In the summer of 2003, we took a road trip to visit Hobie and Irene in La Verkin, Utah, Michel and Mary in southern California, Cory and Therésè in Northern California, and the Calls and Jaspersons in Star Valley, Wyoming. As part of the trip, we planned a stop at the South Rim of the Grand Canyon.
Are We There Yet?
Before we left our home in Oklahoma, we told the kids that we were planning to visit the Grand Canyon. Allyn (age 6) in particular was really excited to see the Grand Canyon. On the morning we left, as the van crossed the overpass before we got on Interstate 35 (about 1.25 miles from home), Allyn calls out "are we there yet?" She was so excited to get to the Grand Canyon.
Forgot to Water Watermelon
We were a couple of hours into the trip when Allyn called out, "Mom, I forgot to water my watermelon plant." As far as Annette and I knew, we did not have a watermelon plant. After asking about it, Allyn explained that at our Fourth of July party the week before she saved a watermelon seed from the watermelon we had at lunch and planted it in the garden without telling us.
I gave Allyn a lecture about science and how watermelon seeds will not just grow. You have to collect the seeds from the watermelon and let them dry out. Then, put the seeds in the right soil to get them to grow. I explained, lastly, that while she had good intentions, I was confident the watermelon seed she planted would not grow.
Annette and I were both shocked and surprised when we returned three weeks later from our trip to discover that the watermelon plant was growing. We even got a cantaloupe-sized watermelon from the plant later in the year.
Wake Up, Wake Up, We are There
Even though we told Allyn that we would drive all day, stay in a hotel that night, and get to the Grand Canyon the next day, about every hour or so, she asked if we were at the Grand Canyon. Especially, if we were driving past some rough terrain, she would look out the van window and ask if that was the Grand Canyon.
On day 2, we left the hotel (in Albuquerque, NM) to drive to the south entrance to the Grand Canyon. Allyn was still really excited to see the Grand Canyon. By the time we arrived in Flagstaff, Arizona, all the kids were becoming restless after two days in the van.
When we were about 20 minutes from the Grand Canyon, Allyn fell asleep. She was still asleep as we arrived in the parking lot and got out to see the South Rim.
I carefully lifted her out of her car seat. She did not want to wake up and was cross. Even the lure of finally seeing the Grand Canyon would not get her to wake up.
She eventually did wake up and enjoyed the views!
I Won't Fall
The park has chain link fencing around the edge of the canyon rim to prevent anyone from accidentally wandering or falling off the edge. In one part of the park, the edge of the rim has a peninsula sticking out into the canyon. The tourists can walk out on this part of the rim and have space on three sides looking down to the bottom of the canyon.
On the other side of the fence, a finger of rock sticks up with the top about 8 to 10 feet in diameter. The top of the finger was about 10 to 12 feet away from the edge of the rim and maybe 1 or 2 feet lower than the rim. The top of the finger was covered with coins (quarters, dimes, pennies, etc.) that tourists had thrown on the rock (like a wishing well).
Tanner was drawn to all the coins. Here is a conversation between the two of us.
Tanner: "Dad, I'll bet that I could jump from the rim to that rock. Then, I could collect all that money."
Me: "That is too dangerous."
Tanner: "I would be careful, I wouldn't fall."
Me: "That is exactly what the last guy who fell off the rim and died said."
Tanner (wide-eyed): "Really???"
Apparently, he did not get my sarcasm back then.
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