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Most of the trail is made of original Inca stones beginning on the third day. When the Incas were fleeing the Spaniards, they destroyed much of the trail to conceal their path, but only up to this point. Today was one of my favorites (I think I say this everyday though). It was easy hiking compared to yesterday’s passes. Much of the hike today was through the forest with lots of flowers and other vegetation. There were about 2,000 steps down though, so it was a tough day on the knees. On our way to camp we stopped at Phuyupatamarka, the town in the clouds. We had great weather, so we were able to see Machu Picchu Mountain, and it’s neighbor, Happy Mountain, from here. The end was in sight!

We only hiked for about five hours today (about 10 miles) before lunch and then we were at camp. And guess what… there were showers! I didn’t think I’d take one, but I also didn’t think I’d smell so bad. So a shower it is. Too bad they didn’t come with clean clothes… Jason, content in his stench, skipped the shower.

Later that afternoon we took a five minute walk to Winaywayna, the best of all the ruins we’ve seen along the way, but nothing compared to what we’ll see tomorrow.

This campsite also had a bar/restaurant to hang out at, and I think we felt like we deserved a few beers! Had to pace ourselves though. Wake-up call is 4 a.m. tomorrow so we can get to the Sun Gate early. This was a nice night because we finally got to meet all the chaskis who are making the trip with us. It’s just amazing what they carry and how hard they work to make these trips happen. And they do it all with a smile and a good attitude. We couldn’t have the great trip we’re having without them.

We don’t usually get up at 4 a.m., but if anything will get us out of bed it’s the end of our hike to Machu Picchu! (Only a little over 4 miles to go!) After a fast breakfast we got in line at the checkpoint to the trail, which opened at 5:30 a.m. The first part of the hike was in the dark but soon the sun was out and not too many steps later (including about 30 huge, steep steps up) we were at the Sun Gate. Here we got our first glimpse of the great city. Another 45 minutes or so and we arrived at Machu Picchu. The city is much bigger than you can imagine when looking at photos. Everywhere you look, the views are stunning and the stone work is amazing.

Saul gave us nice tour of some of the best parts of the city, and the rest of the afternoon we just roamed around this once lost city. After several long days of hiking and years and years of dreaming of being there, it was hard to believe we were actually in the city of Machu Picchu. The photos say it better than we can, but the immensity of the city is striking. Agricultural terraces, many religious temples, the royal palace, and the huge urban district. It was a lot to take in, but we saw a lot of the city and took a long, well-deserved rest in the grass.

We all got to have one last lunch together in Aguas Calientes before some of the group headed back to Cusco with Jose and Saul. The destination for the rest of us: The hot springs. We were a little worried when we asked Saul and Jose about the springs. All they said was to take a shower when we were done. So we weren’t expecting greatness! All I’ll say is, if you make this trip, don’t feel bad skipping the hot springs. They’d be better named “dirty pools of kind of warm water.”

So we showered. And then crashed. Probably would have slept through dinner, but they came and woke us up. Didn’t realize dinner was waiting on us!

Since we did the hot springs yesterday, there wasn’t a lot left to explore in AC. So we shopped. (Kari was desperate for some clean clothes.) And we had a nice, long lunch with Bill, Jane, Pam and Alen in the square. It was Mother’s Day, so there was a celebration going on in the square. Celebration might be pushing it. More like kid karaoke. But they all were having a great time, and it was evident how important mothers are in their culture.

We had a nice train ride back to Cusco on the Vistadome train. Big windows with nice views. Not too speedy though! Our hotel tonight (Amaru) is fantastic. Huge room, great view of the city. Wish we had stayed here the entire time.

It was great to get a good night’s sleep in a nice bed. But it’s our last day, so we have to make the most of it. We decided to hit some of the museums we never got to check out. We also had a few long cups of coffee (saw an FC Dallas shirt at the first place we were at) and a traditional lunch: Alpaca! It was really tasty. Better than steak even… But I’m afraid to say we’re going home without trying the guinea pig. We just couldn’t bring ourselves to do it. Anything served with teeth intact is a little too much for me.

The big place we visited today was the Temple of the Sun. Gorgeous gardens and architecture. It’s a mix between Incan and Spanish architecture. The rest of the day we just strolled around, enjoying our last glimpses of this great city.

Twenty-one hours later, we were home. We won’t bore you with stories of canceled flights and such, but I will say, we wish we were on a balcony in Cusco’s square right now. If only the flights had been cancelled for good…

Spent a nice, although chilly, afternoon last Sunday at the Ballpark in Arlington with our friends Scott, Julie, their 4-year-old son Jack, and Helen and Peter. It was great to meet Helen’s friend Peter, and it was fun getting to hang out with everyone. Most of the game was spent trading favorite Beatles songs with Jack. He knows more than I do, for sure. His current favorite, he told me yesterday, is “Old Brown Shoe,” which I had to listen to on YouTube because I didn’t recognize it. For the record, my current favorite is “Blackbird.”

Check out a few more pictures from the game.

We have been training to hike the Inca Trail for a couple of months now, but recently we’ve moved into high gear. In addition to our regular dog walks and trips to the gym, we’re walking up and down the stairs at TCU’s football stadium twice a week, and we’ve headed out to Lake Mineral Wells State Park a couple of times in the past few weeks. It’s less than an hour away, and it’s surprisingly good hiking. We found a great trail today that heads out to their backpacking camping sites, but unfortunately Bailey decided it was time to stop about a half-mile down that trail.

For those who don’t know, we’re headed to Peru soon to visit Machu Picchu, known as the Lost City of the Incas and recently named as one of the new Seven Wonders of the World. We’ll stay in a city called Cusco for three days before the hike begins to acclimate to the altitude. Cusco is at an altitude of about 10,800 feet above sea level. For comparison, Fort Worth is at around 580 feet.

The hike itself will be three nights and four days. We’ll climb as high as 13,200 feet on the second day, and we’ll get our first glimpse of Machu Picchu at sunrise on the fourth day. Looking forward to sharing the stories from our trip here when we return.

Simon, that furry little white guy above, has been staying us with us since Friday, when our friends headed down to Mexico to celebrate their first wedding anniversary. We were a little worried the dogs wouldn’t get along (Bailey outweighs Simon by about 70 lbs) but our little freight train has successfully toned down the wrestlemania. Simon can hold his own though, and his speed and agility have served him well.
Not too much to report, just wanted to share the photo of the quizzical dudes (above) and the video of them playing (below).

Kari and I (OK, mostly Kari) have been putting up our new backsplash here and there over the past week or two. It looks awesome, and we’re very close to finishing. A few more tiles to put up and then we’ll put on the grout, hopefully this weekend.

Once we finish with this project, all that will be left is getting new appliances, someday. It’s been our first real home improvement project, and overall we (right, Kari) have done a pretty darn good job, we think, for not all that much money. Here’s a look back at the new floor and the old ceiling.

Guess we didn’t chronicle all of it, but we also put in new light fixtures, painted the walls, put in new countertops and a new sink, stained the cabinets and replaced the cabinet hardware. Not bad in a year and a half.

Well, it was the end of April last year when we lost a huge tree in our front yard. This year we didn’t even make it that long, and this time the storms got us worse. A huge tree on the side of our house split in half and fell on our house. Finally made it up into the attic this afternoon and there’s a big hole in the roof. So let’s hope we don’t get anymore rain before we can get the tree removed and the roof repaired!

We all woke up during the storms (Bailey was wondering what our problem was. He can sleep through anything) but we had no idea a tree was on our house unil the next morning. At least we’re all safe. Bailey is mad though. He can’t play in the back yard. Some other downed limbs knocked the power lines down and they’re laying in our yard. Anyone have an in with the power company? We have to thank our great neighbor across the street who’s letting us and our two next-door neighbors plug into her power. So at least we have a light!

If you want to reminisce with us, check out our blog post a year ago:

http://blog.kjcrane.com/2007/a-stormy-couple-days/

And look, Bailey is famous! I knew he was meant to be a show dog. He made an appearance on the Star-Telegram blog this morning:

http://startelegram.typepad.com/storm_troopers/2008/04/a-fallen-tree-p.html

More photos here:
http://picasaweb.google.com/jasonlcrane/TreeOnHouse

We’ve never been the traditional couple in the family, so it won’t come as a surprise to many of you when we make this announcement on our blog. Check out the news at http://www.cranebabytoo.com