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Grandfather grandson bonding
Mighty Mouse
Registered Users Posts: 17 Big grins
I had a workshop scheduled in southern Arizona May 18-23 and decided to make it a trip for my grandson Alex (age 13) as well. He would still be in school at the end of my workshop so I had to hang around Tuscon for four days until the 27th of May so he could fly out from Delaware for a pick-up in Phoenix. We had sat down before my leaving and put together a list of things to do and places to go. It was going to be a BUSY time.
We packed up the truck with all my gear and included his stuff as well so that he would have little to carry on the plane.
All went very well at my workshop photographing hummingbirds and bats. I had left Delaware on the 11th and visited my family in Texas before heading on out to Madera Canyon, AZ. I made one stop over at Guadalupe Mt. National Park, TX and am picking this journey up with the arrival of my grandson on the 27th.
Alex arrived right on time in Phoenix on the 27th. It was mostly uneventful except that I had forgotten that I had a brand new Swiss Army knife in my pocket when I went to go through the security check. The guy gave me two choices. Take the knife back to my truck and maybe not be at the gate when Alex got off the plane or throw it away and continue thought the screening. I threw it away.
May 27th - Alex's first picture as we leave Sky Harbor Airport.
We headed out of Phoenix just before sunset looking to make Flagstaff for our first stop.
May 28th - We got a good nights rest in Flagstaff and were off to see the Grand Canyons at first light. Having just gotten off the plane from Delaware the night before he was struck that we were only a few hundred mile from L.A.
Hanging a right at Williams, Az it's a straight shot to the Canyons.
It's my feeling that there is no photographer that can fully capture the enormity of this place. There is that feeling in your stomach when you walk up to the edge of the rim and look down.
We went to the top of the watchtower and I think he was pretty amazed. I haven't mentioned that the wind was really blowing hard and the windows were rattling. The wind would blow for the next 3 days. Matter of fact it would get worse.
We left the Canyons and headed for Tuba City, AZ. Our plan was the spend the night there and then go up to Monument Valley the next day. After checking in at out motel in Tuba City (Navajo Nation) we set out to find the Blue Canyons which I wanted to photograph. After hours of looking we had had no luck. Still the scenery along the way was great.
May 29th - We arrived at Monument Valley pretty early and the lighting was terrible.
Still it was pretty awesome.
Three Sisters
After leaving Monument Valley we headed for Four Corners. I had been there before and tactfully tried to let him know it didn't amount to too much but he wanted to stand in four states at the same time and I meant to make it a trip for him so off we went. The last time I was there is was free but the Navajo now run it and there is an admission charge to see a spot on the ground. From the picture he seems a little underwhelmed.
After Four Corners it was time to turn back south staying in Arizona a bit longer and heading for Canyon de Chelle National Monument (pronounced Canyon de Shay) to see some cliff dwellings today rather than later at the Gila Cliff dwelling outside Silver City, NM. This would allow us to bypass Silver City and go straight on down to Deming N.M. to the Rock Hound State Park. I think he had plans on finding something valuable. Besides he could haul away up to 15 lbs. of rocks.
Did I mention the wind was blowing?
At one point we stopped for gas (a too frequent event) and the wind whipped the bed liner right out of the back of a truck at the pump next to us. A chain link fence stopped it before it got to Colorado.
On our way the wind got worse and coming out on Chinle , AZ we couldn't see past the hood of the truck. All I could do was put on my emergency flashers and creep along until the air cleared enough to proceed.
By the time we got to Canyon de Chelle the wind was blowing 40-50 MPH. I have a cool video of what the wind was like but don't know how it embed it.
From Canyon de Chelle it was off to the Petrified Forest National Park and the Painted Desert.
This National Park is mostly a drive through kind of park. You can take pictures and look around but that's about it.
There is A LOT of wide open spaces out west.
We drove on through the park to Egar, Springerville, and then to Alpine where we spent the night. A few days after we returned home from this trip these town were evacuated because of the wildfires in the area. The fire danger was so bad the National Forests in the region were actually closed.
May 30th - After Alpine we headed out of Arizona and into New Mexico on our way down to the Catwalk National Recreation Area. This stop over was planned because of the trip made and recorded here at Dgrin by Aaron Newman and his son. It was what inspired me to make this trip with my grandson.
After Rock Hound State Park next up was White Sands National Monument. This was clearly Alex's most favorite place we visited. He really had a good time. We had visited Rock Hound State Park earlier in the day and it was a bust so I was really glad it was being backed up with something good. The best part of Rock Hound was when we stopped at a rock shop after leaving the park and he made a couple on nice purchases. White Sands was everything he had hoped for. The wind was still blowing but it seemed to stay low to the ground. We arrived there a little late and stayed until after sunset.
Leaving White Sands we traveled over to Holloman AFB and spent the night there. I'm retired Air Force and we took advantage of this benefit. It turns out he really likes staying on Air Force bases. It may have something to do the airplanes or maybe his grandad being retired Air Force.
May 31 - We left out of Holloman and headed up over the pass outside of Alamogordo, NM on the way to Carlsbad Caverns. Arriving a little before noon we decided to walk down rather than take the elevator. I don't remember it being so cool and humid down there.
The time at the caverns took about 4 hours so it was mid afternoon when we left. My grandson would kill me if I left out his next story. He loved it.
When we left the caverns I stopped for gas at the tourist spot near the highway. It was one of those unmanned Shell stations. As I began to fill the tank the pump made a dinging sound. I looked over and it read 24 cents and .063 gallons. The pump was still running as I could hear it and feel it still filling the tank. Still the dials didn't move. I figured the print out at the end would be correct so I continued. When the pump shut off the dial still read 24 cents and .063 gallons. The print out said THE SAME THING. This wasn't right so I began to try and find and attendant. Finally got one to come down. He looked it up on the computer inside the building and it said the same thing. I replied that it was his station what did he want to do. I was prepared to pay for some reasonable estimate. I told him the bill should have been around $50-$60. He said the computer showed .24 cents so it must be my lucky day. Alex and I quickly got in the truck and left. That's the first story he tells everyone about the trip.
Up the road we go heading for Albuquerque. We stopped overnight in Socorro, NM and had a great time in the spa and pool.
Jun 1 - We arrived in Albuquerque and stopped long enough for Alex to ride the tram up to the top of Sandia Peak. It was a really nice day as the wind was beginning to die down just a bit.
I suspect he was a bit apprehensive about half way up.
Arriving at the top he wanted to do what I had done a couple of years before and hike over to the stone cabin at the peak. I've pointed to it in the pictures.
Proof we made it.
From Albuquerque we headed for Rocky Mountain National Park outside Denver with a stop over to spend the night at the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs. I was the chief of the air traffic control tower there prior to my retirement. Jun 2 - While the wind had died down there were other weather events to contend with like a hail storm. We found shelter under an overpass until the worst of it passed.
We ended up doing a lot of driving for nearly nothing the next day. After arriving at Rocky Mountain National Park we found out the ridge road was still closed because of snow and we would not be able to cross over to Estes Park and on down into Denver. We'd have to back track for two hours. Still he got the see moose and elk grazing next to the road.
Now for the long haul. I had warned him about the drive back East after we left Denver. He was a real trooper the whole way. I had provided him with an iPad for games and he had his laptop for movies. He was a great traveling companion. We had two things left on the list. One was camping but between wind and closed camping areas we hadn't done it yet. The other was the Gateway Arch in St. Louis. We spent a night on the Kansas prairie at a really bad motel, not a lot of choices some times. Jun 3 - We arrive at the Arch late in the day and I was worried we might have to wait until the next day. Luckily it's open late in the summer so it turned out just fine.
I do believe this was the only time he got visibly nervous about what we were doing. It was before the door closed on what I call the clothes dryer that takes you to the top. After he realized the door had a window so he could see out he felt a lot better even though all he could see was the internal structure of the monument. The photo is a little soft on focus as I could not get any further back.
As you can see the Mississippi river is still very high.
We left the Arch and spent the night at Scott AFB just east of St. Louis. It was actually my headquarters base back in the old days.
Jun 4 - We were within 200 miles of home as we entered western Maryland and it was getting late. Along the Interstate I saw a sign that said " Rocky Gap State Campgrounds." I thought we might complete our list yet so I turned off and it turned out to be a very nice campgrounds with lots of nice facilities. We pitched out tent, cooked up some foods and sat around the campfire talking for a while before turning in. A thunder storm blew up during the night and it poured down rain but we had completed ever single item on our list for the trip.
Jun 5 - The fact that it rained during the night didn't faze us. Knowing we'd be home in a few hours we threw everything wet into the back of the truck and headed out arriving about mid morning on a Sunday June 5th.
It had been a 7,674 mile 24 day trip for me and one I hope my grandson will remember long after I'm gone.
We packed up the truck with all my gear and included his stuff as well so that he would have little to carry on the plane.
All went very well at my workshop photographing hummingbirds and bats. I had left Delaware on the 11th and visited my family in Texas before heading on out to Madera Canyon, AZ. I made one stop over at Guadalupe Mt. National Park, TX and am picking this journey up with the arrival of my grandson on the 27th.
Alex arrived right on time in Phoenix on the 27th. It was mostly uneventful except that I had forgotten that I had a brand new Swiss Army knife in my pocket when I went to go through the security check. The guy gave me two choices. Take the knife back to my truck and maybe not be at the gate when Alex got off the plane or throw it away and continue thought the screening. I threw it away.
May 27th - Alex's first picture as we leave Sky Harbor Airport.
We headed out of Phoenix just before sunset looking to make Flagstaff for our first stop.
May 28th - We got a good nights rest in Flagstaff and were off to see the Grand Canyons at first light. Having just gotten off the plane from Delaware the night before he was struck that we were only a few hundred mile from L.A.
Hanging a right at Williams, Az it's a straight shot to the Canyons.
It's my feeling that there is no photographer that can fully capture the enormity of this place. There is that feeling in your stomach when you walk up to the edge of the rim and look down.
We went to the top of the watchtower and I think he was pretty amazed. I haven't mentioned that the wind was really blowing hard and the windows were rattling. The wind would blow for the next 3 days. Matter of fact it would get worse.
We left the Canyons and headed for Tuba City, AZ. Our plan was the spend the night there and then go up to Monument Valley the next day. After checking in at out motel in Tuba City (Navajo Nation) we set out to find the Blue Canyons which I wanted to photograph. After hours of looking we had had no luck. Still the scenery along the way was great.
May 29th - We arrived at Monument Valley pretty early and the lighting was terrible.
Still it was pretty awesome.
Three Sisters
After leaving Monument Valley we headed for Four Corners. I had been there before and tactfully tried to let him know it didn't amount to too much but he wanted to stand in four states at the same time and I meant to make it a trip for him so off we went. The last time I was there is was free but the Navajo now run it and there is an admission charge to see a spot on the ground. From the picture he seems a little underwhelmed.
After Four Corners it was time to turn back south staying in Arizona a bit longer and heading for Canyon de Chelle National Monument (pronounced Canyon de Shay) to see some cliff dwellings today rather than later at the Gila Cliff dwelling outside Silver City, NM. This would allow us to bypass Silver City and go straight on down to Deming N.M. to the Rock Hound State Park. I think he had plans on finding something valuable. Besides he could haul away up to 15 lbs. of rocks.
Did I mention the wind was blowing?
At one point we stopped for gas (a too frequent event) and the wind whipped the bed liner right out of the back of a truck at the pump next to us. A chain link fence stopped it before it got to Colorado.
On our way the wind got worse and coming out on Chinle , AZ we couldn't see past the hood of the truck. All I could do was put on my emergency flashers and creep along until the air cleared enough to proceed.
By the time we got to Canyon de Chelle the wind was blowing 40-50 MPH. I have a cool video of what the wind was like but don't know how it embed it.
From Canyon de Chelle it was off to the Petrified Forest National Park and the Painted Desert.
This National Park is mostly a drive through kind of park. You can take pictures and look around but that's about it.
There is A LOT of wide open spaces out west.
We drove on through the park to Egar, Springerville, and then to Alpine where we spent the night. A few days after we returned home from this trip these town were evacuated because of the wildfires in the area. The fire danger was so bad the National Forests in the region were actually closed.
May 30th - After Alpine we headed out of Arizona and into New Mexico on our way down to the Catwalk National Recreation Area. This stop over was planned because of the trip made and recorded here at Dgrin by Aaron Newman and his son. It was what inspired me to make this trip with my grandson.
After Rock Hound State Park next up was White Sands National Monument. This was clearly Alex's most favorite place we visited. He really had a good time. We had visited Rock Hound State Park earlier in the day and it was a bust so I was really glad it was being backed up with something good. The best part of Rock Hound was when we stopped at a rock shop after leaving the park and he made a couple on nice purchases. White Sands was everything he had hoped for. The wind was still blowing but it seemed to stay low to the ground. We arrived there a little late and stayed until after sunset.
Leaving White Sands we traveled over to Holloman AFB and spent the night there. I'm retired Air Force and we took advantage of this benefit. It turns out he really likes staying on Air Force bases. It may have something to do the airplanes or maybe his grandad being retired Air Force.
May 31 - We left out of Holloman and headed up over the pass outside of Alamogordo, NM on the way to Carlsbad Caverns. Arriving a little before noon we decided to walk down rather than take the elevator. I don't remember it being so cool and humid down there.
The time at the caverns took about 4 hours so it was mid afternoon when we left. My grandson would kill me if I left out his next story. He loved it.
When we left the caverns I stopped for gas at the tourist spot near the highway. It was one of those unmanned Shell stations. As I began to fill the tank the pump made a dinging sound. I looked over and it read 24 cents and .063 gallons. The pump was still running as I could hear it and feel it still filling the tank. Still the dials didn't move. I figured the print out at the end would be correct so I continued. When the pump shut off the dial still read 24 cents and .063 gallons. The print out said THE SAME THING. This wasn't right so I began to try and find and attendant. Finally got one to come down. He looked it up on the computer inside the building and it said the same thing. I replied that it was his station what did he want to do. I was prepared to pay for some reasonable estimate. I told him the bill should have been around $50-$60. He said the computer showed .24 cents so it must be my lucky day. Alex and I quickly got in the truck and left. That's the first story he tells everyone about the trip.
Up the road we go heading for Albuquerque. We stopped overnight in Socorro, NM and had a great time in the spa and pool.
Jun 1 - We arrived in Albuquerque and stopped long enough for Alex to ride the tram up to the top of Sandia Peak. It was a really nice day as the wind was beginning to die down just a bit.
I suspect he was a bit apprehensive about half way up.
Arriving at the top he wanted to do what I had done a couple of years before and hike over to the stone cabin at the peak. I've pointed to it in the pictures.
Proof we made it.
From Albuquerque we headed for Rocky Mountain National Park outside Denver with a stop over to spend the night at the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs. I was the chief of the air traffic control tower there prior to my retirement. Jun 2 - While the wind had died down there were other weather events to contend with like a hail storm. We found shelter under an overpass until the worst of it passed.
We ended up doing a lot of driving for nearly nothing the next day. After arriving at Rocky Mountain National Park we found out the ridge road was still closed because of snow and we would not be able to cross over to Estes Park and on down into Denver. We'd have to back track for two hours. Still he got the see moose and elk grazing next to the road.
Now for the long haul. I had warned him about the drive back East after we left Denver. He was a real trooper the whole way. I had provided him with an iPad for games and he had his laptop for movies. He was a great traveling companion. We had two things left on the list. One was camping but between wind and closed camping areas we hadn't done it yet. The other was the Gateway Arch in St. Louis. We spent a night on the Kansas prairie at a really bad motel, not a lot of choices some times. Jun 3 - We arrive at the Arch late in the day and I was worried we might have to wait until the next day. Luckily it's open late in the summer so it turned out just fine.
I do believe this was the only time he got visibly nervous about what we were doing. It was before the door closed on what I call the clothes dryer that takes you to the top. After he realized the door had a window so he could see out he felt a lot better even though all he could see was the internal structure of the monument. The photo is a little soft on focus as I could not get any further back.
As you can see the Mississippi river is still very high.
We left the Arch and spent the night at Scott AFB just east of St. Louis. It was actually my headquarters base back in the old days.
Jun 4 - We were within 200 miles of home as we entered western Maryland and it was getting late. Along the Interstate I saw a sign that said " Rocky Gap State Campgrounds." I thought we might complete our list yet so I turned off and it turned out to be a very nice campgrounds with lots of nice facilities. We pitched out tent, cooked up some foods and sat around the campfire talking for a while before turning in. A thunder storm blew up during the night and it poured down rain but we had completed ever single item on our list for the trip.
Jun 5 - The fact that it rained during the night didn't faze us. Knowing we'd be home in a few hours we threw everything wet into the back of the truck and headed out arriving about mid morning on a Sunday June 5th.
It had been a 7,674 mile 24 day trip for me and one I hope my grandson will remember long after I'm gone.
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Can you imagine what a treasure this documentation (beautifully done) will be to him when he's grown. I wish more people would take the time to do the same thing. Good job.