June 15, 2005 Grand Canyon Rim to Rim
Training walks for the Grand Canyon 12-29-2004
Chapter -0
I am sitting here looking out the window and writing to a captive group of people who are wondering who Byran has Byranized this time. There are things to see out the window like the street sweeper guy who waved at me, and the lady walking her dog who had to take a dump circling in the ivy across the street. He did his thing and she did hers (picked it up).
I have walked to Milwaukie OR. a few times (2 miles one way). There is this candy store there and I like Licorice ($10.00 or more). It usually lasts two days.
In Portland’s OR. Forest Park there are many hikes. The Wildwood trail is 30 miles long. Myran, Trina, Vellen, and I walked ten miles of it coming out at the beautiful St. John’s Bridge. It was a cold clear day with four mountains in view. The next week Matt, Caleb (2), and I walked the ten miles the other direction. It is a good walk in the trees but not much of a view. There were lots of people with their dogs.
The next day I walked about five miles of Maple Trail in the Park. I wanted to see what cooking one of these meals in a plastic bag was like. Propane cylinder is not flat on the bottom (yea). I had Ilene pick me up a square pan. It was a new Teflon pan and Teflon is on the bottom (slick Teflon). There is this picnic table and I rocked the stove on the seat till it stood, then I put part of the pan on the table and held it. This Teflon was good and slick. I put my meal in the water and it got hot. No knife and these are good plastic bags. There was a notch where you were to tear it open. Yes, there was red sauce all over. Every thing was in a plastic bag and me without a knife. It was good when I finally got to the food.
There were other short hikes but when you are by yourself they are not as much fun. Myran, Vellen, and I went on one old road that had old cars over the edge.
Let me take you to where there was a view. The Columbia River Gorge, Angels’ Rest is 2.8 miles one way and Myran, Trina, Vellen, and I wondered why there were cars parked in this spot. It was cold and the wind was blowing so we stopped and took this hike. What a view. The trail has some slick rocks on it but it is safe. We were thinking this is a great hike.
Myran and I went on a seven-mile hike up to Elowah Falls. We took the high trail and ended up at the top. Here there were two falls, a short 50 foot one and I don’t know how tall the other one was. There was this four-foot tree that had fallen over and the end was over the top of the tall falls. I asked Myran if he would stand on the end so I could take his picture. There was moss on it but not too thick; it was wet. He said NO. I missed the picture of a lifetime. Will you do it for me if I say please? It is only a few hundred feet up. The trail up there was good and there was a handrail on the last part, three feet wide and an over hang. The hand rail was old and made out of galvanized pipe with pipe fittings to couple it together and where it was real narrow, there the rail was gone. Not to worry. If you fell, it would not hurt being an over hanging. I would concern myself with the stop at the bottom. It is a falls you have to see to really appreciate.
We went off to the lower trail to look at it from the bottom. I liked the top a lot more. There was a biking trail that we walked until we got to Moffett Creek and then back (two miles). It followed the freeway and was just a walk.
The next day Myran and I wanted to go for a hike and I said there was another trail that went to the right. We looked on the map and it went to Nesmith Pt. It was only 4.9 miles and went to an elevation of 3,880 feet. Now Myran’s car, a Subaru WRX is parked at about 100 feet. I told Myran if it was still there when we got back, I would be more surprised than if it was gone. He said, “I don’t care. I have insured it as much as I can, and if I don’t use it, why have it.”
It is 10:20 a.m. and we decided to eat lunch at noon or the top, whatever came first. That is only 2.5 miles an hour. No problem. (Ha) As we started out, it was up but not too steep and we were making good time (the first mile). Then it got to going up and a little steeper. No problem. This was not bad (half mile); then we took a right and went around the EDGE. It was OK. The trail was three feet wide but it sloped toward the EDGE that was almost straight down, but not quite. There are trees on it. I thought the first person to come up this way and make plans where to put the trail must have had a great time. Now the trail was steep -- like a staircase with no steps. You found yourself walking but not putting your heals down. This little canyon was off from the bigger one we had gone up. When we went around the EDGE (not steep but up), it put us in this smaller one. There were some areas that had slides. The rock in the path was about three feet round; a tree four foot through, and the rest of the hill where its roots were still above us were about 20 feet in the air. We climbed over and Myran thought it moved when I was on it. (I now think hypothermia was setting in) We took turns going over these areas. If one slipped or it let loose, one could call or go for help. There was a little slide where there were no tracks over seven feet across.
There seemed to be no wind but it was there. I was hiking in a t-shirt and sweating a lot. Under my pack I was soaking wet. We walked till noon and stopped for lunch. There were old trees and a little flat area. I put on my fleece and raincoat. Then Myran started the stove. The coffee pot was filled with water and our meals were put in the water. Our packs were put around the stove to keep the breeze down so the stove would not go out. It seemed to take forever.
A hiker, walking up the hill like it was flat, told us that we were only half way up. (Oh Joy) Another mile and it would be flat. (He needed a new Level) The food was finally done and we were cold, cold, cold. This time I had a knife with me and an Aluminum coffee pot with a stand for the stove. Much better! These meals are for two people. NOT. After the hot water cooked our meals, I put the coffee and apple cider powders in my water container. It was hot by now and felt so good on my hands.
We were really cold by not moving and being wet did not help. Myran would have quit but to appease the old man, he started out again slowly till we warmed up. This took a long time. We were hiking on the “so-called” flat, 10% up with two downs of 20 feet long. A lot of the trail was 20 to 30% (I looked at my protractor). We met “Mister Walk Easy” and he said that this was one of the steepest climbs in the Gorge. Myran wanted to know who thought of this walk? Let me see. There were two of us and he didn’t suggest it. That leaves the other guy.
Another mile and we were on the road to the lookout post. At two o’clock we were going to turn around. Fifteen minutes to go but we were so close to the top. Yes, we get there at two and you can see forever. Oh yea, there was about six inches of snow that appeared on the flat and I am walking in my t-shirt again - Soaking wet. Could it be the flat trail and road? (Do you think?) The TOP YEA !!!!!!!!
We took pictures and I was not going to tell but keep you in suspense. There was an outhouse up there, but I don’t think you would use it. It was leaning a lot and the seat was rotten. I walked to the other side of the point and snapped a picture or two. It was almost straight down. I stayed away from the edge out of fear. The snow is slick and if you go over it, it is not a free fall, but close, very close. We were running out of time and were into our time to go down by 15 minutes. If we got hurt, we would have a big problem and no light. I put on my fleece and away we went. My arms were cold to the bone but the sweat was running off my head when I got to the top. It is easier on the way down. That is the flat. (HA)
We stopped and looked at the sides and the trees. There were rocks in trees. The greens this time of year are just greener than green. We stopped on the way up too, but are more rested now. The steep part is hard to go down and you had to stop a lot to give your knees a rest. They hurt on the sides. I took out my walking poles and they helped going over the rocks and down the switchbacks. The switchbacks are the steepest part. We watched Bekin Rock in Washington get bigger and bigger. When you are at the base of it, it looks big, but where we were, it was small. It was about the size of you fingernail. It took four hours up and two down. It was a fun hike with Myran.
It is the next day and I am a little sore but would do the hike again. (NOT THIS WEEK!!!!) I took three Ibuprofen and a glass of water to get rid of the pain in my back. I don’t like taking pills. I really thought I would be hurting a lot more than I am.
Where is the next hike? I don’t know. All I can tell you is there will be more. Gorge, clear days; Portland Park, cloudy days.
Ilene’s joke from the pool: There were three women, a brunet, red head, and a blonde. They wanted to swim across Crater Lake so they arrived on the bank all ready to swim. One rule was for them to jump in together. So they did and two hours later the red head got to the other side and five minutes later the Brunet arrived. Thirty minutes later the Blonde came out madder than a wet hen. They asked what was wrong and she said, “They both used their arms!”
Byran having fun.
Trivia question: Where did the names of these creeks and canyons come from along the Columbia River?
They came from the netters who lived along the Columbia River.
After reading this account, Myran’s comment was, “Mr. Easy Walker, when he walked by us, wasn’t even sweating or breathing hard. He just walked up to the end of the “steep” part. The rest he said was relatively “flat”. His relatively flat part was like walking up Multnomah Falls.”
On the Columbia Gorge Myran, Trina, Vellen, and I did Larch Mountain just to see Mt. Hood in all her splendor. It was 6.8 miles one way. It was a great hike up and back. The knees were giving me fits by the time I got to Multnomah Falls.
Oh yes, Vellen, Myran, and my Dad and I cut and hauled out four and a half cords of fire wood in one day. You could say I was a little sore.
Training – May 20, 2005
I tried to kill me with OVER 26 mile hike today, and I have the blisters to prove it! Portland City park, Forest Park off of Newberry Road on the Wildwood trail to the 5-mile mark, then a mile to Holman Park. 10.5 hours of walking, lots of rain and mud but cool. The raincoat was all I wore most of the time. It was mostly flat. I am ready for GC. I am not taking my feet; they hurt a lot.
29.75 miles on that trail. I was planning on doing it all but it just didn't happen. There will be a next time. The last five miles has a lot of steep up and down.
Who wants to go for the record rim to rim for the Grand Canyon?
Ultrarunning Magazine lists Allyn Cureton, 64 years old today, of Williams, AZ holds the records:Single Crossing (N. Kaibab - S. Kaibab) on 10-4-81 in 3:06:47 (20.6 mi.)Double Crossing (S. to N. to S. Kaibab) on 11-9-81 in 7:51:23 (41.2 mi., ca. 12,000' elev. gain)Note that these two records were established in the second from last year that the National Park allowed organized running events.I have only been able to verify a few people doing three or four times across non-stop. For the four times across:Double Double Crossing (Kaibab trails) in 10/87 Wallly Shiel in 24:45:00 (82.4 mi., ca. 24,000' elev. gain)There have been a number of folks try to break Allyn's records and they were hammered. Note Allyn was 44 years old when he set these records.
Quote from Monica: “These people are bigger freaks of nature than the big ditch itself.”
GRAND CANYON VACATION MAY 21 THROUGH JUNE 15, 2005
Chapter I
We left Milwaukie, OR May 21, 2005, at 7:00 a.m.; arrived Lynn and Lee’s around 7:30 p.m.
It was a good drive, no problems. Lynn and Lee prepared a nice steak dinner for us. This was the first time we had seen their house. It was very nice. Lee did a great job on the landscaping.
The following morning we went into San Francisco. Lynn, Lee, Gretchen, their dog Belle, Ilene and I strolled across the Golden Gate Bridge and back. It was a great day, 80 plus. We went to a museum under the bridge. The bridge is 746 ft tall, 1.7 miles long. Went to the old fort built in the 1800’s under the bridge. It was a brick fort with walls 7 ft., 8inches deep. It had four floors of cannons. It is one of the things in San Francisco I would recommend stopping and seeing.
Went back to Lynn and Lee’s and had a great taco salad - and wine. Nobody would drink my wine.
When leaving the Koellermeiers, we zigzagged down their road to take you to the main hiways; you drive 5 miles to where a sign says “take Left to get on I-680 S. It lies. This puts you in a residential area. You zigzag around a while until you end up on a freeway going west. Then you take an off street and go to the top of a really big hill and down the other side, under the freeway about 3 miles, and back onto the freeway going east. With luck we ran into a sign that said I-680 south.
We left Monday morning, May 23 (10:30 am) for Lompoc, CA. Good day to travel, warm. Got to Carolyn and Ray’s around 4:00 p.m. Visited and had nice tuna pita sandwiches, angel food cake with lemon frosting.
Chapter II
Tuesday, May 24, 2005 - Ray and I went on a mountain bike trip to the Mission. I brought back 9 wheel weights. We came back and took the girls to lunch in Solvang, a town that could have been in Holland, or maybe in Stratford upon Avon. After looking around in the embroidery store and eating lunch, we drove to a pretty park and took a ten minute hike up to the Nojoqui Falls. After the falls, we stopped at the Ostrich and Emu farm. I fed the birds and left with all my fingers still in tact. We ended our sight seeing trip at Fosters Freeze and had ICE CREAM.
Wednesday, May 25, 2005 - Ray and I went on a bike ride to Honda, a ship graveyard. It was the biggest peace time military disaster in US history in 1923. Seven of our destroyers went aground here. The girls went to the 99 cent store. We took them to the “all you can eat ribs” restaurant. The next day Ray and I left for the Great Western Bike Rally. .
Great Western Bike Rally May 26, 2005 through May 30, 2005
Thursday, May 26 - We left Lompoc after finding only 9 wheel weights and going to Paso Robles. There were no tents, and then there were tents all over. It was like a maze walking through them. I helped fill bags to give away. The weather was sunny and hot. There was a great bunch of people at the rally. They were a lot of fun to be around.
Friday, May 27th - There were lots of tents but no people when out of the tents came a lot of good looking people with their fancy looking riding gear ready for a 25-mile ride to Templeton and back. It was just right for riding. The cars were starting to show up for the car show. They said there were about 800 cars. There were all different kinds. Some of them were just perfect, but some of them were just beginning to be worked on.
Saturday, May 28th - We did a granny gear climb up York Mountain Loop. We stopped on the ride and had peach and apple crunch.
There was a real funny thing that happened in the shower when we got back. Guy A came in for his riding shorts and asked if anyone had seen them. Guy B just stepped into the shower and said the riding shorts on the wall were his. Guy A said some bad things and said that the pair someone stole was worth $180. Guy B in the shower fest up and said that the shorts on the wall really belonged to Guy A. Guy A took it well but I was wondering why Guy A was wondering where Guy B’s tent was. Why? I know not, and I am out of here! Could he be planning revenge?
Bob, (I am getting a trivia question from my secretary.) Do you know how to spell BOB backward? I hate these hard spelling questions. Now we are getting back to Bob narrating the Huffy toss and giving away free trips to Hawaii (just kidding). I tried it and it was harder than I thought it would be. In short I did not win a trip to Hawaii. In the evening it was off to wine tasting and eating cheese in the fair grounds. There was a bike judging contest.
Sunday, May 29th - Chuck, Larry, Ray, Stephanie, and I went on a 60-mile ride to Cambria. It was warm but not too hot. There was a cool breeze. The downhill to Cambria was just awesome, but only nine miles long. Almost to the bottom, Stephanie stopped and one of the most brilliant statements I have ever heard came out of her mouth. “We have to ride up this downhill!” It was just awesome to go and go and go to what seems forever. We all know what goes down must also go back up. It didn’t change. It was long that way too. We stopped for coffee and apple and cherry crunch on the way back at Cider Creek. After the ride some of the group had homemade beer. Bob barbequed beef and a lot of people came up with delicious salads, corn on the cob, desserts and all the stuff to make a wonderful meal.
Monday, May 30th – Last day - We went for a 30 mile bike ride to Templeton. It was longer this time. The reason being as the week goes on the road heats up and expands. It was amazing to see the fair grounds so full and now empty. There was a lot less wheel weights this year than last – 7 and three pieces was all that was found. I had a really great time – It was really great to ride with so many great friends and acquaintances. We whined a lot! Some people laughed, I know not why.
While Ray and I did our bike ride, the girls visited the antique stores and the thrift stores looking for bargains, ideas, and unusual things. They went to the Tea Room and other nice places for lunch. Carolyn took Ilene to the Casino. Basically, they just got to visit and get to know one another and do girl things.
Tuesday, May 31, 2005 I hiked over by the Mission with Ray (about a 4 mile loose sand walk) – came back and Ray drove all of us to Tranquilliam Peak – Highest point on the Vandenberg base – foggy but clear at top – You could really see the coast line and country side. That evening we wasted money going to the Star Wars movie. Really disappointing, but now we can say we have seen them all.
Wednesday – Wasted more money buying shares into the Chumash Indian casino. Went to lunch at the Country Club, and had dinner with the friendly people from the Lompoc bike club. Ilene was especially glad to be able to say hi to everyone again.
Thursday, June 2, 2005 – Ray and I took another mountain bike ride to the Mission – about 10 miles. Carolyn and Ilene did lunch, thrift store, and candy store. Mmmmm chocolate.
Friday - Met the biking group at Mother Hubbards in Buellton and had a nice breakfast. The men finished their bike trip and the girls took in a couple more thrift stores. Saw the movie “Longest Yard”. It was really funny.
Saturday - We were supposed to leave today but the men weren’t through playing. Actually we looked on the internet and couldn’t find a place to stay, so we stayed an extra day. We took another bike ride up to Vandenberg. It was a coooool ride (as in temperature). The fog never did burn off. It was the first time I have been cold since I have been here. It turned out to be a very nice ride.
Chapter III
We left Sunday morning. I was thinking Ilene was having a hard time finding a place to stay (but she says I wasn’t listening to her.) I think she talks quite a bit but I am not quite sure. We arrived at Barstow, CA, and went to the Calico Ghost Town to find a very large camp ground with next to no one there. I took a quick walk through and thought you could spend a day there. So, we signed up for two nights. The next day Ilene and I toured the whole town and all the mines in about a half day. The wind had been blowing day and night. When looking down on the camp ground from town, Ilene expected to see our tent soar out over the mountain tops like a hot hair balloon. We filled the rest of the day watching Bonanza. When I stepped out after watching Bonanza, our tent was walking down the street with my pack, two chairs, mattress, and bedding in it. It was strange sleeping with the tent flapping all night. It gets really cold here – down into the 70’s.
Tuesday, June 7, 2005 - Stopped in Baker and then went to the Mojave National Preserve. Drove down this road for what seemed forever when we came upon a 45 MPH TURN. Why this sharp turn in the desert, I do not know. We also stopped and talked to a desert tortoise. Later found out they are an endangered species and are susceptible to human diseases.
From there we went to the Kelso Dunes trail head in the Devil’s Playground. I walked to the top of the highest one – 750 ft high. The first 2/3 was just loose sand. The second 1/3 was just steep loose sand. Walking up you would walk 10 or 15 ft, stop, get your heart rate back down, and drink some water. It was about 100 degrees going up, but a nice cool breeze at the top. The ranger talked about a strange sound when you walked down the dunes, kind of a groan/squeak. It was a real strange sound. With each step down it would catapult you into the next step.
A Hole in the Wall is a place where lava and ash was mixed together. The ash eroded away leaving big holes in the rock formations. You have to have a little climbing skill to do the trails in this area, by pulling yourself up 7 rings two feet apart. Not hard.
We stayed at Jean, NV. Actually we reserved a room for 3 nights. The rates were great - $19.95/night.
Wed, June 8, 2005 - We did some gambling and then drove over to Sand Valley – nice drive for a sports car. On the way back we stopped at Goodsprings and had a drink at the Old Time Saloon. This was the only building in town. Byran wanted to join their bicycle race but didn’t think they would let him in the club. There was a picture there of about 100 shapely women in their birthday suits riding bikes. Whine, whine. Filled up the truck (2.58/gal) and headed off to Vegas to check out the airport. What a mess. Been there, done that, back to Jean.
Chapter IV
THE GRAND CANYON
Let me tell you what retired people do. Their son goes to the Grand Canyon and talks to some people who walked from rim to rim and he said, “that looks like fun.” Gullible me emailed this to my friends and Jerry said, “Let’s do it! Put a time on it.” Yes, Monica jumped on it too as a “chance of a lifetime.” Ilene says she will drive around and pick up the bodies. Mr. Gullible is thinking, “What the blankity, blank have I got myself into. I hope I can make it.” So, we let Myran be the leader and he did a really good job organizing and researching the project. We are giving all the blame for getting us into this to Jerry.
We picked the group up at the Las Vegas airport. Jerry, my biking friend from Texas, was the first to arrive. Sons, Vellen and Myran, daughter-in-law, Trina, Sharon, friend of Vellen, and Michelle, friend from their Young Adults group arrived a half hour later. Monica and John, friends from Toronto, Canada, arrive an hour after that. We threw everyone in the van and headed off to the Grand Canyon, North Rim.
This is a hike that if you are not in great shape, don’t even think about it. I thought I was in good shape, but if it were not for the rain and cool 56 degrees half way up, I would have been in bad shape.
We got up at 3:00 a.m. Ilene fixed a good breakfast. It was hard to get going and the strangest thing happened. There was this rumbling that kept getting louder and louder with intermittent lightning, but there was no rain. Then it started to rain and the noise went away. We drove to the North Kaibab Trailhead and the eight of us who did the hike, Vellen, Myran, Trina, Michelle, Monica, John, Jerry and I started to walk down. It was cold and rainy, complete with thunder and lightning.
We went down what seemed forever and past the point of no return; then we went down for what seemed forever again. The sun did come out periodically. We continued going down for 14 miles. There were 7 miles of really steep down, and 7 miles of a little less steep down. The rock formations were just unbelievably big and there was a lot of picture taking that will not do them justice. The trail has a lot of rocks and logs across it for drainage which would end up hard to step over as the day wore on. I don’t have the words to express myself regarding the rock formations. I have never experienced such a large amount of rocks in this form. For instance a rock the size of a house, and that’s a small one, along side of the trail.
The trail was very safe, about 6 feet wide, some of it blasted out of the mountainside. We had the view and the photo opportunities seemed to be more on the North Rim than on the South. There were lots of them in both areas. We were very fortunate that the weather was cool, only 85 at the bottom, not it’s usual 100 degrees plus. We soaked our feet in the Colorado River, and then there was the lovely walk out. As other people have mentioned to me before, it was the other way from down. Before the 6 miles up we went up the side hill in sand, then back down to the river, and then 6 miles up. When you walk it, you look at the different layers and colors of rock, knowing that the white one at the top is really the top. There were a lot of false summits. When we started up, the rain drops were little, further up they got to be the size of marbles, then sometimes golf balls, then at the top baseballs with little ice chips in them. I might have been delirious by then. As we were walking out, newly created rivers and waterfalls greeted us from the rocks and fresh rain.
The mules left a “sweet” smell of mule trail mix and Gatorade from Phantom Ranch to the end. The sight and scent was something we will always cherish.
At the top I tried to talk people into going to the end of the trail, but they seemed to think Ilene and Sharon would be at the Lodge. (We were at the Lodge, but not that one) Michelle and I walked back to the original trail end and they found us. Ilene drove us up to the main lodge where the rest of the group was and picked up the group. We went down this one-way street about five times trying to get back to the exit to get out of the park. The South side is not very driver friendly. (Believe me there are a lot of drivers)
On the way back to the motel, Jerry gave us a scare. We thought it was a heart attack but it was dehydration. Three police cars and an ambulance came to our rescue. Myran had called 911. Trina and Michelle, who both have medical backgrounds, kept him going until the emergency people got there. So we truly did have a HAPPY ending. Monica was saying she was just getting warm when they kicked her and John out of the van. They looked so cute wrapped in a blanket out there in a freezing cold wind giving the emergency people space to their thing.
I took a hot bath, but as soon as my head hit the pillow, I was out. We did 15 hours on the trail. After that it was a nice mile walk looking for the van. It ended up being about a 25-mile day.
QUOTABLE QUOTES
Jerry’s statement on this was, “Enjoyed it and would do it again, all but the last little bit AFTER we got off the trail.”
John: “The Grand Canyon is the only place you fly a helicopter down to rescue the people.”
John: “An experience of a lifetime!! Doing a hike with a great bunch of folks will be something I will treasure forever. I proved to myself I can do it and would definitely consider doing it again.”
John felt the hike exhilarated him. He got a “high” off the hike.
Monica: “The Grand Canyon is something I would not attempt without a great TEAM. The company was great and it distracted me from the task at hand – a whole lot of one foot in front of the other! Would I do it again? Absolutely not! Am I glad I did it? Absolutely!” “ P.S I don’t care if I never see my camelback or dried apricots again.” J
Myran: “(1) Crack kills – Big Crack really kills. (2) Once pain is gone, ask me again. If it was hot, we would have died.”
Trina: “Did Big Crack – Never do Big Crack again.”
Vellen: “Would do it again – next time 2 days.”
Michelle: “Once in a lifetime experience – would be crazy to do it again! J Really indescribable experience.”
Byran: “I really enjoyed the hike a lot more now that it is over. It would take a tremendous amount of talking and persuasion to get me to do it again. The seven other hikers didn’t complain once about the hike while they were on it. It was very important to me that the group stayed together on the whole hike. I was very impressed that they were able to do this being extremely mentally and physically tired. ”
The day after the hike, surprisingly, everyone was walking fairly normal, although avoiding steps if possible and using ramps.
We got stopped at Security going over Hoover Dam. Everyone had to get out but took it as a normal thing to do. John and Monica even got pictures with the security guard. We stopped at the parking lot and walked down 87 steps and over to the other side of the dam. The view over the side of the dam is really awesome. Not realizing Monica was timid about heights, as she peered over the edge for the first time, I put my hand on her shoulder, and got a little IRK out of her. I would tell you this is awesome too, but compared to the Grand Canyon, it rates a 2.
We went to Circus Circus and lost $10. Jerry and I watched the playoff game between San Antonio and Detroit. This building is large but rates a “1” to the Grand Canyon. Everyone had to leave on a “red eye” for home so we dropped them off at the airport. Compared to PDX Las Vegas airport rates a “ -5.” Then Ilene and I drove home, two days.
What is next you ask, why Cycle Oregon weekend ride. Will the play never end? I hope not.
Training walks for the Grand Canyon 12-29-2004
Chapter -0
I am sitting here looking out the window and writing to a captive group of people who are wondering who Byran has Byranized this time. There are things to see out the window like the street sweeper guy who waved at me, and the lady walking her dog who had to take a dump circling in the ivy across the street. He did his thing and she did hers (picked it up).
I have walked to Milwaukie OR. a few times (2 miles one way). There is this candy store there and I like Licorice ($10.00 or more). It usually lasts two days.
In Portland’s OR. Forest Park there are many hikes. The Wildwood trail is 30 miles long. Myran, Trina, Vellen, and I walked ten miles of it coming out at the beautiful St. John’s Bridge. It was a cold clear day with four mountains in view. The next week Matt, Caleb (2), and I walked the ten miles the other direction. It is a good walk in the trees but not much of a view. There were lots of people with their dogs.
The next day I walked about five miles of Maple Trail in the Park. I wanted to see what cooking one of these meals in a plastic bag was like. Propane cylinder is not flat on the bottom (yea). I had Ilene pick me up a square pan. It was a new Teflon pan and Teflon is on the bottom (slick Teflon). There is this picnic table and I rocked the stove on the seat till it stood, then I put part of the pan on the table and held it. This Teflon was good and slick. I put my meal in the water and it got hot. No knife and these are good plastic bags. There was a notch where you were to tear it open. Yes, there was red sauce all over. Every thing was in a plastic bag and me without a knife. It was good when I finally got to the food.
There were other short hikes but when you are by yourself they are not as much fun. Myran, Vellen, and I went on one old road that had old cars over the edge.
Let me take you to where there was a view. The Columbia River Gorge, Angels’ Rest is 2.8 miles one way and Myran, Trina, Vellen, and I wondered why there were cars parked in this spot. It was cold and the wind was blowing so we stopped and took this hike. What a view. The trail has some slick rocks on it but it is safe. We were thinking this is a great hike.
Myran and I went on a seven-mile hike up to Elowah Falls. We took the high trail and ended up at the top. Here there were two falls, a short 50 foot one and I don’t know how tall the other one was. There was this four-foot tree that had fallen over and the end was over the top of the tall falls. I asked Myran if he would stand on the end so I could take his picture. There was moss on it but not too thick; it was wet. He said NO. I missed the picture of a lifetime. Will you do it for me if I say please? It is only a few hundred feet up. The trail up there was good and there was a handrail on the last part, three feet wide and an over hang. The hand rail was old and made out of galvanized pipe with pipe fittings to couple it together and where it was real narrow, there the rail was gone. Not to worry. If you fell, it would not hurt being an over hanging. I would concern myself with the stop at the bottom. It is a falls you have to see to really appreciate.
We went off to the lower trail to look at it from the bottom. I liked the top a lot more. There was a biking trail that we walked until we got to Moffett Creek and then back (two miles). It followed the freeway and was just a walk.
The next day Myran and I wanted to go for a hike and I said there was another trail that went to the right. We looked on the map and it went to Nesmith Pt. It was only 4.9 miles and went to an elevation of 3,880 feet. Now Myran’s car, a Subaru WRX is parked at about 100 feet. I told Myran if it was still there when we got back, I would be more surprised than if it was gone. He said, “I don’t care. I have insured it as much as I can, and if I don’t use it, why have it.”
It is 10:20 a.m. and we decided to eat lunch at noon or the top, whatever came first. That is only 2.5 miles an hour. No problem. (Ha) As we started out, it was up but not too steep and we were making good time (the first mile). Then it got to going up and a little steeper. No problem. This was not bad (half mile); then we took a right and went around the EDGE. It was OK. The trail was three feet wide but it sloped toward the EDGE that was almost straight down, but not quite. There are trees on it. I thought the first person to come up this way and make plans where to put the trail must have had a great time. Now the trail was steep -- like a staircase with no steps. You found yourself walking but not putting your heals down. This little canyon was off from the bigger one we had gone up. When we went around the EDGE (not steep but up), it put us in this smaller one. There were some areas that had slides. The rock in the path was about three feet round; a tree four foot through, and the rest of the hill where its roots were still above us were about 20 feet in the air. We climbed over and Myran thought it moved when I was on it. (I now think hypothermia was setting in) We took turns going over these areas. If one slipped or it let loose, one could call or go for help. There was a little slide where there were no tracks over seven feet across.
There seemed to be no wind but it was there. I was hiking in a t-shirt and sweating a lot. Under my pack I was soaking wet. We walked till noon and stopped for lunch. There were old trees and a little flat area. I put on my fleece and raincoat. Then Myran started the stove. The coffee pot was filled with water and our meals were put in the water. Our packs were put around the stove to keep the breeze down so the stove would not go out. It seemed to take forever.
A hiker, walking up the hill like it was flat, told us that we were only half way up. (Oh Joy) Another mile and it would be flat. (He needed a new Level) The food was finally done and we were cold, cold, cold. This time I had a knife with me and an Aluminum coffee pot with a stand for the stove. Much better! These meals are for two people. NOT. After the hot water cooked our meals, I put the coffee and apple cider powders in my water container. It was hot by now and felt so good on my hands.
We were really cold by not moving and being wet did not help. Myran would have quit but to appease the old man, he started out again slowly till we warmed up. This took a long time. We were hiking on the “so-called” flat, 10% up with two downs of 20 feet long. A lot of the trail was 20 to 30% (I looked at my protractor). We met “Mister Walk Easy” and he said that this was one of the steepest climbs in the Gorge. Myran wanted to know who thought of this walk? Let me see. There were two of us and he didn’t suggest it. That leaves the other guy.
Another mile and we were on the road to the lookout post. At two o’clock we were going to turn around. Fifteen minutes to go but we were so close to the top. Yes, we get there at two and you can see forever. Oh yea, there was about six inches of snow that appeared on the flat and I am walking in my t-shirt again - Soaking wet. Could it be the flat trail and road? (Do you think?) The TOP YEA !!!!!!!!
We took pictures and I was not going to tell but keep you in suspense. There was an outhouse up there, but I don’t think you would use it. It was leaning a lot and the seat was rotten. I walked to the other side of the point and snapped a picture or two. It was almost straight down. I stayed away from the edge out of fear. The snow is slick and if you go over it, it is not a free fall, but close, very close. We were running out of time and were into our time to go down by 15 minutes. If we got hurt, we would have a big problem and no light. I put on my fleece and away we went. My arms were cold to the bone but the sweat was running off my head when I got to the top. It is easier on the way down. That is the flat. (HA)
We stopped and looked at the sides and the trees. There were rocks in trees. The greens this time of year are just greener than green. We stopped on the way up too, but are more rested now. The steep part is hard to go down and you had to stop a lot to give your knees a rest. They hurt on the sides. I took out my walking poles and they helped going over the rocks and down the switchbacks. The switchbacks are the steepest part. We watched Bekin Rock in Washington get bigger and bigger. When you are at the base of it, it looks big, but where we were, it was small. It was about the size of you fingernail. It took four hours up and two down. It was a fun hike with Myran.
It is the next day and I am a little sore but would do the hike again. (NOT THIS WEEK!!!!) I took three Ibuprofen and a glass of water to get rid of the pain in my back. I don’t like taking pills. I really thought I would be hurting a lot more than I am.
Where is the next hike? I don’t know. All I can tell you is there will be more. Gorge, clear days; Portland Park, cloudy days.
Ilene’s joke from the pool: There were three women, a brunet, red head, and a blonde. They wanted to swim across Crater Lake so they arrived on the bank all ready to swim. One rule was for them to jump in together. So they did and two hours later the red head got to the other side and five minutes later the Brunet arrived. Thirty minutes later the Blonde came out madder than a wet hen. They asked what was wrong and she said, “They both used their arms!”
Byran having fun.
Trivia question: Where did the names of these creeks and canyons come from along the Columbia River?
They came from the netters who lived along the Columbia River.
After reading this account, Myran’s comment was, “Mr. Easy Walker, when he walked by us, wasn’t even sweating or breathing hard. He just walked up to the end of the “steep” part. The rest he said was relatively “flat”. His relatively flat part was like walking up Multnomah Falls.”
On the Columbia Gorge Myran, Trina, Vellen, and I did Larch Mountain just to see Mt. Hood in all her splendor. It was 6.8 miles one way. It was a great hike up and back. The knees were giving me fits by the time I got to Multnomah Falls.
Oh yes, Vellen, Myran, and my Dad and I cut and hauled out four and a half cords of fire wood in one day. You could say I was a little sore.
Training – May 20, 2005
I tried to kill me with OVER 26 mile hike today, and I have the blisters to prove it! Portland City park, Forest Park off of Newberry Road on the Wildwood trail to the 5-mile mark, then a mile to Holman Park. 10.5 hours of walking, lots of rain and mud but cool. The raincoat was all I wore most of the time. It was mostly flat. I am ready for GC. I am not taking my feet; they hurt a lot.
29.75 miles on that trail. I was planning on doing it all but it just didn't happen. There will be a next time. The last five miles has a lot of steep up and down.
Who wants to go for the record rim to rim for the Grand Canyon?
Ultrarunning Magazine lists Allyn Cureton, 64 years old today, of Williams, AZ holds the records:Single Crossing (N. Kaibab - S. Kaibab) on 10-4-81 in 3:06:47 (20.6 mi.)Double Crossing (S. to N. to S. Kaibab) on 11-9-81 in 7:51:23 (41.2 mi., ca. 12,000' elev. gain)Note that these two records were established in the second from last year that the National Park allowed organized running events.I have only been able to verify a few people doing three or four times across non-stop. For the four times across:Double Double Crossing (Kaibab trails) in 10/87 Wallly Shiel in 24:45:00 (82.4 mi., ca. 24,000' elev. gain)There have been a number of folks try to break Allyn's records and they were hammered. Note Allyn was 44 years old when he set these records.
Quote from Monica: “These people are bigger freaks of nature than the big ditch itself.”
GRAND CANYON VACATION MAY 21 THROUGH JUNE 15, 2005
Chapter I
We left Milwaukie, OR May 21, 2005, at 7:00 a.m.; arrived Lynn and Lee’s around 7:30 p.m.
It was a good drive, no problems. Lynn and Lee prepared a nice steak dinner for us. This was the first time we had seen their house. It was very nice. Lee did a great job on the landscaping.
The following morning we went into San Francisco. Lynn, Lee, Gretchen, their dog Belle, Ilene and I strolled across the Golden Gate Bridge and back. It was a great day, 80 plus. We went to a museum under the bridge. The bridge is 746 ft tall, 1.7 miles long. Went to the old fort built in the 1800’s under the bridge. It was a brick fort with walls 7 ft., 8inches deep. It had four floors of cannons. It is one of the things in San Francisco I would recommend stopping and seeing.
Went back to Lynn and Lee’s and had a great taco salad - and wine. Nobody would drink my wine.
When leaving the Koellermeiers, we zigzagged down their road to take you to the main hiways; you drive 5 miles to where a sign says “take Left to get on I-680 S. It lies. This puts you in a residential area. You zigzag around a while until you end up on a freeway going west. Then you take an off street and go to the top of a really big hill and down the other side, under the freeway about 3 miles, and back onto the freeway going east. With luck we ran into a sign that said I-680 south.
We left Monday morning, May 23 (10:30 am) for Lompoc, CA. Good day to travel, warm. Got to Carolyn and Ray’s around 4:00 p.m. Visited and had nice tuna pita sandwiches, angel food cake with lemon frosting.
Chapter II
Tuesday, May 24, 2005 - Ray and I went on a mountain bike trip to the Mission. I brought back 9 wheel weights. We came back and took the girls to lunch in Solvang, a town that could have been in Holland, or maybe in Stratford upon Avon. After looking around in the embroidery store and eating lunch, we drove to a pretty park and took a ten minute hike up to the Nojoqui Falls. After the falls, we stopped at the Ostrich and Emu farm. I fed the birds and left with all my fingers still in tact. We ended our sight seeing trip at Fosters Freeze and had ICE CREAM.
Wednesday, May 25, 2005 - Ray and I went on a bike ride to Honda, a ship graveyard. It was the biggest peace time military disaster in US history in 1923. Seven of our destroyers went aground here. The girls went to the 99 cent store. We took them to the “all you can eat ribs” restaurant. The next day Ray and I left for the Great Western Bike Rally. .
Great Western Bike Rally May 26, 2005 through May 30, 2005
Thursday, May 26 - We left Lompoc after finding only 9 wheel weights and going to Paso Robles. There were no tents, and then there were tents all over. It was like a maze walking through them. I helped fill bags to give away. The weather was sunny and hot. There was a great bunch of people at the rally. They were a lot of fun to be around.
Friday, May 27th - There were lots of tents but no people when out of the tents came a lot of good looking people with their fancy looking riding gear ready for a 25-mile ride to Templeton and back. It was just right for riding. The cars were starting to show up for the car show. They said there were about 800 cars. There were all different kinds. Some of them were just perfect, but some of them were just beginning to be worked on.
Saturday, May 28th - We did a granny gear climb up York Mountain Loop. We stopped on the ride and had peach and apple crunch.
There was a real funny thing that happened in the shower when we got back. Guy A came in for his riding shorts and asked if anyone had seen them. Guy B just stepped into the shower and said the riding shorts on the wall were his. Guy A said some bad things and said that the pair someone stole was worth $180. Guy B in the shower fest up and said that the shorts on the wall really belonged to Guy A. Guy A took it well but I was wondering why Guy A was wondering where Guy B’s tent was. Why? I know not, and I am out of here! Could he be planning revenge?
Bob, (I am getting a trivia question from my secretary.) Do you know how to spell BOB backward? I hate these hard spelling questions. Now we are getting back to Bob narrating the Huffy toss and giving away free trips to Hawaii (just kidding). I tried it and it was harder than I thought it would be. In short I did not win a trip to Hawaii. In the evening it was off to wine tasting and eating cheese in the fair grounds. There was a bike judging contest.
Sunday, May 29th - Chuck, Larry, Ray, Stephanie, and I went on a 60-mile ride to Cambria. It was warm but not too hot. There was a cool breeze. The downhill to Cambria was just awesome, but only nine miles long. Almost to the bottom, Stephanie stopped and one of the most brilliant statements I have ever heard came out of her mouth. “We have to ride up this downhill!” It was just awesome to go and go and go to what seems forever. We all know what goes down must also go back up. It didn’t change. It was long that way too. We stopped for coffee and apple and cherry crunch on the way back at Cider Creek. After the ride some of the group had homemade beer. Bob barbequed beef and a lot of people came up with delicious salads, corn on the cob, desserts and all the stuff to make a wonderful meal.
Monday, May 30th – Last day - We went for a 30 mile bike ride to Templeton. It was longer this time. The reason being as the week goes on the road heats up and expands. It was amazing to see the fair grounds so full and now empty. There was a lot less wheel weights this year than last – 7 and three pieces was all that was found. I had a really great time – It was really great to ride with so many great friends and acquaintances. We whined a lot! Some people laughed, I know not why.
While Ray and I did our bike ride, the girls visited the antique stores and the thrift stores looking for bargains, ideas, and unusual things. They went to the Tea Room and other nice places for lunch. Carolyn took Ilene to the Casino. Basically, they just got to visit and get to know one another and do girl things.
Tuesday, May 31, 2005 I hiked over by the Mission with Ray (about a 4 mile loose sand walk) – came back and Ray drove all of us to Tranquilliam Peak – Highest point on the Vandenberg base – foggy but clear at top – You could really see the coast line and country side. That evening we wasted money going to the Star Wars movie. Really disappointing, but now we can say we have seen them all.
Wednesday – Wasted more money buying shares into the Chumash Indian casino. Went to lunch at the Country Club, and had dinner with the friendly people from the Lompoc bike club. Ilene was especially glad to be able to say hi to everyone again.
Thursday, June 2, 2005 – Ray and I took another mountain bike ride to the Mission – about 10 miles. Carolyn and Ilene did lunch, thrift store, and candy store. Mmmmm chocolate.
Friday - Met the biking group at Mother Hubbards in Buellton and had a nice breakfast. The men finished their bike trip and the girls took in a couple more thrift stores. Saw the movie “Longest Yard”. It was really funny.
Saturday - We were supposed to leave today but the men weren’t through playing. Actually we looked on the internet and couldn’t find a place to stay, so we stayed an extra day. We took another bike ride up to Vandenberg. It was a coooool ride (as in temperature). The fog never did burn off. It was the first time I have been cold since I have been here. It turned out to be a very nice ride.
Chapter III
We left Sunday morning. I was thinking Ilene was having a hard time finding a place to stay (but she says I wasn’t listening to her.) I think she talks quite a bit but I am not quite sure. We arrived at Barstow, CA, and went to the Calico Ghost Town to find a very large camp ground with next to no one there. I took a quick walk through and thought you could spend a day there. So, we signed up for two nights. The next day Ilene and I toured the whole town and all the mines in about a half day. The wind had been blowing day and night. When looking down on the camp ground from town, Ilene expected to see our tent soar out over the mountain tops like a hot hair balloon. We filled the rest of the day watching Bonanza. When I stepped out after watching Bonanza, our tent was walking down the street with my pack, two chairs, mattress, and bedding in it. It was strange sleeping with the tent flapping all night. It gets really cold here – down into the 70’s.
Tuesday, June 7, 2005 - Stopped in Baker and then went to the Mojave National Preserve. Drove down this road for what seemed forever when we came upon a 45 MPH TURN. Why this sharp turn in the desert, I do not know. We also stopped and talked to a desert tortoise. Later found out they are an endangered species and are susceptible to human diseases.
From there we went to the Kelso Dunes trail head in the Devil’s Playground. I walked to the top of the highest one – 750 ft high. The first 2/3 was just loose sand. The second 1/3 was just steep loose sand. Walking up you would walk 10 or 15 ft, stop, get your heart rate back down, and drink some water. It was about 100 degrees going up, but a nice cool breeze at the top. The ranger talked about a strange sound when you walked down the dunes, kind of a groan/squeak. It was a real strange sound. With each step down it would catapult you into the next step.
A Hole in the Wall is a place where lava and ash was mixed together. The ash eroded away leaving big holes in the rock formations. You have to have a little climbing skill to do the trails in this area, by pulling yourself up 7 rings two feet apart. Not hard.
We stayed at Jean, NV. Actually we reserved a room for 3 nights. The rates were great - $19.95/night.
Wed, June 8, 2005 - We did some gambling and then drove over to Sand Valley – nice drive for a sports car. On the way back we stopped at Goodsprings and had a drink at the Old Time Saloon. This was the only building in town. Byran wanted to join their bicycle race but didn’t think they would let him in the club. There was a picture there of about 100 shapely women in their birthday suits riding bikes. Whine, whine. Filled up the truck (2.58/gal) and headed off to Vegas to check out the airport. What a mess. Been there, done that, back to Jean.
Chapter IV
THE GRAND CANYON
Let me tell you what retired people do. Their son goes to the Grand Canyon and talks to some people who walked from rim to rim and he said, “that looks like fun.” Gullible me emailed this to my friends and Jerry said, “Let’s do it! Put a time on it.” Yes, Monica jumped on it too as a “chance of a lifetime.” Ilene says she will drive around and pick up the bodies. Mr. Gullible is thinking, “What the blankity, blank have I got myself into. I hope I can make it.” So, we let Myran be the leader and he did a really good job organizing and researching the project. We are giving all the blame for getting us into this to Jerry.
We picked the group up at the Las Vegas airport. Jerry, my biking friend from Texas, was the first to arrive. Sons, Vellen and Myran, daughter-in-law, Trina, Sharon, friend of Vellen, and Michelle, friend from their Young Adults group arrived a half hour later. Monica and John, friends from Toronto, Canada, arrive an hour after that. We threw everyone in the van and headed off to the Grand Canyon, North Rim.
This is a hike that if you are not in great shape, don’t even think about it. I thought I was in good shape, but if it were not for the rain and cool 56 degrees half way up, I would have been in bad shape.
We got up at 3:00 a.m. Ilene fixed a good breakfast. It was hard to get going and the strangest thing happened. There was this rumbling that kept getting louder and louder with intermittent lightning, but there was no rain. Then it started to rain and the noise went away. We drove to the North Kaibab Trailhead and the eight of us who did the hike, Vellen, Myran, Trina, Michelle, Monica, John, Jerry and I started to walk down. It was cold and rainy, complete with thunder and lightning.
We went down what seemed forever and past the point of no return; then we went down for what seemed forever again. The sun did come out periodically. We continued going down for 14 miles. There were 7 miles of really steep down, and 7 miles of a little less steep down. The rock formations were just unbelievably big and there was a lot of picture taking that will not do them justice. The trail has a lot of rocks and logs across it for drainage which would end up hard to step over as the day wore on. I don’t have the words to express myself regarding the rock formations. I have never experienced such a large amount of rocks in this form. For instance a rock the size of a house, and that’s a small one, along side of the trail.
The trail was very safe, about 6 feet wide, some of it blasted out of the mountainside. We had the view and the photo opportunities seemed to be more on the North Rim than on the South. There were lots of them in both areas. We were very fortunate that the weather was cool, only 85 at the bottom, not it’s usual 100 degrees plus. We soaked our feet in the Colorado River, and then there was the lovely walk out. As other people have mentioned to me before, it was the other way from down. Before the 6 miles up we went up the side hill in sand, then back down to the river, and then 6 miles up. When you walk it, you look at the different layers and colors of rock, knowing that the white one at the top is really the top. There were a lot of false summits. When we started up, the rain drops were little, further up they got to be the size of marbles, then sometimes golf balls, then at the top baseballs with little ice chips in them. I might have been delirious by then. As we were walking out, newly created rivers and waterfalls greeted us from the rocks and fresh rain.
The mules left a “sweet” smell of mule trail mix and Gatorade from Phantom Ranch to the end. The sight and scent was something we will always cherish.
At the top I tried to talk people into going to the end of the trail, but they seemed to think Ilene and Sharon would be at the Lodge. (We were at the Lodge, but not that one) Michelle and I walked back to the original trail end and they found us. Ilene drove us up to the main lodge where the rest of the group was and picked up the group. We went down this one-way street about five times trying to get back to the exit to get out of the park. The South side is not very driver friendly. (Believe me there are a lot of drivers)
On the way back to the motel, Jerry gave us a scare. We thought it was a heart attack but it was dehydration. Three police cars and an ambulance came to our rescue. Myran had called 911. Trina and Michelle, who both have medical backgrounds, kept him going until the emergency people got there. So we truly did have a HAPPY ending. Monica was saying she was just getting warm when they kicked her and John out of the van. They looked so cute wrapped in a blanket out there in a freezing cold wind giving the emergency people space to their thing.
I took a hot bath, but as soon as my head hit the pillow, I was out. We did 15 hours on the trail. After that it was a nice mile walk looking for the van. It ended up being about a 25-mile day.
QUOTABLE QUOTES
Jerry’s statement on this was, “Enjoyed it and would do it again, all but the last little bit AFTER we got off the trail.”
John: “The Grand Canyon is the only place you fly a helicopter down to rescue the people.”
John: “An experience of a lifetime!! Doing a hike with a great bunch of folks will be something I will treasure forever. I proved to myself I can do it and would definitely consider doing it again.”
John felt the hike exhilarated him. He got a “high” off the hike.
Monica: “The Grand Canyon is something I would not attempt without a great TEAM. The company was great and it distracted me from the task at hand – a whole lot of one foot in front of the other! Would I do it again? Absolutely not! Am I glad I did it? Absolutely!” “ P.S I don’t care if I never see my camelback or dried apricots again.” J
Myran: “(1) Crack kills – Big Crack really kills. (2) Once pain is gone, ask me again. If it was hot, we would have died.”
Trina: “Did Big Crack – Never do Big Crack again.”
Vellen: “Would do it again – next time 2 days.”
Michelle: “Once in a lifetime experience – would be crazy to do it again! J Really indescribable experience.”
Byran: “I really enjoyed the hike a lot more now that it is over. It would take a tremendous amount of talking and persuasion to get me to do it again. The seven other hikers didn’t complain once about the hike while they were on it. It was very important to me that the group stayed together on the whole hike. I was very impressed that they were able to do this being extremely mentally and physically tired. ”
The day after the hike, surprisingly, everyone was walking fairly normal, although avoiding steps if possible and using ramps.
We got stopped at Security going over Hoover Dam. Everyone had to get out but took it as a normal thing to do. John and Monica even got pictures with the security guard. We stopped at the parking lot and walked down 87 steps and over to the other side of the dam. The view over the side of the dam is really awesome. Not realizing Monica was timid about heights, as she peered over the edge for the first time, I put my hand on her shoulder, and got a little IRK out of her. I would tell you this is awesome too, but compared to the Grand Canyon, it rates a 2.
We went to Circus Circus and lost $10. Jerry and I watched the playoff game between San Antonio and Detroit. This building is large but rates a “1” to the Grand Canyon. Everyone had to leave on a “red eye” for home so we dropped them off at the airport. Compared to PDX Las Vegas airport rates a “ -5.” Then Ilene and I drove home, two days.
What is next you ask, why Cycle Oregon weekend ride. Will the play never end? I hope not.
posted by Byran on the side at 9:05 AM
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