Best fact ever

Let's be honest.  You probably don't remember much about President Taft.  Not that he was the instigator of "Dollar Diplomacy" or that he was the only President to also later serve as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court or that, at 300 pounds, he was the heaviest President to ever hold office.  And, in honesty, maybe you don't really care.

But we are thankful for at least one act of the Taft Administration: in 1909, President Taft had the foresight to protect Zion Canyon as a national monument, thus preserving magnificent 150-million-year-old sandstone formations so that Sophie and Anna could oooh and aaah over them last week.

Ok, but all that history was just to whet your appetite.  Here is the best fact ever:

Rain water filters down through these pre-historic sandstone cliffs until it hits a bed of impermeable slate and then it starts to move sideways.  That's what we see as "seepage" or "weeping" from the rocks.  Like this:

Scientists estimate that the water is between 800 and 1200 years old.  What!?!?!  How cool is that?

And if you think that's neat, you'll be even more impressed to hear that the girls walked more than a mile in 100 degree heat to stand in the shower of these ancient waters.  To keep cool, we did a fantastic hike (recommended by our friend, Mike) through The Narrows, which is a hike through a river and between sheer rock cliffs.  You need special but unglamorous shoes like these:

In some places, the girls were up to their chests in the water which made for a cool walk in all senses of the word

Anna & Sophie in the river:

And on the rocks:

 
 And sunning themselves like lizards:

And for those who like live action:



It was all spectactular.  See our full album of Zion here.

Can't believe our summer's already coming to a close!  Hope you're all enjoying your last days too!

Leaving Las Vegas

We've been waiting all summer for a fun family vacation.  So, like good parents, we took the kids to Vegas.  And, as better parents, we beat a path out of there within 36 hours.  What can we say?  The Southwest tickets were cheap.

We did see a couple shows (Phantom of the Opera on the way in; O on the way out).  In fact, there were a lot of sights that we don't ususally find at home.  Billboards for babes, guns and bail bonds, for example.  Sophie saw a billboard for "The Thunder Down Under" with a lot of bare-chested men in tight jeans.  "What's that advertisement for, Mommy?" she asked.  "If they're trying to sell clothes, they're not wearing very much of it."  What is there to say?  "Good point," I told her.

It was 108 degrees in Vegas and we hit the pool at 8 am -- a pool that is only 3 1/2 feet at its deepest and lined with beach chairs at the shallow ends.  Which is to say, these are pools in which to be seen, not to swim.  That, of course, explains the boys with the rhinestone-studded D&G sunglasses and the girls in sequined bikinis.  "Why do the girls wear so much make up?" asked our observant daughters.  "It will just come off in the pool." Yet another good point.

By mid-day, even the pool was too hot, and the girls were tired of the craps tables, so we headed out to Hoover Dam.  Other than being 115 degrees outside (but a water-cooled 75 degrees inside), the dam is very impressive.  Although it generates enough hydroelectric power to serve 1.3 million people in Nevada, Arizona and California, the electricity is just a by-product.  The primary purpose of the dam is to manage ebb and flow of the Colorado River, ensuring that desert inhabitants in those three states keep their golf courses healthy.

After a day and a half, Ed made the excellent decision to leave quickly and get on the road to Zion National Park.  Phew.  Grungy hippies in Keenes, carrying their eco-friendly Sigg water bottles.  Not a rhinestone or sequined bikini in sight.  We felt so much more at home.

Da kine surf

We wish it were endless summer, but it's all passing too fast.  We spent Fourth of July at the beach, bringing our friend Louis along for the ride.  Sophie, Louie and Ed took some longboards out at Cardiff State Beach.  Sophie caught just about every wave.  Mom is thinking sponsorships.  It's kind of tiny but, check it: