After a late start and long drive through a wildfire-ravaged community during rush hour, we had made our Night 1 (August 22) destination: Flagstaff, AZ. Parents would have been happy with Kingman, but when the lone child registering her discontentment with being seated could not keep the registration up upon reaching Kingman, we forged ahead as she slept under a blanket that so completely covered her, a breathing vent had to be fashioned.
We finally planned the rest of our trip that night. That we're only generally able to stick to a plan for a single day and we had no reservations anywhere was taken into account. What would effectively be Day 1 (August 23) of our trip would have us see the Grand Canyon.
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| The Grand Canyon (you know, because you've probably never seen it) |
Afer hyperactively running all over everything between the parking lot and the Canyon, Child said "I LIKE IT!" when she finally laid eyes on the Grand Canyon. It was all downhill from there. It was as though there was a United Nations Conference of Trashiest People convened. Europeans in perfume and cologne too strong for wild noses were only eclipsed by those full of wild odor themselves. Asians sported selfie-sticks like they were going out of style, not realizing they already had. People stood out at the Canyon's edge expecting their status as Homo sapiens to protect them from pesky gravity and wind. All seemed oblivious to the GRAND CANYON behind them. On the way out, we even saw someone unpacking their drone. There's a decent chance it was struck by lightning (a storm rolled in after we left), a fate which could only be topped by other visitors stoning the drone operator.
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| Flintstone Residence |
We may have gritted our teeth and endured if not for the unruly obliviousness of everyone involved leading to RISK OF DEATH! Keeping a 3 1/2 year-old's curiosity from killing themselves is difficult enough without assistance, intentional or not. Someplace where no such concern was required was
Bedrock City. Not only is it 30 acres of pure flatness, it is so sparsely attended, one can practically treat it as a personal oasis. Better than any actual oasis, there are life-sized
Flintstones. Fred, Wilma, Pebbles and Dino were all present. Barney, Betty and Bam-Bam were all there, as were life-sized homes for both families, a dinosaur-size slide, numerous vehicles, a salon, grocery store, school and volcano, all shaped and colored to the theme of the cartoon. The effort to make a real-life Bedrock City had actually been expended; and with marvelous effect. It was unclear whether adults or Child was having more fun.
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| Rubble Residence |
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Bedrock City
(Flintstone Residence behind and Rubble Residence just right of the dinosaur slide) |
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| Dino Slide (faces removed to protect the innocent) |
As if simply having a life-size Bedrock City didn't put the Grand Canyon to shame in an enjoyment-to-cost-ratio sense, it actually outdid the Grand Canyon in wildlife too. When following the trails the throngs of humanity are capable of, the closest one can get to wildlife are human-acclimated squirrels and the occasional roadside deer. At Bedrock City, the human-acclimated beast was a goat, easily fifty times the animal as a squirrel. The occasional fauna was a Cooper's hawk that had just killed a rabbit, but couldn't quite get it airborne. While Dad sat on the long-eared prey, waiting on the bird to return for its bounty, he realized he could never be a wildlife photographer. His impatience caused him to drive the bird off multiple times. As a poor excuse, he offers up that rain was approaching and forced his hand.
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| Predator and Prey (Oh God! Too heavy! Can't fly.) |
We had brought much food for our trip. Being vegan, we didn't think there would be much for us. Luckily, there was
Whyld Ass. Dad loved the food. Mom thought it was mediocre. Everyone loved its baked goods, which served as breakfast three days running. This allowed us to conserve our precious provisions for the remainder of the trip.
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