Adventures with Grannies

 My Mom (Rose) and I  recently returned from our adventures out West.

We left Mom's house May 23rd.. a day and a half after our intended departure.  It was  drawn out fiasco in me trying to switch phone carriers with a new phone.  The SECOND phone I purchased was to he delivered Thursday, May 22. I was planning to be home on the 21st to best prepare for Camp Cowgranny. 

Camp Cowgranny has morphed over the years from two or three cousins at a time visiting  Mr C and I for a week or two, into four or five  days of as many cousins (grandchildren) as can gather in that time.

I try to plan at least one special event. We do crafts, have a rainy day back-up plan.

The phone fiasco put me a solid two days behind.

My Mom came up. We had officially  Monday through Thursday of *Camp Cowgranny*, attended  by 12 grandkids.

It rained pretty  much every day. And was unseasonably cold.

Still, I think we had a great time. 

The kids all left Friday morning.  Mom and  I had a trip out west planned. I had secured the last room available for the season at the North Rim of the Grand Canyon Lodge.

We had it booked for two nights. I figured that  would give us a solid full day of visiting the Grand Canyon.  We had to leave my house in NE Oklahoma on Sunday. Our room was for Tuesday and  Wednesday nights.

Sunday night, we stayed in Amarillo, Texas. Supper was BBQ sandwiches from Buccee's! (Always a treat!) 

The room was clean, but pricey. We were absolutely too tired to check out the pool. The next day,  We had an authentic Mexican lunch in Tucumcari.  Trying to be mindful that we were on vacation, and no absolutely set in stone dates to be anywhere at any **given time, we took frequent breaks for potty and leg stretching.  We pulled into to one rest area. It was a low building with a series of gender  neutral individual bathrooms all facing out. Quite a number of men were around... no women, no families. I didn't  like the "feel". We weren't desperate, so pressed on.

** except for the Grand Canyon North Rim Lodge... where we had the reservations for Tues and Wednesday nights!

We made it to Gallup, New Mexico for the evening.  We chose a RedRoof Inn, grabbing our room key before looking for supper.  We had Taco Bell. The employee doubled our order. After we ate all we could, I took the rest out to the parking lot. A couple of older teen boys were walking past. I gave it to them. The RedRoof Inn room was filthy.  We skipped showers.  It was accumulated  filth.... not that the room hadn't been  "cleaned". the carpet around the edges of the bed was gray with lint and pet hair (RedRoof Inns are pet friendly) and the gaps between the floors and walls (needs baseboards, folks) was full of dirt and debris. People notice when just the center of the bathroom has been mopped, especially when the  corners are dark with grime.

Tuesday was our big day to make the Grand Canyon.  We saw the sign for Winslow, Arizona. 

Mom started singing.  I asked if she could  find The Corner. Yes... your GPS can direct you to the corner in Winslow, Arizona made famous by The Eagles.  Mom and I parked, got pictures... and were back on the road a short  time later.

I see this is getting  too lengthy.  I will write more later!