VIEWS FROM THE DRIVERS SEAT

The setting sun over the canyon rim at Hermits Rest.

One of the incredible unpaid benefits of this job, is the scenery that I get paid to look at almost every day. When driving the Red Route on Hermits Road, the canyon is in full view for most of the 8 miles out to Hermits Rest. I took these pictures yesterday from the drivers seat, at or near the sunset time of 7:38 pm.

The westbound bus stop at Powell Point offers one of the best canyon views from the drivers seat, and as the sun moves throughout the day, the shadows create a different view almost every time we stop there. When people ask where the best stop is, my answer is usually that they are all good, each is just a little bit, or a lot different. Secretly, this is one of my favorite views of the canyon.


Today is my one day off in a row, due to yesterday being an overtime day. With lots of laundry to do, and some other errands and chores to take care of, it will be a busy day. Even though I don't usually do naps, I see one coming in the very near future. The little Beagle has gotten into a routine where the sunrise signals it's time to wake up the dog feeder/walker. With the front paws up on the side of the bed, and a little whimper or two, it's next to impossible for the morning slumber to continue. Do they make sleeping pills for dogs?

Just prior to departure from Hermits Rest yesterday evening.

SOME OVERTIME

After a 6 day work stretch, today and tomorrow were supposed to be days off. However, I was asked yesterday if I wanted to fill in today for one of the other drivers. I'm not big on working a lot of overtime, but, an O.T. day, combined with a paid holiday this week, should put my next paycheck in the bus driver stratosphere. That's of course if the government doesn't take it's "fair share", for important investments in Solyndra like, green energy companies. And, lets' not forget how important it is for government agencies to have "retreats" in places like Las Vegas, and Hawaii, on the taxpayer dime. Like the vast majority of proud Americans, I wouldn't mind paying my fair share, if there wasn't such terrible waste and abuse of those funds. The culture of corruption in D.C. has reached epidemic proportions, and without some bold leadership, I'm not at all optimistic about the future for my kids and Granddaughter. I know, the same old rant, but unless something changes, I believe we're a lot closer to the cliff than most people think.

On a more positive note, next week, I'll be taking the truck back to Havasu, and reuniting with my bride, who will have just returned from France. She won't have but 24 hours or so at home, before we return to the canyon for the rest of the summer. I think Patty will start work almost immediately, and hopefully, her schedule will match with some of my days off. But, if not, we'll be done on September 7th, and back to being retired on the 8th.

IT'S OVER

This line of people waiting for the bus at the Hermits Rest Transfer stretched 3 times as long as the photo.

One of the downsides to living and working at one of the world's natural wonders, is the huge numbers of people that are also attracted to this place. The Grand Canyon is a magnet, and on holiday weekends like this past Memorial Day, the park was busting at the seams with people from around the globe. There's always a limit when it comes to providing various services to folks, and I think the shuttle bus system might have been maxed out on Friday and Saturday.

With some drivers working overtime, and every available bus in service, there were times when we just couldn't keep up with the masses of people. As the lines kept getting longer, the patience of the people seemed to get shorter.

Somehow, with buses packed to the limits, we managed to move thousands of people around the park. When a lot of the public started the mass exodus yesterday, we all breathed a sigh of relief, as things got back to what we call normal. I just learned the other day, the annual number of rides that the free bus service provides. I was surprised at how high that number was last year. The park was host to approx. 4 1/2 million visitors in 2011, and the number of rides provided by our buses was approx. 5 1/2 million. That's a heck of a lot of people stepping on and off these buses, and is illustrative of the popularity of Grand Canyon National Park. I'm glad these holiday weekends don't roll around that often.

A TIME TO REMEMBER

Memorial Day Weekend is the traditional kick off for summer, with millions of Americans hitting the highways for their favorite destination, or, perhaps the celebration of this National Holiday is done at home with family & friends, where a backyard BBQ is the focus of their weekend. No matter how, or where people spend this Memorial Day, we all should be thankful for the sacrifice of our past and present military veterans, who in so many cases, paid the ultimate price in service to their country.

This marine, on his own time, stood for hours yesterday, saluting the hundreds of thousands of motorcyclists, who paraded from the Pentagon to downtown Washington D.C. The annual "Rolling Thunder" is a tribute to fallen Vets, and draws attention to the plight of our current military, particularly those wounded warriors who must endure the physical, and mental pain of traumatic, war related injuries. The political and cultural discussion notwithstanding, it's my belief that Memorial Day should be a moment in time, when every American is on the same page, and the honoring of our fallen military heroes is something that is not in dispute.

ANOTHER RV/TRAIN RALLY

Grand Canyon Railway #4960 parked at the Grand Canyon on May 16th. This is the engine that will most likely be the motive power for the Grand Canyon Train on September 15th, 2012.

Last September, the Family Motor Coach Ass'n (FMCA) Golden Spike Chapter had a rally in Carson City, NV, and we rode the new Virginia & Truckee Railroad. Patty and I, along with help from Bill & "D" Hall, put the rally together, and we had 13 RV's attend. The Golden Spikers had tentatively planned to have a rally in southwestern Colorado this September, and we were looking forward to riding on a couple of tourist railroads in that area. In fact, we were hoping to leave our jobs here at the canyon in early September, and leisurely make our way over to Colorado for the rally.

Knowing that this Colorado rally wasn't locked in stone, I emailed our chapter president, Tom Westerfield to inquire about the progress on the Colorado rally. As a back up, I offered to put together a rally in Williams, AZ, where the Grand Canyon Railway is based. With only a preliminary inquiry to the railroad, I sent some basic information to Tom & Barbara, detailing a rough outline of a potential rally, with the Grand Canyon Railroad as the star attraction. I just received an email back from Tom & Barb, and it looks like the Colorado rally has been postponed until 2013. So, for now at least, it appears that I'll be putting my RV rally planning hat back on, and start putting together all things necessary for a get together with our railroad buddies. Barbara Westerfield is putting out our chapter newsletter in a week or so, and some of the preliminary details for this September rally will be included. The dates, and early details are as follows:

When: September 13, 14, 15

Where: Williams, AZ - Grand Canyon Railroad RV Park

What: FMCA Golden Spike RV Rally, & ride to the South Rim on the Grand Canyon Railroad

Who: All Golden Spike members & guests.

HIGH WINDS

My EZup is well anchored with weights and a spike at each corner.

The weather forecast yesterday was for temperatures in the high 50's, low 60's, with high winds, gusting up to 60 mph. While driving on the Hermits Rest route, I jokingly told passengers not to stand too close to the rim, or they might become a kite. The winds were definitely blowing yesterday, and will continue today, although the gusts today are supposed to drop down to 45 mph.

This is the first bad weather turn since I arrived here at the Grand Canyon on May 1st. Only one small rainstorm, and best of all - No Snow! Last year, we had an inch or two of snow in early June.

Today starts the new summer schedule, with my next two days on the Hermits Rest Route, then three days on the Village Route. With Memorial Weekend kicking off yesterday, the crowds have definitely grown, causing the buses to be packed with visitors. With gas prices dropping, I suspect that a lot of people will be heading this way. Gee, I wonder if fuel prices will drop even lower next year at this time, when we'll be heading for Alaska. That's probably a pipe dream.

CHP MEMORIES

This incident occurred in the early 1980's, while I was assigned to the Los Banos Office. I was working the swing shift on Interstate 5, and my area of responsibility was from Hwy 152 on the south, to Del Puerto Canyon Rd. on the north. This stretch of I5 is about 40 miles in length, mostly in a rural, unpopulated area of Central California. It was early in the evening, and daylight had just evolved into night.

My shift was progressing fairly routinely, until the dispatcher broadcast that a small private aircraft was radioing Castle Air Force Base that there was some sort of emergency. The pilot gave his location as being on the west side of the San Joaquin Valley, near the small community of Santa Nella. I remember being southbound on I5 near Hwy 140 (approx. 10 miles north of Santa Nella), when our dispatcher first started relaying information to me from the controller at the air base. The specifics of the emergency were not clear, other than the pilot was having engine problems.

As I continued traveling southbound, nearing Santa Nella, our dispatcher told me that the plane had landed on I5, just south of Santa Nella. Not knowing if the plane had crashed, or was blocking traffic, I kicked the speed up, arriving moments after the small Cessna had set down. Fortunately, the plane appeared to be undamaged, and was parked in the wide center median, and was not a traffic hazard. When I contacted the pilot, I quickly learned that he had lost the ability to use the throttle control from the cockpit. In other words, the engine RPM's dropped down to idle, and he could no longer adjust the speed of the engine. In affect, he became a glider, with only slight adjustment to the engine by way of the throttle fuel mixture knob. He told me that when he knew that he was going to have to land somewhere, the only thing that looked like a possibility was the long, straight concrete of Interstate 5. He was fortunate to be able to land in the southbound lanes, in between traffic, and coast into the middle of the freeway.

It didn't take the pilot long to remove the engine cowling, and discover exactly what the problem was. The connection of the throttle cable to the carburetor had broken, causing the pilot to have very little control over the speed of the engine. It looked like the fix would be rather simple, but since the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) was now involved, things got a little bit more complicated. Instead of the pilot making the repair, which he said he could do, the FAA representative who had been contacted by the air base, ruled that the plane would either have to be fixed by a licensed airframe and power plant mechanic, or the plane would have to be disassembled, and trucked off the freeway. The later didn't seem like a good option for anyone, so I had our dispatcher track down an A&P mechanic in Los Banos, who came out and took care of the relatively easy fix.

With the plane now airworthy once again, I took the pilot in my patrol car, and showed him exactly where the power lines were that he had narrowly missed when he landed. The only option was to attempt the take off in a northbound direction, and the pilot was going to have to keep the plane under the power lines, then get airborne before he got to an overpass. He was sure that he could do it, so we set up a freeway closure when he was ready to attempt the take off. Our prearranged plan was for me to position my patrol car under the power lines, with my spot light illuminating the wires. This gave the pilot a better reference as to exactly where they were located. With the help of my fellow workers, we temporarily stopped both northbound and southbound traffic, and watched the plane take off into the darkness from it's temporary airport.
This incident was an exclamation of the phrase we often used - always expect the unexpected!

A RUN TO FLAGSTAFF

Whenever the folks who reside here at the Grand Canyon need anything more than the basics, a drive into Williams or Flagstaff is necessary. Williams is a small town with one large grocery store (Safeway), but no big boxes like WalMart or Costco. Flagstaff on the other hand, is Northern Arizona's largest city with 2 WalMarts, and a Sam's Club. My destination yesterday was one of the Wally Worlds, and Sam's big clubhouse.

Route 66 is now Business I40 through Flagstaff.

Among other claims to fame, Flagstaff is home to a portion of Route 66. When the Mother Road was completed in the 1920's, it's path through Northern Arizona was the catalyst for growth in many communities like Flagstaff. Today, cities where Route 66 was once the main highway through the land, have begun to embrace the historical significance, and renewed interest in this iconic highway. Flagstaff certainly is one of those cities.


How many times have you wondered if the scanners at grocery stores are completely accurate? When purchasing dozens of items, trying to remember all of the prices, and quickly reconciling that information with what is quickly flashed on the checkout screen, is next to impossible. I suspect the vast majority of folks simply accept that the totals are correct, and go on about their business.

I've gotten into the habit of at least taking a quick look at the receipt before leaving the store, and I'm not surprised anymore, when I find an error. Yesterday was an example of the price on the shelf being way different than what the machine scanned. It's not so much the dollars and cents involved, it's more about the fact that you're quietly being ripped off.

While I was walking toward the door, and looking at the receipt, a $27.68 charge jumped out at me as not being accurate. In double checking the shelf price of the item at $22.53, I confirmed my suspicion that the checkout scanner was incorrect. When customer service refunded me $5.15, I claimed a small victory in the man versus machine conflict.

Today, it's back to work on a six day stretch. This weekend, we're transitioning to the summer schedule where my days off will be Wednesday and Thursday.

GRAND CANYON AIRPORT

On a day off yesterday, I drove into Tusayan with a couple of things in mind. First up on the priority list was a burger at Wendy's. Second, I checked with Grand Canyon Airlines to see if they had any standby availability. It turned out that they didn't, until possibly the 3 o'clock flight. That would have been a several hour wait, so I decided to try again some other day. I took this awesome flight over the canyon twice last year, and for $20 (local standby price), I'm sure I will again this year. While at the airport, I took a few pictures of the area.

The Grand Canyon Airport is about 7 miles south of the canyon rim, located in the community of Tusayan. The first dirt airstrip was on this same site, built in the 1920's for the forest service, soon after Grand Canyon National Park was created in 1919. What I was a little surprised to learn, is that the airport is the third busiest in the state of Arizona, ranking only behind Tucson, and Phoenix. In the calendar year 2009/2010, there were 91,695 takeoffs and landings. The three helicopter tour companies accounted for the majority of that activity.

A helicopter is about to land, as two others are readying for take off.

The three helicopter operations, Maverick, Grand Canyon, and Papillon, also offer a discount to locals on a standby basis. Patty and I didn't take advantage of that offer last year, but perhaps we will this summer.

The most famous landing and take off at the Grand Canyon Airport in recent years, was the arrival of Air Force One on August 16, 2009. This link shows some video of the 747. President Obama and his family visited the National Park for about 4 hours, and just witnessing that magnificent airplane coming in for a landing, must have been quite a sight. I wonder if the government billed the first family for the cost of that personal visit, or if the taxpayers picked up the tab. Hmmm, I think I know the answer to that question. The runway is 9,000 feet in length, long enough for even the biggest of jet aircraft.

Today is also a day off, and shortly, I'm off to Flagstaff, to pick up a few things that aren't available here at the park. It's the 3 week mark since I arrived here, and so far everything is going well. The weather has been unbelievably mild, with temps in the 70's, low 80's during the day, and night temps down into the 30's & 40's. Only one small rainstorm, and yea - no snow, at least not yet. Last year we had an inch or two of snow in early June.

MORE CRITTERS

When my work shift was finished yesterday evening, and after feeding Sami, the next order of business was a short doggy walk. A couple of RV spaces away from where we're parked, we literally almost ran into this young Mule Deer Buck. Sami walked back and forth, trying to sniff what was up with this creature that seemingly had no fear. In fact, at one point, it started to approach the little Beagle. After last years experience, where one of the female Elk struck Sami on the head with one of her front hooves, I kept the leash ready to pull her away from this potential adversary. After Sam completed her business, we left the deer to continue doing whatever it was doing.

These next 3 photos were taken through one of the drivers side windows of the motor home.

I know, last year I went through this same posting of critter pictures, as they paraded almost daily by the motor home. It will become more routine as time goes on, and at some point, I'll quit trying to play the role of wild life photographer. But, for now, watching these magnificent creatures up close and personal, never seems to get old.

The antlers on this Rocky Mountain Elk are just starting to grow. By the end of summer, they will be huge!

This Elk Cow was just a few feet away from the motor home.

Now, this wild beast is another story! Classified as a domestic critter, it's sometimes difficult to believe she's anything but domestic, especially when she's terrorizing the poor old Beagle who just wants to sleep. Her uncanny ability to find an open door, and jump to the highest reaches in the motor home, classifies her as more monkey than cat. I'm sure if I had cat telepathy, the thought in this picture would be "what trouble can I get into next"?

THE SOLAR ECLIPSE

The last time there was a full solar eclipse in this neck of the woods, was back in 1994. At 6:34 pm yesterday, the moon was fully in front of the sun, and for a few minutes, the bright sunshine briefly disappeared. It wasn't like it momentarily got completely dark, but it was noticeable.

By the time the moon started to disrupt some of the suns rays, I think most all of the visitors in the park decided that somewhere on the Hermits Road would be a good place to be. The locals who know the gate code must have decided the same thing. I've never seen so many cars on a road that's not supposed to have any cars.

The eclipse, combined with the sunset one hour later, was the formula for a lot of people to head for the rim of the canyon. Our supervisor did a great job of adjusting our schedules, and moving buses where they needed to be, in order to move the folks back off the rim when it was all over.

I was able to snap a few pictures of the sun during the eclipse, but without the right filters, and whatever else a photographer who knows what they're doing needs (not me), my little Nikon wasn't able to capture a very good image of the moon in front of the sun.

Today is my Friday, with tomorrow and Wednesday as days off. I haven't heard from Patty, who's been in Paris for a few days now, doing whatever you do in Paris. She will be back in Lake Havasu on June 6th, and here at the canyon on the 7th.

HERMITS REST

The Hermits Rest arch & bell, pictured through the bus windshield.

This last week, and the coming week, 4 of my 5 work days have been spent driving on the Hermits Road. From the Grand Canyon Village, it's approx. 8 miles out to Hermits Rest, with the road on the edge of the canyon for most of that distance. It's a spectacularly scenic drive, and if I had enough seniority, I would probably be on this route every day throughout the summer. But, I don't, and I will only be driving on the Hermits Road, Red Route for 2 days a week, starting in a few more days.

This is my bus yesterday, parked at the Hermits Rest Bus Stop.

The name Hermits Rest is appropriate, as there really was a sort of Hermit, who lived close to where the current building is now located. For close to 20 years before the Santa Fe Railroad built a road out to Hermits Rest in 1912, Louis Boucher, a French Canadian prospector, lived in a rustic cabin a short distance down from the rim of the canyon. He catered to a few tourists, who gained access to the canyon on Boucher's primitive Hermits Trail, and he continued to work his mining claims in the area.

In 1914, when the current Mary Colter designed Hermits Rest building was constructed, the increasing wave of tourists began, and that spelled the end of Mr. Boucher's hermit lifestyle. Today, and particularly during the summer months, Hermits Rest is such a popular destination, our shuttle buses pictured above, drop off several hundred people every hour. I think the drive along the Hermits Road is equally attractive, and I get paid to drive along this spectacular route several days a week. I know, it's a tough job, but somebody has to do it!

WORKAMPING & TRAINS

After writing about the special AMTRAK charter train the other day, I started thinking about the last 10 years, and our workamping experiences. It suddenly dawned on me, that out of the 9 years that we have taken mostly summer jobs, 7 of those were in locations where there was a train. When accepting those seasonal work experiences, did my deep rooted fascination with railroads have anything to do with the acceptance of those jobs? Perhaps, but until just a few days ago, it was never something that dominated the thought process.

After we retired from co-ownership of our Harley-Davidson Dealership in 2001, that first summer was a non-working, 3 month long motor home trip to Alaska. The next two summers, we traveled around the country with the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA), pulling the Harley-Davidson Pro Stock Drag Bike Team merchandise trailer. No trains so far.

In the summer of 2004, the call of Alaska took us back to Skagway, a little town at the north tip of the inside passage. We fell in love with everything about Skagway, and for me, the White Pass & Yukon Route Railroad was icing on the cake. I rode on every excursion they had to offer, and instead of one or two years, we kept returning to Skagway for the summers of 2004, 5, 6, & 7.

In 2008, even though we hadn't run out of enthusiasm for Skagway, we decided that there were other parts of the country that we wanted to explore. During the summer of 2008, I took a 3 month job as a supervisor for the Glacier National Park shuttle bus system. The passenger train that stopped just outside the west gate of the Park was the AMTRAK Empire Builder. I watched it come and go on almost a daily basis, and vowed that someday, I would ride that train from Seattle to Chicago.

In the summers of 2009, and 2010, we decided not to work, and spent those summers traveling around the country and Canada. Last year, I accepted the job I have now, a bus driver for the Grand Canyon National Park transit system. The train that arrives every day here at the South Rim, is the Grand Canyon Railroad, and an occasional special charter train like the other day.

So, has there been some sort of subconscious, subliminal train thing going on, that has something to do with where we end up spending the summer? Could be, but as long as I get my train fix, I'm not going to try and analyze the reasons we end up where we do. Next summer, it's back to Alaska, where the White Pass & Yukon Route RR, and the Alaska Railroad have reservations with my name on it, and the workamping part of the equation will disappear.

SOLAR UPDATE

Since the installation of our solar electrical generating system in mid March, we've received 2 monthly bills from UniSource, the electric utility company. The system was designed to generate approx. the same amount of electricity that we typically use, based on a years worth of utility bills. Simply put, the solar panels are supposed to put the same amount of electricity that we use, back into the grid. The result as specified in the contract, is that we only pay the usual taxes and fees that nobody understands. Those fees typically are around $8 a month.

At first, I was a bit skeptical, but with most everything in writing, I only had to decide if it was worth the initial capitol investment of a little over $9,000. Based on our electrical usage, the pure return on investment would be in the neighborhood of 8 years. But, I kind of looked at it a little differently. That $9,000 was sitting in a money market account earning 1.3% interest, and now, even though solar panels have replaced the cash, we're now earning just under 10% on that 9 grand, by way of no monthly utility bill.

The last two monthly electric utility bills have been $8, and some change. So far, the Chance Solar Utility Company has a heck of a lot better track record than Solyndra. The Feds would have done much more in the way of stimulating our pitiful economy, if they would have taken that half billion dollars that they lost to Solyndra, and invested it in residential solar systems. I just did the math, and based on the cost of our system, that 500 million of taxpayer money, that went out the window, would have put over 50,000 solar systems on American homes! That sounds like a better investment in renewable energy, and a better step toward reducing our dependency on foreign oil, than the Solyndra debacle. But, I should know better. My definition of fiscal responsibility, and the expenditure of taxpayer dollars, never matches the so called wisdom of our politicians in Washington.

STEAMIN TO THE RIM X2

For train enthusiasts like me, yesterday was a little bit of heaven for all of us, as we witnessed a passenger train, pulled by two steam engines, arriving at the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. Watching, and listening to these fire breathing monsters of steam was a real treat, particularly when the last grade into the village is pretty steep. Both of these vintage engines were working really hard to get this very long, AMTRAK charter train up the last hill, and onto the "Y" track, before backing into the depot.


This special train originated in Los Angeles, and it traveled on BNSF tracks out of LA, up the Cajon pass, through Barstow, and out into the Mojave Desert. East of Barstow, it switched to the Arizona & California tracks, bringing it into Parker, AZ where it spent the first night. The next days route was from Parker to near Congress, where it switched to another track, bringing it into Williams, AZ for the second night. Yesterday, it's arrival at the Grand Canyon was 1 hour later than it's scheduled time, keeping with AMTRAK's tradition of not being on time. The extra hour wait was well worth it, as the sight and sound of two steam engines pulling up a steep grade is something that you don't get to see very often. The last time I remember witnessing a double header steam engine combination was on the Sierra Railroad in our old hometown of Jamestown, CA., many years ago.

When the train left Williams yesterday morning, the Grand Canyon Railroad put it's steam engine at the front of the train, leading the BNSF #3751 steamer, and an AMTRAK diesel toward the Grand Canyon. The Grand Canyon Railroad #4960 only pulls trains to the canyon a few times a year, and it has been converted to burn waste vegetable oil.

This location is the last curve before the tracks reach the Grand Canyon Village.

The passenger cars were a combination of vintage & newer types, including several dome cars.

This photo shows the middle of the train as it's being pulled up the hill onto the "Y" track.

When the train arrived at the canyon, it pulled onto the "Y" track, the same as the daily Grand Canyon Railroad train does. I didn't count the cars, but this train was so long, it just barely fit on the Y, before it backed down the hill into the depot. The daily train had arrived just before the charter train, and it was sitting in front of the depot as the charter was turned around.

This picture shows the rear of the train, as it's being backed off the "Y" track into the depot.

While the train was pulling up the hill onto the "Y" track, I had time to move over in front of the Bright Angel Lodge, and get a few pictures as it backed down the hill into the village. By this time, the crowd was growing by the minute, and when the train had parked in front of the depot, there were hundreds of folks admiring these two steam engines.

Before I drove down to the village, I checked the web site for this special charter train, and I took particular note of the passenger ticket prices. They ranged from about $800 to over $4,000 per person. Naturally, the higher prices included more amenities, and the several thousand dollar fare got you a private sleeper room with your own bathroom.

This special charter, which left the canyon yesterday around 4 pm, was an 8 day adventure, and it included side trips, meals, and lodging if you payed for a private sleeper cabin. Today, I think the itinerary included a bus trip from Williams to Cottonwood, where the activity was a ride on the Verde Valley Railroad.

I'm glad this happened on one of my days off, so I could witness the rare sight of a double header steam engine combination, in a very special place. I was envious of all the passengers on board this charter, and maybe, perhaps someday, something like this might be in my future!

Grand Canyon Railroad #4960 parked near the depot.

Burlington Northern Santa Fe #3751 parked near the Grand Canyon Depot.

Part of the huge crowd that had gathered to take a look at the two vintage steam engines.

OFF TO PARIS

I just got off the phone with Patty, and she was about to leave the house, taking the shuttle van to the Las Vegas airport. This morning is the start of her 3 week trip to France, that will include her brother Michael, and their friend Donald.

Today, Patty is flying to San Francisco, where she will spend the night with her brother, and tomorrow, the three of them will fly first to Houston, then on to Paris. That's way too many hours in an airplane for me, but my wife doesn't even hesitate when faced with a long, overseas flight. Last year, she and her son David visited Greece, and the year before, she and her brother flew to China. This fall, she and her buddy Nancy have tentative plans to fly to Hawaii, and stay in Nancy's condo for a couple of weeks.

If I had to sit in an airliner for more than about 3 hours, I know there would have to be some Valium on the menu, or, perhaps the unthinkable, a reversion to a 20 year absence of alcohol. It's not that I'm afraid to fly, I think it's cool when the planes take off and land. It's the middle part that drives me to distraction. After a few hours, in a seat designed for vertically challenged people, the claustrophobic syndrome starts to kick in, and I get what some people call "happy feet". Lets just say that I don't see any 5-10 hour flights in my future. Just flying to the east coast is a stretch for me. Fortunately, when that's necessary, it's usually broken up with a plane change somewhere in the middle of the country.

Today is a day off from work, and there's a very special event taking place here at the South Rim of the Grand Canyon today. I hope to have some pictures of this one of a kind occurrence on the blog tomorrow.

SUMMER SCHEDULE

The bidding is over. By seniority, all of the 57 drivers have picked their schedules, shifts, and days off for the summer months. At #47 in seniority, I had some choices, but all of the desirable schedules, mostly morning shifts, had been taken. I ended up with Wednesday and Thursday as days off, and all of my shifts start around noon. The routes are 3 days of the village (blue) route, and 2 days of the Hermits (red) route.

When the visitor count starts to really increase in a few weeks, the blue route can be a bit hectic, as it's the hub of the system, moving thousands of people every hour. Last year, when I started on Memorial Weekend, working the blue village route was especially challenging, at least until I learned a few tricks that made it easier to keep up with the departure times. The red route also moves a lot of people, but the schedule isn't quite as tight, and even with delays, it's not as difficult to keep up with the schedule.

So, my days off, routes, and times are pretty much set in stone for the summer, starting on May 26th. By the time September 7th, the end of the summer bid rolls around, I know I'll be ready to once again rejoin the "retired" ranks.

THE SOUTH KAIBAB TRAIL

A few days ago, before starting work, I drove out to the South Kaibab Trailhead, and took these pictures. There are two major trails down into the canyon from the South Rim, the Kaibab, and the Bright Angel. For those folks who are hiking all the way down to the river, and more specifically to the Phantom Ranch, the Kaibab Trail at 7.1 miles from rim to the ranch, is about 2 1/2 miles shorter than the Bright Angel. Both of these trails offer unbelievable views of the canyon, and the famous Grand Canyon Mules use both trails. Because the Kaibab is shorter, the mules use this route to take all of the supplies down to the ranch.

Last year, just before Patty and Nancy did a hike down part of the Kaibab, one of the pack mules had fallen, and subsequently died. They saw the animal before the park service helicopter was utilized to remove it from the trail. Fortunately, there has never been any injuries to people, in all of the years that the mules have transported folks down to the river.

This morning, about half of the drivers, including myself, have some training, and then later, I'll be driving the orange (Kaibab) route. Not much time this morning, so, more later...........