2009 summer vacation: in a cavern, in a canyon

Tuesday, July 28th, 2009 by HML

It’s like being forced to watch vacation slides!  See all the photos in the Gimlet Gallery.

We had decided to stay inside Grand Canyon National Park to give ourselves the most visiting time; our budget, family size, and room availability sent us to the Yavapai Lodge complex on the outskirts of the Grand Canyon Village.  It wasn’t the El Tovar in looks or proximity to the South Rim, but it was clean and comfortable and suited Team Gimlet just fine.  Still running on Philmont time, we woke up at sunrise (who would have guessed that a scout camp would be populated by lunatics, a.k.a. unbelievably cheerful morning people?  But out of necessity we got used to it, and by way of disclosure we must admit that Your Humble Narrator is the only non-morning member of Team Gimlet.).

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A trip through family history
2009 summer vacation: day one
Finally, some beach time

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2009 summer vacation: get your kicks on I-40

Tuesday, July 28th, 2009 by HML

After a relatively quiet weekend, we left Albuquerque to drive to the Grand Canyon.  We would spend nearly the entire day driving on Interstate 40, which has largely replaced the historic Route 66 through New Mexico and Arizona.  We could see remnants of 66 as a frontage road along the interstate, disappearing as the two roads merged, then reappearing again.

The billboards advertising roadside attractions helped keep the drive interesting.  Sometimes it seemed like the smaller the town or souvenir stand, more and larger billboards announced its impending appearance.  (Who wouldn’t want to visit Jackrabbit, Arizona with its promised photo opportunity astride a giant jackrabbit?)

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2009 summer vacation: day four
A week at Philmont: Thing One's mountain trek
2009 summer vacation: on our way to Santa Fe, and a left turn at Albuquerque

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Philmont!

Sunday, February 8th, 2009 by HML

Philmont's arrowhead symbolOur summer just got more exciting:  The Gimlet has been invited by our local scout council to attend a conference at the Philmont Training Center near Cimarron, New Mexico.  Invitations are limited to the top volunteers from around the country, so The Gimlet is honored that the scout council has offered him this opportunity.  As he attended Philmont as a scout Back In The Day, he is also delighted that Thing One will be able to participate in a very unique and memorable scouting experience.

During the week-long conference, Team Gimlet will be busy:  Thing Two can attend a preschool program which includes pony rides; Thing One will be eligible to take a 20-30 mile backpacking expedition through Philmont’s backcountry (with rock climbing, gold-panning, and other activities along the way); and Your Humble Narrator is looking forward to taking in the history, art, and culture of the Southwest, as well as day hikes and horse rides.

We’ll be driving to Philmont, so it’s time to dust off our National Park Passport and visit the Grand Canyon in Arizona, Arches and Zion National Parks in Utah, and any other monuments or parks we happen to drive past (there are quite a few!).  This vacation will test our tolerance for touring large holes in the ground, plus this is the first long driving trip we’ve taken since our Yellowstone expedition, pre-Thing Two.  Souvenir pennies will be squished, sunscreen will be slathered, and hopefully we’ll all be on speaking terms by the end of our desert odyssey.  Look for trip blogging or a wrapup report in July!

Related posts:

Utah in August: it's a dry heat. (Repeat as needed.)
2009 summer vacation: day two
2009 summer vacation: the road home

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