GRAND CANYON COMMUNITY

We're near the 3 week mark since we first arrived here at the South Rim in the Grand Canyon National Park, on May the 16th. In that time, we've become better acquainted with the community, learning where everything is, and learning exactly what is, and what isn't here.

Due to it's relatively isolated location, if you need to purchase anything more than the basics, it requires a drive into either Williams (65 miles), or Flagstaff (75 miles). Our grocery store, run by Patty's employer, has a little bit of everything, but it's the only game in town. Unlike our 4 summers in Skagway, Alaska, where we had a hardware store, and a few other specialty stores, there are none of those here at the South Rim. Planning ahead becomes a little more critical, when much of what you might need is at least an hour drive away.

The numbers of workers who reside here, both year round, and seasonally, is much higher than meets the eye. The number that keeps surfacing is around 2,000 residents, but I'm not sure if that's the average, or the high number during the summer. In any event, there are enough people here to support a combined grade school and high school. 11 seniors just graduated a few days ago. Reminds me of the small graduating classes in Skagway, that was almost always less than 10 kids.

So far, living and working here at the Grand Canyon is going very well, and we've already had a few discussions about returning again next summer. We'll see how the rest of the season goes, and make that decision much later in the year. My job ends on Sep 9th, and Patty's ends around the same time. The way things are going, those dates will be here before we know it!

NEIGHBORLY HORNS

No, not the kind that go beep, beep, but the kind that grow out of the heads of the Rocky Mountain Elk. Yep, these guys are also our neighbors here at the Grand Canyon National Park. A few days ago, there were 7 females grazing around our motor home, and Sami learned first hand, that the front hooves can be dangerous if you get too close.

At first, I was oblivious to this guys presence, as I was on the other side of the motor home washing the jeep. One of my two legged neighbors was riding his bicycle when he stopped and pointed out the four legged neighbor. We both watched from a distance, then I took these pictures. As I mentioned before, the Elk and Deer in the park are humanized, and due to their close contact with people, have very little fear of us. We see them just about every day, but it's still amazing when you are this close to these magnificent creatures.

The tree next to our neighbors trailer seems to be one of the Elk's favorite snacks

My guess is that this guy weighs in at about 5-700 pounds, and his partner, peaking around the corner, was only slightly smaller.

Several years ago, Patty and I were parked near Jasper, Alberta during the Elk mating season, and we witnessed a much more aggressive male Elk, as he tried to keep the females under his control. Not sure when that time period is, but if it's during the next 3 months, these guys will be getting a lot more space from me. For now, it's always a treat to be up close and personal with these neighbors.

STEAMIN TO THE RIM

Yesterday was my early workday for the week, starting at 8:25 am. While driving the Village (Blue) Route, a little before noon, I discovered that the Grand Canyon Railway had used one of their steam engines to bring the train from Williams to the South Rim. I took these two photos from our bus stop at the Bright Angel Lodge, and they're not the best shots, but at least you can see #4960 in front of the train.

The Grand Canyon Railway, like many short line railroads, has a history of boom and bust periods, and despite economic conditions, is currently riding a wave of prosperity.

In 1901, the Santa Fe Railroad completed the 64 mile line from Williams to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. A few years later, they built the famous El Tovar Hotel on the rim of the canyon.
For several decades, the railroad was the primary reason that hundreds of thousands of people were able to visit the Grand Canyon. When the automobile became more and more dominant as the publics transportation choice, many small railroads started to disappear. In 1968, the last passenger train from Williams carried 3 passengers, and the decision by Santa Fe to discontinue service was an easy one.

For about 20 years, there was talk about abandoning the line, but fortunately the rails were never pulled up. In 1988, Max and Thelma Biegert purchased the line, and restarted passenger service to the South Rim in 1989. They were responsible for rehabilitating not only the railroad, but also the Williams Depot and other assets like the Williams Hotel.

Increased ridership has continued through the last 25 years, and today, the annual passenger count is several hundred thousand, putting the Grand Canyon Railway in the top 5 of North American scenic railway excursions. In 2006, the railroad and it's assets were sold to Xanterra Corp. who is the primary concessionaire at the South Rim. Due primarily to higher costs, Xanterra made a decision to discontinue usage of the steam engines. However, they have brought the steam engine out a few times during the summer, I suspect due to increasing demand from the public.

Yesterday was one of those days when the sound of the steam engine and it's distinctive whistle, was once again seen and heard here at the Grand Canyon.

CHP MEMORIES

In my last "memories" post, I wrote that after working in the L.A. area for almost 4 years, I scored a transfer to the Santa Cruz Office. Getting out of the smog and congested freeways of Southern California was almost like starting over again, with a clean slate. I had returned to the area where I went to High School, and an area that I knew quite well. Except for the coastal fog, it was really nice to see blue skies once again.

I remember one particular evening when I started the graveyard shift, our briefing consisted mostly about illegal drag racing on the coast highway about 5 miles north of Santa Cruz. This was an ongoing issue that seemed to be getting more and more attention from various sources. There was even an article in the local paper about how this 4 lane stretch of Hwy 1 had become a hot spot for street racers, and hundreds of people were either participating or spectating, almost on a nightly basis during the summer months.

Due to the media coverage, the spotlight was cast on our commander to do something before someone was injured or killed. To say that the pressure was on for something to be done, would be putting it mildly. The problem for us was that there was only one way out to this temporary dragstrip, and that was to go through the city of Santa Cruz, and north on the coast highway. Every time we would go through town, the spotters who were positioned just north of town would use radios and warn the racers that the black and whites were on the way. There were countless times when we would show up, and see nothing but a crowd of people, with cars parked all along the highway. Nothing illegal about that, even though we knew what was going on. The key was to witness an actual race taking place, then everyone in the area would be in violation of the vehicle code, even the spectators.

My partner and I decided that it was time to take some of the pressure off, and find a way to get out there without anyone seeing us. We decided to try a simple tactic of coming in from the north, which required us to take a lot of back roads through the Santa Cruz mountains. We hadn't tried this before, due to the length of time required to navigate these back roads to a position where we would be north of the action.

It was a Saturday night and on a hunch that the racing would be happening, we took off right from the office, and set a course through the Santa Cruz mountains. It seems like it took us forever to reach the coast, but in reality, it probably was only about an hour. We intersected the coast highway well north of the dragstrip, and headed south, hoping to disrupt the action, and send a message.

About a mile north of the problem area, we could see lots of lights, indicating that something was happening. We pulled over and called our other graveyard car, in addition to putting out a call for assistance from the Sheriff's department. I figured that if we were going to make an impact, we were going to do it in as big a way as possible. While we waited for the cavalry to get in position at the north end of Santa Cruz, we had crept south to a point where we could actually identify the vehicles participating in the races. We were blacked out, and had inched our way along the shoulder where we watched several races, making notes on each vehicle involved. From our position, we couldn't tell how many people were in attendance, but it looked like there were several dozen vehicles, and perhaps a hundred or more spectators.

When our reinforcements were in position, we pulled out on the highway just as two more cars were lining up to race. Still blacked out, we were able to pull up almost right behind the two racers, and that's when we turned the world RED! The activation of our single red spotlight on the two vehicles in front of us, caused an instant flurry of activity. People were running all over the place, getting in their vehicles, and stampeding out of Dodge as quickly as possible. What they didn't know, was that at the same time we turned that section of Hwy 1 red, the cavalry was setting up a roadblock just north of Santa Cruz. With our vehicle descriptions, several drivers who were headed back into town, were cited for engaging in speed contests. We pulled over both of the vehicles who were getting ready to burn rubber, and both drivers were taken into custody.

The offense of engaging in a speed contest was, and probably still is a discretionary misdemeanor. What that means is that the officer has the discretion of either issuing a citation, or making a physical arrest. We knew that this story would make a splash in the local newspaper, so our intent was to make as big a wave as possible.

Two days later, the story in the newspaper was how the CHP and the Sheriff's Department had busted up the illegal drag racing out on the coast highway. Our Captain gave my partner and I credit for the bust, but more importantly, the media coverage of the event sent a message that illegal street racing on Highway 1 had become a whole lot riskier.

The irony of this event is that when I was a teenager, attending Watsonville High School in southern Santa Cruz County, I had been a participant in several drag races, and a spectator in many more, on this lonely stretch of Highway 1, north of Santa Cruz, CA.

SAMI'S ROAD

When you're 13 1/2, long walks require a break once in awhile

Sami's Road

When we are at our winter home in Lake Havasu City, AZ., letting Sami outside to do her business, is as simple as opening the patio sliding door. Whenever we are traveling, or parked as we now are for the summer, the little dog must be taken on walks to accomplish the same goal.

Soon after we arrived I discovered this dirt road that starts about 100 feet away from the motor home. This has now become "Sami's Road", and she is quickly learning all of the smells along it's path. I don't understand how, or why a dog's nose is connected to their ability to take care of business, but their definitely is some sort of link between the two. In fact, if the right odors are not present, often the walks sometimes seem to take forever. I suspect most of the dog owners know what I'm talking about.

These last pictures are an example of some of the flora and fauna along "Sami's Road". This high desert environment, at 7,000 feet above sea level, has some unusual plants and vegetation. The South Rim is relatively dry in terms of lakes, streams, or springs, and the water table is so far down, that it's impractical to drill any type of well. For many years, all of the water consumed at the South Rim was hauled in by the railroad in tank cars. Conversely, the North Rim of the canyon at approx. 8,000 feet, has an abundance of water. At some point quite a few years ago, a water pipeline was constructed, that runs from the North Rim down into the canyon near Phantom Ranch, and loosely follows the Bright Angel Trail up to the South Rim. We have never been to the North Rim, but I'm told that even though it's only about 13 miles as the Condor flies, the environment is totally different.

On another subject, Patty had a recent conversation with one of the helicopter pilots, and he told her that there was a "locals" program where we could fly for free, or for almost free. Since that's on our list of things to do, that was good news, and something that we'll be taking advantage off.

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.

SAMI'S NEW FRIENDS

This picture was taken right before the Elk struck Sami on the head with one of her front hooves.

Well, not exactly! During our morning walk today, we first encountered 7 female Rocky Mountain Elk, just outside the motor home. Then, a few steps later, we stumbled on about the same number of Mule Deer.

Sami's first instinct with rabbits, squirrels, cats, and other small animals is to give chase. The more they run, the more she pulls on her leash like a sled dog. Sometimes she tries the same tactic with larger animals such as horses or cows. When they don't run, the game is over as far as she's concerned. This morning, it was more like let me smell you, and then you can go on eating or doing whatever Elk and Deer do. She got nose to nose with a couple of the Elk, and just before we were ready to go back in the motor home, the one pictured above, gave Sam a bop on the head with one of her front hooves. That caused an instant yelp, and a quick retreat. If dogs could think like us, she was probably feeling like, OK, game over, I don't want to play anymore.

The leash we have is 16 feet long, so that is the distance I am from most of these animals, when I took the pictures. These close encounters are pretty routine around here, as they are in many of the National Parks. The animals soon learn that they have nothing to fear from us humans, and thus, they become humanized. Getting these pictures of Sami with the Elk and Deer were not routine for us, and after the one Elk gave Sami the front legged greeting, I suspect she will have a little more respect for these large critters.

Seeing the Elk and Deer are almost a daily occurrence here in Grand Canyon National Park. While I was driving the Hermits Route Yesterday, I had to slow the bus on about 5 different occasions, due to Elk near the road. A few days ago, I learned that 25 mountain lions (cougars) have been captured, collared, and are being monitored at, or near the South Rim. The driver who trained me, has seen 2 mountain lions in his 5 years of living year round in the Park.

As my bucket list gets shorter, the one thing that will remain near the top, is the sighting of a mountain lion in the wild. Even if it's just a glimpse, as one runs across the road, then I'll be a happy camper. Perhaps I'll get lucky this summer.

These Mule Deer weren't exactly happy to have Sami intruding into their space

The weather here at the South Rim of the Grand Canyon has been almost ideal as far as I'm concerned. I think Patty would like it to be a little warmer, but daytime temps in the mid 60's to the mid 70's fit right into my wheelhouse. At 7,000 feet elevation, it typically cools down into the 40's at night. In the 2 weeks that we've been here, the air conditioning has remained off, and I hope it stays that way through most of the summer.

WORKAMPING

Patty leaving, on her 15 minute walk to work

There are countless numbers of people who travel in their RV's, and work at various locations around the country. Often, these jobs are seasonal, and they can range from hosting at campgrounds, to driving buses at the Grand Canyon. These folks are often referred to as Workampers, and there is a publication of the same name called Workamper, that publishes an online list of jobs, and a monthly magazine. Of course their is a subscription required, and even though we're not subscribers any longer, we were for years, and that's how I first heard of the bus driving job that I now have here at the Grand Canyon.

Our last workamping gig was during the summer of 2008, when I worked as a supervisor for the Glacier National Park Transit System. The last 2 summers we decided not to work, and traveled all over the U.S. and Canada. For me, there are several attractions to workamping. One is the fact that many of the jobs are seasonal, and only require a 3-5 month commitment. About the time the job becomes either boring, or drudgery, it's time to pack up and move on down the road. One of the obvious attractions for folks like us, is the fact that you get to travel, and live temporarily at some of the most beautiful, and scenic places in the country. For us, the fact that we don't have to work unless we want to, makes choosing a job all that much easier. Some of the better jobs, or better locations, are often very competitive, and require a more complete resume.

These pictures of Patty were taken yesterday, as she departed on her short walk to work. It was my second day off, and I stayed at the motor home, taking care of several chores that had been put off during my work week. Today, I'm back to work, driving the most scenic route in the park. The entire 16 mile roundtrip out to Hermits Rest is along the rim of the canyon, so in essence, I'll be getting paid to look at the canyon for 8 hours. Yea, I know, I do have to look at the road most of the time, but there will be occasional glimpses as I drive, and talk to the folks about what they're seeing, and where we'll be stopping.

Yep, we really do have jobs here at the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. These pictures of Patty show her very exotic uniform, consisting of a T-shirt. The other clothing is not furnished by her employer. On the other hand, my employer furnished me with 5 golf shirts, 5 pairs of pants, and one jacket.

Now, I could be making this all up, when it comes to my job, and all of this previous talk about training, uniforms, and scenic bus routes. Perhaps, this is all just a way to make myself look good, and to disguise the fact that I'm a "kept" man. The reality might just be that I'm nothing more than a motor home driver, who gets us to these exotic places, then sits back and lets the little women support our lavish lifestyle. Could it be? You don't see any pictures of me in my work uniform do you? Ooops, there I go daydreaming again. Back to reality, time to go to work.

A DAY OFF

The San Francisco Peaks tower above Flagstaff

My days off are set in stone for the summer, and they are Sunday & Monday. It looks like Patty will have Tuesday & Wednesday as her days off. Both being rookies at our respective work places, we don't have any seniority, and as a result, don't have much to say about things like time off. Oh well, we both agreed that it wasn't ideal, but for a little over 3 months, we can live with it. As always, there's a silver lining in most everything. With the two of us off for 4 days of the week, we only have to worry about taking care of Sami for 3 days. So, in that respect, different days off are a plus.

Humphries Peak, the highest point in Arizona

Since we both started our jobs last week, yesterday was the first opportunity for either of us to get into Flagstaff for a few necessities. We made the trip together before starting work, but in the last week, we discovered that there were a few things we needed, so off I went, early in the morning.

Even though the grocery store here at the Grand Canyon Village has a nice selection, to include meats and produce, there is no hardware, auto parts, or any other kind of store. Access to other shopping requires a drive into either Flagstaff or Williams. When we lived in Skagway, Alaska, at least there was a few other stores, like a hardware store, preventing trips up to Whitehorse every week.

In Flagstaff, the junction of Hwy 180 with Old Route 66 has a few signs to read

I made the usual stops at places like WalMart, Sam's Club, and a few other stores, and was on the road back to the Grand Canyon by about 2pm. The drive takes a little over an hour, and is about 75-80 miles. In the morning when I left, there was a steady stream of vehicles heading toward the Canyon. On my return trip from Flagstaff, it looked like most of those vehicles were leaving the park. Kind of like an ocean wave coming into the beach, then returning to the sea.
Naturally, most everyone is in a huge hurry, so watching for the idiot who is passing a line of cars, just to gain a minute or two, was paramount. And believe me, there were a bunch of idiots yesterday!

The old train depot in Flagstaff is now the visitors center, and a stop for Amtrak

We just got an email from our dear friend Nancy Kissack,stating that she is planning a trip to the Grand Canyon in July. Even though we will be working, I'm sure we'll have some time to spend with Nancy, and we're both looking forward to her visit.

Almost forgot. Our Sprint cell phone (928) 208-7058 doesn't work very well. The Trac Phone (928) 302-0726 works much better, and is a better way to call if necessary.

Today is my second day off, and as always there's a few chores that need to be addressed. Back to work tomorrow, and I will be driving on the Hermits Rest Road where I'll be forced to look at the many different views of the Grand Canyon all day long. As the saying goes, "it's a tough job, but somebody's got to do it". I think I need a real person to pinch me, so I know this isn't a dream.

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.

PASSING TRAINING

Driving a 40 foot transit bus here at the Grand Canyon National Park is a little more involved than just the driving. If it were simply getting behind the wheel, and motoring down the road, there would be no question about most C.D.L. Drivers ability to do the job.

Yesterday evening marked the completion of my week of training, and I have been released on an unsuspecting public, beginning this morning. With very little trepidation, I'm anxious to start driving on my own, without someone looking over my shoulder. It's been an extremely educational week, not to mention a very challenging week. After the third day of training, it was beginning to look like one of my fellow trainees wasn't going to make it. When Gary, our trainer, took her aside at the end of the day, and basically said that "if you want this job, you better step it up a notch, or you're going to fail". With that sober warning, she did exactly that, and all 3 of us made it through the training process.

The company that I am working for, Paul Revere Transportation, is on their 3rd 5 year contract, with the Park Service. The Paul Revere manager, and the supervisors, have the transit system operating like a finely tuned race engine. Each individual bus route is so precise, the drivers have to stay on their toes when it comes to maintaining the schedule. In addition to the errorless driving required, we have a multitude of announcements that have to be made concerning safety, route information, and a host of other things. As I stated previously, the learning curve has been quite sharp, but once everything, or most everything was absorbed, I feel very well prepared to do the job.

This past week has been both fun, and quite challenging. I feel a sense of accomplishment, having made it through this week of bus driver boot camp, with I'm quite sure, a few more challenges on the horizon.

SLIDEOUT AWNINGS

Living room slideout awning with puddled water on top

When we arrived here at the Grand Canyon, I was relatively sure that we would be parked here for about 3 1/2 months. Several years ago, I came up with a relatively simple solution to a problem that exists for most RV's with slide outs. Not that my idea is unique. I've seen other RV's with the same fix for sagging, water puddled slide out awnings. A few RV's have more of an angle from where the awning is connected to the RV, to where the mechanism unrolls the awning. In those cases, the water runs off, and there's no issue. However, most RV slide out awnings are like mine, relatively flat. This allows water to puddle, which sags, and distorts the awning. Over time, the longevity of the awning is adversely affected.

The first picture shows small amounts of water on top of our living room slide out awning. In heavy rain, these small puddles become big puddles. Even with a small amount of water on top of the awning, the second picture shows how much the awning is distorted.

The fix isn't really very practical, unless you're going to be parked for awhile, because there is some set up, and tear down time involved. Anyone can build the supports pictured above, out of simple PVC pipe. Half inch is what I used, and it's plenty strong to keep the awning from sagging.

Another plus for this awning support system is that it lessens the amount of flapping when the wind decides to blow. During the almost 2 weeks that we have been here, we've had a few windy days, and I suspect there will be quite a few more.

Today is my last day of training, and I'm anxious to get out on my own. Dealing with large crowds will certainly have it's challenges, but I think this is going to be an enjoyable summer, and we're already talking about returning next year.

TRAINING CONTINUES

For most people, I suspect that going to work at 5-6 am, doesn't allow for much free time in the morning. Naturally, I have to be different. I need time for the two C's - Coffee and Computer.
A shower, some sort of breakfast, and time for other necessities, means that I can't just roll out of bed, and head off to work. My roll out of bed time has been between 2:30 and 3:30, allowing me time to sort of stay within a routine that I like to keep. The uncomfortable part, is crawling out of a warm bed a little more than half way through the night. There's usually a good side to most everything, and with the above, that good side is getting off work early.

Such has been the case the last 4 days, as training to be a bus driver here at the Grand Canyon continues. One more day tomorrow, then I start work on Saturday, the first day of Memorial Weekend. Talk about going from the frying pan into the fire! Our trainer pulled me aside this morning, and asked if I wanted tomorrow off. At first, I was a little confused, but he then explained that he thought I was ready for the fire, and if I wanted, I didn't have to come in tomorrow. I thanked him for his vote of confidence, but asked for all of the training I could get, before facing huge crowds on Saturday.

I've driven buses in Skagway, Alaska and in Glacier National Park, but have never gone through intense training like the last 4 days. This company has safety as the top priority, as it should be, but all of the other procedures and specific driving methods are very plainly spelled out. In other words, the gray area here is very small. Our trainer, and company safety officer, Gary Brown, has been superb, not only with his teaching skills, but also with his demeanor. A big part of this process is building confidence, and he has the personality and patience to do just that.

Tomorrow, we actually get to sleep in a little. We don't start until 7:45 am, will be done around noon, then we come back a little before sunset. The purpose is to watch how the buses clear all of the people away from the canyon walls, after the multitude of folks have viewed the very spectacular sunset that occurs here most every evening.

SENIORITY

That word is often a key, when it comes to selecting everything from vacations, to what shift a person might work at his/her job. With many small companies, or in some cases larger businesses, worker seniority isn't applicable. Here at the Grand Canyon, seniority is the name of the game, regarding the selection of driver routes and shifts. By the end of next week, there will be 54 bus drivers working for the transit company, and as I might expect, being a new hire, I'm right down near the bottom of the seniority list.

But, not at the very bottom. Today is the third day of training with 2 other drivers, and when it comes to seniority, I'm in the middle. We all have the same work start dates, but seniority has something to do with when we were first interviewed for the job. Next week, the company will be training the last 2 drivers, so, I will be ahead of those 2, and I'm ahead of one of my fellow trainees. Wahoooo, I'll be senior to 3 drivers, and junior to 50. I like the first number, but not the second very much.

The 50 drivers who are senior to me, are on the job, and have already picked their shifts, and routes for the summer. Yesterday, the 3 of us were asked to pick our shifts, and routes, based on what was left, which wasn't very much. After the person who is senior to me picked her shift/route, it was my turn. The routes/shifts still available, were obviously what you might say
are the least desirable. But, I still had to pick from the few that were left.

It looks like I'll be off on Sunday & Monday, and working a swing shift (about noon-8 or 9) for 4 of the 5 work days. On Saturday, it will be more of a day shift (8-5). I won't get into the route stuff, since I don't even have all of that figured out myself.

Seniority can be a great thing, especially when you have it! When you don't, well, it's not such a great thing. Perhaps one of the reasons seniority became an institution in the American work place, is that it tends to give workers something to strive for. Sort of like the carrot at the end of the stick. Right now for me, that carrot is at the end of a very long stick.

DESERT VIEW

OK, I missed a day, but my excuse is that I started work, and the learning curve is quite steep. There's so much more to just driving a Bus here at the Grand Canyon. The driving part is the easy part. Getting comfortable with the buses, new policies and procedures, learning the routes, and all of the announcements that have to be made, and managing the people on often very crowded buses, is all taking most of the my free time. So yea, it's around 4am, and I'm up getting ready for the 2nd day on the job, starting time 5:30am.

Day before yesterday, Patty and I drove east on Hwy 64 to Desert View. This was the last of the places on our checklist to explore before we both started work. It's about 25 miles from the Grand Canyon Village, out to Desert View, and I was a little surprised at all of the facilities located there. In addition to the famous tower, there is a small grocery store, a gas station, restaurant, and a nice RV park and housing for workers.

Before getting to Desert View, we stopped at the Tusayan Ruins and Museum. Not much left of what was a primitive dwelling, but the visible ruins gives you an idea what the structure must have looked like, at least, the size of the rooms.

The desert tower designed and built by Mary Colter, and is synonymous with the Grand Canyon. Below the tower is a gift shop and viewing deck, with an incredible panorama of the Colorado River before it cuts deeper into the canyon, west of desert view.

When I was first offered a driving job here at the Grand Canyon, parking the motor home out at Desert View was the only option. At the time, there was no available spaces where we are now parked. I had to decline, primarily due to the 50 mile round trip commute, but if it weren't for that, the RV park was quite nice.

On the drive back to Grand Canyon Village, we stopped at all of the viewpoints, and discovered at Grandview Point, there was once a hotel, that until the railroad reached the Grand Canyon in 1901, was the most popular location for tourists. Before the railroad, it was a 12 hours stagecoach ride from Flagstaff.

Also at this location, we discovered that there was a copper mine on a mesa below the Grand Canyon Rim. It was called the LAST CHANCE MINE, and after looking at the steep, winding trail down to where the mine was located, I decided that I wouldn't take a chance on exploring the site where the mine was situated. Has something to do with the height thing!

Today is day number 2 on the job, and after this week of training and orientation is finished, I'll be on my own to do the routes. So far, everything is going quite well.

FLAGSTAFF, AN ELK, & A SUNSET

Steam Engine at the Pioneer Museum in Flagstaff

It's been a week tomorrow, since we arrived here at the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. We've been busy exploring the area, and tomorrow, some of that comes to an end, as we both start our new jobs. My schedule for the next week is orientation & training, beginning at 5am each day. Patty starts her orientation tomorrow at 10am. My normal schedule of posting on the blog in the morning will change, but I still intend to write something, just about every day.

Not knowing what our days off will be, we decided to take a trip into Flagstaff, where we could pick up a few things not available here. It's about a 75 mile drive across high desert plains, and thick pinewood forest, climbing to just a little over 8,000 feet, before dropping into Flagstaff.

After doing some shopping, we stopped at the Pioneer Museum on Hwy 180, so that I could check out the train displayed in front of the museum. We were running out of time, so we didn't go in the museum, but made a mental note for a future stop.

Whenever we're gone for awhile, the first order of business when we return, is to take Sami for a walk. We weren't more than a few hundred feet away from the motor home when we encountered this female Elk, just off the walking path. Sam was curious at first, but quickly lost interest. These large animals, along with countless deer, are spotted almost every day.

A female Elk, just a short distance from our motor home

The last thing on our list of things to do for the day, was to check out the sunset, from the rim of the canyon. After dinner, we drove to Yakatania Point, only to discover that lots of other folks had the same idea. It took awhile before we saw someone leaving, allowing us to park the jeep. The bus would have been a better option.

My little point and shoot camera doesn't do justice to the incredible views, that the sunset creates in the canyon. The shadows, the quickly changing colors, and of course the setting sun itself, were almost magical to view, and these photos only provide a snapshot of the actual scenery. We stayed until the sun had actually set behind the mesa, then headed for the parking lot, along with most everyone else.

As you can see in this picture, it's not exactly blazing hot weather, as jackets are still pretty much required. Yesterday, we saw the temperature rise to the mid 60's, both at the canyon, and while in Flagstaff. We're still adjusting to the cooler climate, but so far, it's to my liking, as long as the white stuff stays away.

The setting Sun over the rim of the Grand Canyon

A TRIP TO TUSAYAN

Looking down towards Phantom Ranch

A good portion of the last few days, have been spent on the transit buses, exploring the many venues here at the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. On previous visits, we never utilized the free buses, and I can remember some difficulty when we looked for parking spaces, particularly around the El Tovar Hotel. With the 4 different bus routes, virtually all of the points of interests are covered, with very little walking involved.

The new transit bus transfer station at the Visitors Center

Yesterday, we boarded a purple route bus, that connects the National Park with the small community of Tusayan, just outside the entrance station. We wanted to visit the National Geographic IMAX Theater in Tusayan, and I wanted to familiarize myself with this route that was started last year. It departs from the Visitors Center, and makes 4 stops in Tusayan, including a stop at the airport. Watching all of the activity at the 3 large helicopter companies, reminded us that taking a chopper over the canyon is on our "To Do" list.

The IMAX presentation about the Grand Canyon on the HUGE screen was well worth the price of admission, especially since that price was zero! When I went to purchase the $12.50 tickets, the lady asked where we lived. I replied that we were living & working in the park for the summer. She asked who we worked for, and after I answered, she stated that our tickets were free. Alrighty then, a free ride to the theater, free admission to the IMAX presentation, and a free ride back into the park. Considering the above, I thought that it might just be a little too over the top, if I asked for a free bag of popcorn.

The transportation options in, and around the Grand Canyon National Park, are plentiful. Of course you can drive your vehicle to the park, or the daily train pictured above, brings in folks from Williams. We rode the train a few years ago, and not only is it a scenic journey, but it keeps thousands of vehicles out of the park. The third transportation option is the Tusayan Airport that services approx. 40 air taxi's, and commuter airlines. In August of 2009, Air Force One landed in Tusayan, allowing President Obama and his family access to the Grand Canyon. I wonder how much that cost the taxpayers. Oops, I feel my blood pressure going up, I better back away from that subject.

We ended the day back at the motor home, catching up on some reading, and planning a drive into Flagstaff this morning.