Christine Strusz

Dreams Come True

Chrissy planned to visit us on her trip across country.  She always lights up our lives.  She did as a child and has for some time now as a young woman.   It is natural to see her doing this journey with Rory and taking in the many landscapes across this country that’s also called out to so many of us.   Chrissy’s travels have also “been a trip for me.”   Following her blog has been a daily priority for me.

Before leaving Illinois, she and I were talking about places which she might interesting.  I mentioned that my dream was to walk on the Skywalk at the west side of Grand Canyon.   She said, “I will take you with me and we will do that.”  She briefly talked of her fear of heights…and she would walk the Skywalk anyway if we went together.   Told Grandpa we were doing this and…he seriously said, “Not me.”  Part of this journey turned out to show them both they had hidden strengths, that the Grand Canyon gave them.

The Skywalk is a project of the Hualapai Nation whose spiritual connection to the Grand Canyon is beautiful in itself.   Magnificent does not even come close to describing the results of the Skywalk.  They made it possible for anyone to stand over the canyon, experience the canyon walls below and in places see the Colorado River going its own way down the canyon.  I do suggest to any reader that they check out the web site, www.grandcanyonskywalk.com.

To reach the Grand Canyon, we spent most of our time in our separate cars.  (Hers packed to continue her journey from Arizona.  Our hotel in Kingman Arizona was a welcome sight after our long trip from central California, through hot, and what felt like harshly forsaken desert.  Rory made herself at home after saying “hi” to friends she met in the halls hotel.

The next day after a great breakfast and providing Rory with sausage we all traveled in one car, following directions to west side of the canyon.    But a while after entering Hualapai land the road became bumpy and our car actually changed colors the farther we got.  Dust, dirt road quite a long ways.  Each driver that sped around us left a heavy cloud of fine dust consuming us.  OK, a bit unkind.   But indeed, the landscape was beautiful.   It was a two hour trip of many colors.

Chrissy had to leave Rory in the Hualapai Ranch Kennel before we could start the Skywalk experience.  My heart ached for Chrissy because she had to put her in pen which was in a barn…with big horses being saddled for tours.  It was hard for us both but leaving Rory there…wasn’t what we wanted to do.  In addition to worrying about Rory she had the other battle too, walking about on a slab of glass, the only thing between her and a 4,000 foot drop to the canyon floor below.

To make matters a bit worse for me, Jim (Gramps) does not ever want me near any edge of any kind.   He had a fear of heights forever and many years ago had a dream where I went over a deep ravine, and as he watched, I reached out to him as I continued to fall.  Oh yes, he was dramatic and emotional about it when he told me.   I never thought he would venture onto the Skywalk and was unsure if he could watch me go.  No, being a psychologist didn’t help him.  Each in our own way we all were super excited in anticipation of the Skywalk.  People in line for this were also mostly quiet, and some seemed to be going through the same feelings Chrissy and Gramps were.   Gramps told us while moving through the line that he was working on “his fear of fear.”

We checked in and in the appropriate place, were given booties for our shoes to wear on the Skywalk.   We were led through security screening.  Like everyone else we cautiously began to step on this beautiful work of art, the glass Skywalk.  It was in the shape of an horseshoe and extended 70 out over the canyon, and appeared to be essentially resting over nothing but air…4,000 feet straight down.

Some visitors slid slowly and hesitantly onto it foot by foot.  Shining Star (Chrissy), Grandpa and I went forward…carefully too.  It took a few minutes for each of us to stop our preoccupation with footing and take in the amazing sights the canyon walls offered.   At that point it became a very personal and somewhat emotional but tranquil experience.   Eventually I was absolutely brought back to earth (so to speak), as I watched Gramps “facing his fear of fear.”  He was doing it!    Chrissy did it.  I felt like it was an unbelievable and in its own way, extreme, adventure.

It wasn’t over after we left the Skywalk.   There were three places on the canyon to visit and great comfy busses took us there.  At those points you could see different canyon view points, have lunch, and buy water…which was a necessity in the heat.  At the end of those tours Chrissy and her Grandpa prepared to board a gorgeous maroon helicopter, by the name of Maverick.   It was Chrissy’s first helicopter ride…   Another plus on her trip.

I watched them take off and knew they were going to have the time of their lives.  It did occur to me that since the sides of helicopter were fully glass that Chrissy might feel a little uncomfortable.  I was wrong.   Again.

They were with two others besides the pilot.   For the photographer that Chrissy is, it was heaven.   They dropped down 3,500 feet below the rim and cruised inside the canyon.  A landing place at the bottom gave Chrissy a great chance to take pictures.  The other woman in her helicopter apparently had a new camera.  Chrissy came to her rescue during the flight and showed her how to use it, in spite of each of them wearing a 5-point harness and using earphones with speakers.  (That woman actually may be grateful to her the rest of her life as she shows off her pics from the bottom of the canyon.)   They spent about 15 minutes there taking pictures and enjoying it then took off again.  They were both walking on clouds when they finished this ride.

Meanwhile back at the Hualapai Ranch, Rory has been in another time zone.     Rory’s in the (possibly 8 x 10) cage in the barn with horses milling all over and she had full vision of the Old West main (and only) street.  I reached the ranch to pick her up during the helicopter ride.   (My intentions were to save Chrissy from seeing her beloved pet suffering in the cage.)   By then all the entertainment was going full blast at the ranch (there really were blasts).  By then, Rory was witnessing the old wild west shows put on for tourist, gun fights, knife throwing, and horses being saddled up to take tourists down the canyon.  It was so loud when I got out of the car, I knew immediately Rory was hearing loud goings-on and likely miserable.   I walked to the barn feeling terrible but when Rory saw me she just simple stood up and wagged her tail.  I felt better at that point.  No barking, pushing to get out.  But she was very glad to see me.  I felt flattered.   Two cowboys working with the horses were sitting on a bench a few feet from Rory.  They were interested in her, speaking to her and began asking me questions about her.  Rory is a beauty and has a peaceful demeanor, who could not like her.

OK, couldn’t find the leash in the car.  I made a make-shift leash, extra-long plastic bag with a red draw string at the top.  One of the cowboys helped tie the red draw string through Rory’s collar.  Will work great, I thought…for only a few seconds.  Rory is a natural tracker.   Walked out of her cage, started pulling strongly forward out of the barn a different path than I took to get in.  Her nose was to the ground, following the path Chrissy took to take her into the barn.  The nose was down and straining against the leash.   Didn’t get far until the plastic bag began to stretch and Rory was not going to slow down.   She continued on her quest with determination, the nose on the ground, through the old gate, to the porch with a board sidewalk.  She wanted to get on that board walk, continue following Chrissy’s scent to the store she had been in.  The guns going off, horses, tourist…nothing was going to stop her from finding Chrissy.  Just before she got to the door, I physically took her off the porch, put my hand on her collar and led her to the car.   And, you guessed it, it wasn’t easy.  At least she wasn’t mad at me but instead, popped right into the back seat of the car, made her way to passenger seat in front and seemed to say, let’s get the show on the road.  I took her back to pick up Gramps and her beloved Chrissy.  Rory was content just seeing her but not abused or disheveled.

We Found ourselves back on the road again eating dust.  We all were still somewhat in awe of being on the glass above that Grand Canyon.   But since we had no lunch soon began to talk about where to eat when we got back to civilization.  Stopped at Panda in Kingman, went to the hotel and ate in the pleasant breakfast room.  We talked about our fantastic day, wondrous Skywalk, overcoming fear itself, the trip in general, and of course Rory.   Getting out of the heat was a real treat.   Later in the evening Chrissy and Rory went to a nice dog park.  I believe Chrissy got some CrossFit exercise in, as she tried to do daily.

It was hard on all of us when we had to go our separate ways, us back to Central California and Chrissy to Utah.  I felt I was in some surreal thing going on, not quite ready to give up a fantastic vacation with Chrissy.  We found a place where we could pick up some lava rocks that Chrissy wanted to take home especially for Christy.  It broke up our long drive back and let me believe we were doing something Chrissy wanted to do on the way down.  Traffic was heavy on way to Las Vegas and there was no safe place to stop.  So this quest was a continuation of our time with her.  As we got nearer to home but still in the desert and hills, we passed the “Calico Ghost Town” sign engraved high on a hill near Barstow.   A reminder of  another adventure shared recently with Chrissy.

There we were and in a way she was still with us.

Written by “The Grandmother”