WHAT I JUST FINISHED READING

Like The Perfect Storm on a whitewater river, or Into the Wild in the depths of Grand Canyon, this adventure / mystery / biography details the true story of Glen and Bessie Hyde, who vanished on their 1928 honeymoon river trip through Grand Canyon. When they did not appear at journey's end, Glen's father launched an exhaustive search of Grand Canyon. Although the boat was soon found upright and fully loaded, no trace of the honeymooners was ever found. They had vanished from the face of the earth. Or had they?
In the fall of 1971, an elderly widow joined a Grand Canyon rafting tour. Toward the end of the trip she announced she was Bessie Hyde, and that she had killed her husband, hiked out and started life anew. In 1976 a skeleton with a bullet in the skull was found at the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. Its size, age, and accoutrements all looked suspiciously like Glen Hyde's. In the following twenty years, yet another man and woman came to light, each surrounded by bizarre coincidences and suspected by some to be Glen or Bessie Hyde.
Flagstaff, Arizona, author Brad Dimock spent two years searching for the truth behind the Hyde mystery, digging through archives, traversing the continent, following each clue and lead to its end-even going to the extreme of replicating the Hydes' archaic scow and taking his own bride on a harrowing trip through Grand Canyon. His profusely illustrated book, Sunk Without a Sound, The Tragic Colorado River Honeymoon of Glen and Bessie Hyde, details the search and the findings in a riveting, often humorous style. Winner of the National Outdoor Book Award and the Arizona Highways Nonfiction Book Award.
Dimock, who spent more than twenty-five years as an international whitewater guide, spins a yarn as only someone who has stood around a thousand campfires can. His 1998 collaboration, The Doing of the Thing: The Brief, Brilliant Whitewater Career of Buzz Holmstrom, won the National Outdoor Book Award.

This is what I'm currently reading!

ALMOST FORGOT!

This picture was taken the morning we left the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, June 11th. We had to drive slow and there were firefighters and equipment on the side of the road. This is the only road in and out of the North Rim from Jacobs Lake. Yesterday I read that the North Rim has been evacuated and that they are fighting a fire there which has been burning since June 8th. I'm wondering if this is the same fire? We saw somke from a fire on the plateau across the canyon while we were at the Grand Canyon Lodge but I'm thinking that was a different fire. Our timing was perfect because had we have planned this trip at a different time, we wouldn't have even been able to get into the park!

WHERE YOU BEEN?

I haven't posted in a few days since I've been really busy. Jessica and Steven are all moved out of their apartment and into their new house out in Frisco. I've been working out in the yard a lot this week and in my free time, whatever that is, I've been reading another new book. I love to read and so whenever I find something that interests me, I usually spend my free time doing that until I've finished it. While we were on vacation, I bought a book titled, "Sunk Without A Sound", the tragic honeymoon story of Glen & Bessie Hyde. This couple rafted the Colorado River in the Grand Canyon in 1928 and when they didn't report in on the pre-arranged date, his father went looking for them. It was a mystery because their "scow" was found, totally intact with all of their posssesions and even money but no trace of them has ever been found! Back in 1928, river running is not what it is today and neither are the resources for executing an extensive Search & Rescue. Anyway, I finished that book while we were on vacation and it was a very good read. Now I'm reading a book that Dave bought titled, "The Last Season". It's the story of a backcountry Park Ranger who spent 28 years working in Yosemite, Kings Canyon and Sequoia NP's and one day came up missing. It's really captivated my interest and since we're going to those places next month when we go to San Francisco with the RR, it's even more interesting! My next book will be one on Norman Vaughn and his adventurous life exploring the Antarctic. Darn it, there should be a new paragraph here but it's not letting me! GRRR!!!We leave tomorrow for St Charles to celebrate my father-in-law's 80th birthday. We've been planning a simple BBQ get together with the family. Trace will be driving in from Denver with Pammy and Jonathon. Bill still has a sister living up in Michigan who is coming down and then of course Jenn & Corey are driving in from Columbia with my grand babies. It'll be nice to see family and with all of the health issues with Dave's parents, it's best to make the most of this time. I went in for a platelet count yesterday and since upping my meds to 600 mg a day, my count was up to 207,000! This is good news but I've been feeling the side effects of increased medication. Yuck is a pretty good word to describe how I've been feeling. I will post a blog and some pictures when I get back.

WINDOW UPDATE

Update on the van window: As soon as State Farm opened their office I was on the phone with them. After 3 and a half hours, I think we have a new window on the way! To make a long story short, a conversion van is just that, a converted van. It can either come direct from the factory converted or you order the van and they send it out to a customizer. As you can see, these are not some standard sized windows that they just happen to have in stock. I told the lady at the auto glass shop that but she told me to come on in anyway. As soon as I closed my driver's side door to drive it on in, glass started falling inside the van and outside on the driveway! I put the flashers on and drove 20MPH down the road to the shop. Yes, I did get stared at alot! As you can probably guess, when she came out to look at it she said, "Uh-oh". You know what that means! She didn't think I was serious when I told her it was a CONVERSION van! Hello! I wouldn't make that stuff up! She said, "I don't have that kind of window". DUH!!! She did manage to get me the name of someone who could probably get it for me. I went back to State Farm where they worked out the details and then back to the auto glass shop for measuremments! All that and I was only 25 minutes late picking Dave up at the airport! It might take 2 weeks for the window to come in but at this point, I'm just praying someone doesn't decide to break into the van while it's in the driveway and make off with the TV, VCR, stereos etc! The best part was finding out that it won't be a $500 deductible but $250 since it's comprehensive! I have learned a costly lesson out of all of this: Let someone ELSE weed wack from now on!

Recovering?

I showed the 2 pictures of my latest oops and I feel like such a weiner! I have to run to the airport and pick up Dave later on. He flew out to Los Angles to check in on his guys and to meet with the 3 new guys he inherited after the 3 rd director retired last month. Jessica and Steven are moving into their beautiful new house this week and weekend. I went into the Texas Cancer Center this past Tuesday for a platelet count and was really depressed. I was down to 14,000 and that's AFTER they upped my meds to 400mg a day. At first the nurse said I might have to go into the hospital for a transfusion! I got really quiet when she said that. She said she'd check with my Oncologist and call me back, which she did. I'm now back up to my original doasage of 600mg that I started right after I had my spleen removed last year! UGH!!! No end in sight and it's discouraging! On a sad note, one of Laura's good friends, Lindsey had her daddy pass away. He had been diagnosed with brain cancer a few years back and has been in a nursing facility for about 2 years. He was told recently that he had 5 more tumors show up and that there was nothing more that they could do. His options had run out. He has suffered so much and so has his family. He slipped away earlier this week and they will bury him today. It's a perfectly dreary, ugly day out today. It kind of reflects my mood!

Here are 2 photos of my latest catastrophe! Last night I had an accident with the weed wacker. I'm fine but let's just say that one of the big, bay windows on the conversion van isn't! I am always very careful about rocks etc whenever I mow or wack. The last time I wacked, was right before we left on our trip, 3 weeks ago. Right next to the walkway the weeds had gotten high since then and apparently I didn't realize that there was one of the white decorative rocks tangled up in them. I heard a loud "thud" which is hard to believe b/c you know how noisy those wackers are! I turned around and thought, "What the heck?" I couldn't see anything but then I caught the angle just right on the window and saw that it's shattered and it looks like a million spider webs! I was so irritated at myself! I had less than 5 minutes left of yard work! I decided to cancel my house today so I can get my ducks in a row with an estimate etc. I called Perry last night and he cheered me up. I asked if that was something that homeowners or automobile would cover? He had basically done the same thing with a wacker, a piece of wood and sliding glass doors a few years back. We laughed and I told him that if Dave gave me any grief I would remind him of how once when working for the St Louis County Police he was cleaning his gun and he had left a round in the chamber. It fired, shot that bullet right through a skillet and out the wall of the house in his parents kitchen! Then of course there is how I'm always teasing him about trying to "grind off" the running boards on the van because he hugs those mountainside retaining walls while on vacation in the National Parks! I told him last night over the phone and he wasn't mad at me, just sick over the fact that we have a $500 deductible on auto as well as home! I'm such a dork!

BLAST FROM THE PAST!

The last time our family went to Mesa Verde NP was in 1999. Charlie was 8, Laura Lou was 12 and Jessica was 17 years old. In the ladder picture, the 3 kids are all on the left side. Charlie is the first followed by Jessica and then Laura. We were climbing a 32 foot ladder to gain entry to Balcony House on the Ranger-guided tour! How fun to look back at these pictures!

Descending down into one of the underground rooms in one of the ruins. Charlie shows just how really small this room was!

We hiked down to Spruce House to see the ruins up close.

Looking down into Cliff Palace.

MESA VERDE NATIONAL PARK!

MESA VERDE NATIONAL PARK!

The trip was quickly approaching its end. We left the rest of the family just outside the Grand Canyon's North Rim entrance, we were making our way back to Texas. We drove through the most northeastern part of Arizona right through the Navajo Indian Reservation. I have to say, it was some of the ugliest scenery I've ever witnessed! There were some beautiful rock formations but other than that, it was the most desolate and forsaken land I have ever seen. It made Kansas look like a paradise!

We had hoped to make it to Cortez, Colorado by early evening so we could enjoy one last campout at nearby Mcphee Resevoir. However, it was not meant to be since we got in around 9PM. We opted to find a motel for the night in nearby Delores, Colorado. After staying at the Delores Mountain Inn and having breakfast the next morning at the Ponderosa Cafe, Dave decided we could squeeze in a couple of hours at Mesa Verde NP.

Laura and I were happy because we had hoped to stop there since the Park is celebrating their Centennial this year. Laura was looking to add a patch to her collection and I was wanting to add a pin to my hiking hat. I only have pins from the different National Parks where I have hiked and although we weren't there that long, we have hiked at Mesa Verde in the past. One time that I remember especially, was the time I had Charlie in a backpack carrier and we went on a Ranger-guided tour where we had to climb a few ladders, one was over 15 feet tall, in order to acess the ruins! I do believe he's grown a bit since 1991!

We had enough time to see Cliff Palace from a distance since the tickets for the ranger-guided tour were all sold out. We did however take the trail that leads down to Spruce House. For the first time ever, we were allowed to take a ladder down into one of the underground rooms. That was neat since we hadn't ever done that before! The ruins of the Anaszi Indians are pretty amazing! To think these people just vanished without a clue as to where they went, is a mystery. Some think they migrated on to other parts of Colorado and Utah and were the forerunners of the Hopi and the Ute peoples. I have been fascinated with all things western since I was a little girl with an especially keen interest in the Native American cultures. Mesa Verde is one of those "sacred" places where I actually feel the ghosts of those who came before us.

The trip all too soon had ended and it was time to hit the road for Texas. We drove straight through and got home 17 hours later. THAT was a very long drive!

After having a pine cone war and drop kicking pine cones with Charlie, Laura Lou poses next to a large Yucca plant at Point Sublime. Time to say goodbye to Uncle Perry. Next stop on our way back to Texas: Mesa Verde National Park!

Charles David Hopkins enjoying life!

Dave kneels and Perry stands in order to photograph Crystal Canyon at the right angles. Charlie sits atop a rock for me so I can take his picture!

Breakfast at the Grand Canyon Lodge our last morning and before we did the 4 wheel drive to Point Sublime. Perry (middle) is VERY serious about breakfast and as you can see, he didn't enjoy being interrupted from it to have his photoraph taken!

It's hard to see but Charlie is lying with his head in my lap as we caught early sunrise pictures at Cape Royal.

In the other photo, I'm taking a break at Imperial Point after hiking in!

Jonathon, Laura and Charles at Cape Royal.

Here is a view of the Grand Canyon from Angel's Window, Laura and her Aunt Pammy pose for the camera!

GRAND CANYON NATIONAL PARK!

We arrived at the Grand Canyon's North Rim where I was pleasantly surprised. The South Rim receives a higher volume of people as well as having hotter temperatures and more of a desert-like terrain. The North Rim has some desert zones but it also has a lot of forested areas which made for really nice hiking! My brother-in-law and his wife met up with us at the Grand Canyon because they stopped to pick up a rental car, an SUV that was going to be used for some of the primitive roads.

Our first stop was Bright Angel Point at the Grand Canyon Lodge where we viewed a glimpse of the Grand Canyon. That's the thing that amazed me the most. For as far as your eyes could see, you were looking at the Grand Canyon. However, you were at a lookout point, catching just one area. I overheard a Ranger tell someone at the Visitor's Center that if you wanted to look out the window and see the Grand Canyon in its' entirety, you had to be in outer space! You could certainly see it from end to end from an airplane but not all at once!

We stayed at the "hotel" on the grounds at the Grand Canyon Lodge and also had dinner one night and breakfast the last morning we were there. We did some hikes and took the rental to Point Sublime for a fantastic overlook. The weather was really nice and we will definitely go back to The North Rim again!

Our family at the Grand Canyon National Park sign!

Natural Bridge at Bryce Canyon NP.

Picnic lunch at a little Bocci (sp?) ball.

This is a profile of "Queen Victoria" in this rock formation at the Queen's Garden.

The adults on the "Queen's Garden Trail" down in the canyon. The guys aren't really pointing at anything in particuliar, just goofing off!

Our cabin and the sun sets over Bryce Canyon.

This is probably Inspiration Point. If this doesn't get you inspired, I don't know what will?

Our family at either Sunrise or Sunset Point.

BRYCE CANYON NATIONAL PARK

We arrived at Bryce Canyon NP and immediately started soaking in the view. With names like Sunrise Point, Sunset Point, Inspiration Point, Bryce Point, Paria View, Rainbow Point you get the impression that there are a lot of places to revel in God's creation. I was in heaven! The "hoodoos" are pillars of rock that have been carved by erosion into unusual and fascinating shapes. We caught sunrises and sunsets over the canyons and took some hikes to explore the depths of the "hoodoos" as well. One hike we took down into the canyon started as the Navajo Loop and connected with the Queen's Garden Loop. The Navajo Loop was partially closed due to a "hoodoo" falling over some time earlier!

We stayed in a cabin our first night and ate dinner at the Bryce Canyon Lodge. Nearly everyone had a "rumbly" stomach the next day but Laura Lou was the only one who really got sick. She passed on the hikes the 2nd day and the boys decided to keep her company. We enjoyed the cabin so much that we decided to see if they had an opening the second night, forgoing one of our camping nights. There was only 1 cabin available which Perry took and the rest of us got a hotel room there on the grounds. It was nice to soak in the tub again!

Our last day there, Pam and I decided to do the laundry while the big boys went on a hike on the "Fairyland Trail". We got spooked hearing that there was a 2300 foot elevation descent and gain. Later, Dave said it wasn't nearly as bad as we thought and that we had missed out on a great hike. I will definitely catch it the next time!

The morning after we stayed at the cabin, the big boys were out taking some sunrise photos. I left the cabin and walked over to the Canyon Rim Trail which was really close by. As I sat there on the bench, watching the sun light up the canyon, I had my own worship service, just me & God. I sung Praise & Worship songs and the verse from the book of Psalms came to me as I tried to comprehend our Creator God.

"O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!"
"When I consider the heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set into place, what is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him?"

Psalm 8: 1, 3-4

Welcome to Bryce Canyon National Park!

We ate a hearty breakfast at the Moab Diner, Dave's brother Trace actually ate 2 breakfasts! On the drive to Bryce Canyon NP we went by "Red Rock Canyon" to take some pictures. While there, we jump-started a strangers rental car with "Old Blue" our conversion van.

Our family says goodbye to Arches National Park and the 100+ degree heat. We 're headed to Bryce Canyon National Park where it is cooler! See you later!

Laura Lou stands beside an unusual rock formation while on the "Devil's Garden" trail. Another stop on this hike was to view "Landscape Arch". It is fenced off to keep people from getting underneath it. In the early 1990's a hiker actually snapped a photo of a huge chunk of rock falling from it. It was deemed unsafe to let people get too close anymore!