Well, I'm back from a fun week in Scottsdale. It was a trip that was planned for Bryn's 16th birthday & she got to take her best friend, Ali who I call my 2nd daughter, along with us.
We've been going to Scottsdale for about 13 years as we own time shares with the Westin there. It's more of a home-away-from home & we do a lot of the same things every time we go.
It's actually been a few years since I've been there & probably the last time I was there, we took Bryn's cousin, Sydney, with us & decided to try an ATV tour. It was our first time on ATV's. Bryn could at least say she'd driven the riding lawn mower many times prior to that, but at the ripe old age of my mid 40's... sadly (or happily rather) I couldn't even say I'd ever driven that. I'm not the most outdoorsy girl around. So we were all novices to say the least... me especially. In hindsight, I'm glad it's where we started because it was apparently an easier course.
Not knowing otherwise though, Bryn asked if we could do another one on this trip so Bob booked this tour at another place a little closer to where we were staying.
We all suited up with helmets, ski masks for the intense dirt/dust we'd soon create, goggles and gloves.
There was a family of 4 who was also on the tour with us, but had booked 2 small jeeps to use.
The guide lead us through 2 practice courses to give us an idea of what we could expect on this 2-hour trail. He asked how we all were doing. I told him I was nervous after the first one & then after the 2nd practice run, when he kept reiterating that this course wasn't for beginners & was more of an intermediate trail... we ultimately decided it made more sense for me to be in a jeep, so Bob got off his ATV & drove that with me. He would soon say he was glad he did that because even in that jeep... the course was still a bit stressful. I only got a couple photos during the flatter parts of the course because it was rough terrain to say the least.
At about half-way through the 2-hour tour, we stopped for a break to drink some water and take off helmets for a few minutes. Our guide also walked over into the brush & cut a piece of cactus that he said we could try. Looks painful, but ummm ok.
If you've never tried cactus out in the wild & why would you (unless of course you know that it's high in water content so it helps with dehydration)... the trick is to burn off the needles first.
Looks like a pickle... texture of a melon... doesn't have much taste to it. Nothing to write home about. Even though technically, I guess I am. LOL
We got started back up again... guide in front, then Bryn, then Ali, then us & the 2 jeeps with the family behind us. A short time later going up a steep incline, Ali fell over to the side with the ATV on top of her (apparently hit the embankment & a rock got under the tire or something). We stopped.... I yelled "oh shit!!!! Ali!!!!" Thankfully she popped right back up and yelled "I'm ok!" & pushed her ATV back upright, but it was still stuck on the embankment. So we waited until the guide must've noticed no one was following him & Bryn anymore & circled back to help get it unstuck. SO thankful she was ok. She has since complained her ankle feels like it's sprained & I don't know how it couldn't be with being twisted over like that, but so thankful nothing worse than that happened.
We got going again & all took another brief stop to rest for a few minutes & also to let the guide look at Ali's ATV & make sure everything was ok to continue driving. I wish I had better pictures of what we experienced & how much dirt & dust was kicked up while driving. At some points you could barely see in front of you, there was so much dirt in the air!
For whatever reason though, I was suddenly overwhelmed with the feeling to pray. And I kid you not... about a minute later Bryn's ATV flipped upside down & I couldn't see her anymore. I screamed so loud. We abruptly stopped & I didn't even open the jeep door... just literally leaped over the side of it & started running, not knowing what I'd find. My legs were shaking so bad I thought they'd buckle underneath me.
But as I got closer, Bryn pulled herself up from the embankment. But for the grace of God, she somehow rolled out from under it when it flipped & was hanging down the embankment. I don't know how she managed to walk away with just both knees of her jeans ripped, banged up knees & an arm... but it was God's protection of her without a doubt.
She thinks her tire got too close to the edge of the embankment & it flipped. It all happened so fast, she didn't realize what happened, which is probably good because she likely let go right away.
She could've lost her life. She could've snapped her neck. Not even a broken bone.
Suffice it to say there's no pictures of this one & the guide had her drive his ATV the rest of the way back since her handle bars were bent.
I didn't get a lot of sleep that night. And I guess I'm writing about the whole thing to try to purge it from being replayed over & over like a bad dream in my head.
Watching it happen right in front of us & not being able to do anything about it.
Realizing I could've left Arizona without her, if even one thing gone differently than it had.
Realizing how something can happen literally in an instant & your life can be forever changed.
I managed to keep it all together that day, because going into the ugly cry in a helmet, goggles & ski mask would've been disastrous, but I have cried so much about this since then.
In fact, we both stood in the bathroom just the 2 of us the next morning crying & hugging each other. It really was scary for her too.
I've thanked God so many times for His protection of her.
She's the love of my life. She's part of me, as I am her.
She turns 16 on Friday. We will be heading to take her drivers test that day, just as soon as I leave class, I'm sure. I know I'm no different than any other parent in worrying, but this experience makes you realize how quickly things can happen. And she'll be out on her own more & more with this upcoming chapter of independence.
And the most you can do as a parent is pray.
Anyway... on a happier note... Bryn got a new Go Pro Action Camera right before we left for our trip. She made a cute video of some of her week with her BFF. A memorable week for both of them, I know...
Not sure what happened to the quality of the video when I transferred it to youtube, but you get the idea!
XOXO
Wow! How scary for both of them! I am so glad they are both ok! I can't even imagine how it felt for you to see that! I hope she has an amazing birthday!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Posted by: Julie Tucker-Wolek | June 05, 2017 at 07:20 AM