Lakiamia's Diaria: The Vegas Edition, Part II

The Grand Canyon

Day 2 began with us all waking up early so I could go register. We weren't sure where we were going (the signs in the lobby just said "Salons C & D" without giving any directions) but fortunately we saw a familiar face in the lobby: Kyla Yarosz and her dad. Kyla was Ohio's Baby representative that we'd met at states. He was there all by himself with Kyla since his wife had just had a baby. He led us through the huge hotel casino, up the escalator, and to the salon area, where the baby finals were about to get underway. Registration started at 9:00 and there was already a long line. Mom and Dad waited in it for me while I did some looking around at the Cinderella gift shop in the next room. I saw Judy, our state director, standing outside the ballroom where the Baby finals were being held, so I ran over to talk to her. She was obviously very distracted with everything that was going on since Ohio had 2 babies competing. I stood inside the room with her for a few minutes as they announced the top 5. Kyla wasn't in it, but the other baby, Kayleigh (yeah, I get them confused, too) was! Judy was ecstatic! Once there was a lull in the commotion after announcing the top 5, I asked her if she had anything planned today that she needed me to be around for. She said, "No, go out and enjoy your day! Starting tomorrow you won't have much free time, so go do it now!"

When they got to my place in line for registration, Dad paid the balance on all my fees and they issued us passes, which we needed to wear at all times in order to gain access to all things Cinderella. They also gave me my contestant number badges. I was number 35 out of 37 contestants in the Woman division. That meant I was at the end! Now, some people deny this is true, but most pageant people know that getting a spot at the end is a huge advantage. Some say placement doesn't matter, which it shouldn't, but I think we all know it does. But, that's getting into a whole other debate that I don't really wanna do right now. Either way, I was very happy with my placement! All the Ohio Women were close together. Jennica was number 32 and Jamie was 33. I'm not sure how they chose numbers for people, if it was a lottery or what, but I was very glad it worked out that way.

After registration, my family and I went to the hotel buffet called "The Feast." Breakfast was all you can eat for $4.99 a person. So we decided to get some nourishment for the long day we had ahead of us. The buffet was absolutely stacked! There were waffles, pancakes, salads, pastries, eggs made to order, even pastas and Chinese dishes. I was mainly interested in the scrambled eggs, so I piled them high on my plate, while Dad and Rob went for more elaborate concoctions, like western omelets and sausage links. After breakfast, we changed into more comfortable attire (I'd dressed nicely for registration since I'd heard the judges would be lurking around, mingling with the public all weekend). On our way out of the lobby, we passed Kyla and her dad again. As it turned out, Kyla had won 1st Alternate in the beauty division, so she wasn't going home empty-handed after all!

We drove to a gas station to fill up, get some snack foods and a cooler for our water, and buy a couple maps of the Nevada/Arizona region. Then we were on our way down south to Grand Canyon National Park! I'd seen the Grand Canyon from 30,000 feet up in the air on our flight to Hawai'i, but never up close. Rob had been there once when he and his friend Paul took a cross-country road trip, and he says an aerial view does not do it justice.

Well, the trip from Vegas to the canyon takes about 4-5 hours, so I laid down in the back of the van and took a nap once I got tired of watching the scenery. (It all looks the same after a while, anyway.) I didn't wake up until we stopped at a gas station near Red Lake. We were about 36 miles away from the park. I tried to look for it up ahead, but Rob said you can't see it until you're actually right up in there. He says you'll be driving and seeing nothing, and just when you start to think it's all a big lie and there's no canyon around here anywhere, then you're upon it. We passed some signs advertising "Papillon helicopter rides" with a logo of a butterfly. Of course, that made me miss my Papillon back home. Other than that, a small county airport, and the occasional tiny trailer, there wasn't much to see at all. Just a lot of mountains. Oh, and a brush fire we passed by with a bunch of fire trucks sitting there trying to contain it and put it out. One of the roadside signs said the fire risk was "severe" that day. It looked like the homeland security warnings, only for wild fires.  Definitely not the kind of roadside warning we're used to seeing in Ohio.

The entrance to the park is in the Kaibab National Forest, so it's all surrounded by trees in the middle of a desert. It reminded me of the toll booths on the turnpike, only in the forest. There were several lines of cars and RVs waiting. The cost for one family for one day was $20 per car. They said "Welcome to the Grand Canyon!" then gave us a map of the area plus a book of facts about it, including its history, how the canyon was formed, and the types of wild animals found in the park. I was reading about the animals when Mom tapped me on the shoulder and said, "Look!" So I turned my head to look out the window, and what I saw nearly floored me! There was the Grand Canyon! It was absolutely huge! It really does sneak up on you and catch you off guard with its grandeur. We drove down the road for a bit, looking for a place to park. Finally, we just pulled off to the side, got out, and started walking. The outer rim of the canyon is lined with trees, like a gauntlet you have to pass through to gain access to it. There's also little patches of cacti and other foliage that we had to weave around. Once we got to the other side of the trees, it was quite a sight to behold! It felt like I was staring at a movie backdrop because it almost didn't look real. It was so deep and wide you couldn't even see where it ended! The colorful layers of rock were all neatly arranged like the cross-section of a wedding cake. I couldn't stop staring or snapping my camera because every inch of it was photo-worthy!

There's no guard rails, by the way. You just stay on the little sidewalk and keep a safe distance from the edge or you'll go right over. My parents were so skittish about Rob and I exploring too close to the rim. Every time I tried to inch up just a little closer for a better picture, Dad grabbed the back of my shirt and pulled me back. Mom's knees were shaking, from both the heat and the excitement. I should mention that the squirrels there are quite bold. They come right up to you and sniff your fingers, looking for a handout. It was so cute I had to snap a picture of one particularly feisty little guy, mostly out of irony that, while surrounded by the vast beauty of the canyon, I would memorex the image of an animal we see plenty of back in Ohio.

Rob and I ran on ahead of my parents to one of the lookout points, which are like balconies (with rails!) that you can look over to better see the deep chasm that lies below. I wondered if anyone looking down there ever sees the odd body of the man that got too close. (Rob said people die there every year, usually photographers on a quest for the perfect shot.) On one of them, we met a couple from Sweden, and later some people from Georgia, and others from California. Meanwhile, we kept on walking the path and stopping at lookout points until we came upon a gift shop. We decided to go inside to get a break from the heat. Aside from gifts and trinkets, there were cases of artifacts that had been recovered from the canyon. Most were dinosaur prints, trilobites, or Indian artifacts. One was a chambered nautilus, dried and fossilized from when the water drained away after carving the canyon into its present state. While looking around in there, we bought a souvenir for Toby. There was a collection of stuffed birds (all species found around the canyon) that squeaked or chirped their call when squeezed. One of them was a spotted falcon (brown with an orange tail, appropriately) that, when squeezed, emitted a screech that mirrored the one the announcer plays at BGSU football games when we get a first down! I ran up to Dad and demonstrated it by saying (announcer-like) "First down, Falcons!" then playing the screech. He loved it, too, so we decided to get it for Toby.

When we left the gift shop, we tried to decide what we wanted to do next. Rob wanted us to see a point called The Abyss, and I wanted to see it, too, but according to the maps, it was quite a hike. So, we walked all the way back to the car and decided to drive it instead of walking. Well, the only way to get to The Abyss is by walking, not driving. So instead, we checked out all the lodges and hotels you can stay at in the park. We even passed a fenced-in pasture full of mules that they use to give people rides down to the bottom. Later, we stopped and looked around at a hotel called the Hopi House. On the back of it, facing the canyon, there's a wrap-around porch with swings and cushioned chairs. A group of people were sitting there, conversing in French. There really were people from all over the world there. We decided we had to come back one day for a whole week and walk the entire perimeter of the canyon. But by that time, it was after 6:00, the sun was setting, and we needed to think about heading back. We discussed which route we wanted to take back to Vegas. Mom and I really wanted to drive through Utah so we could cross that state off our list while we were at it. Well, there's no easy way around the canyon since there's no road that spans it, so we had to drive all the way around it to go back up north to Utah. Of course, there were plenty of other places to stop on the way out of the park, too. One was a brick tower with a gift shop in it and another lookout point in front of it. We spent another 20 minutes there, filming and watching the sun set around us. We even saw a coyote wandering down the side of the road. I suggested we stop and say hi to him, but the others didn't go for that.

By the time we got back on the main road, it was after 8:00 and the sky was getting darker. Once away from the canyon, the most interesting thing we saw was a series of signs denoting a roadside shop of handmade Indian arts and crafts. It was actually pretty funny! The first one said "Nice Indians ahead" with an arrow pointing forward. A few hundred feet down, the next one said "Friendly Indians" with an arrow pointing to a rustic outdoor shop, like something you'd see at a flea market or county fair. The signs out front said "Stop and chat with us!" Just past it the sign said "Oops you missed us!" Then, in succession, they read "It's not too late to turn back," "U-turn here," and finally "Chief says: U turn back now!"

Other than that mild bit of entertainment, there's nothing out there but desolate landscape with the occasional Indian reservation. I felt lonely just looking at it. It continued all the way up U.S. route 89 until we reached Page, just south of the Arizona/Utah border. It was after 11 pm then, but we felt like it was so much later. We stopped at a gas station to refuel, then at a McDonald's to refuel ourselves. I had to get up early for orientation the next morning, so I decided to take a nap again. But I was freezing cold in the back of the car from the windows being down and the cool night air. I hadn't brought a jacket with me and all I was wearing was a tube top and shorts. I kept warm by covering up with the giant atlas. No joke! Eventually, Dad gave me his jacket, but I still kept the atlas on for extra insulation. Mom woke me up once to tell me we were in Utah, but I immediately laid back down and didn't wake up again until I heard gasps and screams of "Oh, my God!" I jerked up in the back seat and asked what happened. We were going through Zion National Park. By then, it was completely pitch black with nothing but moonlight above us and sky-high mountains on either side. Even in the moonlight, I could see how tall and beautiful they were. The road we were on, though, was nothing short of hair-raising. It was all twisty-curvy as it wound around the mountain like a descending spiral staircase, and the sides were guarded by nothing more than a brick wall about 12 inches high. With nothing but blackness ahead, Dad had the brights on and was trying to negotiate these turns at dangerous speeds since there was little to no warning that they were even ahead of us! Of course, Mom's knuckles were white as she dug her nails into the back of Dad's seat. Rob kept yelling, "Slow down, Bob!" But, it was hard to slow down since we were going down such a steep incline. It was a good thing I'd slept through most of it because I don't think I could've taken the anxiety. After that, it was impossible to fall back asleep.

What we discovered about Utah is that the state pretty much shuts down after dark. Driving through a small town, there were no bars or clubs of any kind, and therefore no nightlife. I definitely decided Utah is one state I could visit but not live in. It was well after 2 am when we finally arrived back at the Palace Station Hotel. It had been a heck of a long day, in part because we'd visited 3 different states. I was glad we did it, though. I just hoped I could wake up in time for orientation at 9 am the next day, and be alert enough for the most important phase of competition that was to follow.

Lakiamia's Diaria: The Vegas Edition, Part I

Here it is: the recap of our week in the desert. I did all my packing that evening and went to sleep well after midnight, only to be awakened again 3 hours later. I had to do an ultra-quick shower and make sure I had everything I needed so we could leave at 3:30-ish. We never leave on time, so it was actually closer to 3:45 when we finally pulled out of the driveway. I said a very tearful good-bye to all the pets (especially Kirby), then tried to put them out of my mind so I could concentrate on the week ahead. I decided to have Grandpa and Grandma pick Kirby up that afternoon instead of dropping her off there for 2 reasons: 1. It allowed me as much time with her as possible before leaving; 2. It wouldn't seem like I was abandoning her because, for all she knew, we were just going out for a drive and would be back later. Get it? Yeah, OK.

Anyway, we had about 9 pieces of luggage (including my carry-on and the video camera), 2 of which were for my souvenir bags alone. Grandma and aunt KoAnn had spent all Friday afternoon putting them together for me. I'd called around town soliciting donations and gotten some BGSU window cling decals from the Alumni Center, some fuzzy bear stickers from Day Mark, Styrofoam model airplanes from Modern Woodman of America (makes sense, since Ohio is the birthplace of aviation!), some nutcracker windsocks that KoAnn had left over from some school activity, and a piece of play money in each one that we'd written "You're a winner!" on them. They were all arranged neatly in plastic bags labeled with my name and tied with ribbons. Very cute! Very heavy, too. In fact, my suitcases were so overstuffed that it was 14 pounds over the airline's 50-lb weight limit. The lady at the counter asked if I could rearrange any of the stuff in it so she wouldn't have to charge us the $50 over-limit fee. I was trying to figure out how to do that when she begrudgingly tagged it and said, "Never mind, there's too long a line here. Just remember it for next time."

We made it through security ok. Dad had to flash his "Titanium Knee Replacement" card for the TSA to prove he wasn't hiding weapons underneath the scars in his kneecaps. I also learned that stiletto-heeled shoes have metal in them, which is what makes them strong enough to support your weight. After that, we had 2 hours to kill. I wanted some Starbucks but it wasn't open yet. So I waited until about 5:30 and went back, but they said it still wasn't open because they were waiting on supplies. This continued until around 6 o'clock, until I finally got in line and put in my drink order just as we were about to start boarding, only to find out the cappuccino machine had broken down. My, my what a morning!

We had a layover in Denver, where it was still breakfast time, so Dad got everyone some Egg McMuffins while I went to a souvenir shop and bought Kirby a little present. I also went to a coffee shop and attempted to get a reasonable facsimile of the Starbucks Caramel Macchiato but, needless to say, it wasn't reasonable enough. We arrived in Vegas around 11 am PST. While we were waiting at baggage claim, Dad went off to rent a car for us. He wanted a convertible so we could drive around with the top down. But when we got to it and attempted to put our luggage in the trunk, there wasn't enough room for all our stuff! So he had to go back and stand in line again to get a different car while Mom, Rob, and I waited outside in the 110-degree heat with our luggage.

At the Palace Station hotel, we tried to check in to our hotel room, but check-in time was at 3 pm and it was only noon then. So we had the concierge take our stuff to a holding room while we went out for a drive. We asked one of the bellhops how far it was to the Grand Canyon and he said about 4-5 hours. Well, that was a little far for us, so we decided to visit Hoover Dam instead. We took I-15 down the strip, filming the landscape and mountains in the distance. I got some nice pictures of the Dam, Lake Mead, and the Colorado River. The water was amazingly clear and blue. It was amazingly hot, too! The dashboard thermometer said 116°! When I attempted to pose for a picture on one of the ledges, it was so hot I couldn't even sit on it for more than a second! I've seriously never known heat like that! It was a dry heat, which made it somewhat more bearable, but it seriously was like walking around in a sauna. We couldn't step out of the air conditioning for more than a few minutes. Even the people who lived there said it was hot. It topped out at 121° that day, which was some kind of record for them.

After visiting the dam, we decided to do some small-town thrifting in Boulder City. I'd seen a few antique shops on the way down so I wanted to stop and visit them on our way back up. I was mainly looking for Strawberry Shortcake stuff. Apparently, though, no one in Nevada even knows who she is. I finally found something in a second-hand clothes store. It was one of those ceramic candle holders that said "Life is just the berries!" and it was only $3! Wow, I hadn't even hit the casinos yet and I'd already found the jackpot!:) It was after 3 by then, so we went back to the hotel, found our luggage, and checked in. Our room was a simple 2 double bed. No mini bar or even a mini-fridge. I had to store my water in a bucket of ice. It felt good to rest, though, as it had been a long day already. But, it wasn't over yet. Rob wanted to go to Wolfgang Puck's restaurant at the Venetian hotel. So we took the shuttle to the strip then had to walk several blocks from our stop to the Venetian. My feet were hurting pretty bad by then, as I wasn't wearing the kind of shoes that were good for all-day walking. So when I got inside the hotel, I took them off and walked barefoot the rest of the way to the restaurant. No one seemed to notice or even care. Well, I decided right away that the next time I go to Vegas I want to stay at the Venetian! The inside is painted to look like you're walking in downtown Venice. The ceiling is blue with wispy clouds and the shops look like cute old-fashioned European buildings with thatched roofs and wooden signs hanging on the front. And, of course, there's the gondolas! They weave around the canals under the bridges while the Gondoliers serenade the passengers with rousing Italian arias, all with beautiful operatic voices. We stood there and listened to a few of them. I even sang along when one sang "Con Te Partiro."

Wolfgang Puck's restaurant has 2 different sections: One that's very formal and one that's not. None of us were dressed formally so we went to the more casual part. Even in there, everything is exquisite! The picture-perfect place settings, the titanium silverware, and the waitstaff is obviously trained to watch your every move and make sure you're getting the experience you want. For instance, our waiter noticed that we all ate off each other's plates, so when I ordered dessert, he brought us 4 spoons even though no one else ordered anything. Something else interesting: there's no salt or pepper shakers on the tables, nor any modifiers whatsoever. Rob told us that's because it's considered an insult to the chef to add anything to his concoction. Well, it didn't need modifying anyway. The only downer was the fact that Mom and I were so tired we had to do everything in our power not to fall asleep face-down in our food. It was only 9 pm, but that's midnight back in Ohio, and it had been a very long day.

Anyone who knows me knows I don't eat, I inhale! I'm not one to waste precious minutes by dawdling. The boys, however (a.k.a. the Prednisone Brothers) take their time to savor everything. Mom and I kept trying to hurry them up so we could get back to the hotel and go to bed. Of course, in order to do that, we had to walk all the way back to our shuttle stop, wait for it, and then ride back to the hotel. We didn't get to bed until after 11. Man, I was bushed! I don't think I even stayed awake long enough to watch Jay Leno. But, it's okay because we all needed our sleep for what we had planned to do tomorrow!

Oh my God, you guys. I'm leaving for Vegas in exactly 16 hours and I still have so much to do before then, it's not even funny! Last night, I was at Judy's house in Columbus, having my brand new gown altered, plus working on walking and saying my introduction to the timed music. I didn't get home until nearly midnight. I hadn't been home all day except for a few hours. Kirby was obviously very displeased with my absentee-ism, and she made it known by peeing on my bed right where I usually sleep. Poor thing! I don't know how she's gonna handle me being gone all week. She'll be with my grandparents and Abby (their Bichon) so it's not like she'll be home alone. But, this is the longest we've ever been apart and I'm really dreading being away from her. My poor heart is breaking and bleeding all over my new shoes! Yes, I'll miss my kitties, too, but at least I know they can take care of themselves. They did fine when we were in Hawai'i, so it's not like this is their first time with us being gone. Kirby, however, is just a baby and she needs me as much as I need her! OMG, I'm gonna cry. OK, on to other topics: I haven't even started packing yet. I actually need to find more suitcases for all my stuff. I have gowns, suits, cocktail dresses, makeup, a dress steamer, and of course all those souvenir bags that I have to find room for. Did I mention those little souvenir bags? Well, all the contestants have to have about 100 made up for the souvenir gift exchange they do every year. Sounds like a nice concept, right? Well, it's not exactly practical for those of us who have to fly across the country! These bags alone take up at least 2 whole suitcases, as long as they're scrunched in there! The good news is: I didn't have to buy anything for them, I called around to a bunch of places and got everything in them donated to me. Today, I still have to go tanning, bleach my arms, buy some last-minute supplies (make-up and panythose, e.g.), find a nice large suitcase, pack it full, and painfully drop Kirbs off at Grandma's. But, I won't talk about that part. We're leaving for DTW at 3:30 am so we can be there at 4:30 for a 6:30 flight. I know I'll be too excited to sleep on the plane and I'll probably be too busy to sleep tonight, so I'm not quite sure when, if ever, I'll be able to rest up before the week begins. I know once I'm there I'll have fun. But, as of right now, I'm really nervous and kinda freaking out. I was on the website looking at pictures from last year's competition and it got me all psyched out. My heart started pounding and my tummy was fluttering. I'm not usually nervous for things like this so it's kinda weird that this is happening. So, I need all y'all to send out all your prayers/hugs/well-wishes/etc. over here to me and my family. Oh, did I mention I have a bad sinus infection, too? Yep, I'm all congested, my throat hurts, and I'm going to be sitting in a pressurized cabin in a few hours. This could suck if it doesn't clear up. When I get back I'll fill y'all in and post pics, too. Until then.....oh, geez.