Another Round of Glory

More maroon morning glories in my garden.

The Heart of a Frame

They say that the bottom bracket is "the heart of a bicycle frame".

Added Benefits: Bicycle as Shopping Cart

One side effect of owning a bicycle with a large carrying capacity, is getting accustomed to having a "shopping cart" wherever you go. As a result I often ride my bike even to the grocery store that is within walking distance from my house, because it is easier to transport the purchases that way.



Interestingly, some of my friends who've recently had babies say the same thing about strollers: They've gotten so used to being able to hang their handbags and shopping bags on the stroller, that going out without it and actually having to carry all that stuff feels like a hassle. I suggested a bicycle for those times they are without baby and stroller, but they don't seem convinced that it can provide the same carrying capacity (plus, of course "it's not safe to ride a bike in the city"). Maybe one of those bicycle + stroller in one contraptions would do the trick.

Grand Canyon :: From Indian Gardens to The Rim

It was getting dark as we returned from Plateau Point. We had a quick supper then laid our sleeping bags and pads on the tarp. No tent. It would be my first time sleeping under the stars. It had cooled down quickly with the darkness and we didn't waste any time crawling into the sleeping bags. The night sky was filled with bright, brilliant stars. Amazing. During our brief visit, I had told Craig Manson that the night sky at Big Bed was incredible, but here in the Grand Canyon it was even more so. Perhaps it had something to do with the fact that there was nothing between me and the sky! Several times I woke up during the night and simply gazed at all of the stars in the sky.

I awoke at first light, made a quick trip to take care of the necessities, and sat at the picnic table wrapped in the sleeping bag to wait for Sue and Fred to wake up. I was a little stiff, partially from sleeping on the ground but also from yesterday's hikes. I was dreading the trek that was to come yet oddly looking forward to it. I recalled a sign posted alongside the trail at the 3-mile rest-house “Getting to the bottom, OPTIONAL. Getting to the top, MANDATORY.” We hadn't gone to the bottom, but still, the only way out was up, and you had to walk it.

It was another beautiful day! The sun had finally crested the rim, throwing it's warming rays into the Canyon. The coolness of the early morning spurred us on. We were packed and on the trail at 7 o'clock.

A group of half a dozen small deer greeted us at the 3-mile rest-house.

The Rim. The end. The beginning. Taken from the 3-mile rest-house a few minutes after 8 a.m.

Indian Gardens and Plateau Point, with the North Rim in the background. Photo taken at 9:45, near the 1.5-mile rest-house.

Look, we're smiling! That's because we know we're near the top (we were just 7 minutes away at the time) and almost finished with a fantastic experience. It was worth every ache and pain along the way (and the ones for several days after).

The trek to the top took not quite five hours. We left Indian Springs at 7 a.m. and arrived at the rim at 11:50. We celebrated by stopping at the Bright Angel Lodge Dining Room for a hot meal then back to the campground for a hot shower! The rest of the day was spent resting, relaxing, and recuperating, though the latter took several more days for me!

Thank you so much Sue and Fred for allowing me to join you on this trek. I've said it before, and I'll say it again – it was AMAZING! And possibly the most challenging and fantastic thing I've done on this journey, or ever!


Other posts in this series:

• Grand Canyon :: Bright Angel Trail to Indian Gardens (part 1)
• Grand Canyon :: Bright Angel Trail to Indian Gardens (part 2)
• Grand Canyon :: Indian Gardens to Plateau Point (part 3)

Wordless Wednesday :: Nearly Ready for Liftoff

The Great Forest Park Balloon RaceSt. Louis, Missouri September 1994Copyright © 1994/.. by Rebeckah R. Wiseman

Simpsonized and Cubed

You can blame this on Janice. . .







This is a postcard I sent to my sister from Wisconsin Dells Fifty Years Ago

Funny Genealogy at Cow Hampshire

Rubik's Cube Generator

You too can be Simpsonized at http://simpsonizeme.com/

Trip To Pick Up Austin

This weekend we headed back over to the Shenandoah Valley to pick up Austin. Since he was at Mom's house and that made it an eight hour round trip, we decided to go ahead and just stay for the weekend.



Since we went full time I've rarely been able to come and stay at her house. In fact this year might be the first I've ever stayed at this house. It is definitely the first I can recall staying when we were the only ones around for most of the visit. Normally we all get together meaning the brothers and their families. This time we had a whole day and a half with just her. As much as we enjoy the others, it was really wonderful to just hang out and have time with her that way.



We spent Saturday shopping with her. She took us all over Harrisonburg. We went to the Farmer's Market where we stocked up on bulk foods. We went to Costco to look at some things. We stopped at a few furniture places because we are looking for a kitchen island. She went to a store and got us a popcorn popper that I'd said I'd love to have (and I do LOVE it).





We then went to another Farmer's Market where she got us a cornhole toss game as part of our Christmas gift. It is the nicest one we've seen before or since. Really nice quality and much bigger than the ones you normally get in the store. We played a few games with it and I think Mom and I were the best of the four of us. I'm not saying the guys weren't good, I'm saying we were better. I am sure that will be short lived though because Nathan and Austin will play 24 hours a day until they get better than me. It's just how they are.







Nathan, who is notorious for hating any physical labor at all, did some painting for her.





While he worked I went outside to check on him. That didn't take long so I took advantage of the views from my MIL's yard.



We used the internet as much as we could because we've been without fast internet for a long time now. Mostly we just enjoyed the time together with family though. I had some complications with my healing, meaning I somehow managed to get boils where my dressings were. This delayed staple removal, which meant by now the staples were hurting. Even with that going on, I had a wonderful visit. Very relaxing and lots of fun. Thanks, Mom for everything!