Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument has been on my “must-see” list since we visited Arizona last year and I developed a slight obsession with all sorts of prickly plants. We didn’t have the time to venture south of Tucson, but we’ve more than made up for it this time around! When We Visited: February 16-18, 2015…
When I think of a nomad, wandering existence it can appear to be pretty lonely. Constantly in new places, no neighborhood friends to see everyday, and a new church congregation every week. We’ve found, however, that sometimes just the opposite is true. Life can get a little TOO social sometimes. With many full-time families and…
Love your pictures. If you are interested, we have a blog at http://www.WilmasKeeper.WordPress.comReplyCancel
We are huge Percy Jackson fans, and ever since reading The Titan’s Curse (where Percy & Annabeth end up in the bowels of the dam being chased by monsters) the kids have been anxious to visit Hoover Dam. After returning to our Airstream in Las Vegas from Christmas break, we planned a solid two weeks…
The experience with the guard sounds terrible for the kids to witness but you have to remember it’s the Hoover Dam- if something were to happen it would affect literally millions of people. I agree with you about the difficultie posed to bikers or families in general. How hard would it be to have a locker for inspected bags? Maybe a letter to the management is in order.ReplyCancel
You saw a sign that said “no food”… that meant no food. Not “no food, but sealed is cool.” Not “no food but, if you came in on a bike we’ll let it slide.” No. It means no food. I used to work in the gift shop under the parking garage that you came down into and I can tell you those rules are not just to irritate you. The Dam is a POWER PLANT. They need to keep it in the condition that allows it to operate as a power plant. That means if you are lucky enough to be allowed to walk through a power plant you should be respectful enough to follow their rules without a fuss. Those people have families too. Their paychecks rely on enforcing the rules that the federal government have laid out in their contract. They deal with people like you trying to be the exception all day long. Read signs. Follow the rules at a government power plant. And remember that the world does not revolve around youReplyCancel
Thanks for your note Tammy. You focus on the “No Food” requirement of a dam visit in your comment, but there were actually three issues at play here. For clarity, I’ll address them all.
First, on the clarity of “No Food” signs: We visit all sorts of places, and many with No Food signs. We are not rule breakers, and often ask for clarification due to the logistics of traveling with kids. At no time have we ever been blocked from entering anyplace with sealed food. The concern has never been the passage of food through someplace, but the mess that can be created while eating it. We abide these rules (with clarification as mentioned), and understand their purpose. Given our previous experience, there is clearly precedent for being able to pass through with food that remains sealed and put away.
Second, any facility that does carry such strict requirements should have a reasonable way for visitors to comply. Two possible options would be lockers or a bag check, either one of which we would have been more than happy to use during our visit, even if there was an extra cost involved. If these are not possible, the absolute requirement should be made much more clearly in both signage and online materials, complete with suggestions for completing a visit under such restrictions. During our visit none of these options were available. Our exasperation was not at a silly rule, but at the complete lack of options for compliance. At no time did we express that this particular security guard was at fault. The failings were ones of inadequate facilities, not the fault of any single security officer.
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Third, the security was both belligerent and disrespectful as we tried to find a way to comply with the rules. He demanded to know information that he did not have the right to know, and insisted that there was no way we could comply with the rules. The claims he made were clearly false, as when I returned he had been relieved of his post, and his supervisor admitted us into a tour. In our post you’ll se a picture with a “No Bikes Beyond this point” sign. On the SAME fence was a sign notifying us that we were leaving one federally maintained piece of land, and officially entering the area of of the Hoover Dam. When I left with all of our contraband food, I walked back up the hill past the property boundary and left it locked to our bikes. The security guards threats that ‘abandoned’ bags would not be tolerated on the property was made in vain, as we complied with not only the no food requirements but also did not leave any abandoned bags on the Dam property.
At no time did we ask for an exception to any rule. We sought clarification on our options, and then fully complied with all rules.
In all likelihood, that particular guard was just having a rough day and made a mistake in the execution of his duties. If his actions were not the result of a momentary lapse in judgement, I’m confident that his supervisor (who observed our exchange) long ago provided supplemental training. I hope the cause of his inappropriate aggression has been relieved.
Would we take the tour again? Absolutely. We’d just be better prepared next time!ReplyCancel
Its amazing to me how little we explore our own backyards. Sam has family in Petaluma, CA which is about an hour north of San Francisco. We have been out there countless times over the last 11 years to visit with family, yet I am still finding new and exciting places to explore. Either that…
Christa – thanks so much!! I have a Canon 5D Mark II. Occassionally I’ll post some from our Samsung NX300 as well when I’m too lazy to bring the “big” camera along. 🙂 My favorite lens is definitely the 16-35, or lately even the 24-70mm. I love shooting wide angle! Hmmm… tips on manual mode. Have you read the book Understanding Exposure? It does wonders for understanding the relationship between ISO, Aperture, and Shutter Speed. I honestly shoot on aperture mode most of the time now because it’s just one less thing to think about!ReplyCancel
Our kids never cease to amaze me. They have adapted so well to this traveling lifestyle of ours and I see them growing and thriving in the most spectacular ways. Hiking is definitely a huge activity for us. We started with short hikes when they were little, and gradually have been able to increase the…
Great post! Stunning photos and virutal fist bumps to your kiddos! Way to go! One question… If you handed over your camera to the person who took your family photo and you were still wearing a camera, does that mean you carry two cameras with you? I always bring the point and click for the kids to use and hand that over but the photo looks to be too good of quality for a point and click!ReplyCancel
Thanks Meg! Yes, we take two cameras. Our other one is the Samsung NX300 and we LOVE it. We bought the body only and the 20mm lens so it will mimic the focal length of our camera phones (about 30mm). It’s a 20mp and has great optics (so better than our camera phones) plus it has the direct wifi feature so we can transfer the images to our phones and post to Instagram.ReplyCancel
We are heading to Yosemite this summer and have been trying to get the kids pumped up about the hiking we hope to do. Thank you for your inspiration! It CAN be done. I also appreciated your article about how to get kids to hike without whining! On our last hike, lollipops and a battery-operated spritzing fan saved the day. Thank you for sharing your experiences.ReplyCancel
Ha! Thank you for the tip about the toilets! We attempted the mile-long hike around Bear Lake in the Rocky Mountains when our sons were younger, only to have the dreaded whining about needing to go to the bathroom about a quarter of the way in.
We can’t wait to explore Yosemite. Your pictures are amazing!ReplyCancel
You are welcome and thanks for reading!! We are backpackers by nature so the bathroom issue isn’t a big deal for us. We figure if our kids REALLY need to go they’ll deal. 🙂 haha Such nice parents. Our only downfall these days is remembering to pack the shovel and toilet paper on long hikes!ReplyCancel
[…] went to Mexico! Okay, it wasn’t anything glamorous, but since we were down in Organ Pipe National Monument under an hour from the border, we thought, “why not?” And since we were crossing the […]
[…] a night with college friends and then leave, until another full time Airstreamer (whom we met at Organ Pipe National Monument a few months earlier) started posting photos of Point of Rocks Campground and the Granite Dells. […]