May 28-29 07

May 28-29, 2007

We left home yesterday for a little Memorial Day drive. We left at 8:00 AM Monday and returned tonight at 9:30. We were gone 37 hours, during which we drove approximately 16 hours and slept 8 hours. That left 13 hours during which we went to both the North and the South Rim of the Grand Canyon and got our Utah Drivers’ Licenses. Pretty good for two old fogies. And we had a great time.

Yesterday we went to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. It’s beautiful there. Then we went on to Kanab and spent the night at the Red Hills Best Western. It was adequate. We ate at a place called Houston’s Trails End which was wonderful…cute, and delicious homemade food.

Then we watched the end of the Jazz game and best of all the Utah news. Know what was missing? There was not one murder reported, or kidnapping, or sexual assault. Refreshing, to say the least, after listening to Phoenix news for 8 months. Every single night in Phoenix starts with a murder.

This morning we were at the Driver’s License office at 9:00 AM sharp, only to find that they don’t open until 10:00. So we went for a nice little walk and came back at 9:45. The office was open and no one was waiting. The two ladies there were extremely nice and we are now the proud owners of 2 Utah drivers’ licenses for the first time in 37 years. It took a while to get the test done, but it was easy and we had all the documentation for residence we needed. There were so many things that could have gone wrong with this plan, and it didn’t. Everything went like clock work. The lady did have a little trouble getting the camera to take my picture. That could have been a major setback. But I think the camera was just rebelling. It’s just too much work to try to make my picture acceptable.

We left Kanab and drove to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. It’s amazing how different the two rims are. We loved both, but the north side is a bit more adventurous. We hiked down to Angel Point which is interesting because for part of the hike, which is very short, both sides drop off into the Grand Canyon. It’s a bit overwhelming, but really fun. We laughed later saying our brains tell us we can do all the things we did when we were young. But our bodies were screaming, “Stop! No equilibrium! You can’t do this!” It was one of those moments Beckie would say we need to frame our birth certificates and put them on the wall so we’ll remember our age. We got sort of dizzy every time we looked down, but it’s so beautiful when you get out to the point. It really was worth it.

Then we drove to Flagstaff, ate at Outback, and got home about 9:30. At 10:00 Kit Cody knocked on the door wanting a blessing. Isn’t it great to be back?