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It is really windy (30 mph) and really cold (below freezing). T. and I went to breakfast. I brought a coffee back for R. and another bagel with PB for A. I skipped OJ for A. this time because I ran out of hands.
We went to REI before attempting hiking, because A. and I needed better pants. We got wind / water proof pants (not insulated). We also bought A. yak trax. And then, because A., we bought a lot of other things, such as a purple Patagonia day pack. The _best_ people helping us ever, maybe at any retail experience I have ever had. Great advice / information about hikes in the area, friendly, open , knowledgeable. They looked Native, and in a just world would be running some massive enterprise somewhere, because they are that competent. We were lucky to receive their assistance with our tiny endeavor. I got a really nice, purple insulated Klean Kanteen -- way better than the replacement I bought for the thermos I broke the lid of (and can't seem to find a replacement for, but I'm still trying). A. got a pink kids' hydro flask. She also got some purple technical socks.
We went to Walnut Canyon. By the time we got there, Island Trail was icy, difficult to clear and definitely closed. We should have gone the day before, but we were too tired and wiped out from the drive. Oh well! No entry fee, so we hung out and watched the film. R. and A. did some of the plant puzzles, which turned out to help A. recognize plants later that day. Cool! I bought the kids the National Parks Passport (not the kids one but not the insanely huge one either) and stickers for the three parks.
We went to Sunset Crater. We did the quarter mile paved loop to look at lava flows. Awesome lava flows! Super cool looking, I've never seen that type of lava flow before. The wind pants were effective. Glad we all had windproof jackets, too. R. did this hike years ago with one sister and their mother.
Lunch as at the Galaxy Diner. They were understaffed (not expecting a President's Day crowd, which wasn't able to go skiing due to the wind), but the food was good. I had the BLTA with cole slaw. It was tasty. I some of T.'s fries; he had the chicken fingers. A. had the kids' burger. T. had a float. A. had an ice cream sandwich. Another pay at the cashier diner; they were in a hurry to get out because some of the servers had classes to get to.
We decided to do Wupatki the next day on the way to Grand Canyon.
We went to Lumberyard Brewing for dinner. I got the ceviche verduras, which was not awesome and had way too much red onion; I didn't finish it. The chips were good, tho. I also got 10 crispy tofu and a couple dipping sauces (thai and the regular bbq). Those were unbelievably good. I still had sauce left, so I had it with some of the chips from the veggie dish. I had manhattans, which were tasty, and spent too much time inspecting the bar menu and asking questions (32 ounce mason jar drinks -- what's up with that?!?). Server was nice. Beer was good.
We went to REI before attempting hiking, because A. and I needed better pants. We got wind / water proof pants (not insulated). We also bought A. yak trax. And then, because A., we bought a lot of other things, such as a purple Patagonia day pack. The _best_ people helping us ever, maybe at any retail experience I have ever had. Great advice / information about hikes in the area, friendly, open , knowledgeable. They looked Native, and in a just world would be running some massive enterprise somewhere, because they are that competent. We were lucky to receive their assistance with our tiny endeavor. I got a really nice, purple insulated Klean Kanteen -- way better than the replacement I bought for the thermos I broke the lid of (and can't seem to find a replacement for, but I'm still trying). A. got a pink kids' hydro flask. She also got some purple technical socks.
We went to Walnut Canyon. By the time we got there, Island Trail was icy, difficult to clear and definitely closed. We should have gone the day before, but we were too tired and wiped out from the drive. Oh well! No entry fee, so we hung out and watched the film. R. and A. did some of the plant puzzles, which turned out to help A. recognize plants later that day. Cool! I bought the kids the National Parks Passport (not the kids one but not the insanely huge one either) and stickers for the three parks.
We went to Sunset Crater. We did the quarter mile paved loop to look at lava flows. Awesome lava flows! Super cool looking, I've never seen that type of lava flow before. The wind pants were effective. Glad we all had windproof jackets, too. R. did this hike years ago with one sister and their mother.
Lunch as at the Galaxy Diner. They were understaffed (not expecting a President's Day crowd, which wasn't able to go skiing due to the wind), but the food was good. I had the BLTA with cole slaw. It was tasty. I some of T.'s fries; he had the chicken fingers. A. had the kids' burger. T. had a float. A. had an ice cream sandwich. Another pay at the cashier diner; they were in a hurry to get out because some of the servers had classes to get to.
We decided to do Wupatki the next day on the way to Grand Canyon.
We went to Lumberyard Brewing for dinner. I got the ceviche verduras, which was not awesome and had way too much red onion; I didn't finish it. The chips were good, tho. I also got 10 crispy tofu and a couple dipping sauces (thai and the regular bbq). Those were unbelievably good. I still had sauce left, so I had it with some of the chips from the veggie dish. I had manhattans, which were tasty, and spent too much time inspecting the bar menu and asking questions (32 ounce mason jar drinks -- what's up with that?!?). Server was nice. Beer was good.