The Rest of the Tale.....

So earlier today I posted some assorted photos from our trip but I was too tired to write anything that made sense. Now even more exhausted (why is it so tiring to come back from vacation?) I will babble in a near drunken fashion while I describe the photos starting from the top down:

1. Above - view of the South Rim and Colorado River at the foot of the Watchtower.
2. Earlier posting (below) - Ceiling view of the Watchtower at the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. It would have been a closer view with more detail but the photographer was crippled by an attack of vertigo about halfway up the tower stairs. For an external photo of this structure - built in the 1930s - go to http://scienceviews.com/parks/watchtower.html
3. (Below) Mom and kids at the South Rim. Mom was unable to stand up for several hours after this photo as her knees are no longer what they once were (and the growing kids are no longer the size of bread loaves).
4. (Below) Tired of waiting for Dad and Jonathan, Justine takes the wheel in Flagstaff, AZ and heads out to Route 66 (just kidding, local police....we were waiting in the parking lot and the engine was off...really!)
5. (Below) Jonathan mentally prepares for his scheduled tongue piercing session in Sedona, AZ.
5. (Last but not least) Mark - incognito in hat and sunglasses - takes a break from marathon, manly driving sessions out of California and Las Vegas to take in the view.

Overall, a good trip for one that was thrown together on a whim and on the cheap. Of course, like our Lake Tahoe trip earlier in the year, it did have its memorable moments! A few additional snapshots of the Las Vegas, Flagstaff and Sedona visits without the benefit of photo illustrations:

I'm Calling and I Can't Get Out. Not to overdo the use of the word "cheap" but I have a cautionary tale to tell. Our hotel in Las Vegas was definitely cheap cheap cheap. It shall remain nameless so as not to embarrass the hard working staff. We got a "deal" for reasons I won't bore you with here (ahem, tax season, upcoming Italy trip, post Christmas bills, etc.) In the effort to try to keep the trip's costs down perhaps I underestimated the old saying "you get what you pay for." My first realization that I had made a possible error in judgment was when the taxi from the airport took us down some streets to get there that looked like the back alley on a crime scene set (and not CSI). When we finally got in our room, after a long walk across a parking garage and dark side street with too many suitcases in tow, I fretted more. It got worse when I was trying to locate Mark - who had driven in from California that day (that's a whole `nother story). The cell phone reception was weak inside the room and he couldn't hear me on his cell phone. Before he hung up, I heard him tell me he would call back from the hotel house phone. Right on cue, about five minutes later the phone in the hotel room rang. I picked up expecting Mark but got dead air instead. It rang again. Dead air. Again. Dead air. Finally, muttering curse words, I picked up the receiver to call the front desk and report the problem. Well, DUH! No dial tone. Being the daughter of a long time BellSouth employee, I pride myself on knowing a thing or two about phones (or like to pretend I do). I fiddled with the jacks and wires. Still dead. It rang again and I slammed it down in frustration at the silence on the other end. I called the front desk on the cell and the cell went dead halfway through the call....And so on. Finally, after more calls and strategic repositioning of the cell phone, Mark got to the room and I got through to the front desk. Just as we were about to collapse with exhaustion on the beds, the handy man arrived with a new phone. Sigh. Not a good start.

Argh and Ahoy - A Pirate in a G-String? To entertain the kiddies, Mark suggested attending a free pirate show further down the Strip at Treasure Island on our second night there. We'd walked by TI earlier in the day and noticed the ships and pirate set out front of the hotel. Looked like it might be fun or at least an opportunity to waste some time after dinner rather than sitting in front of the TV. I guess we should have used a more descriptive guide book. Either that or I should have quizzed Mark more on what exactly he knew about the plot and the stars. I won't give away the "happy" ending but you can get a taste of the content here at http://www.sirensti.com/index_pop.html. After the show I spotted a couple of the more fully clothed "Sirens" shopping at a mall next door, apparently on a break in between shows. Justine, who loves to shop, declared that she wants to be a Siren when she grows up (dancing for money = getting to shop after the show!). Argh!

Tea Anyone? It's a long ride back and forth between the Grand Canyon and Vegas. We let the kids numb out on their Nintendo Gameboys periodically but in between thumb exercise sessions we let them entertain each other. The conversations in the back seat got interesting at times. At one point, somewhere outside of Laughlin, Justine offered her brother a dollar if he would treat her like a queen. "What will you do for me if I'm queen?" she asked, apparently showing him the dollar in her Limited Too purse to yield a positive response. Jonathan decided to put on his best "Londonish" accent: "Well, I would make you tea and then bring your mother in to hold you!" Turning to me, he tapped my shoulder and whispered theatrically: "Mom, would you help me make some tea when we get home tonight?"

Susan Was Mooned. Just a little tip if you ever visit Sedona - try a margarita at the Oaxaca! We drove there on a lark our first night in Flagstaff. The drive alone down the canyon past Slide Rock is spectacular! But finishing up at the Oaxaca with a view of the nearby mountains during sunset is a heavenly experience (and we didn't even have to check out any of the alleged energy vortexes to get our buzz on). I tried a drink called the Blue Moon (at least I have a vague recollection of a drink with a name like this), a heady concoction of blue curacao and tequila. The waiter "accidentally" brought me a large instead of a regular. Let's just say I left a big tip and lost all fear of Mark driving off a cliff on the way back to the hotel. More info about the Oaxaca - http://www.oaxacarestaurant.com/.

There's more tales to tell but it's best not to overload you with travel minutae all in one sitting! If Italy is even half as interesting as this trip we have a lot to look forward to (even the bad parts!).