A Part of History

The Brown Family had a great honor on the day before Veteran's Day. I was asked to speak the Town of Fuquay Varina's Blue Star Memorial Marker dedication. While, I did the speaking - as a military representative - I made sure that my family was also included in my comments. I know I would not have had the career that I had over the last half of my service if it had not been for Lisa carrying the load back home.

The markers represent the service of men and women in uniform; part, present, and future. However, service is more than just the individual; it includes spouses, children, and parents. The whole military family makes a sacrifice when a loved one is in uniform. That is why I am glad Lisa and Sam were there. More so, Sam was in uniform; one of the few times we will get to be side by side in uniform.

This dedication was a small ceremony - a brief, bright spot in the town's history. However, its history nonetheless.  Perhaps someday, years from now, my grandchildren will come to visit Fuquay Varina with their parents. As they drive into town, Sam, or TJ, or Grant will say, "See that marker, Grandpa helped dedicate that marker. Grandma was there too."  

The truth is that I like speaking in public. I like speaking and saying things that audience wants to hear. It gives me a little rush and I tend to glow in the accolades (I might as well own this truth).  In this case, I referenced the topics of service, nation, family, and community - especially the community of Fuquay Varina.  

And I still look good in my uniform!

Setting the Bar

This fall two significant things happen in the family.  The first, Samantha became a commissioned officer in the U.S. Army. This was a huge milestone for her and for the family. The second, TJ beat me in a 5k Race; mine was the Run the Quay 5k and his was a Cross Country Track meet 5k.  This was a milestone for him, and for me.

These two events are significant because they have the same common theme; in both cases, my children surpassed my accomplishments. 

Samantha became a Second Lieutenant in the Regular Army. She graduated from a top tier university with honors, completed ROTC training, and pinned on her Gold Bars.  In every respect, at her age, she has accomplished more than I did at 24 years old.  I did not go on Active Duty, I did not go to a top school, and I certainly did not graduate with honors.  It is true that Sam has a long way to go to get to when I accomplished in my 33 years of service. However, she certainly has a good start to get there.

TJ is developing into a fine runner. As a freshman, he is already on a Varsity team and has improved on his performance to the point that he is finishing second or third on his team.  He is already ahead of where I was as a scared freshman in a new school. I did not try out for sports until my junior year. I never really improved on my performance. It is true that TJ has a way to go before he has as many medals and races under his belt as I do. However, he is certainly off to a good start.  

I have always set a high bar for my children.  I did the same for my ROTC Students.  The bar is not that high that it cannot be reached because I reached it myself.  The challenges that are laid in front of my children are meant to be achieved if desired. I suspect that Grant will not be a runner. However, there is a challenge for him to be smarter than me and his mom.  While some parents might be jealous or envious of their kids surpassing them, I feel just the opposite. There is a deep feeling of satisfaction when the people you love do better than you.  I stand atop the pedestal expecting to be knocked off of it. It affirms that the work you have invested has a dividend. It is a statement that both active and passive lessons have been learned, instilled, and synthesized to produce something better than the original. In other words, good parenting and role modeling.  

Our kids are watching us all the time and absorbing like sponges.  The good and the bad. The swear words and drinking. The hugs and high fives. The shouting and praise.   

I am a very happy dad.

The Runner

What a joy it is to watch TJ run on Cross Country for Willow Spring High School.  

TJ has always enjoyed sports but has never found a lot of success with games that require strong hand-eye coordination.  And, truth be told, he doesn’t put in the time to improve his performance either. Perhaps that’s a result of the small screen generation, or maybe I didn’t force him to go out and play more.  However, in running, he has the build and ability to run well.

As we ease out of Covid restrictions, schools are back in session which means that sports are back on.  TJ is now a Freshman at the new Willow Spring High School, just a mile from the house.  Willow Spring is unique because it only has Freshmen and Sophomore classes which the Class of ’22 and ’23 go to Fuquay High School as a cohort.  This uniqueness means that students get on almost any team they want to.  Not that this would have hampered TJ’s chances. He is a strong runner with a lot of talent. He easily holds his own against older runners.

TJ made the team and has been in two meets already. It is my personal challenge to watch and not to parent-coach him to try to improve his stride, push him harder, and challenge him.  Lisa reminds me that there are three more years of High School for him to find all of that. But I want him to find his competitive spirit. I want him to find the fun and personal reward in running. Eventually, I want to run a race with him, side by side.  

Yesterday he finished sixteenth place, well within the first quarter of the pack.  He pushed hard at the end and forced the runner in front of him - a senior - to break into a sprint in order to finish ahead. It was good to watch. He finished the 3k in about 13:14. 

There is a whole season ahead. We are urging TJ to keep up the fun runs with his peers. Running is TJ's niche, even if it just a hobby instead of a desire.  

Take it Easy Bobby

Dear Bobby, 

We took you to Alaska one last time. We tried to see what you saw in Alaska; the beauty, the wilderness, the raw majesty. We came closer to understanding what drew you here. We were both blessed and honored to walk where you walked. We took you to several places - places you knew - in and around Skagway and Dyea to spread your ashes. 

 

We went to Lower Dewey Lake and hiked all the way around it. We found a lovely spot on a cliff overlooking the lake in the shadows of massive, 5200' peaks, underneath swaying pine trees. Lisa read a prayer. Grant cried. It was a good day to say good-bye. 

We met with Brittney and Andrew and hiked down to Smuggler's Cove. The wind blew hard that day but the blue skies revealed themselves for a brief moment while your sister Linda read a prayer. You are down near the water, out on the rocks, looking over the cove and up at the mountains and glaciers looking south. This was my favorite spot. I know Brittney and Andrew loved being part of the family for the moment. 

 

 

Finally, we went out to Dyea. We followed part of the road in the old town, down to where the Taiya River empties into the Taiya Inlet. We saw eagles in flight and watched the salmon spending the last moments of their lives swimming upstream. We released you downstream. Linda read another prayer.

 

 

 

 

You will now be a part of these places.

Forever. 

We know you would be so happy. Rest easy buddy. 

Desintation: Skagway (or Skagway Or Bust)

 Everything in the following story is true. None of the names or places have been changed.

 

Our trip to Skagway, Alaska, might be the best Brown Family story since the day that Lisa and I ran the Disney Half Marathon in 2018 and Samantha took the boys to Animal Kingdom after Grant threw up the night before. The actual visit to Skagway was wonderful and worthy of separate posts. However, the story of the actual trip there is a testament to the resiliency of our little tribe.

The whole family was traveling. This was our first trip together in a few years and the first ever that included all five of us taking a plane. The purpose of our trip was to honor Robert F. Blockus Jr. - son, brother, uncle, and friend by scattering his ashes in and around Skagway, AK, a place he loved and loved him back.

The trip to Skagway was supposed to go like this: on Tuesday we would fly from Raleigh, NC, to Phoenix, AZ, to Seattle WA, to Juneau, AK. On Wednesday we would sight-see in Juneau. On Thursday we would visit the Mendenhall Glacier Park and take a whitewater raft trip down the Mendenhall River.  That is what was supposed to happen; but this is Alaska, and Alaska gets a vote.

On Monday, the day before we traveled, we received a email that our first flight was delayed. No big deal, we got an extra hour of sleep.  When we arrived to RDU we were told to immediately go to the counter...where we stayed for the next hour and fifteen minutes. Over the course of that time the airline did everything in their power to get us to Juneau but it just wasn't meant to be.  They tried sending three of us through one airport and two through another. They tried sending us all together on an earlier flight to Seattle - hoping for a little sight-seeing time. Unfortunately, the best they could do was get us to Seattle and comped us meals and a hotel room at the SEATAC Doubletree Inn.  Our flight out of RDU would be so late that we went back home for three hours!

Meanwhile, Linda left St. Louis, MO, without incident and made it all the way to Juneau.

Our flights were rerouted through Charlotte, NC, to Seattle, WA. We got two rooms at the hotel; Samantha and the boys in one room, Lisa and I in the other. Morning came too soon and we schlepped back over to the airport.  While we were waiting, the counter at the gate called us up - uh-oh. Turns out all they did was move the five of us up in the middle of the plane together - whew.  

The flight to Juneau was great. We had a good view of Mt. Rainer for a while before flying over Puget Sound and into Canadian airspace. Fields of snow capped mountains and glaciers filled the window. However, we descended into a cold, wet, rainy Juneau where we paused for our first pictures from the 49th state. With luggage in tow, we called the hotel shuttle and rode 2 miles to the hotel and linked up with Linda.

It is about 10:30 AM. 

We asked the hotel if we could get into our room early to drop our gear and head into Juneau. After a short wait our room became available and left everything there. We called a cab - which was going to take thirty minutes to get to the hotel - to take us down to the docks. The hotel had a Mexican restaurant so we decided to order chips and salsa.  However before anything could arrive at the table, the cab showed up and in a hasty maneuver, we left the Mexican place and jumped into the cab with Bill. Bill looked to be about 800 years old. Bill was a retired school teacher, who taught in at schools deep into Alaska. He was now on dialysis. He pointed out sights on the 9 mile drive to The Hangar on the Wharf for lunch. Bill dropped us off and gave us his card in case we needed another ride. 

It is now about 11:30.  

The Hangar provided some good food, we were all getting a little hangry, and some time to plot out our day. We could go hike Mendenhall Glacier or walk around the cruise ship dock area. Around 12:30 my phone rang. It was the ferry service we were going to take the next day to Skagway. They advised me that there was bad weather coming in and they could not sail under those conditions and that the Thursday trip was cancelled. I asked when the next available sailing would be and they said Sunday. That would not do at all. I asked what else they had and they said later in the day, at 4:00 PM - in three and a half hours. 

I hung up the phone, called the waiter for the check, and briefed the family. We had to leave, and leave now in order to make that boat. I called Bill who showed up within ten minutes. We got back to the hotel - the hotel we checked into but had not slept in yet - and checked out.  We went up to the rooms. Linda packed her stuff because she had slept there the night before and Lisa took care of the few things in our room. I called the ferry service back to confirm that they wanted us to be at the airport at 4:00 PM to be shuttled down to the dock for a 4:30 PM departure. And that's when the bottom fell out. They apologized but the conditions deteriorated so quickly that the current boat turned around. There would be no sailing today or the next. We. Were. Screwed. 

It is now a little after 1:00 PM

I hung up the phone and called Alaska Seaplanes Airlines. This is the company we were using to fly back from Skagway at the end of our trip.  Maybe they had something available. If not this whole trip was in serious jeopardy. I reached Linda-from-New-Hampshire. Linda fNH listened to my story and immediately was invested.  Linda fNH started looking for flights. At the same time Lisa called Joanne in Skagway, whose house we were renting, to see if we could get into the house a day early. Lisa explained to Joanne our predicament and how we were trying to resolve it with Alaska Seaplanes. At one point Lisa stopped me and asked me who I was speaking to. Lisa spoke into her phone. Lisa's eyes widened. It turned out that Joanne is a manager at Alaska Seaplanes Airline and knows Linda fNH!

Lisa and I put our cellphones on speaker and Jo and Linda fNH spoke to one another. Could this plane be diverted?  What about the people on ferry that didn't make it down? What about the people in Haines, AK? Could Joe fly? They finally reached a resolution. Lisa got back on with Joanne - who told us the house would be ready when we got there. I got on the phone Linda fNH who gave us a 30% discount on the tickets because we were flying for bereavement.

Is is now about 1:30 PM.

Linda fNH says that she has a flight for us at 3:00 PM and can we be at the airport in ten minutes. Ten minutes?! Six hundred seconds. With a great deal of confidence and bravado I said something along the lines of, "watch me." I immediately called Linda and Sam and told them to head right down to the lobby; I'd explain do there. Lisa and the boys grabbed all of the stuff in the room we never slept in and headed to the lobby. We all met down stairs and told the hotel manager we needed the shuttle to the airport - immediately!

Within a minute we were all piled into the shuttle van. Eight minutes later we were at the airport. Total time, nine minutes.

It is now 1:50 PM.

At the counter we announced that we were the Brown Family, party of six, flying to Skagway at 3:00 PM. The young woman looked at her computer and said, "we don't have a 3:00 PM flight to...oh, wait, one just popped up, and you're on it." Whew. And so we sat down waiting on the flight and hoping the weather didn't sock us in. 

It is now 2:50 PM.

They called our flight and led us through the doors on to the tarmac. No screening. No TSA. However, they did ask us our weight so they could calculate how much fuel to use. Never had that happen before. Out on the tarmac Grant came to the full realization that we were not flying on a jet. Not even a turbo prop plane. This was a eight seat, straight propeller plane that had to be counter-wound to start. The pilot called out the kids first and seated them in the last row on opposite sides of one another. Next came Linda and another passenger. Next was Lisa and I. Finally, the pilot looked at Sam and said, "co-pilot seat."

After the only flight safety briefing I ever really paid attention to in years, we taxied down the runway and off into the nastiest weather I have ever flown in. Rain was sheeting over the canopy. The clouds were so thick that it was hard to see the tips of the wings. We never got above the clouds and were in soup all the way to Haines. Every once in a while I would turn to check on Grant, still wide eyed, who responded with a thumbs down each time. Then, just like that, we dropped below the clouds and flew up the inlet to Skagway. We could see the steep mountains and waterfalls along the inlet, and then Skagway in the distance.

It is now 3:40 PM.

The pilot took us over A.B. Mountain, banked hard, and set us down ever so gently on the runway at Skagway, AK. 

It is now 3:45 PM.

It was then we realized that we never called the car rental company. Lisa called and the voice on the other end of the phone asked us if we were already at the airport. Yes. The voice instructed Lisa to go out to the parking lot and look for a white Nissan. Since there were only three cars in the parking lot, it was easy. The voice said that the keys were underneath the mat and to just take it. No paperwork. No driver's license check. No nothing. Alaska is a different place.

It was now 3:50 PM.

We did it. The whole family just went with the flow. No one bitched. No one challenged the events that were unfolding with a better solution - or even a different solution - because there was none to be offered. By 4:00 PM we were at the Skagway Brewery still reeling from the events of the last six hours. I was immensely proud and excited because everything seemed to point towards us not getting to our destination yet one possibility/opportunity after another presented itself.  

Perhaps Bobby was with us. Maybe he kept the rain at bay for just a few hours because after our flight, all the other flights for the day were cancelled.  We hadn't even started our adventure in Alaska and we already had one story that is really great.  

Happy Graduation

Two thirds of a party, that’s what we did. We tried to celebrate Samantha’s graduation, birthday, commissioning in one fell swoop but fell short by one celebration. We celebrated Sam’s birthday and her graduation from the University of North Carolina (with honors). Her commissioning will have to wait until September thanks to Army bureaucracy. 

Growing up in two households, Sam was loved twice as much, but life event celebrations were never big events. She never had a Sweet Sixteen party, or went crazy on her 21st Birthday. Her graduation from High School was a subdued affair and she only had a small get together for graduating from Community College in New York.

This time we tried to make it up to her.

This was a celebration for me to recognize her accomplishments among my friends and open the house to her and all of her fellow officers and classmates. In the end we had about forty people from two the invitation lists.  

Lisa ordered a yard sign that took up the whole front yard. The boys pitched in and did every chore asked of them leading up to the party. Our neighbors let us borrow chairs and tables.  Everything looked great.

We cooked a lot of food… Five racks of smoked ribs. Twenty pounds of pulled pork. Three pounds of baked beans. An order of chicken from Chik-fil-A. Plus snacks. And five gallons of homemade beer made by Shawn Jury. 

We had people in the driveway. The garage bar was packed with people from both invite lists talking and having fun. The back patio was full. The kitchen conversations went on and on – at one point I was asked my opinion as an Army officer and I proceeded to “hold court” for the next thirty minutes. Everyone piled into the garage for a toast to Samantha and all of her successes.

It was a blur. Our four hour party went for five and half hours. Everyone had a good time. A friend reached out the other day and told me that we have the best parties.

We are incredibly proud of her for all of these accomplishments. As she heads into adulthood we know we will have less time with her in our presence. It is both joyous and sad. We still have one third of a party to go! Let's see if we can send her off in style!

Parenting Fail, Las Vegas

The last day of our Spring Break trip we decided to take the kids to Las Vegas to see The Strip.  The boys liked Ocean's Eleven and Thirteen and wanted to see the hype of Vegas - having no real idea what the place is really about - in person.  In our naiveté and stupidity Lisa and I thought, how bad can it be?  Walk South Vegas Boulevard, see the lights, look inside a casino, watch the fountains of the Bellagio, and go back to the hotel.  

Easy, right?

The last time I was in Las Vegas was in 2004. The time before that I was 13 years old.  In 2004, I walked The Strip for hours. I went into The Venetian, Paris, Caesar's Palace, and The Bellagio staring in wonder and amazement of the temples to gambling and excess. It was truly spectacular and I don't remember it being that crowded or intimidating. 

Around 5:30pm our driver dropped the four of us off at New York, New York, a casino to everything NYC. We walked into the casino onto S. Las Vegas Blvd and into the largest gathering of people I have seen since the Disney Marathon in 2020. It was a sea of humanity.  The first thing we saw was two women dressed up as Vegas Showgirls, complete with the feather headdress and opulence.  They were also ONLY wearing thongs and tiny coverings over their breasts.  At first I thought they were some kind of Las Vegas ambassador team but I quickly realized that for $20 you could get a picture taken with them.  I also learned that these two were the most clothed out of all the women on The Strip offering to take pictures. Welcome to Vegas.   

Nonetheless, I did my best to embarrass TJ every time we walked by women in their underwear.   

Our failure quickly became apparent. Las Vegas allows open alcohol containers and smoking is ubiquitous. Marijuana is also legal now and the smell rolling out of the cannabis shops was overwhelming.  Finally, the streets were packed with the kind of people who are attracted to open alcohol, pot, gambling, and scantily clad women - and are willing to ignore any Covid safety measures.  All those people and the few sets of parents who didn't think Las Vegas would be that crazy.  Poor Grant - at 5' tall all he saw for the next three hours was boobs, butts, beer, and Bozos - and not in a good way; he might be permanently scarred against ever visiting Las Vegas again.  

We walked through the shops in Caesar's Palace and up to The Venetian but, honestly, it was too crowded, too expensive, and too meh to enjoy it.  Las Vegas looks good in pictures and movies and not in person.  

We did stop at The Bellagio to watch the fountains while sirens blared just down the street. You can watch the awesome show by clicking HERE! I looked around and realized the Las Vegas is Walt Disney World's evil cousin. Both artificial worlds are full of spectacle, eye candy, and simplistic American themes and values. Both are focused on a certain type of entertainment and geared for certain types of people.  

Of the two, in Las Vegas, The Brown Family was clearly not where we belonged.  

Spring Break 2021: Bryce Canyon

Bryce Canyon National Park.  If Zion starts at the bottom and goes up, then Bryce Canyon is the opposite, you start at the top and go down. The drive to Bryce Canyon is easy. Once you drive through the mile long Zion-Mt. Carmel tunnel and drive through the east side of Zion you depart the east entrance Zion and take state roads for about two hours to Bryce Canyon. Rolling hills and mountains in the distance make for a pleasant drive. In fact, driving over hills and around curves through canyons and tunnels was a great fun. As we drove into Dixie National Forest we drove through a tunnel that was clearly an inspiration for the animated movie Cars. 

We got to Bryce before sunset with enough time to stop and take pictures before heading to the rental house in Tropic, UT. We parked at Sunset Point and walked down a Briscoe Pine lined sidewalk until opened out onto a theater like experience with all of Bryce Canyon immediately below us. The visual effect was stunning. I heard TJ exclaim his wonder as he looked down. 

Bryce Canyon is full of hoodoos, tall spires of stone and rock that have been carved by wind and erosion over millions of years. The erosion left “windows” and “walls” among the many spires that looked like enormous sand castles.  The layers of rock reveal shades of reds, rusts, oranges, yellows, tans, and grays that are made to glow in the setting sun. 

Bryce sits about 3,000’ higher than Zion; the highest point being 8,300’ above sea level. The temperatures were an average of 20* cooler than Zion and there was snow still in the canyon to contrast the colors of the rock. Most of the next two days was red rocks, blue skies, white snow, and green pine trees. I am not sure how long it would take to get tired of looking at one amazing scene after another in Bryce but it never happened on our trip. 

Tropic, UT, is a one traffic light town that has the bare essentials for hikers and travelers who are passing through; a grocery store, a couple of restaurants, a gas station, and small hotels. We spread out in our rental home and made a good dinner and washed the dust from one National Park out of our clothes so we could add new dust into them. The clothes dryer was broken so we went old school and hung things up outside on the line with clothes pins. The wind and the dry air had everything ready to take down in less than an hour.  

Bryce can better handle traffic so we went back the second day to hike from Sunrise Point down the Queen’s Garden Trail and over to the Navajo Loop Trail.  It was a day for long pants and several layers on top. We started off chilly but it warmed up into the low sixties by midday.  The trails are moderately tough because at 8,300’ you have less oxygen than you are used to.  Plus, although Bryce Canyon starts at the top, what goes down must go back up. Nevertheless, it was a spectacular morning.  Lisa played with her camera and boys marched ahead at their own pace.  Snacks of oranges and homemade GORP kept the blood sugar up until we made it back the lodge. 

After a full lunch we launched into the second hike of the day down the Tower Bridge Trail, named so for the massive hoodoo window that looks like the Tower Bridge in London. We heard and saw a Blue jay like bird and was befriended by a chipmunk who like our snacks.  The kids played in (and ate) the snow and Lisa and I hiked around to the back of Tower Bridge for a better look and angle. The hike back was overshadowed by a cranky Grant who had hiked enough, was tired of his brother and dad, and just wanted to be around mom – to the exclusion of everyone else.  

We still stopped at Mossy Cave on the way back to see thick icicles that remain in the “cave” year round because it never gets direct sunlight. We played and looked around for a little but the family was done for the day and needed to rest and reset.  Our hopes for a raved about BBQ joint were dashed by a 90 minute wait, no ribs, and average pulled pork <sigh>.  Grant invented a board game out of parts of another board game and we played that until TJ got sick. TJ started feeling ill no long after he ate the snow and spent the night heaving into a basket. Not the best end to a great day. 

The next morning we started out back to Las Vegas, stopping for one last hike to see some arches just outside to Red Canyon and Dixie National Forest.  Lisa got some photos and the kids explored ahead of us discussing Pokemon and who knows what. We kicked the dust off our shoes and headed back to Nevada.   

Spring Break 2021: Zion

We took what can be considered our first real trip with the boys for Spring Break 2021.  We visited Zion National Park and Bryce Canyon National Park in Utah and had a great time. 

Years ago Lisa and I made a decision to use Disney as our go to vacation spot while the boys were young.  I remember what I was like as a kids being dragged through museums, parks, and to shows so my mom could give us “experiences”. What I remember most from those trips is my poor mom trying to wrangle two rambunctious boys who were mostly interested in if the place had video games to play.  Kids just don’t appreciate those things at young age. Yes, we have visited other places for a few days here and there; Washington D.C., Myrtle Beach, New York City, and Nashville; but those weren’t BIG adventures.  Now at 13 and 10, TJ and Grant are ready for some real life experiences.

I should pause here to note that in 1980 my mom packed an Oldsmobile Omega with bags and two boys, ages 13 and 10, and for the next six weeks embarked on a trip across the USA. We stayed in Motel 6s or with friends. We visited Chicago, Wisconsin Dells, the Corn Palace, Wall Drug, Mount Rushmore, Lake Tahoe, Yellowstone, Yosemite, San Francisco, LA, Las Vegas, the Grand Canyon, St. Louis and so much more.  It was an amazing adventure that I wish I had could remember in greater detail. Susan Brown was an incredibly brave mom.  Thanks mom.

We flew on a packed flight to Las Vegas and drove two hours to Apple Valley, UT for our visit to Zion.  We drove three miles down a dirt road, down a ravine, and onto a valley floor to stay in a “tiny home” where we could hear the coyotes howl at night and domestic bison were being raised nearby.  It had everything we need to make breakfast, get cleaned up, and get a good nights sleep. The boys loved it. 

Zion National Park is one of those treasures that can be visited in a day, but a real experience might take two or three days.  Unfortunately, the only traffic allowed into the park is the official shuttle and third party vendors. The latter costs about $40 per person and the former costs $1 per person but requires a very-difficult-to-obtain reservation (which we did not get). I’ll pay $120 one time to get into the park but not two times.

You enter Zion from the floor of the canyon with thousand foot red, orange, gray, and brown cliff walls on either side of you.  From there, most trails go up or hug the Virgin River.  We came prepared. Each of us carried a backpack with food and water and extra socks in addition to, hiking poles, three different cameras, sunscreen, and maps.  Off we went to the Emerald Pools, a not-too-hard trail to the back of a trickling waterfall and back down to the river.  It was still a little chilly so we topped off with coffee and hot chocolate before heading up to our biggest adventure, Angel’s Landing.  

Angel’s Landing is a rock prominence that rises 1500’ from the canyon floor. The floor of the canyon is about 4200’ above sea level making Angels Landing over a mile up.  Three sides of Angel’s Landing is sheer cliffs and the only access is a 2.5 mile hike around the back.  It is a steady hike of switchbacks ever going upward. After a few hours we were at a stopping point to have lunch and rest before we tried The Chains to the top. The Chains is a life affirming experience as you grip ¼” chain up a narrow rock path with 1200’ drops off either side. Needless to say, we all tried it, but only Lisa and TJ made it to the top.

We chose Zion and Bryce Canyon after watching a documentary on the two National Parks. Lisa and were drawn the majesty and absolute difference to anything we have seen in North Carolina – Grandfather Mountain, Hanging Rock, and Pilot Mountain included.  We were not disappointed.  The views were incredible. The stone, silent and still – and the sun tracing light and shadows, provided the spectacle. It was a reminder of the glory of God (and time, water, and erosion). 

No, we didn’t make it to The Narrows. The water was about 50 degrees and we were not going to return with rental gear the next day.  Zion is one of those parks that will be worth a second visit someday.  

Our first day concluded with a big dinner at Oscar’s Café in Springdale and a sunset in our canyon.  The boys, for their part, complained little and embraced the adventure as best they could. 

Thankfully, we have pictures, video, and this blog to help remind them.

 

 

When Your Kid is Cooler Than You (Part III)

It is always a pivotal moment when your kids surpass the ability you had at their age. These moments happen from time to time. When Grant was on two championship Town Sports Teams in one year, when I hardly did any Town Sports. When Sam earned a ROTC Scholarship when I did not get offered one.  Every once in a while there is a big one, like the one TJ accomplished last week.  

At 13 years old I had a terrific fear of heights; a fear I still have, but manage, at 53. To see TJ face a fear of heights and accomplish something truly amazing at 13, something most other people would balk at made me pause and admire him.  

TJ climbed Angle's Landing at Zion National Park.  Angel's Landing is a 1,500' foot tall stone formation that has sheer cliffs on three sides of it and a long sloping spine that rises on a forty-five degree angle around the back. The access to Angel's Landing is through the back, up a long winding steep trail.  After an hour or so of hiking you go up Walter's Wiggles, twenty-some-odd switchbacks at even steeper inclines until you are finally at the start of the real climb.  

The real climb is The Chains.  

Most average people can hike up to the start of The Chains because no "climbing" is required. However, the canyon floor of Zion National Park is at about 4,200'. The top of Angel's Landing is 5,790'.  At that altitude, a mile up, you are certainly getting a work out if live at an elevation of 327' above sea level. There is nothing really dangerous or challenging about the first part of the hike.

The start of The Chains is a broad, flat, multi-tiered rock that serves as a nice view point of the canyon below, a place to eat before going on up the trail, or a place to wait for people to return from the top of Angel's Landing.

The four of us hiked up from the floor of the canyon and the boys decided they wanted to try The Chains.  TJ, then Grant, then I passed a sign that stated 13 people have died doing this hike since 2010 and started hand over hand gripping 1/4" steel chain up the rock.  To be honest, the start of The Chains is not hard, the chain is there to help you pull yourself up the rock because there are no stairs.  There is also no fence, guardrail, or anything else to prevent a fall if you got near the edge.  If you focus it is easy to just keep going. Unfortunately, your focus is usually interrupted because the same chains that you are using to get up, someone else is using to get down.  There is teamwork among strangers and everyone seems to get where they are going.  Even Grant, who got 10 lengths up the chain (six more than he said he would do), and then abruptly turned around. Once he was safely back with Lisa, I headed back up to where TJ was waiting for me.  

TJ and I continued to head upwards.  At times I held on to the chain and looked over the edge to a 1,200' drop and then looked over my shoulder to see the other drop, just half a sidewalk's width behind me.  I kept TJ in front of me so I could see him.  It was intimidating. It was far more than I would have done at 13 years old, period.  Yet there was my son being a Rock Star.  We got about half way up and hit a small, open, flat area to rest.  TJ said he was ready to turn around and I didn't dissuade him.  I took his picture with the rest of the mountain behind him just to show everyone how far he went and how hard the whole climb was.  

The view was - without a doubt - stunning.  It was made more stunning by the realization that you had to earn it. No staircase or paved trail will ever be made to get to this vantage point.  

I wish I had gone to the top, but this was TJ's moment so we hiked back down to Lisa and Grant.  TJ acted nonchalant about how far he went so Lisa asked TJ to take just five more steps than I went, just to say she went farther.  TJ shrugged and turned back uphill.  They were gone for 90 minutes and I knew exactly what happened.  They went to the top. 

Without pushing him, Lisa just kept asking if they could climb a little higher. To the next tree, the next stone, the next resting point until they were at the summit. Lisa really wanted to go to the top ever since we learned about this dangerous and exciting hike and I am happy she did it, but it was TJ's victory.

It's a proud moment because I tell grown adults about Angel's Landing and they say it is a hard pass for them. It's a proud moment because decades from know TJ can always brag that he went to the top of Angel's Landing at 13 years old...and his dad didn't.  It's a proud moment because I know I wouldn't have done it if given the opportunity at the same age.

We made a video of the climb using the GoPro strapped to my head.  Click the link here and you can see some of the best parts of the hike and, of course, The Chains.  Pay attention to the 6:30 mark when I look over the side of the cliff.

TJ has played this whole event off. He is seemingly unfazed by his accomplishment. But I know. I know.  
    

   

Out of the Closet (My Wife Just Needs to Accept What I Am)

About fifteen years ago I received an unusual Christmas gift from my sister-in-law, Linda, a LEGO model of a B-Wing Fighter from the Star Wars movies. It was unusual because I had never considered building a LEGO model until that moment. Ever. It turns out, however, I enjoy the meticulousness of fitting the parts together and not really knowing how it all comes together until about midway through the build. Truth be told, I even played with the B-Wing for a while...and then I put the whole thing away in the closet.

Over the years I collected even more sets; the AT-AT Walker and Snow Speeder, Anakin's Fighter, a Y-Wing Fighter and others. All built once and put away. I put them away because I have children. Specifically, two boys, who if they had their way, would take the model apart and mix and or loose pieces forever.  By the way, Sam was never interested in LEGOs, so I was never worried about her.  When the boys were old enough we bought them their own sets but they still gravitated to my Star Wars sets accumulating in the closet. One thing I am obsessive about is keeping pieces and parts of games and toys together because once a key piece is missing then the whole toy is useless. 

For context, it also needs to stated that I am a huge Star Wars fan. I was ten years old in 1977, the year Star Wars came out. I owned a lot of the Kenner toys - and even have a few secreted away. I know all of the characters and have seen all the movies. I've read novels and comic books about that galaxy a long time ago, far, far away.  When I deployed in 2008 I took Star Wars sheets for my bed. I ran the Star Wars Dark Side Half Marathon.  Last summer I went to Disney's Galaxy's Edge and geeked out as much as the kids did upon seeing the Millennium Falcon.  You get the picture.  So while regular  LEGO models are okay fun, Star Wars LEGO models are a lot of fun.

This past Christmas we got a little crazy with LEGOs and Star Wars. We bought the kids a set and they bought me Slave I, Boba Fetts ship. By the way, they bought it the week before Boba Fett (and his ship) appeared in the Mandalorian.  The model was about 740+ pieces and took the better part of a day to build.  These models, especially the bigger ones, become scarce in stores. Most people balk at a $150 to $250 model.  

During the holiday season I came across a big LEGO set; the Tantive IV. The Tantive IV is the very first ship seen in the opening scene to the first Star Wars movie, A New Hope.  In that first five minutes we see Princess Leia, R2D2 and C-3PO, and Darth Vader. For a ten year old kid, this was life changing.  So to see the ship on the shelf I knew I wanted it.  The next day when I went back, just like that, it was gone.  The harder I searched for it the more frustrated I got. The LEGO website it was sold out. The LEGO store said it was discontinued...

...and then I found it on Walmart's website.  It wasn't cheap but then I am not known for treating myself to things very often; click here to complete your purchase <click>.

As I as building the set I realized it is time to pull all of the models out of the closet and put them on display. The kids know better then to go playing with them and bust them into pieces.  It was time to embrace the person I am. Down came the school pictures and wedding photo and up went, well, toys.  

Proof, that my wife married a big kid. 

Not just a big kid, a big nerdy kid.  

With Star Wars toys.