A FLIGHT OVER THE FIRES

On the spur of the moment, on my next to the last set of days off before leaving the Grand Canyon, I decided to go flying. Grand Canyon Airlines offers the workers in the park a great deal at $20 a flight, and this is the second time I've taken a 1 hr. flight over, and around the canyon.

Cessna Caravan

Besides not having anything else to do, I was curious about how a few forest fires in the area would look from the air. One of the fires has been burning on the north rim since being started by lightning on July the 4th. All of the the 3 fires that I got pictures of, are burning in uninhabited areas, and they are being allowed to burn their way into a natural conclusion.

The muddy Colorado River west of it's junction with the Little Colorado River

This fire is burning south east of the Grand Canyon Village

During these 2 flights over the Canyon, I've been taking a mental inventory of the forest service, and national park roads. Next year, if we return as planned, the KLR 650 Dual Sport Motorcycle is coming with us, and I can see a few of my days off on the back country dirt roads, exploring the South Rim area.

The Pilot Fire started on July 4th, and has burned almost 3,000 acres

On some days, the Pilot Fire sends huge plumes of smoke into the atmosphere, and depending on which way the wind is blowing, the smoke often ends up in the canyon. On this day, it didn't look like much of a fire, as the smoke was hardly visible.

This small fire is on the North Rim, and like the other 2, was caused by lightning

This second flight over the canyon was as enjoyable as the first one, and since I was alone, the lady pilot said it was OK to sit in the co-pilot seat. The forward view was awesome, and when ever I fly in small planes, I always regret having not completed my one attempt to become a licensed private pilot. While living in Los Banos, CA, I took a ground school at the community college, but didn't pursue the license any further. For me, flying in small planes is just plain fun!
Flying in bigger people movers, like commercial jets is only fun during the take off and landings. I'm not particularly looking forward to our December flight to Florida, but I sure am looking forward to cruising the Caribbean with our kids and Grand Daughter.

Air Force One landed here at the Grand Canyon last year, on this 9,000' runway

CHP MEMORIES

Back in the early 1980's, I had no idea what "suicide by cop" meant, but on one spring afternoon, while working the swing shift in Los Banos, I learned the definition first hand.

My assigned beat was the southern section of Interstate 5, and the routine day of writing speeding tickets changed dramatically, when the Officer working the east end of State Route 152 radioed that he had a failure to yield. As the minutes ticked by, this failure to yield turned into a high speed chase, heading west toward the city of Los Banos. I wasn't the closest unit, but I started heading toward town, where I would be in position to assist if the pursuit continued west bound. I think the initial violation was speeding, and the Officer attempting to stop the fleeing vehicle was an Officer I had trained just a few months before this incident. He had less than a year on the job, was a good trainee, and was developing into a very competent Officer.

When the chase was nearing the city, I turned east on State Route 152, and headed for an intercept with the pursuit. By then, there were 3 patrol cars in position behind the violator. My trainee was the primary Officer, behind him was a Sheriff's Deputy, and the 3rd chase vehicle was our shift Sergeant. A couple of miles west of town, the speeder pulled over to the right, as the 3 patrol cars lined up behind him. At about the same time, I pulled into the very wide center dividing median, and positioned my patrol car directly across from the violators driver door. I was probably about 75 feet away, as the driver opened his door.

At this point, the incident escalated several notches, as I noticed that the driver had a semi automatic hand gun in his right hand. The other officers were not in a position to see what I saw, and I yelled to them that he had a gun. I also yelled at him more than once to drop the gun. His next move was to swivel in his seat to where his feet were now on the ground, and he was directly facing me, still seated in the vehicle. By then, all of us had our weapons drawn, and I had mine resting on the roof of the patrol vehicle. As this individual sat in his seat facing me, he deliberately jacked the slide mechanism on the handgun, placing a round in the firing chamber.
By doing this, there was no doubt in my mind that his intent was to shoot at something. I yelled to the other officers that he had just jacked a round into the chamber, and every one's alert level escalated to the highest level. I remember thinking that the outcome of this was not going to be good, and was so sure that shots were going to be fired, that I pulled back the hammer of my 357, and took aim at this individual. Our weapons training was never single action, but rather all shooting at the range was double action. I was so sure that I was going to have to shoot this guy, that I wanted to make sure I hit him with the first shot. I remember yelling at him that if he didn't drop the gun, he was going to get shot, and was going to die! That statement turned out to be rather prophetic.

His next move was to slowly stand, and turn toward the back of his car, facing the 3 patrol vehicles behind him. My threat level had diminished slightly, as he was no longer facing me, but the threat to the other Officers increased substantially. After standing, within a second or two, he started to raise the handgun to a position where he would have been able to shoot at the 3 Officers behind him. Just as he started to raise the weapon, I started to squeeze the trigger on my revolver, but several shots came first from the 3 Officers who were the most vulnerable.
As the victim went down, I remember thinking what in the world was wrong with this guy? If he wanted to shoot it out with us, he certainly wasn't interested in any strategy of protecting himself.

I immediately called for an ambulance, and at about the same time, noticed that 2 vehicles had stopped in the east bound lanes, near where I was parked. Before they could drive off, I approached both vehicles, and retrieved witness information and brief statements. Both drivers couldn't believe what they has just observed, and part of their disbelief was the fact that this guy stood out in the open, and raised his gun toward 3 armed Officers. The individual was pronounced dead at the hospital, and needless to say, the rest of the shift was a lot of paperwork, and as with all departmental shootings, a lengthy investigation was initiated.

The conclusion to this incident was a Coroners Inquest, several weeks later, where all Officers and witnesses testified in front of the Grand Jury in Merced, CA. It was at that proceeding, several recorded telephone messages were played between the victim and his girlfriend. On those tapes, the victim threatened suicide, due to a previous breakup in that relationship. He even stated how he was going to go down in a blaze of glory, not the usual overdose of sleeping pills. With that evidence, and the testimony of the two independent witnesses, the finding was that this guy committed suicide in what was a most unusual method. The final outcome from the Inquest, the District Attorney, the CHP, & the Sheriff's Department was that the shooting was justifiable.

That was the closest I ever came to firing my weapon at a person while wearing the CHP uniform. I had been shot at, but fortunately, never had to shoot toward another human being. Other than the range, I only fired my weapon one time during my career, and that's a subject for another memory.

CLUELESS PHOTOGRAPHERS

I know, you're probably thinking......here we go again with more Elk pictures. It's really hard to resist the temptation, when these magnificent critters are seen almost every day. Yesterday, my shift started at the Grand Canyon Visitors Center, where I took over a bus from a morning driver. As I pulled into the transit loading area, I saw a crowd of people taking pictures of this very large Bull Elk. We see this scene of crowds taking pictures of wildlife all of the time. (As I'm writing this, 5 Mule Deer Bucks, all 4 pointers or more, just strolled by the motor home).

The way people approach these wild animals is almost like they're at a zoo, with an invisible fence protecting them from any kind of harm. There are several of these male Elk that stay here in the park year round, and they have all lost the velvet on their huge antlers. Yesterday for the first time, I saw two of these males sparring with each other, their antlers locked together. It didn't look like they were very serious about their combat positions, but it was definitely a precursor of what's just around the corner.

When these males start getting serious about protecting their harems of females, what occurred yesterday would fall under the heading of "stupid tourists, in a potentially dangerous situation". There are signs all over the park warning the public to not feed, or approach any of the wildlife. As you might expect, and as illustrated by the pictures above, those signs are for the most part ignored. I guess I shouldn't be surprised, a vast number of drivers ignore the traffic signs as well!

SIGNS, SIGNS, EVERYWHERE A SIGN

This sign is posted at the entrance gate to the Paul Revere Transportation Bus Yard

The Federal Governments Recovery Act, or sometimes known as the stimulus, authorized almost a trillion dollars of taxpayer money to be spent on thousands of projects around the country. There's no question that jobs were either created, or saved with this massive amount of government funding. There are however, a couple of bigger questions associated with such massive expenditures by the Federal Government.

With a debt of 14.3 trillion, and a recent congressional authorized borrowing of another trillion or two, was this recent stimulus expenditure a smart, or a dumb move by the government. If the country wasn't so far in debt, I might argue that it was a smart move. Conversely, with such unprecedented government debt, I simply can't reconcile the idea of continuing to borrow more money. The burden we are placing on future generations is almost criminal!

I know I've touched on this subject before, but when I noticed the sign at work, I did a little research into where some of the stimulus money has gone. Here at Grand Canyon National Park, somewhere in the neighborhood of 5 million was spent, mostly on road maintenance. At the bus yard, an oil chip seal was done last summer, and I suspect that's why the recovery sign is hanging on the fence.

The thousands of recovery signs around the country, telling the taxpayers where their money is being spent, is just one example of government waste, in my opinion. The estimates of the cost of all those signs, including the one where I work, is somewhere between 5 and 20 million dollars. The cost of this small sign on the fence was approx. $225. The big signs you have all probably seen on highways, cost in the neighborhood of $10,000. Maybe some people need to see signs, telling them where the government is spending their money. Personally, I don't.

CHP MEMORIES

1982 5.0 liter Special Service Package (SSP) Mustang

In 1982, the CHP went to the Ford Motor Company, and asked if they could build a pursuit vehicle, capable of chasing down high speed violators. Ford stepped up to the plate, and came out with the above Mustang, capable of top speeds in the 120-130 mph range. These vehicles were equipped with manual transmissions, and were advertised to police agencies as "this Ford chases Porsches for a living".

The prior decade of patrol vehicles were of the full size sedan type, like the Dodge Polara, and the Ford Crown Victoria. From about 1972 on, the performance of these vehicles was pretty anemic, as the emphasis in Detroit was for smaller, emission type motors, and less performance. As a result, the top speeds for police vehicles kept falling, and it became much harder to enforce maximum speed laws on the wide open interstate highways like I5.

I can remember one night in the late 1970's, my partner and I spotted a Porsche traveling north bound on I5, at a very high rate of speed. We were driving a Dodge, equipped with an overhead light bar, and a little over 100 mph was as fast as the slug would go. We made a u-turn, and after what seemed like forever, we closed to within about 500 feet, and turned on the the red & blue lights. Instead of seeing brake lights on the Porsche, all we saw was disappearing tail lights, as the driver accelerated to probably 40-60 mph faster than our top speed. We never got close enough for a license number, but still called in a failure to yield, in hopes that perhaps the adjacent office would have better luck. Without the ability to stay at least close, this scenario played out more times than I care to admit.

In 1983, our office got the first Mustang, and despite the cramped interior, this was probably the fastest CHP vehicle since the 1969 Dodge. It didn't have the top speed of the 69 Dodge, but it was 20-30 mph faster than anything we had driven in many years. The manual transmission was at times problematic, when multi tasking was required. Trying to shift through the gears, talk on the radio, and make notes, all at the same time, was sometimes challenging. But, I have to admit, banging through the gears, while accelerating after a speeder, was a performance junkies dream come true.

For the next decade, Ford built approx. 15,000 of these SSP (Special Service Package) Mustangs, that were delivered to over 60 police agencies. Most of the departments were State Highway Patrols, and the CHP was the initial recipient of 405 of the 1982 Mustangs.

Most of our enforcement efforts in the Los Banos Office were targeted towards Interstate 5, and CA State Route 152. Both of these highways are long, and straight, where high speed enforcement was the top priority. The Ford Mustang was a welcome relief to many years of driving underpowered patrol vehicles.

A NEW HARLEY RADIO

One of my personal pleasures in life, is to jump on the Harley, head out on the highway, and turn the radio up to full volume. For me, it doesn't get much better than listening to the sound of that V-Twin motor, as a backdrop to some good ole rock & roll music. The only problem with that scenario is that the good ole rock & roll music must come from a local radio station. I often like to ride in remote locations like Death Valley, and I can assure you, there is no local, classic rock radio station in Death Valley.

My Electra Glide Classic is 10 years old, and every time I think about getting a new one, I keep saying to myself, "this old bike is the best running Harley that I've ever had". When it was brand new, before I ever put a single mile on it, I had our best engine builder take the motor completely apart. Bryan rebuilt the engine with lots of performance parts, and after 10 years and 30k miles, it still runs perfect, and has never seeped or leaked a speck of oil.

The great running motor notwithstanding, the radio with it's dinosaur cassette player, has seen better days. The tape player, or perhaps the few tapes I have left, don't seem to work any more. So, for years, my riding music has been limited to whatever radio station was within reception range. Often, especially in places like Death Valley, the sound of the Harley motor was the only music in my ears.

A few weeks ago, I decided that the Harley needed an audio upgrade. I just received this retro kit, including 100 watt speakers a few days ago, and it's installation will be one of my first projects when we get back to Lake Havasu. With the new radio, I'll be able to plug in my Ipod, and along with the CD player, the time periods of no music, or undesirable music, will be a thing of the past. This package from Biketronics integrates the new stereo with the handlebar controls, so I won't be giving up anything regarding volume & station selection, as I ride down the road.

I did try and remedy the problem a few years ago, when on a trip back to Georgia, my son Mike and I installed a Sirius satellite kit. It worked for 1 day, as I rode west through Alabama & Mississippi, then it abruptly quit. When I got home, I tried to fix the problem, but finally gave up when I decided that the antenna was defective.

Soon, while riding in the open desert, or in remote locations, instead of only being able to pick up that one station that is in a different language, and inevitably plays mariachi type music, my options will be expanded greatly!

THE BRIGHT ANGEL TRAIL

One of the most famous hiking trails in the entire world is located right here at Grand Canyon National Park. The Bright Angel Trail starts in the Grand Canyon Village, and drops over 4,000 feet in 8.1 miles, where it reaches the Colorado River. The original trail was developed by the Havasupai Native Americans, who seasonally stayed at Indian Garden, about half way between the rim and the river. In 1890, Ralph Cameron set up residence at the Grand Canyon, and improved the trail due to the increasing numbers of tourists arriving to see this natural wonder. For the next 38 years, Cameron charged a toll to all who used the Bright Angel Trail. In 1928, 9 years after Grand Canyon National Park was created, Cameron relinquished control of the trail, and the Park Service dropped the user fee.

When Nancy was here a few weeks ago, she and Patty hiked down the upper part of the trail, but I haven't set foot on it yet. Now that I think about it, the chances of me doing any hiking on the Bright Angel Trail are slim to none. Not really my thing, but thousands hike up and down this classic trail every year. Every morning at 7am, the famous Grand Canyon Mules take people down the trail to Phantom Ranch for an overnight stay at the river.

I took these photos of the trail from the Hermits Road Trailview Overlook, on my bicycle ride last week. From this vantage point, the entire trail from the rim, down to Indian Garden is visible. The farther down the trail you look, the more the people resemble ants, as they either descend or ascend this zig zagging historic trail.

Today is my 2nd work day of the week, and Patty is off on a Ranger walk down part of the Hermit Trail. By the end of the summer, she's going to know this place like the back of her hand.

We'll be pulling out of here on September 11th, the 10th anniversary of the Muslim terrorists attack on America. Every time I think about that date, and what happened, I can't help but wonder what perverted thought process is in the minds of these people who think killing themselves, and innocent people is for their greater good. I guess it's like trying to reason with a drunk, in most cases, it just isn't possible.

CHP MEMORIES

After working in the Los Banos CHP Office for a couple of years, the Commander retired, and a new Captain was assigned to the area. In my years with the Patrol, there was always a certain amount of collective anxiety whenever a change of command took place. Not only was this Captain new, but he was young, with a wife and baby. His name was George Edgerton, and he made quite an impression on me. Part of his resume was filled with prior experience in the specialized field of accident reconstruction, and when he learned that I was like a sponge on the subject, he took me under his wing. When you promote to the rank of Captain, your days of investigating accidents are long gone, but whenever I, or another Officer had a complex investigation, he often got involved, and shared some of his expertise.

It didn't take George long to gain the respect, and admiration of the troops, and when I had the chance, I was soaking up as much of his knowledge as I could. He and his wife Kim, were quickly accepted into many of the office's after hours activities, and George wasn't afraid to tip a beer with the guys after a baseball, or basketball game. Having a young Commander was a new experience not only for myself, but for most of the Officers working in the Los Banos Area.

It was about 1977, when there was a fog related accident on Interstate 5, where multiple fatalities, injuries, and vehicles were involved. Upon arrival at one of these scenes, it's difficult to imagine an outcome, where you know exactly what happened. This particular accident occurred during heavy fog where visibility was only a few feet, and even after I was the first on the scene, vehicles were still crashing into the big pile of cars and trucks. If you want to talk about scary moments, try and picture the loud sound of crunching metal, without being able to see the picture! Unfortunately, these tule fog related, multiple vehicle accidents occur in the San Joaquin Valley, and when they do, there's no choice but to close the freeway. When I put out the call for lots of help, it took a few minutes for other Officers, and Cal Trans to shut off the flow of vehicles into the big pileup.

I'm not going to get into the details of the accident investigation, other than to say that there were 32 vehicles involved, and I had to try and figure out exactly what happened, and in what order. This was the first, and largest accident that I ever investigated, and initially, the task ahead seemed to be almost overwhelming. After several weeks, with the help of many co-workers, and Captain George, the investigation and report was eventually finished, and I was able to lift a huge weight off my shoulders.

I must have made a favorable impression on the Captain, because it wasn't very long after we had put this huge investigation to bed, that he and I sat down, and had a discussion about the future. The CHP Academy was offering a one week, advanced training class relating to determining speed from skid marks, and George wanted to send me to this specialized training.
This particular training was only offered once, or twice a year, and to say that I was happy to accept the offer, was the classic understatement. For several years, I had been improving my abilities in determining speed from vehicle skids, and this was an opportunity that only a few Officers got. The vote of confidence from my Captain was a huge boost not only to my ego, but it swung the door wide open to further career advancements in this specialized field of accident reconstruction.

THE ELK RUT

The white antlers are absent the velvet, and will turn darker as we get further into the Elk breeding season

Yesterday morning, we saw the first signs of the Elk Rut, just in front of our motor home. The top picture shows one of the very large male bull Elk, with the velvet gone from his antlers. This is one of the first things that happens to the males, leading up to the breeding season. Soon, the more dominant males will start to bugle loudly, as their necks swell up, and they try to establish influence over the females. A few weeks from now, the small groups of males will separate, and they will start to compete for dominance over the groups of females.

Several years ago when we were in Canada during the fall, we witnessed the Elk Rut first hand, as a dominant bull Elk was being very aggressive in his attempt to keep his harem of females under control. When I watch the tourists, camera in hand, walk within just a few feet of these large male Elk, I keep my fingers crossed that the Elk's aggressive behavior isn't taken out on one of these clueless amateur photographers. During the breeding season, these 7-900 pound males can be quite dangerous.

These guys haven't started to lose the velvet on their antlers

I know, I promised not to do any more pictures of Elk or Deer, unless one was attacking me, or the motor home. But, as these guys walked past our front door yesterday morning, I just couldn't help myself. Many of the residents here in Trailer Village, put out large containers that they keep filled with water. I suspect that is one of the reasons that the Elk and Deer are seen in the area, almost on a daily basis.

THE COMPANY BBQ

How do you get an edible picture of a bus onto a cake?

Paul Revere Transportation, the company that has the transit contract with the National Park Service, gave its employees a BBQ yesterday. Even though I had to report for work around noon, Patty and I stopped by for an hour or so, and had an early lunch. Due to work schedules, many of my co-workers, were arriving at different times, but the burgers, brats, & ribs were always smokin on the grill.

This type of event in America is as common as baseball, and apple pie. It's a way for a company to say thanks to it's employees in a tangible way. What's better than providing free food? Well, maybe a big bonus on the paycheck would be better, but that's probably not going to happen. Speaking of paychecks, I was surprised to find that Paul Revere pays all of its employees for holidays, worked or not. My days off are Sunday & Monday, so I was off on Memorial Day and Independence Day, but still received a days pay. That kind of company benefit is pretty rare for seasonal employees, and I've still got one more holiday coming, before leaving the Grand Canyon
in early September.

As I've mentioned previously, this summer of work for both of us has been an overall positive, and unless something changes our mindset, we'll probably be returning next year. Could this experience turn into another Skagway, where we kept returning each summer for 4 years? It might, as long as we're not coming home each evening complaining about the job, or the public. At this stage of our lives, it's all about enjoying what we're doing, no matter if it's work or play. There's a lot of reasons that working 3 or 4 months here at the Grand Canyon makes a lot of sense to both of us, so we'll just have to see how this plays out during the next few years.

ANOTHER BIKE RIDE

Taken on the rim trail between Monument Creek, and Pima Point

On my last day off (Monday), I jumped on the bike, starting out on my 3rd bicycle trip toward Hermits Rest. I coasted the 2+ miles down to the Grand Canyon Village, toward the Red Route bus stop. Armed with Patty's recent gift from her employer, a really nice Camelback hydration backpack, and with my Ipod blasting classic rock into my ears, I was oblivious to the problems of the world.

At the beginning of the Red Route near the Bright Angel Trail head, I loaded the bike onto one of the shuttle buses, letting it do the work up the hill to Powell Point. From there, I took my time, and rode (mostly coasted) out to Hermits Rest. I made a point (no pun intended) to stop at all of the points and overlooks, for the purpose of not only taking in the magnificent scenery, but to be able to tell bus passengers exactly what they would be seeing at any of the bus stops.

The radio receiver antenna is for the purpose of tracking the local CA Condors

At Hopi Point, I talked to this gentleman who was part of the organization that keeps track of the California Condors living in the area. He informed me that 68 birds are living in the Northern Arizona, Southern Utah area, and that there were 3 nests in the South Rim area. Since it takes 7 years for a Condor to reach maturity, the project to increase their numbers in the wild is a very slow process. But, over the last couple of decades, the numbers have grown from just 22 birds in existence, to over 300 currently alive. Patty and I have seen several Condors flying, but without a good camera and telephoto lens, it's hard to capture an image.

I took these 2 photos near Powell Point, and they represent an era long since past. This fire watch tower, like many other fire lookouts around the U.S., were an important component for the early detection of forest fires. This particular tower is now used for the placement of various park service communications antenna.

Just below the tower, this old cabin was where the fire lookouts lived during their work duty time. This type of infrastructure has been replaced by high tech satellite imagery, but it's kind of cool that they have found another use for this old tower, and haven't torn it down.

When I arrived at Hermits Rest, I beelined it to the snack bar, and you can see my reward for all of that strenuous, physical activity. Hey, riding on buses up the hills on Hermits Road is tough work, and there has to be some sort of carrot at the end of the stick. Actually, Nancy and I rewarded ourselves in the same way last week, when we pretty much did the same bicycle trip.

23 more work days, but who's counting? We've both enjoyed this summer here at the Grand Canyon, but when you're used to the freedom of being retired, punching a time clock tends to get old, particularly when there are other things you want to be doing, or seeing. We're looking forward to returning to Lake Havasu, then heading north for the Golden Spike RV Rally in Carson City, NV. From there, who knows where the road will take us?

BRIGHT ANGEL LODGE

The Bright Angel Lodge was designed by Mary E.J. Colter, and constructed in the mid 1930's. It is a registered national historic landmark, and was built to handle the ever increasing numbers of tourists coming to the Grand Canyon.

The railroad was the primary transportation system to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon, from its arrival in 1901, and for the next several decades. By the 1930's, roads and automobiles were starting to bring more and more people to this natural wonder of the world. The Fred Harvey Company, in partnership with the Santa Fe Railroad, built the Bright Angel Lodge to accommodate the larger numbers of people who needed a place to stay. The location of the lodge is in the same area as the original post office, and the Bucky O'Neill cabin (oldest structure still standing). Several cabins were built to supplement the rooms in the lodge.

Inside the lodge, is a history room, transportation & tour desk (mule & bus tours), gift shop, lounge, family style restaurant, and the Arizona Room steak house.

During the summer months, the back patio of the Bright Angel Lodge is one of the most popular gathering places for visitors, and guests. It's not only the view of the canyon, just to the right of the wall pictured above, but it's because the Ice Cream Parlor serves up all things associated with a classic soda fountain. When I was there a couple of days ago, the line to get ice cream was quite long. No, I did not get in the line!

I took this picture from the Hermits Road Trail View Overlook, which shows the Bright Angel Trail zig zagging down into the canyon. The Bright Angel Lodge is in the very upper left corner of the photo. Some of the Bright Angel Cabins are within just a few steps to the canyon rim, and the views are spectacular.

As we approach our 4th month here at the Grand Canyon, and as I read more books from the library, I'm fascinated by the historical development of not only the infrastructure, but the many personal stories about the early pioneers who came here over 100 years ago. I think President Teddy Roosevelt said it best when he proclaimed that "the Grand Canyon is the one sight that every American should see".

GRAND CANYON MULES

Mules have been transporting people into the depths of the Grand Canyon for over 100 years, and today, a mule ride down to the Phantom Ranch must be reserved a year in advance. There is a wait list for last minute cancellations, but if you're on that list, don't hold your breath.

The 7 hour ride down the Bright Angel Trail starts each day at 7am, and is one of the many adventures here at the Grand Canyon that Patty and I will not have the opportunity to experience, at least not this year. The main reason is that we have not made a reservation, and for me, I'm just a little over the 200 pound maximum weight limit allowed for riders. But, I'm pretty close, and if we return next summer, there will be plenty of time to make the reservation and lose those last few pounds. Hey, that just might be the motivation I need to get down to a weight that I haven't seen for many, many years!

This photo was taken inside the Bright Angel Lodge "History Room"

One of the remarkable things about riding the mules on the Bright Angel and the South Kaibab Trails for so many decades, is that the worst injury sustained by any rider, was a sprained ankle by a lady who was dismounting her mule. These sure footed animals have carried famous people like President Teddy Roosevelt (bet he didn't meet the 200 lb. limit), and countless other celebrities into the canyon, without ever losing their balance or slipping off the trail. When you look at the very steep Bright Angel Trail, with it's switchbacks on the canyon wall, you wonder how that impressive safety record has been possible, and continues to this day.

Yesterday, I rode my bicycle down into the village, and stopped at the Mule Barn, talking to one of the lady mule wranglers. My curiosity was more for our friend Nancy, who expressed an interest to Patty about possibly working here in the park next summer. The gal I talked to didn't have much information about possible employment, but did say that summer seasonal help is added almost every year. If you're serious Nancy, the process starts with an application with Xanterra.

Other than walking down to, or rafting the river, the only other way to get to the bottom of the Grand Canyon here at the South Rim, is to ride one of the world famous Grand Canyon Mules. When you ride all the way down to Phantom Ranch, an overnight stay is required, with the ride back to the top on the next day. The rate for 2 people, including the ride down & back, meals and accommodations at Phantom Ranch is $850. A little pricey, but certainly an adventure of a lifetime for most people. The mule ride, and a raft trip through the Grand Canyon, has become a blip on my bucket list radar screen.

THE TRAVELING BEAGLE

Sami's automatic pose when food or a treat is being offered

How many dogs can claim the distinction of leaving their mark (literally), in 49 of the 50 states? Our old girl (soon to be 14) Sami, has been around this great country of ours several times, and there's still new smells out there for her to discover. Even though she's slowed down considerably, and we see signs of her older age, our faithful Beagle still eagerly awaits for one of us to pick up the leash, and head for the door. We are starting to notice that her hearing is fading, but her sense of smell is as strong as ever. As I like to say, a Beagle is really just a nose, with four legs and a dog's body attached, and that nose rules most everything about Sami's behavior. When walking, if she gets a whiff of something in her nose, that begs for further exploration, the brakes are suddenly applied. In order to keep moving, one of two things must happen. Either, she gets enough of the curios odor, or the leash master must overcome the force of the four legged brake application.

As a puppy, she had to learn to live with a grumpy calico cat named Tera, who would not tolerate any of her attempts to be playful. Now, in her advanced years, she has learned to tolerate the antics of a young snowshoe cat named Gracie. Despite living her entire life in close quarters with a cat, she still thinks that cats, squirrels, and especially rabbits, were put on this earth for her to chase.

I probably feel like most pet owners, that their animals are part of the family, and are treated as such. No matter what species the pet is, a certain amount of commitment & sacrifice is required, and I'm often saddened by stories of abandoned, or mistreated animals. Our traveling Beagle is not one of those stories, and her presence in our life has brought much joy and happiness.

Can a Beagle really climb a tree?

RAINBOWS & LIGHTNING

These pictures are illustrative of a monsoon season weather pattern here at the Grand Canyon. We often get rain and sunshine at the same time, and that's a recipe for the creation of rainbows. I took these two pictures from Mohave Point day before yesterday, while driving a bus on the Hermits Road Red Route. It wasn't long after, when the lightning began to strike close by. When that happens, our first priority is to provide shelter, then move as many people as possible back to the village. The rain often comes in buckets, but it's the lightning that presents a real danger to the public who are out in the open.

Yesterday, I was driving a bus on the Village Blue route, when all of a sudden, several emergency vehicles passed me near the Bright Angel Lodge, and with lights flashing, and sirens blaring, they disappeared up the Hermits Road. At about this same time, there was a serious thunder and lightning show going on, and the Red Route buses were concentrating on getting people back to the village. It wasn't but a few minutes later, when one of the supervisors reported on the radio that several people had been struck by lightning near Mohave Point.

After hearing the radio report, I thought to myself, this is something that you read about, not something that happens in your backyard. When my shift was over, and I had parked the bus, I asked the supervisor for details of the incident. Sadly, she reported that a 65 year old man was fatally injured by the lightning strike, and 5 others in his group were taken by ambulance to the clinic. She did not know the condition of the 5 individuals, other than the injuries they sustained were not life threatening.

I'm sure we've all heard phrases like "the chances of that happening are less than being struck by lightning". Unfortunately, yesterday, one individuals odds were not very favorable, and the danger of being out in the open during a thunderstorm became very real for me.

SUMMER COUNTDOWN & A GIFT

We arrived here at the Grand Canyon on May the 16th, and our last day of work is scheduled to be September the 9th. Only about a month left before we hit the road, and briefly return to Lake Havasu City. As with any experience, there are moments when it seems like time has flown by, and then, there are those days when it seems like there's no end in sight.

The newness of our jobs has worn off, and I think we're both ready to move back to our retirement mode. I short while ago, I was asked by the Transit manager if I would consider staying another 3 months, through November. My answer was diplomatic, as I explained that we had made plans for several activities during that time period, and that I was appreciative of the offer. Punching a time clock for more than 3 or 4 months, no matter how interesting the job might be, is not very appealing to me at this stage of my life. For the most part, we've both enjoyed our respective jobs, but for me, the countdown to September 9th is very much underway.

Living here at the south rim of the Grand Canyon for the summer, with the cooler temperatures, and incredible scenery, has been a positive experience on a par with our summers in Skagway, Alaska. For now at least, we're planning on returning next summer to work a 3 or 4 month stretch.

On a different note, Patty received an unexpected surprise the other day. One of the supervisors for Delaware North Corp. handed her a gift card for providing exceptional customer service, that was redeemable for a Camelback hydration backpack of her choice. This is what she selected and brought home. It retails in her store for $89, so the perk was much more than just a pat on the back. I think we both know who might get the most use out of it. Can anybody say dual sport motorcycle ride?