I've been wanting to get this off my chest for forever. Ok. Here goes:
I never took the Constitution test in high school!
Nor did I take Government or American History. It was a big mix up when I moved during my sophomore year. I knew the school was making a mistake and that I should alert them to this foible, but the oh-so-alluring distinction of being the only person in all of Illinois to graduate high school without taking the Constitution test was more than my sense of honesty and propriety could handle, so I never told.
Whew! So nice to get that off my chest.
Oh, wait. That wasn't really the confession I'm here to confess. This is:
I have lived in Arizona for 13 years and I have never been to the Grand Canyon.
I know! I know! But I have an excuse! The excuse is that a day trip to look over the edge just never seemed worthy. If I was going to the Grand Canyon, I wanted to hike it, to experience it and most importantly to go here:
However to go here, you have to drive to the north rim (6+ hours), hike 10 miles with your camping gear and most prohibitively, make a reservation! Now, I can plan a trip for 8 people to Brazil or Costa Rica, but making a reservation to go camping has always seemed to be too much for me. :)
Thankfully, Laura is not put off by such things as a measly phone call and thus a reservation was secured for this weekend. I've borrowed lots of gear from my personal REI-in-a-garage, Kristen, and tomorrow is the big day of travel. Thursday we hike down. Friday, Saturday and Sunday we explore waterfalls! Sunday we hike back up. "We" consists of a few of my friends and a whole lot of Laura's friends from Long Island. Welcome to Arizona, you easterners. Yes, it is 100+ degrees with humidity right now. What? That's too hot for hiking with a full pack? Pshaw. Now quit yer whinin' and move!
I'm looking forward to finally seeing that grandest of all canyons. I am not looking forward to four days of peanut butter and jelly on pita and banana chips. (Btw, I have had pizza for 10 days in a row, tomorrow will make 11. I'm going to be sad to end my streak!)
All this is to say that I'll be gone til Monday. Have a great 4th of July celebrating with your air conditioning, your vehicles, your electricity, your shelter from the rain and don't be too jealous of my great trip.
3 comments:
Edits:
We are not going to the "north rim," Jill. Feel free to head there, but it's much further than 6hours. We are going to Supai, the Havasupai Indian Reservation, which is a few hours of dirt roads (don't worry, we're not driving this way) west of the South Rim (not to be confused with the Hualapai at Grand Canyon West, where all one can do is walk on a dumb SkyWalk in socks and look over).
I also did not make a "measly phone call," Jill Diamond! I made probably somewhere between 20 and 50 phone calls on January 12, the first day that reservations reopened (so that I could ENSURE getting Jill-friendly dates, by the way), just waiting to get a response other than a busy signal. Luckily, I had a conference that day and had the luxury of being able to sit on my phone.
Sheesh, Jill, with the infinite number of E-mails I've sent you regarding this trip over the past year, you'd think you'd have all your facts straight. Good thing you didn't take that Constitution test.
And while I'm picking on you, I may as well add that most states have rules that allow students with significant special needs to be exempt from standardized tests (in Arizona, they take the AIMS-A instead of the AIMS). So instead of being "the only person in all of Illinois to graduate high school without taking the Constitution test," you more likely have the oh-so-alluring distinction of being more similar to your special education peers than you originally thought. :-D
Luncables have a pepperoni pizza version that you can take. Should keep the streak going for 2 more days. the Havasupi have also franchised a Papa John's in the bottom of the Canyon. You have heard "prices may vary" disclaimer.
It applies at the bottom of the canyon.
...or not
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