Trips and Vacations/grandcanyon08

Day 1

6:00 am There's something about the desert. It's so full of surprises. Like when it rains. There are these little blue flowers that bloom for just one day.

Mom, Dad and I wanted to see some of those flowers. So we bought this art bus, got gas cards, and set off for the open road. Grand Canyon or bust.

I'm lying across the back seat watching the clouds and tree tops fly by. A bug just got squashed on the window.

1:00 pm I can't stand Dad sometimes. He forgot his cellphone, so we're on the way back home.

Late... It's so quiet right now. Everyone is sleeping soundly. Wait, no way. Dad is sucking his thumb in his sleep. I have to go find the camera... Tee hee.

Day Two

Early... Hardly slept last night. I kept trying to imagine what the Grand Canyon's going to be like. I heard you can take a ride all the way to the bottom. Maybe I can convince these cheapskates to do it with me.

2:00 pm I've wanted to stop for the past half hour, but Mom and Dad hit some giggle wall--they were up front telling knock knock jokes, farting and eating like I'm not even here.

3:30 pm Cool, Mom just saw some sign for a mechanical fortune teller. She nearly had an accident veering off the road to go check it out. But I'll ignore that...

10:00 pm We're staying at this 3 star hotel right near a road full of traffic. Charming.

Day 3

8:00 am Dad and Mom are playing slug bug. Again. They're so outback.

2:00 pm Started to drizzle. Now Dad and Mom are singing crappy music tunes to the beat of the windshield wipers.

4:00 pm Mom got her period, so we had to stop at this restaurant. She was asking around to see if anyone had a tampon, when this lady offered her 3 of them. The kindness of strangers...

Last Day

8:00 am The sun's barely risen and Mom woken me up quietly.

3:00 pm Finally stopped raining so we can take our ride into the canyon.

6:00 pm The Grand Canyon is amazing. I saw those little blue flowers. I was so excited I got off, bent down and smelled...dirty socks.

Dad must have seen the look on my face, because he smiled at me and said--now that's some road trip, when you get a chance to stop and smell the flowers that smell like dirty socks.