All Souls Procession...Tucson Arizona 2010

Well hello there!

I'm sure with the silence for the past couple of days, and you knowing that I went to Tucson's Day of the Dead Procession, you were probably wondering if I maybe had gotten swept into the river of souls that were parading and remembering and calling attention to on Sunday?

I almost did.

The procession was a very powerful experience coming on the heels of what was a very relaxing weekend with Andrew and Angie, who accompanied me down south for the trip.  We happen to travel quite well together (although I didn't have any doubts) and I have no idea whether it's because I was traveling in Arizona, or the fact that I've been to Tucson more than several times in my life, but we were seriously chill.  It was a whole lot of meandering around, finding fantastic little coffee shops and other little boutiques...chit chatting and discovering the most wonderful food

(it's Tucson, they're serious about their Mexican food down there.  Very serious.  Also?  Megan gave us a little list of good things to check out.  She did not lead us astray.)

We stayed at the Quality Inn Flamingo Hotel which is a cute little historic hotel they've re-done very close to Fourth Ave. and UofA.  I have always wanted to stay at some sort of Flamingo Hotel after I totally blew it and didn't stay at Andy Womaks Flamingo Motor Inn when I lived in Flagstaff (it was a wonderful old Route 66 Motel, although I'm not sure if it had ever been updated, so it may have been dicey...but one should try as hard as they can to live out their dreams...yes?)

There were no flamingos at the hotel anywhere, which I'm sure they could have done with at the pool area, but I'll just bring mine from home next time.

HA!

We kind of got a bit mixed up with the schedule of what was happening the weekend of the Day of the Dead, and we probably should have stayed until Monday and then come home, but we all got a little flexible and made our weekend work for us.  Which means we got to see the Angel Procession which is in honor of all the children that have passed.

This was a smaller procession of children at a nearby park.  Also at the park there were several families with altars set up for their loved ones while they sat and looked on.  There were also performances by several schools and very talented children (a lot on stilts.  Tucson has a very large "circus" and performance culture that starts with all sorts of camps and classes for youth) there was also several places you could write the names of your own little family members and a slide show of pictures being projected onto the side of the building...which was so touching, it was hard not to cry.

I don't know any of the people in the pictures, but it was wonderful to see them all...and so very many pictures of people's animals as well.  I will think to pack waterproof mascara next time.

The night of the big procession, which is held on a Sunday (NowWeKnow) the members of Flam Chen, the amazing fire performers (who also perform a huge finale) were running around in the crowds handing out and collecting pieces of paper from people who wrote blessings, messages, or things they want to let go of, so that they may be burned at the big ending ceremony.

I have seen Flam Chen perform several times in Prescott thanks to Tsunami on the Square...but it's still very hard to miss one of their performances if you're right there...but we did have to get home and it is about a four hour drive from that very place.

We were there about an hour early to check everything out, and when the procession finally started, people crowded close to the route, and I had the feeling of standing on the river bank of a very somber and sacred flow of...well, death, love and memories.

There were a lot of people holding pictures and lit candles, floats...for the wolves that are being killed in Arizona, Water, Our AZ education system, The BP oil spill and the sea life that was lost there, Names of the children that have committed suicide from the bulling in school, various propositions that passed in AZ during the most recent election...it was absolutely amazing.

And totally profound.

I can't say that I was overstimulated or even overwhelmed.  I was just there, standing and watching it all go by trying to acknowledge all the memories and thoughts people had brought with them.

Día de los Muertos...

Well once again, I'm off!

Like a shot out of a gun...here she goes.

Seriously.

(at some point I may actually catch up with myself)

(but really, when you have a surprise New York trip thrown smack dab in the middle of your life, and you've already planned other things it makes for some fun and busy traveling)

(which I adore)

This time I'm off on a road trip with wonderful friends to enjoy Tucson's Day of the Dead celebration, which was pushed to this weekend because of Halloween falling on the Sunday before All Saints  and All Souls Day.

I am very excited as I have always wanted to go to their celebration and I have no idea why I have never made it down there, but there you go.

And here I go!!

Although, I don't know if I'll see anybody as cute as my Prescott sweeties were for our Day of the Dead parade...The Sun and a Moon baby and a witch.

Which really is the perfect threesome if you think about it.

Have a fantastic weekend!

And Home Again...

I'm back from my six day jaunt to The Big Apple.  Although to confess?  It seems like I was gone for so much longer than that.  It must be because we packed so many things into the days and nights we were there...

That has to be it.

As it is, our plane was late (by two hours) due to some rerouting over Georgia (something about tornadoes...)  (goodness)  (although I got to see a very cool tower lightening cloud from the window of the plane) So, we got in later than was expected...which made my mind resemble an overripe peach this morning, and by overripe peach I mean that it is all fuzzy and mushy, and here I was completely expecting to sort and edit photos today (if I had the time after playing catch up) and realized I can't do that without my external hard drive...

blah blah blah...

And obviously I forgot all of that because I was standing outside my house this morning desperately trying to hail a cab for a full 15 minutes and not one would stop for me!  Believe it or not...not one came up my road, so I decided I would just have to hop on the subway instead...and then I remembered that I was in a small town in northern Arizona and none of those things were going to happen, so I eased myself in my car and hoped I could remember how to drive myself.

It worked...but only just.

And now you'll have to wait for pictures from the trip...

Picture Credit

Just When You Thought...

I would be posting regularly.

Or maybe that's just what I was thinking...?  Halfheartedly.  Last week?  When I posted more than once.  Honestly...I had great hopes for myself.

Sigh.

I'm stepping off the self-whipping post now.

Honestly, it's the words of life.  They are still escaping me...someone recently told me maybe instead of talking about what is going on in my life, it was more of a feeling thing.

So, scuse me while I feel all over the place.

(that sounds illegal)

Ok...so here's the happs:

*I think I am mostly over my cold/allergy situation.  Just some residual coughing and spluttering here and there.  In fact, I made it to the gym today to walk on the treadmill for almost an hour.  Lifting weights almost made me collapse, and I was only thinking about it...imagine what would have happened if I would have actually done something more?

*Fall has arrived in my little corner of Arizona.  I also decorated my mantle for Halloween...and I know how much you adore seeing those pictures, and I will most certainly post them soon.  I promise.

*At one point not too long ago, I totally ran out of hangers at Snap! Snap!  and shortly thereafter, I ran out of room...and I still had a 4 foot pile of clothing to be priced and put away and more walking through the door every minute.  You'll be happy to know that this pricing/organizing/markingdown/rearranging has happened...and the shop is stocked and fabulous...I have a surplus of everything (which is just fantastic as the weather is about to change and it's time to start thinking of new wardrobe items)

*I have been keeping a secret.

*I know.

*Not fair.

(*It's a biggie too...)

*And, it kind of affects you directly (mostly) (mostly not because I've been so crazy quiet here as of late)

*The blog will be quiet for the rest of the week...because I'm going away.

*Again.

* This is a total spur/surprise trip for me (which means in between having my head in the clouds, I've been packing and repacking the perfect wardrobe...)

*Thursday will find me and two of my loveliest girlie friends boarding a plane to other places. You can follow me on facebook like my Seattle trip if you're so inclined (although, I'm borrowing a point and shoot so there will be scads of pictures and probably words when I get back)

...And here's a bit of a hint as to where I will be landing:

And yes, I am totally delirious.

Totally.

The Urban Wine Walk...

I spent the last weekend down in The Valley.

I was celebrating my Birthday with Claudine and Amy.

I know.

It's been about two weeks worth of celebrating, but to be totally and completely fair...since I really wanted to go camping for the day, these ladies couldn't make it...so I went down to them instead.  This way I could totally tap into my love of camping and nature and my love of cities, shopping and urban sprawl.

Claudine put herself in charge of festivities...as you'll remember, she was the one who came up with The Willo District Home Tour in downtown Phoenix that I had the pleasure of attending not too long ago.

She did not disappoint this time either.  When I started getting texts with the words, "Do you like wine?" I knew I was in for some fun.

This year was the start of what looks to be an Annual event, in the form of an Urban Wine Walk.

Which consisted of printing out a map and taking yourself a self-guided walking tour to different restaurants around the down town for $1-$2 tastes of various wines and some light snacks.  It didn't look as though there were a lot of places participating, but in between walking it and drinking it...and the heat.  I'd have to say that it was the perfect amount.

Plus?  It's been so chilly up here in Prescott it was like heaven wandering around in the sun.

We started the day off by boarding The Light Rail system and taking it to various locations around Phoenix and the outlying areas.  I can never figure out what those are, because it's all kind of down South that way to me, and it's  a city, so you drive.  This was my very first time on the Light Rail...

It was awesome.

I love mass transportation.

This is Amy crossing where it says "Do Not Cross Tracks".

This was extremely hilarious to us for some reason.

It could be that we were quite advanced at our wine tour at that point (1-2oz of wine doesn't seem like a lot.  But, it kind of makes you start smiling a bit after a while)

It could also be that The Light Rail doesn't move all that fast and you could probably jump out of its way and spare your life....that and there's no electricity on the ground for it, just tracks...so there's no danger of touching The Third Rail and becoming electrocuted and whatnot.

You really know who your true friends are when you can laugh uproariously at breaking what seems to be silly rules...

Of course, I think we could have almost predicted such a thing as we were just fresh from the lobby of a very swank hotel (where I know I saw handfuls of famous people.  If only I would have known who they were.  Honestly, out of everyone in my family I'm the worst when it comes to celebritydom...honestly?  It probably stems from the fact that I can't wrap my mind around the fact that I am not famous, so really?  Why keep track of anyone else?)

So, at this particular swanky place, we sat at marble tables...that according to Claudine were a bit on the tippy side, so she immediately dug into her bag of holding grocery bag purse and grabbed a Sucrets tin...which almost helped. 

But not as good as her checkbook.

(The Sucrets tin got all bendy)

Which made Amy cringe because she was sure we'd forget it.

So, Claudine did what any sane American woman would do.  She rooted around in her purse for something we could put on the table so there was no way we would forget her checkbook.

Her box of homeopathic eye drops.

Obviously.

(did I mention that the goal at one point was to drink 40oz of wine?  One for each year of my life)

(I wonder if that was individually or together?)
(That may have been helpful to know before we started in on that goal)

So, we did not forget the eye drops...or the checkbook for that matter.

In fact, the only casualties of the day was one bottle of water...which we set down somewhere.  Actually I think it was at that Swanky hotel lobby, and I think it was Amy's...Oh, and Amy's phone...but that was later found in her couch cushions, so we hadn't had it with us in the first place.

I think Amy needs a box of homeopathic eye drops so she will remember all of the things she keeps replacing.

At the very beginning of the day we started at a little organic market where we ran into Damien...a freelance photographer for azcentral.com who asked if he could follow us and photograph us.

See?

Weird things like this happen to me all the time...

I still can't figure out why I'm not famous and being followed by photographers all the time...at least I was for most of the day...

Damien posted some good pictures...I especially like the one of me inspecting my glass for what he called, "visible solids"  which makes me sound all sorts of knowledgeable...when, if you cared to check the notations I made about the wines we tasted, I said things like:

:) --> :(

(started out good...then got icky)

Bitter and Angry...Perfect wine for a divorce

Fruity and Juicy

and other priceless gems...

When really, I was checking my wine glass for floaties, because there was a lot of things floating around in my wine.  Which either means, it was a first pour, a last pour, or a poor dishwasher.

LeSigh.

I tell you.

It was a pleasure to attend this event, not only because I was with Claudine and Amy...who know their way around well, so really I totally would have been wandering around for heaven knows how long if they hadn't been there...but also because I can't ever remember a time when I walked around downtown Phoenix.  Which happens to be enjoying a kind of resurgence and renewal, as Urban cities are kind of the new it places to live.

There are not a lot of retail stores downtown yet, but there are a lot of restaurants and whoever is in charge of the building and planning is doing a great job.  There are still a ton of historic and cute buildings mixed in with the large high-rises.  I don't know if it will stay like this forever, but it's just wonderful right now...so much sweet history and design side by side.  Including a very weird Gothic style building that we decided was Bruce Banner's winter home (Phoenix is much too hot for black latex Bat-suits during the summer) The whole area has a great feel to it...and the Willo Home District and Encanto is right next door.

So.

That's that.

Oh, and as to not forget our wonderful giveaway from Friday for the winner of the calendar:

I put all the numbers together in a big ole' random number generator and came up with:

#6:  Rhonda Roo said...ohhh if only i could get my peeps to play like this. they all adamantly refuse to be seen on film. something about the FBI or fuzz. grr..
so thanks for showing us the linky!

xoxoxroo

I will be contacting Ms. Roo toot-sweet to get this right out!

Thank you all for playing along...

Mostly Wordless Wednesday...

The newly remodeled (to me...but probably not Bagdad) Diner in Bagdad.

I'm not sure what the name is, as there is no sign...although, I heard it's one of only 3 restaurants in this little mining town, so I suppose if you want to meet there saying, "Meet me at the Diner" are probably enough words to get your meaning across.  There were some rather lovely planters out front with flowers in them...but I kept thinking that the place needed a little more...maybe in the form of a vintage Coca~Cola button?

(hold on...after about 2 seconds on Google I found out the name is The Diner on Main...catchy!  Holy cow...their even on facebook...these crazy Internets!!)

It is a spectacular diner in person...although, we pulled up only about an hour and a half after they closed for the day.

Napping you know...

They are open Tues - Sun

6am - 2pm

I tried to talk Rich into going back the next day for lunch and a photo op with the Airstream parked next to it's much larger and more stable cousin...but it was a no-go.

We did happen to drive through Seligman however, and made a stop at the Sno-Cap, so it was almost as good.

Besides, I have been formulating a plan in which to get myself and a car load of fun seekers up there for a quick bite and then back to Burro Creek to enjoy the water...

I'm totally seeing that plan materialize in the near future.

Bloom Where You're Planted...

And who says the desert isn't colorful?

Or that it's dry and drab?

Well, that may ring true for a lot of the year, but during the Spring (especially when we've had a lot of winter water) the desert is an unexpected paradise...mostly because you're not expecting to see and smell such beauty in such a desolate and arid world.

So many of the plants that flower are also covered with spiny thorns...to keep the various water seeking animals out of the supply they have stored inside of their succulent branches.

And for the few that don't bloom...they can find themselves totally surrounded by other colors...like bright yellows and oranges of lichen that attach themselves to the rocks.

And who can not love poppies?

Especially in this setting?

Or any setting, seeing as they love to seed themselves wherever they want, which usually doesn't include where you put them in the first place.

Silly poppies.

And still a few of the flowers have prickles themselves as a part of their beauty...like thistles.  Wonderfully  majestic to look at, but I don't ever want to touch them...

The Joshua Trees that dot about and also forest themselves in a mini Joshua Tree forest even bloom...their twisted and pod-like flowers reaching for the sun...their branches corkscrewing to follow.

At one point, we passed a sign by the road that said:

Joshua Tree -->

and I almost spit out my Blizzard.

I know.

Can you believe I had a Blizzard?

We pulled over to get gas, and there conveniently happened to be both a Jack in the Box and a Dairy Queen sandwiching the mini-market, and I just couldn't resist.

To my own credit, I haven't had one in 4 years, and I probably won't again for at least that long.

Anyway...that Joshua Tree sign cracked us up.

I kept wondering for the rest of the trip why there weren't more that said:

Saguaro -->

or

Ocotillo -->

And one of my most delightful finds was this flowering bush that looked as though it had little pink paper lanterns hanging all over it.  I can't ever remember seeing this particular flower, but I found myself totally and completely smitten with it's beautiful delicateness.

Although, the thing about seeing any kind of flower in the desert makes you really consider it's delicate beauty and purpose...they make the bees happy for sure, and I can only imagine what the honey tastes like in this region.  But perhaps the most astounding thought of all is that no matter how isolated any of these plants and flowers are, there they are minute after minute...totally blooming and fulfilling their destiny, whether anyone is there to notice or not.

They don't care.

They just are.

Which I thought was some pretty perfect miracles to witness on my 40th year on the Earth...Even she, the Earth was busy celebrating.

How perfectly lovely.

In Which She Turns 40...And Camps About It...

My Birthday started with hitting the road, Airstream in tow...at a rather decent hour.

You see, a couple of months ago when asked what I wanted to do for this big birthday milestone, the words, "I want to go camping" burst out of my mouth.  There was also a lot of people excited about joining me, but when it came down to it...the only person left standing besides myself, was Rich.

Rich was kind enough to be very excited about getting out of town no matter what the plans changed around to...and decided at the last minute to hook up the Airstream for a more cushy trip!

I had just spent the previous evening out dancing at an 80's Night here in town.

Getting older has never been a big deal to me.  It's more of an exciting process, and it may seem morbid, but at the rougher points in my lifeline, I've felt a bit of relief knowing that it may not all last forever.

And, here I was dancing the night away to some of my favorite music, and a song by A-Ha came on, and I leaned over to Kim and remarked how much this song reminded me of Heidi.  I didn't think much more of this harmless little remark until the next morning when I was talking to my mother...and it occurred to me that this life?  While I was the person living each individual day of the past 40 years and I didn't just wake up one day all of a sudden older...That just for a moment, it seemed like this whole thing has passed with the snap of a finger.

Which made me cry.
(it's not that I haven't accomplished anything...it's more like a door that has been standing ajar has suddenly with some great force, Closed.)

So, it was with great joy I opened a little box (with only one air hole) when I arrived at The Airstream that morning, and out popped a Vermont Teddy Bear complete with a Birthday hat and bow tie, fortune cookies, a noise maker, and some chocolate.

His name is Jake

(because I thought it fit him perfectly)

He also had a great trip (even though I may have to get him a backpack and a sleeping bag) and hung out a lot with Rich's moose and elf.

We're nothing if not partiers.

We headed down towards Nothing.

Which coincidentally is by Nowhere...

We're creative namers here in AZ.

Nothing was aptly named because Nothing has ever happened there.  But, after stopping I beg to differ as by this dwelling that apparently once housed it's 4 population was looped a whole lot of orange Bio-hazard tape.

So something happened.

But, there just wasn't a historical marker to tell us what that thing had been.

I'm worried it had something to do with the wood fired pizza.

?

Because of the extraordinary amount of moisture we've gotten this winter, the wildflowers were out in full bloom and ready to play.

I'm telling you.

There were several times where the perfume in the air was so heady that I was literally swooning with fragrance love.  There's something about being in a mostly arid country side dotted with saguaro and other various cacti, with no visible water about and feeling the landscape gently heat up (at this time of the year the heat is more sneaking and gentle, in another few weeks it will be like a raging inferno) and through the heat, the flowers and grasses loosen their fragrance.

If you haven't come here and sniffed about, you really should consider doing so.  But remember, Arizona is very dramatic, weather wise...so you have quite a small window of opportunity to do so.

There's nothing in the world quite like it.

After various stops along the roadsides...we made our way over to Burro Creek.  I was just informed about Burro Creek a couple of weeks ago...being a longtime resident of Arizona makes me think that I know everything about Arizona.

Which of course I don't.

(but don't tell my ego that)

Most of the time when I'm confronted by the newness of enthusiastic AZ implants I brush them off with a slight nod of the head and an indulgent smile.

But when they come back with some new destination that would seem obvious, I can feel a little stabby...and insist when they say, "How is it that I just got here and you've been here all this time...that you didn't know about this?!"

Well I'll tell you why sporty.

I was either trying to get old enough to drive...

Or make a living.

So there.

Also?

Most Arizonans know a thing or two about water as well...let me tell you.  We usually make it our business to know where all available water sources are...being that we spend so much of our time under clear blue skies with the hot hot sun as a companion...these are just things you find yourself putting into the file cabinet in your mind.

We also dabble in the fascination that clouds are.

So, we're mostly water and cloud experts...both stemming from the needs to stay hydrated and in the shade...this crazy sun we have here.

I am stymied about the simple fact that I did not know of the existence of Burro Creek...seeing as it's not too far away from our fair town.

It's a canyon system interlaced with Joshua Tree Forests, Saguaro Forests, slot canyons, regular canyons, bridges,  hot springs(which we didn't find), wild wandering burros (which also didn't show up, they NEVER do)...a whole lot of birds, frogs, some rather large fish...water,  water falls, algae, shade...and a whole lot of little sandy beaches.

With shells.

It was like the universe was trying to bring together all of my favorites:

• People to celebrate with me for at least two weeks (we've got to draw these landmark occasions out you know) (cause I've got me some diversity...camping one weekend, pedicures the next)
• Dancing to fun music...including leaving after my favorite Depeche Mode song (Everything Counts)
• Chocolate cake, brownies, and their stand alone counterparts.
• Cards and packages arriving in the mail...along with well wishes from friends near and far.
• A bouquet of flowers.
• An Airstream trip.
• A Road Trip.
• Water (and shells...making me feel almost like I was at the ocean)
• Great food.
• Hiking and exploring new terrain.
• Relaxing and being busy...
• Camping and officially welcoming in a whole new decade out under the stars...being totally embraced by Arizona.

I know how lucky I am to have all of these presents in my life...and each one of them means more to me than you'll ever know.

I am happy that I am realizing at this advanced age, ahem...that I have the ability to slow down and recognize and appreciate each and every one of them, their origins, meanings, feelings, and experiences...so that maybe, just maybe I can slow the snap of the fingers down a bit to more of a smile and a wave...

Flagstaff Calling...

  

This Friday found me jumping in my car and speeding North...

Just honey, my iPod and Myself.

(and a whole lot of other things really...like clothes and pillows, but mostly it was just a whole lot of me)

I was on the road to visit Steven.

We can all search our memories here and realize that this is indeed the very same Steven that I was rushing off to visit during his stint at The Magic Kingdom mere months ago...only he's once again relocated back to Flagstaff.  I remember all the moving and packing and unpacking that went on in my life when I was up at NAU...just a few years ago.

Ahem.

Ok.

It was more than a few.  I'll give you that.  And it is by far long enough to feel like Flagstaff has undergone a whole resurgence.  Gone is the fly-by-night Route 66 town replaced by an almost more cosmopolitan version of itself.

(Seriously folks.  Flagstaff is just getting more cool as the years pass)

(which means there are a lot more interesting shops and resteraunts)

(oh.  And the train doesn't whistle anymore when it blows through town, which is kind of sad really.  I know it was really loud and took a lot to get use to when living there, but I worry about the safety issues...)

I got up to Flagstaff in time for First Friday...which is their art walk.  Only instead of just having the art galleries stay open, almost every shop was open...and people were strolling about, and I swear there were twinkly little lights everywhere.  It was magical.

Also?

I have been so sick for so long this year, I may have forgotten what it was like outside after dark in a town where a lot of people go out and stroll around.  NAU lends itself to the young hip crowd...and I'm telling you, it is very cold in Flagstaff...but it didn't seem to stop anyone from coming out.

I was utterly enchanted as Steven led me around.

The second I got there and in-between unloading Honey and spritzing, he casually mentioned that The Green Room was having Electronic Kingdom night...which means it was going to be dropping some seriously good beats for the duration.  Starting at 9pm with no cover charge?

Yeah.

This may be a place you want to check out if you happen to like electronica music, dancing, and are in Northern Arizona.

It was pretty amazing.

Dancing.

There was a great crowd of all ages

(so I didn't feel too old)

(cause it kind of crossed my mind that I have been dancing in clubs for a mighty long time...and did I ever think I would still be doing such a thing at my age?  Which made me shake my head, because I don't know if I could ever come to terms with the time when I couldn't go dancing...that and I didn't really have too many concrete plans for myself after the age of 23)

(oh and after I hung up my coat, a young handsome gentleman grabbed me and said, "You?!  Are Fabulous!"  Which gave me a big nice smile and had me repeating the same thing to him before he hugged me and air kissed my cheek...and made me feel better about what I was wearing, as I didn't know we were going dancing and I really like to dress up when I dance)

(Also?  Steven and my good friend Arthur kind of dance similarly, so it made me miss Arthur....but he knows, I told him on facebook)

We didn't close the place down by any means

(my knee hurt, and Steven admitted to feeling a bit achy)

The rest of the weekend consisted of laughing hysterically, eating fantastic food, seeing Alice in Wonderland (happily not in 3D) meeting up with good friends, being dropped off downtown for a bit by myself while Steven ran to an interview, laying around watching Weeds, waking up to snow...

It was a wonderful weekend indeed...

A much needed break for both Steven and I...and it was very hard to leave come Sunday afternoon.  But, the snow was flying and I had my car loaded down with goodies for Snap Snap...and I needed to get home for The Academy Awards.

But, thanks to such an amazing host, I had a great soundtrack (mixed by Steven himself and put onto CD) in which to head down the mountain to...

Wirepass...

Or something like that.

Just because I hike them does not mean I remember their names...

As a matter of fact, often Rich has to drop me a note and let me know that I've slipped up.

Once I was a perfectionist that got embarrassed by such things...now I'm not.

(ok, I am)

So, this canyon hike Rich planned out (there were several ideas he had to choose from) consisted of hike hike hike...slot canyon.

Whee!

I waved my arms around a lot at that suggestion.

I love slot canyons.

I also love waving my arms around a lot.
It makes me feel like a Muppet.

Now.  After yesterday's cautionary tale of the famed rock formation The Control Tower, you'd almost bet that we couldn't find this canyon because it was listed in the same book we had used for trying to find the stupid rock formation, so in all probability the slot canyon didn't exist...but as it's attached to Buckskin Gulch, and Rich already knew where that was (due to a previous trip out to see The Wave...) I figured we were in good hands and wouldn't be slogging all over tarnation (that's western speak for BFE.)

Plus?  As an added bonus...Rich's knee hurt from all the dancing he did the day before, so we couldn't go hiking across any sand dunes.  Phoey.

Cause I was totally up for it.

yeah right.
(actually, I go to they gym most days...so I wasn't that bad off)

So. we parked the car at the parking lot and set off.  While we were in the parking lot we saw groups of campers who were in shorts and I scoffed because it was still very cold and they were probably going to freeze (cause I was wearing 3 layers complete with fleece lined wool gloves and hat.)  Rich then took that moment to suggest that maybe it was us that were cold and those people had most likely spent the night in a heated space and in a bed (this immediately made me miss my bed.  And heat.  And running water...and chocolate cake.  What?  It was morning, and I hadn't eaten yet...we could barely thaw the water for decaf for crying out loud.)

Show off short hiker people.

We hiked mostly in a creek bed (that was dry, because we were still cold remember...so no water is good water, which is exactly the opposite of what you think in the Summertime) passed the turn off trail for The Wave (which I knew Rich was itching to go on...and made me ask him if there are actually people checking your passes somewhere in there, and how would they know that you weren't supposed to be there, or that you had been there at all?  I mean, does your DNA change as soon as you see The Wave?  Is there a cheek swab test I missed back at the parking lot?  Rich said it didn't matter, because would be cheating if we went up there...he quickly went on to suggest that perhaps we would have better luck on a weekday if we wanted to go that route since apparently you almost have to kill someone to obtain a pass to even see this place...)

A large log stuck in between the canyon walls...most likely due to the insane pressure of many pounds of rushing water during rain storms.

After hiking quite some way down this creek bed (making me hot...apparently it's hotter in this part of Utah.  Don't even talk to me about shorts...) we came to the opening of the canyon and the start of the slots...which made me giddy.

I will try to explain myself.

Being in a slot canyon is like being in the Earth and having her throw her arms around you and hold you in a safe embrace...and really?  Who doesn't like hugs?  Well...that's not to say that you'd want this particular hug during a rainstorm...because like a hug from a busty aunt or cheeky uncle during the holidays, it would most likely leave you quite broken and dead..

The light in a slot canyon is also so diffuse and beautiful...which is most likely due to the high walls and confined space therein.  This particular canyon was pink, red, yellow and orange...and was all stripey, due to the sandstone that was forming it.

I decided that maybe the reason I like slot canyons so well is because it's like happening upon a great secret cave.  Only you still have fresh air and daylight.  Cause I'm not sure about actual deep caves or underground things...I have problems watching Jock Cousteau and most of the stuff he does without feeling a bit sweaty and looking around the room for the nearest Exit.

Or maybe it's just that with all the curving around, slot canyons happen to be really good feng shui, the way they caress you with their curves and beckon you to turn their next corner to see what is up ahead.  Combine that with these amazing colors and all the stripes on the walls and you've got a pretty great seduction going on.

Oh Mother Nature..

You big flirt.

 (blush)

Also...if you aim just right, the pictures you get while in a slot canyon makes you really look like you know what you're doing.

I wish I could say that Rich was jumping for joy as much as I was.  He has discovered he's a bit wary of slot canyons now, and doesn't think of them as warm hugs from a lost lover but more like bear hugs from a potential enemy.  This fact annoys him.  I know how that feels.  After all...he made me hike UP on some rocks the day before and I was totally nervous (and other things...) so I was totally prepared to turn to him and say, "Get in there boy!"  but, he'd already charged ahead, so I was left standing there talking to myself.

Again.

We did discover something though...Rich was actually very calm and seemed at more at home than he usually does in a slot canyon.  My personal theory is that while the other slot canyon we've been to is sand...this one is rock, and he being an experienced rock climber means that rocks speak to him more than sand.  He's already good friends with the rocks and they have held court before, and decided to become good friends.  I could really tell he was fine when he stood and fiddled with the head of his tripod instead of walking out of the canyon when we were hiking back...even though he could see the end of the canyon just mere feet away.

Whatever it was...he was fine.  Only a little nervous (he admitted to me)  And I made sure I didn't say anything at all about how happy I was that we weren't claustrophobic (cause I did that once before totally offhanded mind you, and it was not OK...and I've felt very bad about it since.)  Or how I could stand in the middle of the canyon and touch both sides with my hands.  Oh wait.  I did say that...complete with a demonstration.  I think it went something like this:

"Hey!  This is like standing in my kitchen at home!"

while putting my hands out to touch the sides of the canyon.

But, it didn't throw him at all...he just laughed at me.

I was both proud of him and excited.

More Rich time in slot canyon =  More Sadira time in slot canyon

The only thing that made him hesitate was the first large drop down the canyon floor.  You see, when the water rushes through these small areas, like a lot of creek beds, it steps down and down and down...leaving large piles of rocks behind which create large drops down to the next part of the creek bed floor (there is a word for it, but I have no idea what the heck it is, I just kept thinking how pretty it would be to see it full of water...like all these waterfalls everywhere...you know, as long as you weren't being crushed to death)  But that first big drop?  It was several feet...like about 100...or 15 or something like that, I don't know, I have a problem with distance and square feet and whatnot...but not to worry.

There was a ladder down.

I spied it when I looked over the edge (feeling a bit sweaty at the time because heights do that to me...we're quite the pair, Rich and I...but at least we spend a lot of time practicing encouragement and making up little cheers for each other) So, Rich got down on his tummy and put his feet over and felt around for a while and said, "Nope. I can't touch it...nevermind."  And I was like, "I'll do it!  Get up..." (only in a more encouragy sing-songy sort of way)  So, I got down on my tummy, swung my legs over the rock and let myself stretch out (which is one of the reasons why I take yoga) and found the top of the ladder...knowing that Rich would catch me if I slipped.  Even though he had a pack on...and was holding his camera attached to a tripod and my full camera bag was in his way.

I wonder why I thought that?

Anyway, set my foot on the top step of the ladder, felt it move under my weight and said, "Ohhhhh...it's moovey!"  And he said, "Nope.  Not comfortable with this!"  and I said, "Oh come on! I'm already down here...If I can do it, you can do it..."  Mostly because I was already worried about how the heck I was going to get back UP the rocks (which is the other reason why I do yoga) and I thought it would be nice to help him out, because I wanted to take the opportunity to cop a feel he always helps me out whenever he can...

I didn't think this was the best time to mention that the ladder was actually a step ladder.

I didn't figure that would help the situation any.

But, he got down just fine...in fact, we got down the next set of stones...but the next set?  Yeah...Rich determined that was about a 12 foot drop and was all sandy and had no place to put our hands to grip and that he would probably slip and crack his jaw open..and after the recent bout of dentistry he's just had done, we figured it would be a bad investment in his future.

Also?  I was totally unsure I could get back UP.  And if I'm worried about UP?  I can't enjoy myself at all...because all I think is UP?  UP?  What am I going to do if I can't get back UP?  Become some sort of slot canyon dweller existing on the meager offerings of other day hikers?

Probably Rich would have hauled me back UP over the rocks like he had to do on the step ladder part of the hike...Poor guy.  I can NOT for the life of me figure out how to get my foot up by my ear and still have enough umph to get purchase with said foot and haul myself UP anything.  So, Rich planted his feet...and pulled me up.  He said he was a bit worried because I leaned back and he thought I was going to fall backwards...and then I would have probably hit my head, and we all know how that goes.

(I believe there is actually some sort of video footage of all of this that he is working into a podcast.  I'll let you know when that's up, for your enjoyment...maybe we can aim for Thanksgiving so that you have something to do while digesting your feast...Sadira in a slot canyon not climbing UP rocks and referring herself as a grease ball.  What?  Sleeping in a fleece lined wool hat for several nights has that kind of effect on one's hair)

So, we reluctantly turned back...promising that it would be fun to come back during the summer and hike in from the other direction where there's water and wider slot canyons.  Really...something for everyone in that case.

I'm angling for my birthday or our anniversary.

Rich also admitted on the hike back to the car that he'd read somewhere that perhaps you should bring some rope while hiking this canyon...which made me laugh (internally...outwardly I probably grimaced) because I can't even begin to figure out how I would use rope to do anything but get caught up in and then be swinging upside down from a bunch of boulders.

If this happens you can bet I'll make Rich podcast that too.