Palmer Family Reunion

We had planned on having a reunion this summer in Riudoso, NM where Cree and Courtney have a cabin but a few weeks before the reunion a fire went thru Riudoso and burned the cabin down.  We made a quick change a course and meet in Vallecito, CO minus Cree and Courtney.  Chuck, Hannah, Christian and I stayed with Charity at an Air BnB close to the lake.  Cameron wasn't able to get away from football practice.  

We spent one day in Purgatory where we rode the roller coaster, alpine slide and ski lift.  Then we had dinner at a park in Durango.  We had some disappointment when everything shut down for a couple of hours after hearing thunder.  But things did eventually open up and we got a few more runs in.

The next day we stayed in Vallecito and played in the lake.  And that day will live in infamy.  Camera wanted to swim across the lake.  She wanted to Hannah to go with her, but Hannah didn't want to.  Hannah did say she would kayak next to her so she wasn't by herself. And that turned into Christian going in a single kayak, Emily and Annie in one canoe and Abbie, Hannah and Melody in another canoe.  Camera made it across and got into the canoe with Melody and Abbie while Hannah got into the canoe with Emily and Annie.  It was late afternoon and the wind started picking up.  Most of the rest of us watched as everyone struggled to get back.  Annie sensing impeding doom, quickly got a call off to Jonathan that they were going to capsize.  I didn't think much of it because Hannah can swim.  (I later realized they would have never been able to flip the canoe back over and get in.)  But Jonathan called 911 and started running around like a crazy person.  My mom and dad started freaking out as if everyone was going to die.  When we heard that they were being taken to the marina, Chuck, my mom and I headed down there.  All the girls were completely fine and unphased.  A nearby pontoon boat saw they were in distress and picked them up.  Emergency services were not far behind.  There are different stories as to whether all the girls had life jackets but Jonathan was very upset that at least one of them did not have a life jacket.  Eventually the canoe was recovered and all's well that end's well, as they say.

The following day Chuck and Christian left to go backpacking (with Christian not feeling well).  I drove home with Emily and Hannah drove home with Camera.

Riding from Purgatory to Durango

Durango Hot Springs

Happy Birthday Chuck (60) and Hannah (17)!

As posted previously, for Hannah and Chuck's birthday, we were preparing to hike the Grand Canyon, Rim 2 Rim.  But we did celebrate at home with dinner and dessert. For dessert, Hannah made a German Chocolate trifle.

At age 17, Hannah is 5'2 and 120 lbs.  She is always busy!  She rarely just sits and watches TV or a movie.  She creates all the time; painting, ceramics, making bracelets and more.  She likes to read for pleasure and to better herself.  She works hard and studies hard, which payed off when she scored a 5 on her AP test.  She practices her piano regularly and loves to find healthy and delicious recipes on Pinterest.  She works out daily, often riding bikes with Chuck.  She is easy to get along with (unless you are her little brother) and always makes good choices. She has little patience for wasting time and selfish friends. Hannah worked as a lifeguard over the summer.  She was required to teach some swim lessons (not her favorite thing) but she did not apply to coach swim team after her bad experience last year.  And she is still making a little extra money by mowing the lawn.  Hannah is so helpful and fun to have around.  We couldn't ask for a better teenage girl!  We love her so much.

Rim 2 Rim

Chuck mentioned wanting to hike the Grand Canyon, Rim 2 Rim, so I said, "Well, let's do it!"  And we did.  Hiking Rim 2 Rim is not just a physical challenge, it is also a logistical challenge.  The North Rim does not open until mid May and closes early October.  The bottom of the canyon gets as hot as it does in the Valley, so there is a small window of when you would want to hike and that's basically May or October.  And we chose May.

There is a shuttle that takes hikers from the North Rim to the South and vice versa but the shuttle leaves the North Rim at 1pm and there was no way we would be able to hike that far before 1pm.  So, we drove to Flagstaff and stayed the night to get a jump start.  We were able to meet up with Lily, Billy and the boys for dinner. (They are living in Happy Jack). We drove to the South Rim the next morning and Chuck dropped us off.  The Hatches happened to be vacationing at the South Rim, so Christian, Hannah and I hung out with them.  It also happened to be Hannah and Chuck's birthday and Hannah wasn't too happy to be spending her birthday just hanging out.  But there just wasn't a lot to do other than hike and we were going to get plenty of that the next day.  Chuck then drove to the North Rim, left the car and took the shuttle back to the South rim.  The Hatches made us a great dinner; fettuccini, salad and bread with brownies and ice cream for dessert.  We stayed in a hotel and got up early the next day to start the hike.  We decided to take the South Kaibab trail even though it was steeper than the Bright Angel because it is 3 miles shorter.  We took the North Kaibab to the North Rim which is really the only way and is really steep.  A lot of people hike Rim 2 Rim from North to South because it is not as steep.  We started hiking right about 6:30am.  Hannah wanted to run at least 10 miles, so she took off right away.  Chuck, Christian and I hiked to the bottom, Phantom Ranch (~7m), and took about a long break.  We caught up with Hannah, who was walking back towards us having run out of water, not long after we left Phantom Ranch.  It was starting to get warm at this point and we were starting the climb.  We were pretty ready to get to the next rest stop that had water, which was Cottonwood Campground (~14m).  We took another long break there.  Christian was starting to suffer, so he and Chuck stayed a little longer while Hannah and I got started.  But they weren't far behind.  As we climbed up the switch backs, we could often see them and they were only a few minutes behind us at the finish.  We finished (21m) in about 12 hours with about 3 hours of breaking.  

We stopped by the North Rim lodge in the hopes of getting some dinner.  Everyone was tired but in good moods.  However, the cafe at the lodge basically had no food left, so we started towards Page, where we had planned to stay the night, and hoped we would find food at Jacob's Lake.   It was getting dark and there were deer everywhere.  Chuck was driving rather fast because Hannah was starting to lose it.  She needed protein!  But at this point,  I am more concerned about staying alive.  We stopped at a Jacob's Lake just as the only restaurant was closing.  So we grabbed a loaf of bread and some PB&J.  Hannah was not happy with that at all and refused to eat.  She needed protein!  (Yes, I know PB is protein.)  We continued on towards Page.  It is after 9pm at this point.  I found a Mexican restaurant in Page that was open until 11.  When we were close to Page, I called and ordered a chicken quesadilla for the kids.  Chuck dropped us off at the hotel and we started getting cleaned up while he grabbed the dinner.  Everyone felt much better after a shower and food.  But that was short lived.  We woke in the morning SO sore.  Chuck didn't really complain about being sore, but Christian, Hannah and I were unbelievable sore.  We drove home, put a check by "hike Rim 2 Rim" and continued to be sore for several more days.

I was really impressed with how well the kids did.  I wouldn't recommend just anyone hike Rim 2 Rim.  You definitely need to be in shape and if I were to do it again, I would train more specifically to perhaps decrease the amount of soreness I experienced.  I also would pack a little lighter.  I hiked in hiking shoes but I worried my feet would hurt or I would get blisters, so I took my road running shoes as well but I did not need them.  A few days before the hike, I bought a pair of trail running shoes and I wore them for a short walk and they gave me a huge blister on the heel!  So obviously if there were a next time, I would try not to get a blister before the hike.  I would have also taken more electrolytes.  We drank a lot and ate, but there were times I felt very depleted and I think it was because I was not getting enough electrolytes.  And of course I would make sure we had food to eat directly upon finishing.

Happy 19th Birthday Cameron!

In April, Cameron got a job at the airport in Billings loading cargo planes.  His shift starts at 4:30am!  The airport is just a couple of miles away from the campus but he decided he needed a car.  He started looking and doing some research, eventually realizing that buying a car isn't as easy as one might think.  So Chuck and I made him a deal.  We bought him a car (a VW Jetta) and he agreed to pay for the insurance, gas and maintenance.  And once he is ready to move on and buy a car of his own, he will give it back to us and we will give it to the next kid.  

Because he got this job, and he would have to be back for summer workouts, he decided not to come home for the summer.  But he did pass thru Phoenix for a night on his way to Florida where he stayed for a week, hanging with some roommates, one of whom was from FL.  While he was home for the night, we celebrated his 19th birthday. 

He stopped by on his way back for another night and we had just enough time to grab breakfast together the next morning.

 

Cameron is thriving in college.  He started the year majoring in math.  That only last a semester.  The second semester, he changed his major to health and human performance. That seems to be a better fit for him.  He worked in the cafeteria all year, got good grades and did lots of Montana things: fishing, hiking, skiing, etc.  We are so proud of him!

Hannah and Chuck - Spring Happenings

Hannah has been riding bikes with Chuck at least once a week and sometimes she goes out on her own (which makes me really nervous).  She accompanied Chuck to the State Crit Championship and while there, she decided to race (she had taken her bike so they could ride after Chuck's race) and she won!  Okay, so maybe she was the only one in her age group, but she still has the title of State Champion.  Chuck also raced in the Team State Championship with a team and they won!  Hannah raced the time trial as well. It was not the Individual State Championship but she still won.  And again, maybe it was because she was the only one in her age group, but she is a super star and I have no doubt she would have done very well if competing against other riders her age.

Christian - Spring Happenings

Christian had a busy Spring...

He played baseball for Tempe South Little League.  He played on the Black Knights coached by Lucas Landreth.  Many of his good friends were on the team: Noah, Aiden and Mavrick.  They had a good season.  Christian primarily caught but did some outstanding pitching as well. He had one of the best batting averages on the team.  (Christian decided not to play school ball this year because he did not like the coach or the kids.)

He also umpired for Tempe South Little League.

He got to visit Washington D.C. with the Close Up Foundation and several of his best friends.  He had SO much fun!  His favorite part was being with his friends while seeing the sights that he has only seen in books and on shows.

He went to the 8th grade dance (at my insistence) and had a good, not great, time.  Noah and Aiden did not want to go, but they were talked into it by Christian and their moms.  However, they hadn't bought tickets and couldn't buy them at the door, so we might have made a copy of Christian's ticket for them.

He "graduated" from 8th grade.  He didn't think it was a big deal, but a lot of his classmates and their parents' did. Some students had quite a few family members there complete with signs, flowers, leis, etc.  Although we might not make a big deal out of graduating from 8th grade, we are proud of Christian.  He is a good student who makes good choices, works hard and respects those around him.

Art by Hannah