Thursday, 9/19/13
At the last minute we decided to drive to Prescott to be with Neal for his last Friday
off before his rotations of outlying cities had started. After a very
long drive via highway 20 and Jacob Lake we finally arrived at the kids home
about 8:30pm their time. We were greeted by the moppy-haired, adorable Afton
who immediately gave grandma a great big hug, and pointed at me saying “poppa”.
Then after a brief warm-up period I too received some hugs from the little
princess. That evening we visited with Neal and ate some snacks while we waited
for Erin to return from her recital.
Friday, 9/20/13
We were treated to a comfy night sleep on a blow up Beauty Rest, then gobbled up some of Neal’s tasty, orange-flavored cinnamon rolls then headed out to Watson Lake to try our hands at kayaking. Unfortunately the rental station was closed so we decided instead to go to Lynx Lake and walk around a bit. While there, Afton especially liked the café where the taxidermy mounts of javelina, deer and fish ‘sceered’ her. Our stroll around the pristine lake was cut short when Afton scraped her lip on one of her tumbles. That afternoon, while Erin and Neal were at their first ultrasound appointment, I decided to try and find a shortcut over to Watson Lake, which, on the iPad, appeared to only be a couple miles due north of their home. My quest was unsuccessful but fun nonetheless. After we all got back together we drove into town and ate at Mexican food at Hugo’s on North Montezuma Street. Afterwards we again sought out another beautiful Prescott lake called Goldwater. On the trail to the other side of the lake Afton thoroughly enjoyed climbing on the granite outcroppings, even though her balancing skills put her body in constant peril. She was none too pleased when her parents tried to pry her off when it was time to go. That evening we watched some more episodes of Seinfeld which the kids had rented.
Saturday, 9/21/13
We decided to drive to Sedona on highway 89A via the old
mining town of Jerome. This could have only been slightly better if somehow we
could have rode motorcycles from Prescott to Jerome. But what a blast. We
grabbed a Blimpie sandwich in the town of Cottonwood while taking turns holding
Afton while she slept then headed on to Sedona. It was quite crowded but we
enjoyed Exposures International art gallery then hiked the West Fork Oak Creek
trail taking lots of nice pics. At the end of the day we did a little shopping
blitz before heading home for some Papa Johns pizza.
Sunday, 9/22/13
We woke up early and decided to drive through Monument Valley
and Moab. It was a nice drive until the hailstorm between Blanding and
Monticello. It was quite fierce. After stopping in Moab at Pasta Jays we
finally arrived home.
This trip made quite an impression on Karrol and I. First we
noticed how incredibly cute Afton is and how wonderful and loving her parents are. But we
also noticed how mature and caring Neal has become. Or maybe he’s always been
that way and we’re just noticing. Either way we were truly humbled and
impressed by Neal’s act of concern and caring for everyone. Neal’s love for
Afton and Erin is heart-warmingly obvious. He was very concerned when Afton,
while napping, might not get her share of ice cream. Neal truly showed he cared
for me by texting and calling directions and tips on my drive, always making
sure I was ok. For the few days we were there, being a part of that families’
routine was a lot of fun. Everything from watching Afton gaze at her horse video, calming her while she got her hair styled in the morning, to watching Neal and
Erin embrace during movie time made we one proud poppa. I’m going to miss them,
but I’m so glad they’re not too far away for regular visits.
