Week 1 Observations and Pop Quiz

Week One Observations and a Pop Quiz

Pics: the bulk of the Grand Canyon pics will be posted tomorrow. Sunrise on day 8, utility boxes on hike, Bright Angel Point

I didn't come from a trailer park. I grew up middle class and my dad had money and my mom made my lunch. I got a car when I was sixteen. I'm proud of that.
Kid Rock

But first, a book review:
Just Kids, Patti Smith, Kindle edition. Patti’s memoir (or is it auto-biography) focusing on the years from age 17-27 (Patti was born in 46, so from 1963-73) when she and Robert Mapplethorpe developed a deep and challenging relationship. Not that well written, yet you get the intimacy of their lives together, how they became well-known artists, and the famous and not-so-famous people they intersected with in NY. Recommended, and not just because Dylan was Patti’s idol and Rimbaud her muse. If you listen real hard, you can hear Horses playing in the background through the second half of the book.

Observations
1. We are getting along extremely well, only 4+ more weeks to go
2. Already we can tell that the Lexus instead of the Prius or an RV has been a good decision: comfy, quiet, holds a lot, and those FOUR cigarette lighter outlets, plus the places we’re staying all have their own character (and A/C!)
3. We have way too many audio books left to listen to given the miles left (I think…how many miles are left?)
4. The first two NPs are shockingly good, and the Grand Canyon is good as well as familiar
5. The hiking has been terrific, and we are doing a lot of hiking
6. The food has been better than we imagined, bringing our own to supplement has been a very good idea
7. Even a blister can’t stop DB, and she does laundry on her day off
8. There are few kids around, except for Saturday, and that is a major plus (based on Saturday’s level of kid angst we see)
9. The clear air makes the vistas, scenery and night viewing above and beyond what we normally experience in the Bay Area
10. THB is not watching as much baseball as he would be if he was in E-ville; thank goodness for the internet and wifi connections!
11. Costs of hotels/motels: Peppermill - $130; Silver Jack - $69; Zion Lodge – $175; Desert Pearl - $185
12. Each NP has its own entrance fee: GB – free; Zion: pay each day or $50 annual; GC: 1-7 days for $25 (like Yosemite). We have annual pass, $80, so free all the time for us. Even the stickers are different prices!

Pop Quiz: Every correct answer is worth 5 points
1. Why did the trip begin on Day Zero? (for those of you who noticed, 5 bonus points)
2. Which hotel had the best wifi? Which the worst?
3. If you wanted to buy one of the places we stayed at, which one is available?
4. What audio book did THB and DB attempt to listen to and give up?
5. If you are worried about heights, which hike will cure your fear, and why?
6. Which NP is named after the view of outside the park?
7. Pick the reason why THB and DB do not remember being in Zion
a. They are really old and can’t remember anything from before 2003
b. They are really old and think they were there when they weren’t
c. They are really old and when they were there something catastrophic happened and they probably just did a driveby, at most
d. They are really old
8. True or false: sweet potato fries do not count when you are abstaining from eating French fries?
9. True or false: If you hike at 10,000 feet for 5 hours, you are entitled to share a pumpkin chocolate chip ice cream sandwich at dinner?
10. True or false: If you hike drive across the entire state of Nevada in 7 hours, you are entitled to share a pumpkin chocolate chip ice cream sandwich at dinner?
11. What do all the quotes of the day have in common?
12. DB visited the Grand Canyon in February. Why did that not count as a visit to a NP?
a. She didn’t have the passport book with her, so couldn’t get it stamped
b. She was with Brits, and she only wants to visit NPs with THB
c. She arrived in a helicopter, and that’s cheating, so didn’t count
d. It wasn’t really the GC NP, it was something similar and not quite it (and the moon landing was faked too)


Bonus question: which park was the last picture taken?