Happy Birthday, Mom! -- Fri., Mar. 15

Mom at 80 in Caesar's Palace, Las Vegas!

 

Dear Mom,

You're the Pisces in the sea

The chocolate in the cake

The life of the party 

To the garden, you're the rake

To our family, you're the Mom

To Dad you were the bomb(shell)

To friends you are the best

Our lives are richly blessed

You've seen 83 years

Felt love, pride, and fears

Have helped us through our tears 

And raised a few "Cheers!"

You give, and give, and give.

To our lives you give meaning,

Because you know how to live.

Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Happy Birthday, Mom! 

Here are some photo memories of your 2010, three-week, 80th birthday hiking trip. Let's make some more memories in Texas next week!!

For those of you who don't know my mom, here's a sample of what she's like. When we visited mom in her 79th year, Bob asked her what she would like to do for her 80th birthday. She replied, "Go hiking in Bryce Canyon National Park." So, that set in motion her three-week, 80th birthday trip.

I planned everything from Las Vegas to national parks, monuments, state parks, hiking and hotels. I made an itinerary binder that she could follow along each day. There were pocket sheets in the binder so she could put in brochures and postcards collected along the way. On the last day, it simply said, "Surprise." There was an envelope she couldn't open until the last day. Join us on our whirlwind trip of the desert southwest, Four Corners area.

Pisces, the fish -- Las Vegas, Wynn

ZION NATIONAL PARK

Mom on Emerald Pools hike.

Zion National Park

Emerald Pools hike.

Weeping Wall, Zion NP--Jan, Mom, Susan

Canyon Overlook Trail, Zion -- Mom

Canyon Overlook Trail - Jan

Canyon Overlook Trail

CORAL PINK SAND DUNES STATE PARK

Jan at Coral Pink Sand Dunes

Mom reading signs on nature trail -- Coral Pink Sand Dunes

BEST FRIENDS ANIMAL SANCTUARY

This was an unexpected delight on our trip. We only knew about it from a sign on the highway as we were driving by. I turned around and we went back to check it out...ended up on a 90-minute tour of their sanctuary. What a wonderful place. I want to volunteer here!

Best Friends Casa de Calmar -- adoptables.

Best Friends -- Casa de Calmar

Best Friends -- dog houses and dog runs. Dog Town TV show
filmed here.

BRYCE CANYON NATIONAL PARK

Me and Mom.

Gorgeous weather. Cold. Mom and my sister, Janyce.

Our ride (thank you, Louise!). Snow at Bryce on March 20, 2010

Lots and lots of snow!

Mom made little snowmen at all the overlooks.

Mom and Jan.

Hike down to Wall Street was mud, snow, ice, slush.

Easiest way down---slide!

Voila! Wall Street.

Goal attained. Mom made it INTO Bryce Canyon.

Mom climbing out of Wall Street.

Mom after climbing out of Wall Street. Amazing scenery!

Snow-covered Mossy Cave Trail.

Mossy Cave Trail to waterfall.

HIKE TO CALF CREEK FALLS, GRAND STAIRCASE-ESCALANTE

Susan, Jan, Mom

Lower Calf Creek Falls Trail...no snow here!

Lower Calf Creek Falls

CAPITOL REEF NATIONAL PARK

The Castle

Cold and windy. Jan and Mom.

Goosenecks Point Lookout Trail--Mom and Jan.
Jan looks like an Eskimo, all bundled up.

Grand Wash walk.

GOBLIN VALLEY STATE PARK

Goblin Valley, Like Nowhere Else. Look at those hoodoos!

Mom and I, Goblin Valley

Jan and Mom, Goblin Valley

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Goblin Valley.

Jan and Mom, Goblin Vally State Park

CANYONLANDS NATIONAL PARK, ISLAND IN THE SKY

Mesa Arch, Mom and Jan

We'll save this hike for another day.

Stormy skies

Moon and stormy sky--Green River Overlook

Green River Overlook

ARCHES NATIONAL PARK

Landscape Arch hike -- Mom and I.

Broken Arch or Sand Dune Arch?
Which way do I go, Mom?

Narrow trail to Sand Dune Arch

Sand Dune Arch

Jan and Mom in Windows Area of Arches

Park Avenue, Arches

Mom at Delicate Arch, Arches

Delicate Arch Trail

Jan and Mom--Delicate Arch Trail

CANYONLANDS -- NEEDLES DISTRICT

Cave Spring Trail -- Mom and Jan. Fun trail!

Cave Spring Trail

Climbing ladder--Cave Spring Trail

 MESA VERDE NATIONAL PARK

Cliff Palace View, Mesa Verde N.P.

 NATURAL BRIDGES NATIONAL MONUMENT

This is not lightweight hiking!

Jan and Mom on the steep part.

Proof we made it to the bottom of the canyon!

Now we've got to go back up!

Going down another trail.

Gorgeous natural bridges in this monument.

Gotta come back up. Look at her go!

GRAND CANYON NATIONAL PARK--SOUTH RIM

This was the only place where we had snow fall on our three-week trip. We hightailed it outta there.

Grand Canyon

Inside The Watchtower

Grand Canyon from The Watchtower lookout.

Just outside east entrance to Grand Canyon. You can't see
the howling wind!

LAKE POWELL, RAINBOW BRIDGE NATIONAL MONUMENT

Our home for two nights.

The surprise at the end of the three weeks was a boat tour on Lake Powell to Rainbow Bridge National Monument. It was awesome. The only way to get there is by boat tour or a two-to-three day hike.

Lake Powell behind Glen Jackson Dam.

Lake Powell

Our boat tour took us up into side canyons.

Rainbow Bridge National Monument

Our tour boat.

Jan, me and Mom with our audiotour headsets on.

Side canyon...at one point the boat was only a couple
inches from both side walls of the canyon! Wow.

Lake Powell Marina

Mom and our Captain.

GLEN CANYON DAM HOLDS BACK LAKE POWELL

 

PIPE ORGAN NATIONAL MONUMENT

Mom wasn't feeling well (something she ate) so she didn't go with us into this monument.

Ranger in period dress.

Fortified against raiders and invaders.

My younger sister, Jan.

  

From here it was back to Las Vegas and our flights home. We all had a wonderful three-week vacation in celebration of Mom's 80th birthday.

For her 83rd birthday, she and my sister are visiting us in San Antonio starting March 23. This time they will have a whirlwind tour of south central Texas for a week. 

Happy birthday, Mom!