Saying goodbye to the Bridal Vail Falls of my childhood

When I was a child my family went on many, many road trips. My father, who is now in his 80’s still thinks he needs to drive up to Globe (a three hour  trip) once a week.

My memories of these trips are all wonderful. I remember driving through Oak Creek Canyon in the pouring rain, being excited when we saw those dinosaurs on the way to Disneyland, and then there is the vast openness of the Navajo reservation between Flagstaff and Utah.

I love to drive. I am married to a non lover of road trips so we don’t do them nearly as often as when I was a kid, which is fine because my kids seems to have inherited my husband’s preferences to driving long distances.

This last week we did make it up to Utah for the 4^th of July. It’s been six years since we have made this trip. We seemed to have taken the Arizona heat with us since it was over 100 degrees there most of the week, yet, we still had a great time. My husband, who is a mountain man at heart, fell in love with the trails surrounding the city. He fished and biked, we all hikes, and picnicked, and had an overall amazing week with my Utah family.

On Sunday we decided to head down to Provo where the Bridal Vail Falls are. Now, these falls are what I remember of the Utah from my childhood. I hate heights, yet, I would be suckered intro riding the tram to the top. Living in the desert, one doesn’t see much water. I remember thinking the falls were the most beautiful things created.

Fast-forward seventeen years to last weekend. I couldn’t wait to show my kids these falls of my youth. We drove an hour and a half out of our way just to check them out. My husband had never seen them so he was game for whatever.

Then we got there… and I thought… this isn’t the right place. The tram was gone along with the restaurant that sat on the top of the cliffs and where there used to be a gift shop on the bottom there is now just a shack made of plywood.

This place was crowded with families that left their trash all over the place. I am all for families coming to spend time at the falls, that was what we were doing, but pick up after yourself, and keep an eye on your kids.

We were there maybe two minutes tops and then I was heading back to my car. No, I did not take any pictures. That is why you wont see any here. I am not going to lie, there were tears in my eyes, (and I was a bit angry).

I did remember hearing something about an avalanche the winter after I was last in Provo. I looked it up on my phone as soon as I reached my car and got all of the gory details. Apparently, it was the second time an avalanche took out the tram. It all sounded pretty devastating. I read through it and understood why the tram wasn’t rebuilt. But, why not the visitors center, why not replant some trees around the base?

I was in a bit of a funk all day. I felt as if something cherished from my childhood was gone forever. Then I started feeling old, (but that is another issue all together).  I have heard older people complain about the world changing. I had always rolled my eyes and thought they were just not progressive. Now, I think I get it. It is sad when something from your past is no longer there.

Anyway, sorry for the gloomy post.

This summer has been crazy, and I have been crazy busy. It’s definitely one of those monthly blog post’s summers. Busy is good. It means we have places to go, people to see, and memories to make.

Here’s to wishing you and yours a crazy busy summer too.

Jamaica, need I say more?

I know, I know. I am slowly getting through our vacation we went on over a month ago. After this post I have just one more, then I will move on.

Jamaica, Jamaica. There is so much to say. Where to begin? Well, I had heard good and bad things about this island before we ventured on our trip. Because of this, when booking our excursions, we decided to go through the ship. This was our most expensive day by far. But, it was my favorite. Definitely the most tropical of the islands. Being from Arizona, I go all gushy at the sight of green.

We decided to do the Dunn River Falls, and the Mystic Mountain Bobsled tours.

First, the falls. This was highly recommended by many. The falls were beautiful, the water not too cold. You have to bring river shoes to wear, or purchase some there for $7. The falls were very easy to navigate. This was my family’s only complaint. I think they wanted something a bit more challenging, and they didn’t like the hand holding… but who really likes holding hands with strangers? By the end we all had a great time and it was well worth it. The guides were very energetic, fun for the kids. Though, one of our guides got in a screaming match with someone on the phone just before our tour started. There were some colorful words said on his part, at least I think so, I don’t speak Jamaican. I have no idea what was going on on the other end, but it must have been heated. I would have been annoyed if his hand gesturing wasn’t so animated. It was really quite fascinating watching a man, stand facing the ocean, yelling at the top of his lungs. 

Anyway, you can bring your own water camera, or buy their CD. They do take lots of pictures and are annoyed when you don’t buy their product. I used a disposable water camera. I WILL NEVER DO THIS AGAIN. You will see, the pictures turned out terrible. You can also see some lousy pics on this post due to this bad product.

We were warned in advance about walking through the market on our way back to the bus. The venders are known to be pushy. Some were, but a lot were really nice. We stopped and talked to a few. And yes, we did spend more than we had planned on. There was only one shady individual I had to steer my kids away from. I had prepared my kids for this particular situation in advance. Honestly, I think it was good for them. When traveling anywhere you need to be aware of your surrounding’s and any danger, yet I don’t want my kids to be afraid of leaving their comfort zones. I know people who are scared to travel anywhere outside of their own little bubble. I don’t want my kids to feel this way. They would seriously be missing out on some amazing experiences. And who are we kidding… Phoenix can be a pretty dangerous place too.

Mystic Mountain was AMAZINGLY beautiful. We had to ride a sky-tram/ski-lift to the top of the mountain. I hate heights so I was a bit ill at this part. It is very high and the lift didn’t feel safe. My family, on the other hand, loved it!

Once on the top there are more pricey shops and the bobsled/rollercoaster. You get to control your own speed so even the littles have a good time on this one. There was also a zip-line through the trees that looked really cool, but again, expensive. I do wish we had booked it for Travis. Who knows when we will be back?

I met a really sweet woman who made baskets. I love baskets, though I never know what to do with them once I bring them home. I think it’s an art, basket placement.

Here are my do’s and don’t of Jamaica…

Do:

Do your research. Know where it is safe to go and where it isn’t.

Do: get in with the locals. Be friendly, but be safe.

Do: Bring the kids to Mystic Mountain. Bobsled deserves two thumbs up!

Do: Bring lots of spending money to shop and tip, tip and tip.

Do: Bring a good waterproof camera if  you don’t plan on buying their pics.

Do: Prepare your kids. Always, with anywhere you go, discuss safety and a plan incase someone gets separated.

Don’ts

Don’t go out on your own.

Don’t believe anyone who wants to give you something for free and tell your kids not to except anything either.

Don’t loose sight of your kiddos. Keep them close.

Don’t feel pressured to give anyone money if you don’t feel they earned it, or you want their product.

Key West and Kids

As most of you know, my family went on a cruise a few weeks ago.

Back in November when I was planning out our Christmas gifts for the kids, it just hit me. What my kids need is not more electronics to occupy ALL of their time, and toys that will be forgotten or broken in a matter of months. What my kids need is family time.

            Anyone who knows my family knows family time is not something the Williams’ get to experience often. With my kids’ activities, my schooling, and Travis’ job, (though I am so grateful he has one) our lives are a bit intense. Travis works more hours then I really want to sit down and calculate and he travels quiet a bit.  Though, he loves his job, and that is a blessing.

            Family vacations don’t really happen that often. For example, we plan and plan, kids get excited, then, we cancel at the last minute because Dad is needed at work.

            So, back in November I decided that enough was enough, we were going to go on a vacation gosh darn it! One we could not back out of even if we wanted to, and one where we wouldn’t be interrupted by demands at home. So we came up with the cruise. Perfect, right? It was a close call. We worried up until the day before if Dad was going to be able to make it. Miracles of miracles, he did.

            Boy, that was a lot of backstory. Now, what I thought I would do is give you all a bit of a travel log/ do's and don’ts of the places we visited, just incase you wish to plan a vacation such as ours. Today’s installment is on Key West.

            First off, Key West is not for kids. At least we didn’t think so. Don’t get me wrong. It is a cute, eclectic island. But, there is a reason a lot of retired people live here.

            For starters, there is no good beach; we learned this the hard way. Because there are no waves due to a barrier reef, there is no sand. So, they have to ship it in. The one okay beach that we did find, one on a military base, in which we had to pay for admittance, and then walk what felt like miles to even get to, had no sand, but crumbled shell.

            We made the best of it, collecting shells and building shell castles, but, my kids all agreed that Key West was their least favorite day. One good thing about the beach was the trees lining it. I was able to sit in the shade for a while and just enjoy the breeze coming off of the ocean. HEAVEN!

            As an adult, I enjoyed the hop on hop off trolley. It was a bit pricy at $29. But we did get a free bottle of water. J And Kids 12 and under are free. The good thing about the trolley is that you get a bit of a history lesson. I am a total history nerd, so that was right up my alley. Again, my kids were not so impressed.

            I saw Ernest Hemingway’s home. Though I am not a fan of his writing, I do appreciate his accomplishments. Not just his home, but many of the older homes on the island were beautiful. Nothing like the cookie-cutter stucco homes in Phoenix.

            Overall, would I go back? For free, heck yeah. But if I had my choice of another island, I would probably take the other island. Sorry, Key West. These are just my thoughts. By bad luck we may have missed something super amazing that is only seen on this island (so take that into account). We did miss the key lime pie. I hear the trip is worth it just for a taste. And, I do think everyone should go at least once.

 One crazy thing about the island is that it is a bird sanctuary. Chickens run free EVERYWHERE! so bizarre! 

So, here are my do's   

Do: buy the hop on hop off trolly,
Do: or rent bikes, if you don't care for the history.
Do: check out the museums on the island
Do: wear comfortable shoes…. you will be walking. ALOT
Do: dress appropriately. It is HOT! 
Do: check out Hemingway's house. the six toed cats are strange.
Do: go to the southernmost point on the island. (United States) totally a tourist thing, but worth saying you were there.
Do: bring money because the shops are fabulous!!! I recommend that you leave with a little silver. (I got the most awesome bracelet)
Do: if you are on a cruise, this is the place to buy soda or bottled water to bring on the ship. It Is outrageous what the ships charges for these items. (Yet, they will feed you until you explode)

Don'ts

Don't: bring the kids. Save the money, they won't appreciate it.
Don't :wear flip flops. (my feet are still scared from the blisters between my toes)
Don't: believe your guide when he gives you beach recommendations (Do your own research).
                                       
I think that's about it. Good luck.