WAITING FOR THE CALL

Yesterday was my second day on the job (yes, I really do have a job), after going through a week of intense training. During the course of the week, I have 5 different routes, and on Wednesday, the route is called the "Cover Bus". Essentially, this is a backup route that is utilized to fill in where the system gets overloaded with passengers. I guess you could also call this route the Cavalry, or the re-enforcement bus. Nothing complicated, just a matter of getting ready to roll, and waiting for the supervisor to call on the radio.

Killing time and listening to the radio

Well, I waited, and I waited, and yes, I waited some more for that radio call! From about 12:30 pm, to about 7:30 pm, I listened intently to the radio traffic, but no call came to the Cover Bus. As time passed, I began to feel more and more like the long lost orphan that nobody wanted. Fortunately, I was warned that taking a book, or something to read, might just be a lifesaver. For sure, good ole John Steinbeck was a welcome companion yesterday, as I waited for the call.

Not knowing when, or if the radio call was going to come, I got somewhat creative with the camera, mostly as a way to kill some time. These pictures show "my office" in a little more detail, and where I'll be spending a lot of time during the next 3 months.

All geared up and ready to roll, but nowhere to go.

I think it was around 7:35 pm, the ready crackled "Cover Bus, S2"
(S2 is the supervisor). After I answered, I was instructed to pick up passengers that were being dropped off at the Red Route transfer, and run the Blue (Village) Route up to the visitors center.

So, after sitting for 7 hours, I carried some passengers for about 20 minutes, and my day was done. Not the most ideal way to spend the workday, but hey, the pay is the same, and sometimes you
just have to take the bad with the good, and so far, it's been overwhelmingly good.

When I returned to the yard, the supervisor said that more often than not, the Cover Bus is busy putting out fires during most of the shift. Unfortunately, yesterday just wasn't one of those days.

Today, I drive the Blue Route (Village) all day, and with the sun peaking above the horizon, on what appears to be a cloudless day, I suspect my shift today will pass much faster than yesterday.