We told mom that we didn't have to wake up early on this morning, but she got up at 5:30 anyway and told us her glasses had fallen apart. She was so upset that we got up and Art managed to fix it using one of my hair clips.
We grabbed a quick breakfast at the lodge cafeteria, checked out and caught the shuttle to Mohave Point.
This is when we learned that there was a park newspaper written in Japanese with lots of information that mom loved reading.
I could have kicked myself for not looking into this earlier.
She said the newspaper explained how people can be affected by the altitude. We didn't know that her chest had been hurting her and that she was having a little difficulty catching her breath.
The canyon was beautiful, but there was a haze over it. It was a little clearer this morning, but there was still a visible haze. One person said it was pollution, another said it was a forest fire.
At first I thought this was a blue bird, but a sign posted said it was a scrub jay.
We went to the Visitor's Center and learned that U.S. route 89 was closed due to a terrible landslide.
This meant we'd have to take a much longer route passing Tuba City to get to Page, Arizona.
It was a long drive and we seemed to be following this lone cloud.
We reached Page at around 3:00 and registered at the Quality Inn. I love it that they have a complimentary breakfast.
The Quality Inn is very close to the Glenn Canyon dam scenic view point.
I let Art walk down to check out the sights.
The Quality Inn had the most unusual angles to their walls.
We stopped at the Walmart again to pick up another case of bottled water.
We kept reminding mom throughout the trip to drink, drink, drink!
The air was so much drier than in Hawaii and our noses were bleeding all the time. Our bodies were having a difficult time adjusting to the different climate conditions.
Traveling is always interesting because you have to learn to adapt to changes.
We were trying our best.
We grabbed a quick breakfast at the lodge cafeteria, checked out and caught the shuttle to Mohave Point.
This is when we learned that there was a park newspaper written in Japanese with lots of information that mom loved reading.
I could have kicked myself for not looking into this earlier.
She said the newspaper explained how people can be affected by the altitude. We didn't know that her chest had been hurting her and that she was having a little difficulty catching her breath.
The canyon was beautiful, but there was a haze over it. It was a little clearer this morning, but there was still a visible haze. One person said it was pollution, another said it was a forest fire.
We went to the Visitor's Center and learned that U.S. route 89 was closed due to a terrible landslide.
This meant we'd have to take a much longer route passing Tuba City to get to Page, Arizona.
It was a long drive and we seemed to be following this lone cloud.
We reached Page at around 3:00 and registered at the Quality Inn. I love it that they have a complimentary breakfast.
I let Art walk down to check out the sights.
The Quality Inn had the most unusual angles to their walls.
We stopped at the Walmart again to pick up another case of bottled water.
We kept reminding mom throughout the trip to drink, drink, drink!
The air was so much drier than in Hawaii and our noses were bleeding all the time. Our bodies were having a difficult time adjusting to the different climate conditions.
Traveling is always interesting because you have to learn to adapt to changes.
We were trying our best.
That high altitude thing was quite a shock to us when we first went out west. We think that we live in the mountains here, but they don't come close to the Rockies when we are talking world mountains.
ReplyDeleteyou certainly traveled lots and saw everything...lol.
ReplyDeleteAnd it's not over yet.
DeleteWhen I lived in Boulder (at 5000 feet), my mother visited me and could not walk more than a few steps without having to rest. It was the altitude, and my mom was MUCH younger than yours. Glad she saw that article and is taking it easier. Isn't she? :-)
ReplyDeleteInteresting that the newspaper was in Japanese. I wonder what other languages it came in?
ReplyDeleteI just wish I'd asked earlier because I know she would have really enjoyed reading all the information.
DeleteAnd you didn't even have to pay extra to see the maze of slanted walls and halls. Surprised the building passed inspection!
ReplyDeleteSounds like the muscles between Mom's ribs getting such a workout with breathing might have caused some of the chest discomfort. It may be hard to convince her to tell you of "pains" in the future instead of ignoring them.
Curious, if you feel appropriate, ask her what else she wants to do or see, but was feeling she would be too selfish to suggest. She's spunky, but hopefully it's not a skydiving ride!
DrumMajor
She's still so happy about everything she's seen. She couldn't wait to tell her siblings. We're wondering if she's game for another trip some place, but I'm not sure. The plane trips are so taxing for her.
DeleteI didn't know the Arizona canyons had a high altitude.
ReplyDeleteI didn't realize how much it would affect mom either.
DeleteBlessings.....
ReplyDeleteYou are a good daughter, don't beat yourself up.
Great photos.
have a fantastic weekend
I'm sure most of the national parks are alike and get huge numbers of Japanese visitors. Yosemite is always filled with Japanese tourists, at all times of the year. It seems that the Japanese and Chinese tourists have lots of money to spend, which makes us quite happy.
ReplyDeleteGood thing your mom saw the article and knows what she was feeling is a normal reaction for a lot of people to altitude.
ReplyDeleteLike Olga, my Ozarks are beginner mountains compared to the Rockies and I huff an puff here going up steep grades.
You are so smart to stay hydrated.
The views are amazing.
That newspaper was really fabulous for her and she learned a lot from reading it. It also made us stop to respect the altitude problem.
DeleteAltitude Sickness. I am so sorry your mom has been ill. My husband's mother had it too despite living forever in Colorado. I did fine on the train crossing the Rockies so am encouraged. I wonder if you are going onward to see the dinosaurs in Utah?
ReplyDeleteDinosaurs? Dinosaurs? What? Where was that?
DeleteAs I was reading this I was thinking about the huge distances in the West. We forget that, living on our islands.
ReplyDeleteI've always wanted to see the grand canyon
ReplyDeleteIt all looks so hot and dry.
ReplyDeleteI'm enjoying the posts of your adventure. I understand the dry climate and high altitude situation. We live at 8000 ft. in the Rocky Mountains and we always remind our flatland guests to drink plenty of water and not to over exert.
ReplyDeleteAnd we were at 8,000 feet in many of those canyons. Mom doesn't like to drink water when we're on trips because she's worried about finding bathrooms. However, we had to really encourage her to drink because it was so dry.
DeleteI've heard of this altitude sickness, it must have been very worrisome. Photos are great, such scenery!
ReplyDeleteDenise
An English Girl Rambles
And tomorrow is Antelope!!! It actually gave us the best photo of us for our album. Thank you, Denise.
Delete