Colorado river raft trip though Grand Canyon

Another highlight that I have failed to write in my blog is one I will never forget.
Chuck,  Luella, Bryce, Beth, Charlie, me and Tom took a summer trip that was the best ever trip.
We got into rafts at the beginning of the Colorado River where is starts through the Canyon.  Each day, we got deeper and deeper into the canyon.  We slept on the river bank each night after the guides made a tasty supper of Grilled steak and corn over the campfire and the next morning, we had leftovers with our eggs and toast.
The guides would beach the rafts before we got to the rapids each day and would analyze how to get over the rapids without tipping us over.  The secret was to ride the tongue of the rapid and not get pulled into the hole.  We never had real close calls.  Once our guide had us bailing like crazy but she managed to right the raft without tipping. I can remember her yelling to stop bailing and hold on.
Each day they would lead us to historic sights along  the river to give us exercise.  And it being the desert, it was hot.  I was not immune to jumping into the water when we got back to the raft.  Tom was not happy that I once  enticed him to jump in as well.
When we got to Phantom Ranch, we got off the raft and spent the night at the ranch.  Our cabin had mice and we girls didn't sleep much.
The next day we picked up a reserved lunch and stuck out to hike ten miles with a mile elevation to reach the rim of the canyon where one car was waiting. It was a long walk, but we all made it. We drove back to other car and our camper and continued our vacation.

Grandchildren tours, National Parks, Hawaii and sailing the Carribbean

When Heather and Peter were still young, 12 and 10, I think, we bought a new van and picked up Chuck, Luella and Susan i Colorado springs where we climbed Pikes Peak and walked around in the Valley of the Gods,   from there, we went to Yellowstone, Grand Canyon and Bryce Canyon.  We walked all the way into Bryce and it was ver hot as I remember.  Our water spoiled and we had to pour it out.  I really felt sorry for the kids.  We should have planned better.  However, we made the trip and hopefully they have fond memories as do Tom and I.

Taking Sara and Molly to Hawaii was fun as well.  We all took a turn with Hula lessons , no grass skirts though.  We walked on hot lava at the volcano and saw steam rise from the ocean as the hot lava poured into the water.  I worried that our shoes would melt.  Later, we went through a pineapple maze where Molly fell and skinned her knees.  I made a small scene when the office there had no Band-Aids for my sweet Molly.  It was nothing ice cream could not cure.  Molly had an ice cream radar and even when there were no shops in sight, she would tell Granddad to turn down a side street and sure enough, there it would be.
We took them to the black sand beach and signs cautioned the you were not to remove any sand. Sara just walked heavily until here shoes filled up and later in the car emptied the sand into a container.  Sara also almost got us in trouble at the airport.  She had found a tiny  coconut and we had checked to make sure we could bring it home.  However, the drug dog didn't know, but she got to keep in anyway.
During spring break Archie and Ethan wanted a trip on a sailboat in the Caribbean.  We managed to find a boat with a captain. His name was Warren and he did everything possible to make the trip fun for the boys.  When Archie fist dove into a reef and saw the fish, his little head popped up and he threw back his face mask and said, "That is soooooo awesome."  I told Tom, "That comment was worth the trip as far as I was concerned."
We enjoyed many islands barbecue at Foxxy's place on Jost Van Dyke. That was a lot of fun.  Warren got us into a race anytime a boat was around and onee, I was sure he would crash us and I couldn't imagine what I would say to Beth it the worst had happened.  Thank God we got home safely  from all the trips.  

Expanded memories

I decided that I would like to expand more on some of those memories, so here goes.  As I recall, we boarded a bus to ride up to the glacier and then had time to walk around and explore them some. We even drank some glacier water.
  IT was a fun experience, but as I recall, I appreciated the few hardy flowers around the hotel were better memories.  I also liked the fact that Chuck had to stop the car and wait for the big horn sheep to pass and I got our to pet them.  I know I did because I have pictures. The picture shows me feeding them as well.
There were grazing elk that we got to see as well as see elk chasing Coyote. We saw a man playing an alpine horn and listened as it echoed through the mountains.  There were colorful poppies and oxeye daisies everywhere.  We stayed a Moraine Lake which has beautiful blue water from glacier milk.

We later went into Edmonton Mall which held ocean size swimming pools with waves and roller coasters and other park rides.

Life Reflections Continued in Egypt and River Cruises

I guess I didn't reflect enough because I left out some wonderful memories.  While sailing  up the Nile River to the Aswan dam, we viewed camels carrying loads on the banks of the river as well as women gathering reeds and such from the river banks.  We also walked around in the desert marveling at the pyramids and thinking about the years of labor to make these monuments.  You could actually pick up a shard on the ground and find hieroglyphics etched into the stone.
We walked in ruins and on one tour were taken into the small apartment that was touted to be where Joseph and Mary hid Jesus from Pharaoh. We saw the spinx, of course and all the special monuments of Egypt.
We toured the Cairo Museum of antiquities with our knowledgeable guide and caught a nasty bug in the Cairo hotel.  I'm glad we went, and also am thankful we got home alive.
Other river cruises included a trip down te Rhine River and another on the Danube.  A highlight of the Danube was attending a concert in

I enjoyed the Black Forest in Germany and loved seeing all the markets along the Rhine at Christmas time. We soaked up the European culture in the land visits.

As we cruised along the rivers, we saw hills of vinyards along the way and castles were  a frequent sight.

I can't forget the cruise to alaska to mark our 70th birthdays.  We saw a little of the calving glaciers and I really enjoyed walking around in the little villages on the tour.

There is no place we have been that I did not enjoy though I was nervous in the Baltics and in Egypt.  We were brave touring   Holland by car though I would do it again if we were healthy.
Many of these trips were with dear Chuck and Luella and we always enjoying touring with them.
Now I think, I have covered most of our  trip  highlights and have enjoying making the trips again in theses posts.

Life Reflections

Yes, after 80 plus years and being married to the same man, the love of my life, for over 60 years, it is time to pull up some memories.
I walked on glaciers in Bamf, Canada while fearing for my stability on the ice.  I have looked fish of every size and color in the eyes as I floated over reefs in the Caribbean.  I have been warmed in the hot springs of iceland while on a short trip where I also stood with one foot in one continent and the other foot in another.
We had a glorious camping trip in a tent Coleman camper to Glacier National Park.  Highlights included traveling the highway to the sun, finding remote spots to explore. Each day there brought a new adventure.
We took two grandchildren on tours of Grand Canyon, Bryce Canyon and Yellowstone and later took two to the big Island Hawaii and Kawi.  We took two grandsons on a sailboat to the carribean

We have seen the Pacafic, Altantic and Indian Oceans, walked to the tip of the Cape of Good Horn in South Africa, and in Kruger National park we saw elephants, lions, giraffe, hippos, birds of all kinds and on a night safari, we watched a lion eat an empala he had hung in a tree that day.
We enjoyed a night under the stars in old town, San Diego and watched whales from a sailboat.

We walked the shores of the baltic looking for Amber while on a missionary trip passing out 50,000 Bibles in Latvia.
While in London, we toured the British museum, walked into Churchhills bunker, saw the tower bridge and Buckingham palace.  We enjoyed  high tea in Herrods and saw a performance of Oliver at the   .
We traveled by car through Holland, viewing fields of tulips, marveled at the beauty in Kuenkenoff gardens and the flower mart.  We walked through Anne Franks house and felt her families's fears from the Germans.  I stood in the closet where Carrie Tenn Boom hid some jews.  We toured all the museusms in Amsterdam and spent two full days in the Rike museum.. We took a canal trip through the Red light district, not getting off the boat.
Closer to home, we have gazed over seas of bluebonnets in Texas, explored San Antonio, the alamo, McDonald Observatory and walked through Carlsbad Caverns, and Caverns of Senora.
we have explored caves in Kentucky while crawling through mud and have taken tours twice through Mammoth Cave.
When we were first married Tom'a parents took us on a tour of the west. My first tour of the Grand Canyon made me question my eyesight.  it was more than awesome.  Years later, when we, the kids, Chuck and Luella would take a raft trip through the canyon, that would remain implanted in my mind forever.  We never touched this experience with any other trips.

We've done lots of parks while camping and had trips to Florida, Disney World, seeing a rocket blast off, On the top of the map, we have toured Nova Scotia, Canada, New York and plenty of lovely places.  My favorite close by trip is going out to Pemequid point on the ocean.
.