DAY 23 Grand Canyon to Phoenix
(photo: a group of elk standing between our camper and a camper on the next lane over.)
Michael slept from 9:15 p.m. to 6 a.m.!!!!!!!
We awoke to thunder and rain. David biked over to the campground office, where they said thunderstorms were expected all day today and tomorrow. We decided if we are going to be stuck inside, we may as well be driving. We really wanted to finish the last, most westward leg of the rim trail, but it would be next to impossible to make ponchos work with the kids strapped on us. Plus the trail is pretty difficult down at that end, and making it wet sure wouldn’t help. David put away all the hoses and all our outdoor equipment while I baked some blueberry muffins for breakfast. Nora and I looked out the window and saw three female elk and a male antelope about 25 feet away. There were also real bluebirds outside the window. All that time I was a Camp Fire Bluebird, I never saw one. I guess they live out here. They are very beautiful when they take off and display all their brilliant blue feathers. The sun kept breaking through and we were really on the fence about whether to stay or go. In the end, David declared one of Nora’s rocks the “driving rock.” He went in the bathroom and put it in one hand and closed his fists. I chose a fist. I chose the one with the driving rock, so we finished packing up and hit the road. Amazingly we actually got our money back for the night we didn’t use. I didn’t really think we would.
I forgot to mention that when our campsite neighbors from Michigan (the ones we kept running into at the shuttle stops) pulled out yesterday, they gave Nora a towel with her name embroidered on it! The lady has a computerized sewing machine that embroiders, and she was making a towel for a grandchild or a craft fair or something, and the picture of little girls along the top didn't come out quite right (though it's hard to tell it). So she had the machine sew Nora's name on it, and gave it to us. Now Nora calls it her "special Nora towel."
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We stopped just outside the south gate at a filling station to put air in the tires. There was a nice older man running the shop there, so David decided to let him take the wheels off and balance them. It took a long time, but it was cheap and probably very necessary, considering the terrain we have driven on so far. Also it was the first time we have had cell phone service since we got to the canyon, and amazingly it is exactly when David’s dad called us. Nora got a kick out of talking to him. We are heading into Flagstaff, where we plan to stop at the Target store and make Mac&Cheese for lunch.
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We were able to return the screen tent with no problems, and picked up other supplies, such as diapers for Michael. Yes, he has managed to burn through the half-ton of diapers we brought with us. Actually, we weren’t close to running out, but since we found a Target right on our route, we figured we should pick up some more. We also got a new Brita filter for our pitcher and a couple bottles of wine.
Nora is mastering the art of manipulation. We, like all parents, play that game where we pretend to eat her toes. Well, she wanted to play that game on the road. So I went and sat beside her. “Piggies. Eat them, Mama.” So I pretended to eat her toes. She laughed a few times, but I guess I wasn’t doing it right. She said, “Mama, open the mouth.” So I opened my mouth and pretended with more vigor and a wider mouth. Finally I tired of the game and suggested something else. Perhaps singing our ABCs? We were discussing this when suddenly Nora said, “Toes hurt.” I said, “Your toes hurt? Really?” She looked very serious. “Yeah, Mama.” Then came the kicker: “Kiss them.” Sigh. So much for moving on from the feet-eating game.
It’s 4:45 p.m. and we are officially in saguaro country. Those cactuses made famous in the Peanuts comic strip are surrounding us on all sides.
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Survived Phoenix rush hour traffic and pulled into Estrella Mountain Regional Park. The lady I talked to on the phone said if no one was at the office, take a map, follow the signs to the arena, and check in with the campground host. The only map was a trail map that didn’t even show the street names within the park. There were no signs to camping or the arena. We did find it though, and the campground hosts were nice. (Apparently there’s a rodeo arena here, and a few RV sites.) We picked out one of the seven nice spots they have here. We have our very own saguaro cactus on our site, a paved patio, and electric, water and sewer. And we’re just a few minutes from our friends, the Randalls.