Jun 8 – 14: Glen Canyon National Recreation Area (Part 2)
Wahweap Campground & RV Park? Why when we could have found a cheaper place to camp? Let me count the ways. Internet connectivity, cell phone reception, laundry, camp store, hot showers year-round, full hook ups, the marina is right there, all sorts of water toy rentals on site, a swim beach, our campsite was barely a quarter mile from the shore of Lake Powell. Want me to keep going? After roughly two weeks of not quite primitive camping all that I listed sounded like a luxury I was more than willing to pay for. And pay for I have. Yes, $60/night ouched after what we’d been paying, and paying that for seven nights meant $420 (taxes included), but we needed it.
I was feeling rough around the edges … I like being clean and spit baths just weren’t cutting it. The idea of a fifteen-minute hot shower was fulfilling wat had started to seem like a fantasy. Benny needed a proper scrub down as well. We didn’t stink, but only because we worked at it every night. I planned on soaking my feet and then taking a pumice stone to them. My hair also needed something done with it. The mop was finally leaving the mullet stage but now it looks like a curly shag; can’t win for losing it seems.
I worry about the constant pull on the lithium batteries so full hook ups are grand. Same for the freshwater availability. I’m used to water conservation from being on ships and sailboats but trying to deal with a five-year-old boy that is part dust cloud and dirt clod is challenging in those circumstances. And I could go on and on but won’t. The place isn’t cheap but it is still far less expensive than staying in a hotel with the added benefit of not having to eat out every meal.
As I was checking into the campground I had to go passed a group of Scouts that were fundraising for a couple of Eagle projects. They were selling hot dogs and Benny and I still hadn’t eaten anything but veggie straws and that wasn’t sufficing. I spoke to them while I waited in line at the concessionaire, asking them about the projects … they were putting up safety equipment signs at the public boat ramps as well as repairing some erosion further down the waterline … and then telling them about being in Sea Scouts.
An older scout comes back on the scene and after hearing the last part asks, “Wait! Are you Aunt Gus?!”
Well thanks for the shouted identification I nearly snarked but instead smiled politely and answered, “That’s correct. Er … and how did you know that?”
“My dad’s cousin is a ranger and turned my sister onto your blog. Her kid has really bad food allergies and some other stuff and we’re all trying to get her to turn loose a him so he don’t act like such a brat all the time.” He said it with a smile and popped a kid in a cubbie t-shirt in the back of the head so I took a wild guess and figured that was his nephew.
What was funny was that Benny looked at the older scout like he was a few fries short of a gluten-free happy meal and gave the other boy a look of empathy. The other boy smiled shyly and whispered, “You’re Little Bear.”
Benny nodded and then had us laughing when he said, “Aunt Gus said they grow out of it.”
“Ah, he’s not so bad,” the boy responded making us laugh more.
Then it was my turn and I checked in and then got Benny and I hot dogs minus the buns and some fries to go with them. The cubby with the allergies+ was outgoing and pulled Benny into what he and his friends were doing with their Belt Loops and other activities. That allowed me to ask some questions about local activities and now the water level might affect them.
Right place right time? I would say yes. And having Scouts in common, even if they were different branches of the organization, smoothed the way as well. On their side were Eagles. On my side was my Quartermaster Award and I explained Sea Scout ranks as well as the electives we were expected to excel in … Leadership, Duty to God, Sailing, Paddlecraft, Scuba, Vessels, Racing, Engines, Vessel Maintenance, Electricity, Rigging, Ornamental Ropework, Maritime Tradition, America’s Boat Club, and becoming a US Coast Guard Auxiliary Member and qualifying for AUXOP or a Trident Marine Safety specialty rating.
“I was in a very active Ship as well as a very active Navy Sea Cadet unit. I was also a home education student so the two activities also played a big role in my academic pursuits.”
“You mention that you were going into the Navy? Do you still plan on it?”
“My life’s chart changed due some major events. Little Bear is my life’s calling. Do I regret it? I wouldn’t use that word. I sometimes wonder what my life would have looked like if I had, but I think the bigger regret would have been turning Little Bear over to someone else to raise. I can’t imagine my life without him now. The satisfaction of what I am doing is huge.”
“Are you going to just keep traveling?”
“Right now we travel to give me time to reach twenty-one and then we’ll see what the possibilities are as well as what our needs are. Think of it along the lines of doing certain activities requires you to fund raise and train. Well at the moment we are in the ‘doing’ phase but at some point we will have to move back into the fundraising and training phase. When and what that looks like will be determined by what goals we have. Right now we are enjoying our current ‘doing’ phase but yes, at some point I have to sit down and flesh out the goals that are floating around in my head.”
“Will you home school Little Bear?”
“I’m giving it strong consideration. A lot will depend on our goals and whether home education is optimal for Little Bear?”
“I wish I was homeschooled again but Mom had to go back to work after my parents got a divorce. The were fighting about everything and the judge said I had to go back to regular school until they stopped fighting about it.”
“Sucks to get stuck in the middle I told the boy.”
“Yeah it do,” he muttered. “They just fight too much. They’re okay as long as they don’t have to be in the same room. Dad’s mad the judge is making him pay child support to the court instead of always fighting with Mom about it. Now if he doesn’t pay on time they take his driver’s license. Mom just got tired of him making excuses all the time even though he would take women out on dates and pay their way and stuff.”
One of the adults quietly patted the boy on the shoulder and then pulled him aside. Another adult said, “John is having it rough. He’s had to move in with his grandparents because his mom had to go to work in the oilfields to pay for his younger brother’s therapy because his dad doesn’t make enough.”
“Yeah, life is rough when the supposed adults in the room can’t get along.”
One of the younger female scouts there asked, “Do you have a boyfriend or girlfriend?”
The water I’d just take a sip of tried to go down the wrong way. “I’ve got enough personal responsibilities at the moment without having a significant other,” I answered as all the other scouts rolled their eyes at the girls question. “You need priorities in life and for now, that’s not a priority for me.”
The female scoutmaster muttered, “Sorry about that.”
“Not a problem. It’s the age thing … mine and hers. Everyone expects that sort of thing to be important.”
She shook her head. “It’s the homelife thing if you catch my meaning. She’s John’s father’s girlfriend’s daughter.”
All I could do was blink and she chuckled. "Everyone is connected in some way in small communities." She then said, “My brother is a local guide. Let me give him a call. He’s meeting us here in a few minutes to take our troop on a hike and there might be room for you and Little Bear if you are interested.”
“Uh …” But she was already waiving a someone in the parking lot behind me.
“Give me a sec.”
I noticed that the fundraising booth was being turned over to a group of Cubbies and the Scouts were all lining up. Well the long and the short of it was that no one in the Scout troop had a problem with Benny and I taking along since they were on a bus. Buzz (the guide) was a forty-something man of mixed heritage and after checking out Benny’s experienced gave his approval as well.
Benny understood that Travis, the Cubby he’d been socializing with, wasn’t allowed to come with us because his mother hadn’t signed a permission slip, plus he was staying to help his Den fundraise for their own activities. We on the other hand spent the next three 3 hours hiking to Skylight Arch which is located on Stud Horse Point Mesa about 6 miles outside of Page, AZ. They used an old mini school bus to transport the Scouts but Benny and I had to take the van for liability purposes. Of course, everyone got a tour of The Ark and the kids all loved Benny’s “bedroom” though he was careful to keep the Crew and his other personal belongings out of sight, especially Lawrence’s flag. Buzz, who recognized Benny’s wrist band, asked if he could have our cert number so he could claim it in his service report to the State. No skin off my nose but I kept it subtle so Benny wouldn’t get self-conscious and so the Scouts wouldn’t ask for an explanation.
The bus and our van were both high clearance vehicles so it wasn’t a problem getting to the parking lot at the trailhead. I saw a few 4x4’s but the feature really wasn’t necessary. The hike to the arch is just over a mile long, so two miles roundtrip. Benny and I were struggling to slow down so we wouldn’t outrun the Scout troop.
Buzz asked, “Done some hiking have you?”
I laughed. “You could say so.”
I listed out some of our hikes and said that one of most recent and challenging as far as environment had been Fiery Furnace.
“The boy did the hike with you?!” he asked, startled since he apparently knew the trail and area.
“He just made the cut off and did everything himself except one jump across and that was my preference. I didn’t like how far down the gap went. Now another member of the hiking group didn’t report a medication she’d taken that morning and when we got back to the trailhead it was a near disaster.”
We spoke off and on until we got to the top of the Mesa where there were some interesting Hoodoos. Once you pass the Hoodoos you continue and get sweeping views of Lake Powell, Lone Rock, Castle Butte and Navajo Mountain. On the west side of the Mesa is the Amangiri resort.
I took a picture of the Scout troop on the arch and Buzz took a picture of Benny and I in the same position. It reminded me of when I was climbing the rigging on a ship, or at least it gave me the same feeling. My imagination wanted to play tricks on me and imagine the arch was crumbling beneath our feet.
The hike back was just as good as the hike out had been. There was only a 203’ elevation change either direction. Buzz and the troop were heading home from the trailhead and Benny and I were anxious to go to our campsite and set up. However, before we headed out Buzz had a proposition. He would text me some tours his boss had arranged and so long as I advertised their business, we could hitch a ride as spectators. We might have to rent equipment or bring our own food but the cost of the tour itself would be free. Well yeah, I was all over that. I’ve already looked them over and yes, I will most definitely accept their gracious offers.
On the way in we stopped to pick up Benny’s Junior Ranger program booklets. Benny was eager and thrilled. If we had more room, I’d make him a banner that he could attach them all his badges and patches to and hang up but the notebook is going to have to be it for now. Found out that there is also a junior explorer program for the BLM land that we picked up (some kid had just left it in the bathroom and no one claimed it when I asked around). And one of the rangers told us of the Junior Angler program which is part of the NPS Junior Ranger series of activities.
And get this! Someone just abandoned a tandem kayak and two oars. Benny and I had parked and went straight down to the beach area to walk around and drink in the scenery (ha ha). While we were there a guy about my age was mumbling under his breath about crazy people. There was another guy with him who wasn’t exactly being complimentary either. It wasn’t Benny with big ears this time but me. I told myself I was gathering intel to make sure there were no problems to avoid, but in all honesty I was just nosey.
Turns out the kayak wasn’t a rental and … okay, I’m stupid. They were complaining that it was like the fifth one of the season and there wasn’t any more room in storage so where the heck were they going to put it. No one had claimed it.
I decided to boldly just go for it. “Do you rent them out or sell them? Or maybe offer a discount rate for a weekly rental?”
“We aren’t allowed to sell them because we can warranty them. And no renting them for the same reason. We used to in the past but some guy tried to sue so … no more and all that crap is stacking up in our storage shed.”
The other man had just gotten off the walkie with whoever was in charge and turned to me to ask, “You want it? You take it, we look the other direction. It’s been almost 48 hours and no one has claimed it. I don’t see any damage to the hull.” Turning to the other guy he said, “New rule. We can’t hold any lost & found items for more than 48 hours. Boss doesn’t want any liability.”
Well yep. I accepted that kayak and it is now tied to the top of the van. It is shorter than my other tandem by two feet but that’s not bad. I have to get life vests for Benny and I and a helmet for Benny – so that means a bike helmet and a water helmet for him. The guy said to check back tomorrow; he might be able to hook me up with more second hand (aka abandoned) items; he just needs to get the okay from “the boss” first.
“How much stuff do you have in this shed of yours?”
Both guys rolled their eyes and shook their heads. The older man said, “We could start our own second hand shop of camping and vacation gear. There was one around here a few years back but it was a hassle to keep it manned and open and all the other crap you gotta do. State kept tacking on more regulations so the owners closed it down. I’ll be over in the office after lunch tomorrow and I’ll let you in and you can look around.”
I must have had a suspicious look on because the guy laughed. “Buzz is my brother-in-law. He said you’re good to go.”
“Ah, so it isn’t who you are but who you know,” I said with a grin.
He barked a laugh and said, “You got that right.”
Benny was having such a good time in the water I hated to tell him we needed to go back to camp so I could do some adulting. He didn’t mind, he was hungry and he knew I’d picked up a gluten-free pizza from the deli area. I grilled it on the hibachi that came with our campsite. Messy but yummy. I took a couple of hours to deal with the groceries that we’d picked up and then agreed with Benny another walk on the beach was something that needed to happen.
I suppose I could have done laundry but that can happen tomorrow night. So can a proper shower. We’ll just get sweaty tomorrow morning anyway. He crashed and burned over an hour ago. I’ve been typing this and adulting with everything that I’ve had to put off for the last couple of weeks. Income from the blog site is looking good and stable at about $150/week or $600 average/month. I’m going to make up a couple more specialty pages for the blog. One is a little silly … sock and accessories. Some serious but most just some silly ones that I’ve seen like those that have national park themes or camping, hiking, or traveling themes on them. Same sort of thing for bandanas, hats, etc. I’ll have a section for camping equipment as well. I’m going to expand the book selections for each entry as well, but I’ll link to as many second hand and recycled books as possible.
For now I think I am going to go ahead and hit the hay. This is going to be a great week.