For the Love of Rocks!

Today, we have Nancy Viau, author of, Samantha Hansen Has Rocks In Her Head. Trust Nancy to talk about a vacation that is focused on, well, rocks!

Nancy: “I am not cooking this year!” I told my family. I was talking about Thanksgiving dinner, and three pair of eyes gazed at me as if I had gone completely insane. I explained that after so many years of being the “good mom” who prepared all the traditional favorites, I was ready for a change. (Besides, the big eaters—the grown “boys”—would not make it home, and I felt that the pigeon eaters—the girls—wouldn’t do my Turkey Day meal justice.) My family agreed, and one hour later, I had the four of us booked on a flight to Vegas. The Grand Canyon would be our destination.

We flew out to Vegas Thanksgiving day, ate a hot turkey buffet on the strip, and bunked in a cheap hotel outside of town. The next morning, we traveled to the Hoover Dam, got lost and ended up in a teeny bit of California (don’t ask), and then finally made it to the canyon. For two days, we hiked in freezing temperatures while listening to the complaints of our girls who would have preferred visiting their brothers in sunny, warm Florida. But we soaked up the awesome wonder of the park, and were forever changed by its beauty. Following that, we headed for Sedona. We drooled over guided backcountry tours and realized that none were in our budget. When we came to our senses, we realized we had been riding in a four-wheel drive vehicle for the last few days, and could easily take on the back roads ourselves. Duh.

What I didn’t know until months later was that this trip, with all its drama, would inspire a novel. Sure, Samantha Hansen Has Rocks In Her Head is just a story, but there’s a lot of truth in there, as well. Guess, it’ll be up to you to decide which is fact and which is fiction.


Now that's a Thanksgiving vacation!