Introducing the CW Award

Here at Blog156 Headquarters management and staff has been discussing the creation of a new award, inspired by my sister, CW.

It's the "Next time, you can stay home" award for tourists who don't know how to act and don't know how to pay for services. "They can stay home!", she says.

It could become part of pop culture:

as a noun: "She's such a CW".

as an adjective: "She is so CW".

as a verb: "She has been CW'd".

Surprisingly the first recipient of the CW is an Australian.

Aussies aren't clear on the concept of gratuities. And, suppose it could be confusing - Why is it appropriate to tip at Denny's, but not at McDonalds". Do you "tip" in the Emergency room ?(short answer - "yes", a bribe might help in an Emergency Room.)

They're confused, they don't ask for help, but they notice other people tipping, so they pay $5 (making them Canadians).

On the other hand, Aussies are always easy travellers, they never ask for anything special, and they're always gregarious.

So, you can forgive their quirks.

Which brings us to:

Natalie, from Sydney.

Natalie gets the CW because she has embarrassed her com-patriots.

She was the first pickup on the manifest, ten minutes late, and "cheeky"about why it was ok for her to be late.

Let me give all you Aussie's a hint about what NOT to do in America: Do NOT be derisive about the American accent. Do you Aussies realize you talk like a lizard who sells automobile insurance?

It got much much worse when she didn't appreciate my explanation of the Sonoran Desert.

And ENDED when she didn't tip.

Natalie, You have been awarded the CW, "Stay HOME" Award.

Which brings us to Clara (Left) and Margit (Right). Margit was born in Budapest in 1934, moved to Austria "to escape the Russians" when she was 11, immigrated to U.S. in 1952, became a "naturalized' citizen, married an American for 50 years, had three children, and is retired in Cleveland. Clara is her friend, visiting from Hungary.

They were darlings, I flirted with them all day long. "The most important thing I know about Hungarian women is that they're such good cooks!"

At DesertView, Margit couldn't make it back to the bus on time because her legs were cramping so badly she couldn't walk. She was afraid I was angry with her when I found her leaning on a trash can for support. She took my arm and it took us another 10 minutes to get back to the bus. She commented on how strong my arms are - and I was smart enough to ask the right questions about her history. Her husband of 50 years died of cancer 7 years ago. They were at Grand Canyon together 30 years ago, and she wanted to find the spot at Bright Angel Lodge where they had been. (I promised she'd see that spot before the day was out.)

I made them scream and laugh at my stories on the way home. I was sure to tell the stories about our famous Arizona Bordello Madams, (Belgian Jenny was the riches woman in AZ.)

And they each gave me a kiss and a $20 when they left! Come back, my Hungarian Girlfriends!

Bob Leake can come back. Bob was an Air Force mechanic in the Korean War. (Which means he joined the military just as President Truman ordered the military to integrate.) Bob grew up in Tennessee and has become one of those older African American gentleman who have burned through injustice, disgrace, and their own anger, and have learned dignity and kindness.

After the military, he spent 30 years driving the subway for the New York Transit Authority. He retired two weeks before Sept. 11, and his pride was that his son was driving his subway in Manhattan on Sept. 11... "Who got his people out of there."

Bob was travelling alone on Amtrak, making his "Bucket List" trip across America. Now his wife is gone, but they had taken their little children to Grand Canyon and he wanted to see it one more time.

I'm glad you saw it with me, Bob. Even though he forgot to pay the driver, Bob can come back.

This was a good day to share with

Lorraine.

Lorraine is from Atlanta. She is a publishing consultant who matches children's book authors with illustrators.

Natalie, the Aussie, stayed overnight in Sedona, so Lorraine was my last dropoff. She sat in the shotgun seat all day and was a great co-pilot. Lorraine is just a few years older than me, but young enough to enjoy the other guests. This was a mental and professional vacation for her high stress job. She loved the statistics, details, history of the Arizona, and she enjoyed the company of the other guests.

What a high stress job she has! She has to "match-make" diverse artists and get them to see the same vision. Boy, was she ready for a vacation day.

Darn it, I should have gotten her e-mail to keep in touch.

Have fun, Lorraine. Come back soon.

Charles and Sandy have good news

Charles and Sandy own a company in Houston that silk-screens shirts and prints for other companies. (Think employee uniform shirts.) They've been sitting idle for months. Suddenly, they say, in the last three weeks, they've been inundated with orders from companies in every region of the country and every sector of the market. A company that supplies materials to other companies is suddenly getting orders. From Charles' and Sandy's lips to God's ears, let this be a trend.

I myself worked Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday this week. All three groups paid me well and I did well in helicopter commissions. --- My lips to God's ears.

A young male elk on the roadside in the park.

Another BANNER Day!

Wild horses on the Navajo Reservation.

Wow! I had another group who demonstrated their appreciation and responsibility by Paying-the-Man. And, even better, this group wasn't cajoled or trained.




Jong Choi with his Korean mother and aunts in Sedona. I thought it was hopeless till he let slip that he is a Hair Stylist in New York. Good boy! He was clear on the concept and paid with three $20 bills. Furthermore he was very nice to his family and a pleasure on the trip. They were friendly and respectful. They can come back.

Kelly and Paul from Chicago. The day was crystal clear and the sky could not be more blue nor the rocks in Sedona more red. They came to AZ. for a three-day vacation, one day of which, they saved for me and Grand Canyon. They were here thinking about getting married. .... I don't know if they made any decisions when they were with me - for better or for worse.

That actually happened to me before. I had an exclusive Grand Canyon tour with a family of 10. This was so the boy's girlfriend could meet his family. At the end of the tour, he asked her to marry him. It was sweet. On the way home I explained that, on the tour bus, I have the same authority as a Ship's Captain, so I offered to pull off the road and marry them right their. They declined.

Anyway, Paul and Kelly paid up! They can come back. Even if it's their honeymoon.

I also had George and Sandy. George immigrated from Poland -- through Ellis Island -- when he was 14 in 1950. Wow. I met an Ellis Island immigrant. He talked about the hardship of the passage and the hope and fear at Ellis island. The on-the-spot medical exams and mental and character evaluations. They were cattle in a lot. He later became a Chemical Engineer and an Electrical Engineer and a good citizen. Now retired in Florida.

I wish I could talk to him again. He was born in Poland in 1936. Imagine his earliest childhood memories! And, how the heck did his family get out of Poland in 1950? What were the feelings of a 14 year old Pole who had never known a fear-less moment when he was "approved" at Ellis Island?

I wonder what his opinion is of modern immigration.

They only paid $10 (which puts them on par with Canadian retirees.) But they were nice and they can come back.

HALL OF FAME!!

ENTER

PHOTO

HERE

Joyce, My New Hero

Joyce is a semi-retired bedside nurse from Sacramento. One is not supposed to make a Special Ed diagnosis without the approval of the School Psychologist. So, as we used to say on The Plantation, "Her behavior is consistent with.... Bi-Polar / OCD -- "slightly medicated".

Under some circumstances, her behavior might be obnoxious, but today she hyper-focused on how great I am and how hard I work and ----- Especially how unreasonable it is that my gratuity is not automatically added to the price of the trip (Big OVATION!)

"Why don't the salespeople ask when they book the tour if the customer wants the gratuity on the credit card or if the customer intends to pay cash"?

"What if the customers are from some "OTHER" country and they don't know that gratuities are expected in this business"?

"What if the foreigners don't realize that the expected gratuity is 15%"?

"What if they can't do the math and they don't realize that 15% is $20/person"?

YOU GO, JOYCE! YOU TELL 'EM GIRL!

My day consisted of

Six very nice Australian doctors and nurses form Melbourn in Phoenix on a medical conference. The Australians are always very nice, but they're not clear on the concept of gratuities -- so they think that exempts them from paying. Not once my Joyce finished with them! They lined up with their $20 bills in hand as they exited the bus. (Yes, the sky IS that blue.)

Two odd Brits from Hampshire. Brits are also very nice and no trouble. They ARE clear on the concept of gratuities, but choose to limit themselves to $5/person. When you pick up Brits in the morning, you may feel free to call your agent at the Bank of England and tell him to plan on a $5 deposit that night. Not a farthing more! But, once again, my OCD Hero came to the rescue and they squeezed their Pounds out. Two overweight midwestern retirees. Again, usually cooperative and pleasant; but they are "EXEMPT" from the 15% rule because they are part of some elite "entitled" class of Americans who have "paid their dues" and who are currently extremely worried about government managing health care (for people other than them). They're usually a $10/couple (which puts them on par with Canadians), but my hero Joyce appealed to their sense of Patriotism to act like true Americans and Pay-the-Man.

By the time Joyce was finished I had $180/gratuity. Plus, 9 of them went on helicopter rides and the helicopter Co. commissions me $10/each for "delivery". (Not worth it for one, but very worth it for 9). So, I ended the day with almost $300 cash!

Joyce rocks! Dear St. Anthony, help me find another Joyce for every trip. Or, Dear St. Jude, send me another Joyce for every trip. Or, Dear St. Catherine, help another Joyce find her way for every trip. I guess I should stop....

Salt River Seniors.

We have 19 Indian Tribes in Arizona and 22 reservations. Twenty-seven percent of the land in AZ is Indian Reservation. Only Alaska has more acres of Indian Reservation than does Arizona.

Saturday, I'm glad I met new friends from the Salt River Pima Reservation, just East of Scotsdale.
http://www.srpmic-nsn.gov/

I took 13 of their Senior Citizens to Sedona:

By the way, here's a roadrunner who stood still long enough for his picture. They really don't look anything like the cartoon version of roadrunner --- come to think of it, neither does the coyote.




One lady said it had been 15 years since she had been off the reservation -

They turned out to be darlings. They were tourists! They bought T-shirts and caps that said SEDONA They got lunch at an outdoor cafe' and shopped till they dropped.
















Once they "warmed up" to me came the good part. It's always the "good part" when you can get seniors to begin to tell their stories.One of my new friends is a Hopi. I don't know her name because it's rude to ask indians their name. I've known indians for years, whose names I still don't know. Here she is with her Salt River husband. He speaks English and Spanish, but no Pima. Why? Because his parents spoke NO Pima. Her parents taught her Hopi.

Destroying the language was part of destroying the culture. I never knew that about boarding school. I never knew that siblings and clan members were deliberately sent to different schools in order to isolate children from their "uncivilized" family. I'm reminded of what worked so effectively with Africans.

Hopi indians were "runners" . There were several Southwestern tribes who taught their children to run great distances to escape enemies.

When her father was taken away to Indian School in Phoenix, he twice escaped and made it the 200 miles back to HopiLand in 3 days -- where he was promptly re-captured. (Check out TheRabbitFence - a story about an Australian Aborigine who did the same.)

Everyone knows that talking to seniors IS talking to history if one knows how to be quiet and listen.

Here's my new friend who is a repository of Tribal knowledge and who doesn't mind sharing:

i.e.: A Pima woman who wears XXXXL is "Pima Petite"

i.e. The Pimas are "UTO" Aztecs. I don't know what it means, but he hinted that the Pima are the inheritors of the lost Treasure of Montezuma.
i.e This was the first reservation in the nation to fight for and get the first indian Casino.

They promised to invite me to the next Pow Wow on the reservation in November. I hope they do; but, I reminded them that we continually have to love one another and be patient to teach those who don't understand. One of my friends asked, "For how long? How long will it take them to understand?" Forever. Every generation and each of us has to continually choose love over hate. When we fail to love, hate wins.

I hope we meet again my new Indian Friends!

156 and Counting. Just for Michelle

Well, in 156 trips, this hasn't happened before. At the last minute, a party of four was stranded in Washington D.C. when their flight canceled. We had two couples overnighting in Grand Canyon who needed to be picked up and brought back to Flagstaff and Phoenix. One Aussie who had signed for a day tour.

Tour for one!

Here's Michelle on "Tour Private" :

This 27 year old Aussie girl has never been out of Queensland. God bless her, she's a purchasing agent for a company that makes Australian Breakfast Cereal. God bless her, two years into a divorce after a tragic five year relatioship! God bless her, she decided to - just spend the money "On Holiday" - for sanity's sake. God bless her, I was glad to be with her.

Michelle in Sedona: ( the blue sky IS that blue) She didn't want to be in the photo - as she thought (like all girls do) that her own appearance would wreck the shot. I told her what I tell all young people who don't want to have their pictures taken, "tough, get in the picture".

She needed a "confessor", a "mentor", a "friend". She needed permission to get past her relationship and take care of herself.

By the time we got to Sedona, I was her Dad because she needed one and I'm everyone's dad.

I didn't have a good dad - so I became a good dad. I'm the dad every kid wishes they had.

By the time we got to got to Sedona, the itinerary was out the door. Michelle could have anything she wanted. She wanted to talk to "Real Navajo" spiritualists to help her "think". AND - on this bus, she could have it.

I took her to a Navajo & Hopi jeweler in Sedona -- even though I had to bang on the door to get her to open early. Michelle wanted a simple silver and turquoise bracelet ($10) and a ring with the Hopi "Bear" symbol ( strength, power, and healthy mind) ($35) --- and, she could have it.

Then we went to the Sedona Arts Center ( http://www.sedonaartscenter.com/ ) because Michelle wanted to see what local artists produced. She bought a pair of glass fired earrings ($25) because she wanted them - and she could have them.

There are times in life when two people are simply "meant" to spend time together. Evidently, Michelle had to come across the ocean to find someone who would say, "Whatever helps, dear".

All of us have had our hearts broken, and somehow this Band of Orphans always manages to find each other, and one of us always welcomes the latest member, like Oliver Twist needed the Artful Dodger.

Then we went to

( http://www.doubleeagletrading.com/ ),

one of the few companies that actually still "trades" with native artists, because Michelle wanted a 'real" Kachina Doll - and, by God, she could have it.

Unfortunately, Australia has learned big lessons about importing non-native species, so Australians cannot carry anything made of wood, leather, or feathers through customs. We found her a metal cast Kokopelli , a Kachina Book and a Ghost Bracelet, made by Navajos who awl juniper seeds to ward off evil spirits.

By 12:30, Michelle got her first glimpse of Grand Canyon at Mather's Point:

I took all of her pictures with her own camera and then with mine - so her dad could see what I saw.

"If my kid is ever in Queensland, I expect your dad to take care of her, just like I'm taking care of his kid when she's here!"

Other tourists at a second "point" at Mather.

Look carefully to see the people in the upper-right corner. Believe me, they're there. They're right of the white limestone chip and just below the height of the ridge.

There's a person in this photo. He's almost in the center, 1/3 down from the top, on the ridge closest to me:

Michelle spent almost two hours exploring Bright Angel Trail.

I took a great nap.

At 3:30 we met Mr. and Mrs. Something from Indiana, who couldn't hear thunder, who didn't participate in the ride home, and whom we only had to endure till we got to Flagstaff and then dumped them in a discount hotel ( Pony Soldier Inn) - and whatever happened to them after that isn't my problem. (Read here, " did not tip the driver").

At 3:40 we met Karl, a retired Police Chief and State Legislator from New Hampshire, and his DAFT wife, Doris. A delightful couple. Friendly. Socially adept. Fun. (Read: they tipped the driver $30).

Michelle and I had our "Deep Discussions" earlier in the day and Karl and Doris were a perfect end to the day.

We dropped Karl and Doris off first, and Michelle got to her hotel by 9:00.

Goodbye, my dear. God bless you. Please make all your "parents" proud by becoming a good person and great parent. We love you. ---------Mom and Dad

Tortilla Flats

About 40 miles east of Phoenix is a gigantic Volcanic Caldera, the result of five concentric volcanoes. -- now called "Superstition Mountain".

North of the caldera is a series of Sandstone and Granite hills, created one of the 13 times southern AZ was at the bottom of the ocean.

Between these two runs a small river carrying the melted snow from Flagstaff.

In 1910, a dam was built to create a reservoir -- enter "Tortilla Flats". It was a supply depot and stage coach stop for the dam builders.

A tortured mountainous drive leads past a real ghost town, Goldfield Az. Died: 1893 when the mine played out.
(Two Jewish sisters- in- law from Long Island in the "BirdCage" at the Goldfield Bordello. The birdcage was what you're thinking it was, an advertising technique. Every time... EVERY time I take older women to Goldfield, they pose in the birdcage. Hmmmmmm. )

DOLLY the steamboat paddles around the reservoir for 90 minutes. Ha! I don't have to go with them!

(An engineer and his wife from New Jersey who left their two teenage sons at home to make a personal trip to AZ. They were in AZ for their honeymoon and came back for their 20th anniversary).

This is actually one of my favorite tours.
Good news. This whole group paid me adequately. They can all come back.

City Tour...

I had a City tour today. It's OK. It's generally fun; but, usually not enough money. This group paid me today though. That's a good thing!

Often people who take the city tour arrived in Phoenix to begin a big SouthWest tour with one of the big tour companies. The salespeople in the big companies convince them to come in early to be sure they don't miss the trip. "Oh, you can take a city tour if you arrive early....." blah, blah, blah... it's a sales technique to be sure their sale doesn't drop if the the flights are late or something...

So, the end of the day is that I'm a babysitter for the guys who are really going to make the money.

Since I know the truth about why we even get city tours, I can relax and go enjoy them for what they are.

HALL OF SHAME!

Note these two Irish girls. The one on the right is an education student. The girl on the left is an Irish tour guide. A tour guide!

They seemed nice enough, but on the drive home they were talking to the other passengers about the cost of visiting U.S. They commented that in restaurants one is expected to add 15% gratuity to the bill. The tour guide said she understood 15%.

The education student paid me NOTHING and the Tour Guide handed me $5.

SHAME!

If you ever go to Ireland, book a tour out of Belfast - But be better than to cheat the Irish tour guide.

Tuesday Sept. 8

Trip Number 156.

Weather, visibility, traffic all perfect. Stayed on schedule all day. One of my least favorite things to do is hunt down stragglers who don't come back to the bus when they should. I hate that so much, I sometimes give them a good scolding and put the fear of god in them so they won't do it twice. Everyone today was a "Good Doo-Bee"

Considering I expected ZERO from this crowd, $60 wasn't bad. Furthermore, they appreciated everything I did for them. They asked good questions and thanked me for everything. That goes a very long way, you know. Here's a nice couple from Sun City with their friend Erma (Left) who was visiting from New Jersey. Crystal blue sky with the occasional friendly cloud. Erma gave me a hug and a twenty at the end of the day. She can come back.

A very nice 15 year old Chinese boy in the same spot a couple of weeks ago:

Horses:

We often see wild horses. Today we saw more than usual.


Photo that has nothing to do with this trip:

My white hat is on a fence post to show the size and height of these petroglyphs I found in Monument Valley. As recently as 1000 years ago, AZ had enough rain to support large heards of antelope and sheep for the Anasazi to hunt.
I don't know how many more trips I'll make. Don't know if my company will be open tomorrow. But, I'll try to enjoy it while I can.

Sat. Sept. 5 --- Trip 156

Trip 156. This group - almost all Americans - remembered to tip the driver. That's always better. (Totalled only $60. Should have been better, but I expected worse). Even the Mexican students paid me $10 each and appreciated me.

First pickup: Two university students from Mexico

FREE PHOTO THAT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THIS TRIP:

This is a petroglyph I found in Monument Valley. Carved over 1000 years ago, by an Anazazi guy who hunted big-horn sheep. The anazazi vanished without a trace around 1300 A.D. The Navajo call them "The 'Violent' Ones" because so many ancient arrowheads and spearpoints are found in their artifacts. They were little people. None more than 52 inches tall.

Next pickup: A Miami Jewler, his wife and daughter ( This shot is at DeserView, looking over the Colorado River.)

Next pickup: Civil Engineer with his Realtor Wife from New Orleans
( I call this place the "Temple of Durgas" for the formation in the distant background. Next time I have Hindus with me, I'll explain.)

Also had a couple from Hong Kong, whom we left in Sedona. His name was Alex. He must have been 6'4". Their English was good but they were very quiet. (Asians NEVER tip.)

The three from Miami, together with the N.O. couple were scheduled for helicopter flights. I earn $10 commission for each person I deliver to the airport.. For most of the day, the weather was fine.... Disaster struck when we got to the airport: a sudden lightening cell popped up, cancelled all flights and I earned nothing. The flyers kept a good attitude about it.

When we left Grand Canyon, we picked up a Science Teacher from New Jersey who had spent two days in the park.

One of the times I enjoy the trips is when the various groups are genial and make friends among themselves... On the way home, we end up being a group of friends having a three hour visit. We talk about family, home, politics, jobs, whatever. That's fun.

We have been "modern" human beings for what, 100,000 years? Think about it, all of human history is represented in the top 1 1/2 inches of Grand Canyon. We're very small. The days of our lives are like grass that grows with the morning mist and is burnt up by the noon sun. There's really no time for stress. The canyon is so big, that from a single vista, one can see several weather patterns.

Ivan, the Science teacher, was dropped off last, because his hotel was so much further from the others. He must have been shy. After everyone else was off the bus, we had a fantastic, exciting talk on the way to his hotel about all the lessons he could teach from Grand Canyon.

Never write-off someone who is quiet and carries a lesser presence! His parents moved to New Jersey from Russia when he was 13. He is now 33 and teaches science and math in the same school where he struggled as a child. Totally enthusiastic and appreciative about his career and his opportunity to share the American Dream! More than happy to pay taxes and contribute to society. Damnit, this is the immigrants we want and need!

What part of "illegal' do I not understand about immigration? I don't understand the part where the haters think "Legal" = "Right". Those same lunatics who quote Jefferson "The tree of Liberty must be occasionally watered with the blood of tyrants and patriots," don't realize they have BECOME the tyrants. Jefferson and all 55 of the other signers of the Declaration knew that what the Crown had declared "Legal" just wasn't "Right".

Nice to meet you Ivan. Thank you for what you're doing in New Jersey. I hope to meet you again.

Paul

Sept. 5, 2009

Tomorrow is trip 156. We'll see....

Sept1, 2009 Trip 156.

Yesterday was trip 156. The wild horses, descended from the horses brough by the Spanish Conquistadors are not usually this close to the road between Flagstaff and Cameron.

This is J. What a nice boy. Chinese/ American. Speaks Mandarin and Canotonese and attends private school in Queens. Travelling with his aunt, Shu.

What about this weather???? A storm rolling through Grand canyon! In one vista, we saw flashes of lightening, pouring rain, and bright sunshine. Such is Grand Canyon on trip 156!

add images

Where'd we go wrong.... .

try again

Rememer to accept terms of service.

About adding images. Click the "add image" and search? we'll see

Trip 156 090109

More about this tomorrow. Still just learning.