debated doing a backpacking trip here, but after talking to a Ranger and with the weather forecast for more snow today, we decided on a day hike instead (we don’t have the best luck in this department as it is… like the time we woke up to 2 ft of snow and a small blizzard on a backpacking trip in June at Yosemite a few years ago and ultimately had to cut the trip short). When we woke up this morning to 27 degree weather, I knew we made the right decision. Nice and warm in the van in our sleeping bags, but cooold outside.

Today we hiked a trail called Tanner Trail. The park service codes the trails similarly to a ski trail: green circle means a beginner trail, blue square is for intermediate, and black diamond for advanced. The Tanner Trail is rated a double black diamond. We descended 1400 feet before basically loosing the trail (it gets harder and harder to distinguish between the trail and animal trails or washouts). It also started to snow pretty good, so we called 1400 feet down our destination and turned around. Although some may cringe at the thought of hiking in snowfall (it wasn’t actually sticking to the ground), we actually kept saying it was much more pleasurable then hiking in the 100-115 degree weather that you can get in the mid summer months, plus we didn’t see one other person on the trail! I got a few pictures, but the visibility was not optimal.

When we got back to the car we were looking forward to our salami, cheese & cracker lunch and realized that our meat and cheese was no longer in the cooler – an animal, discreetly enough for us not to immediately realize, must have gotten into the cooler the night before and taken our food!! We won’t make that mistake twice.

Reception is spotty here at the Grand Canyon and uploading photos takes a long time… so I will upload the photos of for this post tomorrow.

Calizona

Jen: We left San Diego Sunday morning about 7am and made our way to Lake Havasu City, which was more of an overnight stopping point than a highlight destination. We headed East to Arizona and past through El Centro, Brawley and Glamis. But it was the signs for Calexico that gave me the inspiration for the title of this post (the city of Calexico is no doubt right on the boarder, I just I wonder how much time was spent deciding on the name of the town). In anycase, we traveled through some really beautiful terrain and the reality of our trip started to settle in.

Glamis, the sand toy capitol of the world, is someplace Kyle has always wanted to go to. The cool part was that we did not realize that we were going to go through it and it was a total surprise when we did. We had to stop and take some photo opportunities.

We got to Lake Havasu City by 1:00 and had no problem getting a campsite right on the lake at the first place we tried which was Windsor Beach Lake Havasu State Park. Even though it was 90 degrees out, the water was still cold, but refreshing. We got to use our van to it’s full potential for the first time that night and it was fantastic! We went for a bike ride and found a cactus garden within the park. There were some really beautiful cacti and wild rabbits everywhere. Our night there ended with a picturesque sunset.

Torrey Pines State Park

Jen: Last Friday, while still in San Diego, Meghan took Kyle and I for a hike at Torrey Pines State Park, which is located at the ocean’s edge. The weather was a pleasant 78-80 degrees with a refreshing ocean breeze. The wildflowers were in full bloom and the water was crystal clear.

SLO To San Diego

Jen: On our way down to San Diego from San Luis Obispo we stopped in Glendale for a few hours to visit with Kyle's sister Amy, her husband John, their kids Finley (almost 3) and Hadley (6 months) and Kyle's mom, who is there helping out with the kids. We always love seeing them, especially the kids who seem to change dramatically even in a short period of time. Finley was showing us her skills with a fishing pole and how she can put together puzzles with no help at all. Hadley is alert and strong and is already in awe over everything her big sister does. We had a delicious greek-style dinner and were on our way. Less than 3 hours later we were in San Diego and stayed the night at another one of my college roommates, Lucia’s house. Lucia is recently engaged and we got to meet her fiancé, Rudy, for the first time. Rudy won over our approval immediately, as he is a hospice nurse and just seems to have a heart of gold. And we enjoyed another night of reminiscing and sharing memories of college days (I truly can’t get enough of that)! Yesterday – Cinco de Mayo – Kyle and I started the day out with a bike ride along the beach from Pacific Beach to the end of Mission Beach. The weather was partly cloudy, a little breeze, but still warm enough to be out and about in summer clothes. After our bike ride we met up with Meghan, who we know from college. She was never a roommate of mine, but she might as well have been, she’s was kind of an honorary roommate. She now lives in Pacific Beach – so we decided to get lunch and start celebrating Cinco de Mayo. We started at Moondoggies, with a table in the sun & lunch. A beer bucket, several margaritas and a couple bottles of wine later we were sun burnt & exhausted. When we got back to Meghan's house our friend Mandy came by and visited for a bit. Mandy also went to college with us and she, Meghan and I traveled Europe together after we graduated college. The two of those girls will always have a special place in my heart from that trip. We spent a few hours reminiscing and getting caught up on each other's lives. Mandy is the kind of girl who provides comic relief with no effort at all! Thanks for the laughs Mandy!!

Me and Kyle stopping for a photo op

Kyle on his sweet bike in Pacific Beach

Meghan and I at Moondoggies (pre sun burn)

Kyle drinking his specialty drink, La Chubra Cabre

(email me if you are intertested in the recipe)

Kyle, Mandy and I ending the night at Meghan's house

One Night Became Two

Jen: We only had intentions of staying in SLO for 1 night, but embracing the freedom we have now, we made a last minute decision to stay here another night because we were having so much fun with Jillian and her boyfriend, Robert. We started it off right on Monday with lunch at Firestone Grill, a major hotspot and probably one of the busiest restaurants in SLO. They are famous for their tri tip sandwiches, but from my experience there is nothing on the menu that isn't great. One of my other roommates from college & very good friend, Claire, met up with us at Firestone too & brought her boyfriend who we got to meet for the first time. We spent Monday night just reminiscing of stories from when we lived here ("the good ol' days") and Tuesday we relaxed at Jill's house & I obsessed over their animals. Robert & Jill have a cat and a dog. The cat's name is Ruby and she is the sister of our cat Jerry. She has almost the exact same face, but she's calico coloring and their personalities couldn't be further apart. Jerry has a sweet demeanor and Ruby has a bit of an attitude problem - but I always love seeing her non the less. Their dog's name is Killer and I tried to convince them to let us take him with us on our trip. I simply fell in love with him and thought he would make the perfect road companion. But in the end, Killer made it clear he wanted to stay with Jill and Robert.

Jen, Claire & Jill outside of Firestone

Jill's cat Ruby, who is the sister to our cat, Jerry

Robert's dog Killer, who is anything but a Killer

Leaving The Lake

Jen: We have had the good fortune of 80 degree weather, clear skies and a simply beautiful weekend at the lake. The mornings have been crisp and prestine and the nights warm and still. We celebrated Kyle's Dad, Doug's birthday with BBQs, drinks, laying in the sun, swimming, and games... but most of all relaxation. But our weekend at Lake Nacimiento has come to an end and it's time for our next stop. San Luis Obispo (AKA "SLO Town") is only 45 miles and about an hour drive away, yet the area has special meaning to Kyle and I. Not only is it where we both went to college & got our degrees, but it's where we met & started dating... over 10 years ago! Few know the begining of our relationship better than Jillian Prunchak: one of my college roommates, a bridesmaid in our wedding and one of my best friends. Jill has graciously opened her couch to us for the night and always welcomes us with open arms and a good time. But before we leave, here are a few photos of the lake:

View of the lake from the house

View off the upper balcony

Kyle relaxing on the couch