The Grand Canyon South Rim Part I

     Another amazing Exploring post first published in on my newest page    Check all of the pictures and posts out  at http://exarizonagobensonbobcats.blogspot.com/

      ** Although I strive to keep this page as up to date as possible,  I have been slacking on getting this post started.  Mainly because I have so many amazing pictures that I do not want to over whelm the reader.  To remedy this I will probably post this amazing adventure in several phases.  I hope you enjoy    and as always   HAPPY TRAILS!!**                                                                                      

     Several months ago I was lucky enough to be invited on a hike trip to and through The Grand Canyon.  I live about 300 miles away, but had the shortest drive by far.  I was meeting several senior citizens for the trek, so did not really prepare at all for this kind of a hike.  Until I was in the motel room -the night before  did I realize what I had gotten myself into.  The husband and wife part of the team travel all over, doing hikes.  In fact they just recently got back from a big hike in the Himalays.  I would like to say I am in good shape, but this was going to be way more than I had bargained for.  We ended up doing 18 miles in one day.  7 on switch backs down the trail from the South Rim - several into a camp down near the Colorado River and than nine long miles back up to the top.  Where happily dinner awaited! I am always up for crazy hikes, but this was even more than what I thought was a good idea.   Even the signs going into the hike warned of the dangers of doing this type of hike all in one day.    All things considered we made amazing time.  At one point we had to wait for pack mules to be re loaded after they had lost all of there packs.  Because the trail was to narrow to make a pass around the blow out.  And coming back up the trail---the others in our party had to wait for me more than a little bit.  Amazingly to me the trail up or down- is only about a mile in distance.  But is so amazingly steep that you follow switchback upon switchback.  I am happy to say that I went on this trip for the experience, memory's, and pictures.   But at one point, I was trying to decide if I could afford to be air lifted out of the canyon by helicopter, because I was done and beyond sore.   I remained very sore for a good two weeks after the trip.  That said, I took WAY more pictures going into the canyon, when I was still full of energy and enjoying life, than on the way out---when I was mostly trying to keep moving.  

On this day I was very glad to find reasonable gas prices in Tucson.

I got to enjoy some late spring sights.  This time of year was also perfect for not sweating it out to much during the big hike. 

The huge variety of plant life found in the desert always amazes me. 

Especially after spending so much time living in Oregon and Washington.

So I try and take pictures of new desert plant life in each and every post. 

I left early enough in the day to check out this area and state park just outside of Tucson.

You can see more pictures and thoughts in my blog post in the archives.

Several hours from Flagstaff I decided it was time to get out of the car and Explore.

This small town has some huge character for sure. 

Just to the left of the visitor center I had spotted some water.

About the middle of town  just past several bars and a very small grocery store. 

I did not get any pictures but just outside of town is the remains of a dog racing track.   The building is huge and I really wished to Explore it more on the journey home, but did not have enough time to stop.  

Back on the road. 

We now have several bobble head critters on our dash to lead the way on our Exploring. 

Closer still to Flagstaff was this casino. 

Most casinos offer free caffeine and free game play if you have never visited before. 

Plus they have super cold air conditioning.  

This one also had a bowling alley in it. 

With the attitude and the smell of the pine trees the drive into Flagstaff is always a great drive.  Especially when you are coming up from the super hot depths of Sedona. 

I lived in Flagstaff years ago, and in many of the towns not to far off the highway between Phoenix and Flagstaff.  The drive was a blast down memory lane also. 

I had slacked a lot on this road trip---and wanted to reach our motel before dark. 

So did not have much time to roam around the town until my journey back home. 

Than I had hoped to take a quick hike or two.   The area is full of amazing hikes, but on the return trip my legs were still a little to rubbery.

I did have time to catch a bite to eat and check my e mails. 

And of course call my wife, who was hugely missing me.

I can not even type that with a straight face. 

It was the first day of the trip, she was super happy!

And to roam by the Wal Mart I worked at for a short time.  Before transferring to the Queen Creek store.   Wal Mart seemed to be the only reason that small town even existed when we lived there.  

More on Flagstaff in another post.  

The motel was amazing!

Complete with it's own bowling alley.

And I have to thank my hike buddies here--because they paid for and my friends room. 

And it was a nice room for sure.  Although we did not have to much time to enjoy it   that night   the hike started at five AM the next day.

We did have enough time to check out the large motel and to 

visit one of the bars.

Where I tried a local Grand Canyon --brew.

It tasted like wet dirt from the canyon. 

Little did I know that later as I was dragging myself to the final parking lot, I might well be tasting the real dirt!

The next morning we got off the shuttle bus just as the sun was fully up.

Just down from the parking lot. 

The crew   while we were all still happy! 

                                        
                                   Many more pictures and thoughts in part II!  
                         

Let It Go!

               Hello to everyone this fine Monday.  I hope by now you have drank enough coffee to do all of your duties this morning, and are now looking for some adult beverages.  I say duties, because coffee really does help you go poo!   I happen to have the day off work  so am realizing slowly that maybe it really isn't Monday's that are so bad but maybe peoples jobs or just having to work at work on a Monday?   That being the fact--last night at work was both my Monday and Friday at work.  Today being my only day off this week.  I have mixed emotions about all of that.  But those are far back in my thought line for today, because as I might have mentioned I am off work today!   Last night was again extremely busy.  Especially for a Sunday night.  Should not all the customers be tired from praying all day?   Great for tips, bad for allowing me to slack like one might on a "Friday."                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 Some day I will learn to simply let it go--when it comes to topics and people that anger me.  And in several ways I am slowly--perhaps to slowly learning this in my marriage.  But for everything else I have my pages   to let all the negative feelings out.  ;)                                                                                                                                                                                                                    

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   

So on another sight I have been arguing about tolerance and how it seems like gays are pushing there rights on straight people from every angle all morning.   I personally hate everyone equally--that's why I do so well dealing with the public every day.  ;)   Our kids a very healthy understanding that people are people--no matter what they believe in or there skin color.  They are going to tick you off---defend yourself and your family, and than try to let it go.  Blah blah blah----than I posted the following---and am yet to get any replies    ......                                                                                                                                                                                                                    

• Should we also favor and go along with the huge Muslim and ISIS movement taking over even our nation? Because I have read what they believe in---and they believe in it as strongly as any gay person I know.  

  • We are living in a nation where everything that offends someone is takin down---the constitution, the 10 commandments, the confederate flag. This quickly makes people very intolerant.                                                                                                                                                         But as always   what do I know!?                                                                                                                                

                                                                                                                                                                                                                   I posted this above on my wife's Facebook time line this morning, but think it works equally as effective here for all my great readers! 

                                                                                 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                         I believe if I ever start my carer in stand up comedy I will have tons of snowballs!                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            

                                                                                                                                                                                                                         I am finally posting my long awaited Grand Canyon Exploring and pictures on MY Exploring blog page tonight!  Please check out the past pictures and posts.                                                                                                

    

                                                                   http://exarizonagobensonbobcats.blogspot.com/                                                                                                                                                                                                               Also for some great Exploring around Washington state and tons more of my pictures  please check out another Exploring sight of mine---I just have not been posting in it, because we no longer live in the area.                                                                                                                                                                                                                         
    

    http://exploreb-ham.blogspot.com/                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               

         

Murder For A Cup O Joe!?

      I have some down time before work tonight and thought I would bust out a new blog post for y'all.  Next week marks the 21st birthday of the casino I work at, so it is going to be a full week.  With the concerts and fireworks and such, I am pretty much living at work and sleeping this coming weeksend.  With the great A/C and big tips it is not all a bad thing.  Yesterday we ventured to Tucson and checked out the home and garden show.  Definitely not as big as the October show---but since we had two of the kiddos along, this time,  it was plenty big enough.  My beautiful wife is back at the home show today, because she is a finalist for the grand prize--put out by one of the local TV stations.  A $7500 dollar yard makeover.  We do not have a yard that we can make over, because we rent, but our friend that went along with us does for sure.  After that many improvements it will become a shared yard for sure.    It continues to be hot here--but it is the desert.  And now that monsoon season has officially started, a nice cooling rain seems to come through the area every afternoon.  Although the storms have been pretty weak so far this year.   We did pass through a big rain front coming home from Tucson last night.  At work the other night --the workers that had snuck outside between customers to toke it up, came in saying it was getting really dark outside, thinking a storm was a brewin'.  To which I yelled, "yeah it's also called night time and dark...."
   
          As always PLEASE check out my newest Exploring sight----

http://exarizonagobensonbobcats.blogspot.com/       Join us as we Explore and take pictures all across Arizona!   I just got business cards to help boost readership of the page a great deal.  And plan on making many of my pictures available to purchase in the very near future.  I do have plans ---it is mainly getting the time to set those into motion.                                                                                                                                                                                                          

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                     A plus work to me                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                                                                                                I used to love this game on Sesame Street.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                                                                                                   I have pretty much talked this topic into the ground in my random pages.                      This above pretty much wraps it up in an expensive nut shell.                                                    If it still does not make sense to you---re re read the last sentence above.                                                                                                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 The ONLY PC term I enjoy using is "vertically challenged" over short.                                                                                                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     I could only hope someone would "attack" this post on any of my pages...                                  Much more on this in my next post--I am trying to keep this page light this fine day.  On other pages of mine -an actual real discussion about gays and the confederate flag came up.  I was surprised because usually the conversations do not go well for anyone.  I can say that right after the court ruling that anyone can get married in any state, Facebook filled up with profile pictures with a rainbow background.  With so many supporters --gay or otherwise---showing the rainbow colors---my Facebook page looks like a Dam Skittle factory blew up!   I do not support most of what the confederate flag stands for but I would rather see it all over Facebook than all the rainbows.   As I said--more on this soon.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   

                                                          

6-26-2015

Comcast, and such sights suck.com  

   Good morning to everyone!   I got off work just recently and can not sleep   so lucky  you!  I am posting before bed.  The casino I seem to work at, was having a tribute concert of music to some old school white boy band, and I told a set of customers it was a tribute to The Jackson Five, before they became fully white.  So far from the truth that it was fully funny.  At least to me.  ;)  

To each there own!

This is beyond racist  but it is funny!

                                                      I am sorry   but this is funny! 

                                   Suprise   it's still hot in Arizona!   We did have some more great cooling rain today and a little bit of hail.   The paved street in front of our house flooded out a little bit actually.  I love the monsoon season!

                                                              Problem solved   finally!  

6/23/2015

                                                                                                                  This late in the night there is a very good chance it's rum! 

**"Why do they lock gas station bathrooms? Are they afraid someone is going o clean them??"**        
    **""Not sure if the vegetarian neighbors are having sex or trying steak for the first time."**       

                                              **"Spell check is impotent!"**                                                                                                 **I think I think too much!                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        **"So when Donald Trump does not get elected president, can we all yell "your fired!" At him??"**                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               **"When all else fails---hug your dog!"**                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         **It's to hot to even move  but I still had my coffee this morning!**                                                                                                                      

                                                Tucson Speedway is the thrilling focus of my newest post.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           My newest Exploring and all local page is seeking lots of new readers.  Please check it out.  Tons of new posts and pictures in the works!!                                                                                                                                                             http://exarizonagobensonbobcats.blogspot.com/                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     Best bumper sticker I've seen in Arizona---where NO ONE understands what the left lane is actually for on the interstate. Do you?? "When I get older, I am going to move up north and drive super slow in the left hand lane."                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                So above is the result I got when I clicked on a link telling me what God used to create me.  You can do the same by visiting this really new web sight named Facebook.  I was pretty impressed by the first two ingredients, and than very impressed when I read the 3rd   Because the sight had no way of knowing that I was short.  Vertically challenged as I  like to call it because, if you know me, you know that I ALWAYS strive to be politically  correct in my language and or word usage.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     I have several pages as you might or might not know   and my local Arizona page seems to cause a stir at least two times a week.  My pages love haters so comment away.   Some of the posts that I believe in that got the most negative replies are below.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         I am guessing that the people that argued this one the most  never even think about spanking there kiddos.  And in time law enforcement will do the disciplining for them.   I am not saying beat the crap out of your kids, or anything close to this, but keep some form of discipline.                                                                                                                           

My replies                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           

• This is from The Oatmeal A satire news sight and is all over the Internet. As in I did not write this. I do agree with it. Just because people are still free to do as they wish doesn't mean I have to agree with it. That is my right. I don't think anyone should stomp on the American flag---or ever tape it, but 100's are doing it. And guess what--part of what makes America great, is that thy can do such things. I am not positive what your paragraph actually says, but this nor I am not making fun of southerners --but with research comes knowledge. Just like research into the future will show all the Benson residents that love the local Wally World and think it is saving this fine town will soon prove terribly wrong.                                                                                                           

  • I just read today o--on the real news that Wal Mart has decided to stop selling ALL confederate flag merchandise in ALL of it's stores. Maybe others found it offensive beyond myself. A good deal of others---because Wally World doesn't make desicisons like this after a few little complaints from wind bay weenies.
•                                 But again   what do I know.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      I also got a lot of crap for coming down hard on yet another couple that was selling there new born puppies in front of Wally World on one of the hottest days of the year.  It was only 112 outside.  They saw nothing wrong with any of this  because the dogs were in the shade.   Interesting.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         Have an issue I know you long term residents can help with: Yesterday a coyote burst into flames in our front yard from the heat. Neat to view--but we are wondering how to dispose of the bones and remains??            I also just posted this on my local sight   obviously a joke--I thought   but 7 or 8 people fell for it and were amazed by this story.  Interestingly enough and actually fully truthful --as I was driving home from work very late at night or very early in the morning, just as it was starting to get light out again--a coyote passed in front of me on the highway.  I slowed way down, because I was not at first sure what the sight was.  Paybacks for such an evil post about coyotes I guess.