IT'S AN INVASION

I was warned by the experienced drivers who have been working here at the Grand Canyon for years. Memorial Weekend is the kickoff to summer, but really, it's more like an explosion into the summer season. One driver described it as being similar to an ant hill, being stirred with a stick. People moving in every direction, with many having no clue how to get to where they want to go. The variety of foreign languages only compounds the problem.

Yesterday, I went from the frying pan, directly into the intense fire. The first day of Memorial Weekend here at the South Rim of the Grand Canyon National Park, was challenging, to say the least. While I drove the Village Blue Route, at almost every stop, as the term goes, we "stacked & packed" the bus full of people. Often, with not another square inch available, folks were left to wait for the next bus. Thank goodness, the way the schedule works, my days off are Sunday & Monday, and for the next two days, I can decompress.

The Grand Canyon National Park is the second most visited National Park in the United States. The Smokey Mountain National Park is at the top of the list. We're still adjusting to living and working here, but I suspect that we'll never adjust to the incredible views of the canyon, just steps away from where we have the motor home parked.

On one of the bus routes (Red), the road stays next to the canyon wall for 8 miles out to Hermits Rest. I will be driving this route two days a week, and to think, that I'll be getting paid to look at the Grand Canyon all day is mind boggling! Although we've been here a couple of times before, now that we're learning some of the history, and facts about the canyon, it has become even more of a special place. Very much like our experience in Skagway, Alaska. Except for the winter season, once we were there, we didn't want to leave.

There are several categories for the 7 natural wonders of the world, that range from ancient, to modern, and from natural, to man made. A few years ago, USA Today, and ABC's Good Morning America rated the seven wonders of the world. Their public poll revealed that the Grand Canyon was the #1 pick. A CNN list of the 7 natural wonders, picked the Grand Canyon as #1. I haven't seen the Great Barrier Reef, nor have I seen Victoria Falls, but even if I had, it's hard for me to imagine anything more impressive than that first view you get of the Grand Canyon.