I just got an email from the hotel for next week asking if there's anything the chef should know, or special preferences for housekeeping to be aware of. I kind of wish I had something.

No cilantro? Or all cilantro? Hot and cold running avocados 24/7?

That's pretty sweet.

I just spent the entire afternoon at the kids' school serving tea to the second grade mothers. It was lovely! So that's one reason to like my job: easy to take a day off to do something special for the kids' school.

That is delightful, brenda.

Well, I decided I would take that nap before I drove home. Dropped on the couch in my office at 5 and was out like a light. DH called me at 6:30 with a WORK CRISIS and woke me up. I drove home at that point.

Off to the grocery store. I have a strong desire for a salad with strawberries and walnuts and baked goat cheese rounds. The hankering came on the drive home and it is insistent.

I think my employer does important stuff, but sometimes I wonder if I contribute much to that.

We have been going through long stretches of Arizona and Colorado without service, so I took to writing this up in Notes.

Grand Canyon

On Thursday we went to the West Rim which is on an Indian reservation. We paid for a tour including going on the Skywalk. The first stop was at the "Indian Village". It was a very sad fake village that reeked of "Cowboys and Indians Americana". We didn't spend much time and hopped back on the bus to the next stop at Eagle Crest.

We were standing by the bus driver and he was a crack up. He told us where to look to get the first glimpse of the canyon and WOW. You see nothing and then pow, there is this majestic canyon. The first view included a perfect shot of the Eagle formation. It is a spot that looks like a bird with both wings extended out to the sides.

When we got off the bus we walked over to the edge. I had expected some kind of safety barrier. A rail, rope, sign, something but you could get as close to the edge as you dared. I'm not that daring yet apparently I got closer than CJ was comfortable with. We gaped and took pictures and tried to see the bottom without getting too close.

Once we got over the initial awe, we made our way to the Skywalk. You have to put paper booties over your shoes to keep the glass clean. There were signs saying how many zillion pounds the Skywalk could hold (basically a Boeing jet) and that it can withstand an 8.0 earthquake. I expected CJ to be the brave one and that I'd be the timid one. Again I was wrong. First walking out on the glass was a bit nerve wreaking but I never felt unsafe. Each side of the glass was frosted, giving an opaque edge for folks who couldn't handle looking down and seeing the canyon bottom. The sides that glass walls about 5' high. I could peek over to get a wonder filled view of the canyon. Words cannot describe the awe. It is so immense and beautiful and old. We took our time, marveling at everything. Finally we returned to solid ground and took the bus to the third stop.

This was Guano Point. By now, the uneven ground had done a number on my healing foot so I sent CJ off to go out and climb the point to get the 360 degree view. I walked around the closer area and took some of my own pictures before finding a place to sit and just take it all in. I could have spent hours and been at peace.

We drove to Williams at the end of the day, a 4 hour drive. Knowing the canyon extended the full length of our drive, and more, added to the enormity I was trying to understand. Williams is the "Gateway to the Grand Canyon". It is where tourism by train to the South Rim began. The South Rim is part of the Grand Canyon National Park. In looking around for our plan for Friday I kept thinking back to the helicopters and small plans we had seen flying over and in the canyon at the West Rim.

When we headed to the park Friday morning I shared the thought with CJ and said we could stop by the heliport which is right outside the park and maybe we would do that depending on cost/time. The guy we talked with said we could get on a flight within 30 minutes and the rate, after my AAA discount was still high but do-able. I knew I'd kick myself forever if we didn't do it.

Once we watched a safety film we just had to wait for them to call our names. We ended up in a copter with a family of three. The mom and son wee in the front next to the pilot. In the back it was the dad, CJ, then me. I had a window seat!!! The pilot had on a Grand Canyon Search and Rescue hat. The back said "gravity kills". Seemed perfect for us to get a SAR pilot. We wore headphones that piped in music and a prerecorded tour narrative. I was really nervous about the flying side of the experience until we took off. I don't think I'd want to be in a copter on a windy day but today was perfect. Clear blue sky, warm weather, no wind.

It took a bit before we were over the canyon (first view was timed with Thus Spake Zerathustra). Again, words and pictures are unable to convey the sheer magnificence. It is so big. I mean, I knew it was big but I had (continued...)

( continues...) no idea. I was struck by the obvious age. The wear and tear that carved the canyon and all the nooks and crannies over millennia. And also the feeling that a supreme being had a hand in creating this inspiring place. That is not a common feeling for me but it was impossible to ignore.

By this time any worry I had about the helicopter was forgotten. I was completely awe struck. Once we were a few minutes away from the canyon, it disappeared from view. How is that possible. We hadn't gone that far.

I live in the foothills below the Rockies and I marvel at their majesty on a daily basis and yet, the canyon was exponentially different.

As we got back to our car I asked CJ if he wanted to spend more time or if we should head home since it would be hard to beat the ride and view we had just experienced. We ended up driving along the East Rim road which have us multiple glimpses of the canyon, multiple chances to be filled with awe again, and multiple chances to say goodbye.

Mmm, that salad sounds delish, Laura. I had a salad with pecans and blue cheese for lunch, and strawberries for breakfast, so, close!

That sounds like an amazing experience, SuziQ!

We are stopped for dinner so I showed the above to CJ. He wants me to add that he got closer to the edge than I did. He was just concerned about his clumsy mom.

They don't let you take any personal items on the skywalk but I would have loved to have gotten a picture of CJ laying face down on the glass, flipping out over the view.

The typos...