Chopper Over The Grand Canyon

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When I called our friend the Z and asked him if he would like to meet up with us in Phoenix for a week end, he declined the trip but insisted we take an extra day and visit the Grand Canyon.

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We've all seen the Grand Canyon countless times on TV, cinema, in books, on calenders. Going to see it never appealed to me enough to go through the hassle of getting there. I thought of it as just a big hole in the ground with some cool rock formations. Certainly not a big deal despite what they say on the Travel Channel.

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"It's one of those things you have to see," said the Z. The idea just wasn't thrilling me. He continued with insistence, "You're already in Arizona. Just take an extra day and go see it." My mother also insisted we go. After much cajoling and instance from both of them, I took the advice and reluctantly booked an extra day into the non-refundable airline reservations. What the hell. A day looking at dirt and pretty rocks. How bad could it be?
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Trail hiking really isn't our thing and the thought of standing around the edge of a cliff snapping some photos didn't seem all that thrilling either. So the question became; how to turn an otherwise dull day into something a bit more exciting? I looked into train rides, fancy hotels, mule riding...then I stumbled across helicopter tours.

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Neither Husband or myself had ever been near a chopper. We only saw them on TV.

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Hmmmm

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Chopper ride over the Grand Canyon. That's the ticket...so I ordered two from Maverick Helicopter Tours and put them on the Visa card.
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The original plan was to drive up from Phoenix, stand on the edge to snap a few photos, have some lunch, then go catch our ride. Well, the drive was longer than anticipated, Grand Canyon National Park is far larger then we imagined, the private airport was harder to find than we thought, we didn't see any restaurants....

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Sometimes, the most carefully laid plans don't work out no matter what the effort. This was one of those times. Frustrated and hungry, we rushed into the airport parking lot with just enough time to check in. All I can conclude is that the Divine had a better plan for us than a few photos from the edge and a fast-food lunch. What I didn't know, was this new plan would be delivered with a giant, toothy grin.
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I chose Maverick because we could chat directly with the pilot and ask questions instead of being at the mercy of a pre-recorded tape player. As six of us waited for clearance to take off, the pilot cracked some 'jokes' about helicopters and the military.

Waiting for take off.
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We lifted straight up, hovered for a second, then took off. It was cool. The head sets were comfortable and we could hear each other clearly. Our fellow tourists were from Europe. None of us had ever seen the canyon before. That absolutely thrilled our pilot. He said a first view of "the ditch" from a chopper is the only way to get the maximum impact of the Canyon's nature.

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After flying a good distance over forest we came to, what seemed to me, the very edge of the world. At this point our pilot, with a cliched sense of humor, turned on a little Wagner. I pressed my nose against the glass and the Divine grinned.

Here it comes....
maximum impact of the Canyon's nature.

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As we crested the edge, the world dropped out from under us. It was breathtaking. Hunger and frustration completely left my awareness as I stared, drop jawed, at something so astoundingly huge and so stunningly beautiful, I was lost in tear filled awe.
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This was not like on TV. No camera can capture it. There is nothing in all my travels that compares to that single, brief moment we sailed off the edge of the world.
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I don't have an image of that instant. I was too astounded to even think of the camera.
Never the less, here are few shots from the rest of that ride.

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This formation is called "The Battleship"
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We were really getting into the ride so I asked the pilot if he would buzz the canyon. He said no such luck. But if you book a private tour next time...maybe....just maybe.....

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It's impossible to see the entire thing in one view. Our 30 minute flight took us over only a very small portion of it. From what the pilot said, parts of it still haven't been explored. And yes, there are ocean fish fossils down there.

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When the ride was over, we drove around the edge for a bit stopping for a photo shoot here and there. What I thought was going to be a dull day looking at dust and pretty rocks turned out to be something else entirely.
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I can't find the proper words to describe my emotional reaction to the Grand Canyon. Awe-some is so over used it's childish. Awe-inspiring is too weak. Visiting with God is closer to it, but that sounds hokey. Astounding, huge, stunning, amazing, fabulous....words are no better at capturing the spirit, size and beauty of the Grand Canyon than a camera is.

It's one of those things you just have to see up close and personal.

Photos from the edge.

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The above images are my own.

Boston Concert: Past and Present Collide

Way back when in 1978, a bunch of us underage Boston fans rented a bus and went on pilgrimage to see our favorite band. Some us were funded by our parents and others were funded by growing weed under the park roller coaster. No matter who was buying, we left our parents at home to listen to Bobby Vinton, watch Quincy M.E. on TV, or do what ever else ‘old farts’ might do while home alone.

About 30 of us hopped on a decrepit old school bus that had no heat. The exuberance of youth kept us warm despite the cold November night. Some one brought their portable 8-track player. Of course, Boston played over and over all the way to the concert and back. Our chauffeur, a true to life version of Otto the bus driver from the “Simpsons”, dropped us off in front of the arena. Really… what other type of person would willingly drive a bunch of unaccompanied minors to a rock concert late at night?

Back in 1978, Boston was at the top of their game. All the original members were there. No one had yet died, quit or gotten fired. Their career as rock stars was just begining. Their own youth and exuberance was infectious and highly entertaining. They were great.

My experience was so cliché. I leaned on the stage the entire night cheering them on. Tom Scholz, Brad Delp, Barry Goudreau, and Jim Masdea pranced and paraded around the stage singing, playing and tossing their hair. Every now and again, one of them would lean down and slap my hand or toss a guitar pick into the crowd. The stage was dusty and Brad Delp’s sweat would splatter as he tossed his head. From a kid’s perspective, it was thrilling.

Mom gave me $15 for expenses and told me not to spend it all. I remember standing at the t-shirt booth in quite a quandary. Should I spend the entire 15 bucks on a t-shirt or be a good dooby and spend 50 cents on a Coke-a-cola for the ride home? I knew I would get in trouble for spending it all on an over-priced piece of fan wear. Did I want that shirt bad enough to accept the consequences? When last call for the bus came, I finally made my decision. I had to have that shirt. Thirst and consequences be damned.

Which brings us to just the other day – 30 years later.

Boston came to my home town and of course, husband took me to see them. One last time, I washed out the old 'in concert ’78' t-shirt. It barely fits and it's totally beat, but I wore it anyway. My mother, who last time paid the bill only to be left home, came with us too.

As Boston says, “…time doesn’t wait for me, it keeps on rollin.”

Time has replaced all the members except for Tom Scholz. There’s a woman in the band now, which to me, is wrong. The new singer sounds good, but he looks like the Maytag repairman and has less stage presence. The exuberance of a new and exciting career born of youthful dreams has faded. They seemed tired. Maybe they were. Being on the road like that at our age, has got to be tough.

I will never hang on the stage like that again. Even if I still had the desire or the fortitude, it’s no longer permitted. A barrier kept anyone from getting too close. Bic lighters have been replaced by photo-snapping cell phones. Security guards now patrol en-masse keeping a very tight ship. I’m sure that decrepit yellow bus has long since hit the junk yard. The roller coaster was torn down 20 years ago, and the infamous plants growing beneath it disappeared even earlier. I saw no one from that bus ride so many years ago. If by chance they were there, we didn’t recognize one another. Nor do I remember their names.

The concert wasn't nearly as thrilling in 2008 as it was in 1978. I suppose though, that's to be expected. Despite their flaws, I still enjoyed seeing them again live. It was nice to share the experience with husband and mom. And yes, I bought another t-shirt. Maybe I did it because I could; without guilt or quandary. I don’t remember how much trouble I got in over that shirt, but it doesn’t matter now. My mother understands the lure of the ‘in concert’ t-shirt. She bought one too.
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Time does keep on rolling, and trying to re-live one's youth never really turns out quite right. Experience changes those people and places we once knew. Even though I can't stop time, I certainly can look fondly upon those experiences that touched me as a kid and appreciate doing them 'again' with the freedom that comes with adulthood. And now, 30 years later, stage dust is dirt in need of a mop and splattering sweat is really gross.

“I lost myself in a familiar song

I closed my eyes and I slipped away”

Captain! Deer on the Runway

This post will make more sense after reading this post.

Another plus to flying; Planes never hit deer. (or so I thought)

We decided to take advantage of our new found flexibility and spend the morning re-visiting the Biltmore Estate. Even though we've seen some amazing palaces in Europe such as Versailles, Hampton Court and the Dodge's Palace we were still impressed with Biltmore. We had a lovely morning stroll through the gardens sniffing the flowers. It was a beautiful day. I knew we would be getting home much later than initially planned, but I felt the trade was worth it. With no plane to catch, we could putz around as long as we wanted. Nice.

Plus to driving; Flexibility without obscene surcharges.

We finished our Biltmore visit and headed home. It was a great day for a drive. Gorgeous sunny day without a cloud in the sky. I was really grooving on the scenery of Southern Virginia. Despite the moderately heavy traffic, we were cruising right along having a great time.

BAM!

A suicidal deer bolted from the median right in front of the car. We were in the left lane, a car was next to us and a moron was right on our ass. No where to swerve and no way to jam on the brake. Sure, deer with a death wish are common enough. In the evening, on a small road. This just happened to be in the middle of the afternoon. On the interstate.

Once out of traffic, we pulled over. The headlight was mangled, the fog light and signal lights were dragging on the road, the lower grill was beat. There were blood streaks and fur stuck to the car. Yuck! I bucked up my courage and looked under the car. No dreaded puddle. No drips. Relief. We could finish the drive home. We took the fog light off and shoved the signal light back in its socket.

The seatbelts however, were locked up permanently. They can't be fixed, only replaced. We had to drive another 500 miles without belts. Some safety feature. Who ever engineered that has never hit a deer 500 miles from home. I shudder to think what would have happened if the air bag went off.

We finished the drive home with one headlight and no seatbelts. The cops left us alone.

I was told that the shape of the Beetle is what mitigated the damage. Considering we hit a large animal at 65 miles an hour, the damage was relatively small. And here I thought the VW claim of arches being safer than boxes was all marketing. Hmm, it's ended up to be true. If I loved my Bug before, I love it even more now.

I don't know what happened to the deer or the car next to us. Everything happened so fast, it's impossible to say. As they say, it could have been way worse. We were unhurt and able to get home. I suppose that's what really counts. Will this set me off driving long distance? Probably not. After all, hitting a deer at the end of the driveway is possible. I've seen deer run down the street in front of our house.

Park the Plane?

We travel quite a bit. Usually, if the drive is over 6 hours, we fly. Before I completely dis the airlines, I'll mention a few positives. Flying is generally quicker. It's the only way to see the Atlantic Ocean in the morning and the Pacific by the same afternoon. Flying is a great way to catch up on some reading. The structure that's in place is impressive. They move a tremendous amount of people with relatively few accidents. Unless you have months for a trip, it's the only way to see the world.

The airlines, though, are becoming a pain in the ass. They're charging more and giving less with things like baggage charges, surcharges for window or aisle seats, extra fees for food or no food at all. Then there’s the dreaded canceled, delayed and re-routed flights, broken or decrepit planes, lost baggage, etc. And I can’t fail to mention TSA which stands for Take Stuff Away, and Tough Shit Asshole.

So this trip we've decided to brave the highways of the nation and drive from NY to GA. I must admit that the experience was far better than the car trips from my childhood memories.

Compared to flying, we had much more space, food on demand, our seats to ourselves, and some amazing landscape to see. Without Take Stuff Away or strip you naked machines, our privacy was intact. On the downside, spending 15 hours behind the wheel of a car is kind of like drinking ouzo. As long as you're sitting there, all is fine. But the second you get up, oh my, the world starts moving in a most disturbing way.

If all travel time is taken into account such as; driving to the airport, waiting around for the plane, connections, waiting around for baggage, standing in line for a rental car and driving the rental from airport to the hotel. We figure it took an extra 4 hours to drive.

All in all, the drive wasn't as bad as we thought it was going to be. Hmm, may be we’ll drive to Texas.