Holding Up During A Government Shutdown

So you've no doubt heard all about the federal government shutdown. Yes, there are far-ranging effects and impacts that will ripple out from the deadlock in DC.  Naturally, the most important question you're asking yourself is How, exactly, does all this affect Your Humble Narrator?  Well, read on and I'll try to give you some insights into life in a national park during a government shutdown.

Realize this is my first experience of being directly affected by the gears of government grinding to a halt (and being caught in the gear teeth).  In the past I had always joked, "Hell, even if there is a government shutdown ... how can you tell the difference?"  Realize, too, that the Grand Canyon is more than a mere national park ... It's considered on of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World.  As such, the GC receives on average approximately 5 million visitors annually.  As you'd expect all those visitors generate a lot of noise and traffic; indeed, the clots of tourists jamming the narrow sidewalks and crowding the cafeterias, restaurants and buses can become downright frustrating.

So the second thing you notice upon park closure is the sudden quiet that falls over the area.  Once guests were barred from entering, the GC and its small community (GC Village) quickly resembles a ghost town.  The sidewalks are bare.  The shuttle buses have stopped running, leaving only sparse local traffic on the roads.  The majority of restaurants, gift shops and other businesses have been shuttered.  And because of the sudden quiet, the deer, elk and other creatures native are less shy about moving about the park.  Kind of ironic in that all these animals are on display and there's no visitors here to see them!

Sign(s) of the times

By the way, the first thing you notice is the sense of disbelief among the employees that the GC was actually closed for business.  I doubt anyone here seriously expected the government shutdown to occur. (As one co-worker eloquently stated:  "There's no way they'll shut this f**kin' park!"  Well, live and learn.) So it's taken a few days for the realization to settle in.  And that begs the question. How are we settling in?

The first day of closure (Wednesday October 2) actually occurred on a payday.  So for the first night there was a lot of partying.  Regular readers of this blog -- both of them -- might recall the circumstance in which most of us workers live:  In dorms, usually two in a room with communal bath and showers.  While the housing provided by our employer Xanterra are certainly cost efficient, it also presents its share of challenges ... you might say you get what you pay for.

A quick recap on the subject:  I've never been a fan of roommates to begin with.  Many of your dorm mates tend to be, unkind as it may sound, challenged either physically or mentally.  There is a lot of alcoholism and drug abuse in the dorms.  Many of the workers are culled from the streets (as in homeless) and often bring their unhygienic habits and oddball behaviors with them.  Because of this, bedbugs are rampant in the dorms, along with a lot of shouting and yelling (usually an outgrowth of these guys talking to themselves)  Many of these people have difficulty with the English language, either because of speech impediments or too many missing teeth.

This portion of the South Rim Trail is usually packed with visitors

So back to that first day.  A lot of these guys blew their paychecks on booze and other illegal substances, which kept them partying until the wee hours.  I that heard a few fights broke out and National Park Service rangers had to be called (a common occurrence -- at least the rangers are still on the clock)  The following nights have gotten quieter; I expect many of the partyers are running low on cash as so many of them seem to live paycheck to paycheck ... and there are no cash loan companies up here.

On Thursday (October 3), Xanterra took a neighborly step in announcing free meals for its employees (breakfast, lunch, dinner) and suspending dorm rent for three weeks.  The meals are served in one central location (Maswik Cafeteria) as other facilities have been closed.  It's over a mile away from where my dorm is located but the weather is brisk and clear these days and I don't mind walking.  Besides, it's free food, right?  I've tried to take as much advantage as possible of the offer.  (Interestingly, I've heard complaints from co-workers about the limited menu and lack of 'acceptable substitutes' available.  I reiterate:  it's free food.  Besides, they set up free wi-fi and resumed limited shuttle service for employees.

The cafeteria was packed the first couple days but attendance seems to be falling; maybe the novelty is fading or people are getting tired of the food.  Or it could be that people are just getting antsy at having to adjust to a strange reality:  Trapped in a limbo of being out of work while still being employed.  Along that line, there was a recent meeting about how to file for Arizona unemployment benefits if the shutdown keeps dragging on.

Your Humble Narrator seems to be a bit lonely these days

If you remember the 1978 film "Days of Heaven", one of the characters remarked that she's "been thinking what to do wit' (her) future".  I think that quote applies to many of us here in the GC.  Particularly as this federal impasse persists, I'm examining my options.  While many here pass the time arguing about who's to blame (Republicans, Democrats, etc.) it's all a moot point in my opinion.  The fact is, Your Humble Narrator is losing money every day and, frankly, misses the routine of going to work.  If nothing else he has discovered how important a regular routine is.

What happens in a closed community like this is that you tend to see the same faces over and over.  That happens even when things are operating normally.  Now, with the majority of hourly workers left with nothing to do and nowhere to go, those faces are in your face constantly.  You see them in the cafeteria, in the dorm, in the rec center, and so on.  Apply this to dealing with those *ahem* eccentric dorm-mates I earlier mention and you can connect the dots:  Familiarity breeds the utmost contempt.

Hopefully there's some brighter days ahead!

The free food/free rent deal is good for three weeks.  I asked one of my managers what happens if the government shutdown goes on longer than three weeks.  "Then they start laying off managers" was the reply, and that's bad news for hourly employees.  Only essential services and workers would remain, and that would likely be comprised of skeleton crews.  Hopefully, there'll be some progress in reopening the national parks and we can all get back to work.

For now, there's a lot of people holding their breath because they've got families to feed and bills to pay. About the only thing that's certain right now is that despite how events turn out, the Grand Canyon will still be here.  At least you can count on that.

Unless the government shuts it down ...

Canyoneering 3 -- Trapped With Tourists

While they provide profits for Xanterra (and put money in the employees’ pockets), tourists are often viewed by we employees as a necessary evil.  Sometimes their innocent ignorance can be amusing:  I’ve lost count of the times I’ve been asked – in all seriousness – whether they can ride an escalator or elevator to the bottom of the GC (personally I think it would be a good idea).  Or the many times I’ve been asked if it’s okay to feed the squirrels, deer, elk, etc. – this despite the fact that signs warning against this practice are posted everywhere.  Still, people can’t resist feeding these animals and are often bitten or otherwise wounded by the ravenous creatures.  For the record, National Park Service Rangers hand out stiff fines to those caught in such practice.

A common annoyance is the habit of tourists to clog the narrow roadways of the GC while they stop to take pictures of the local wildlife.  People can’t seem to get enough of seeing the elk and deer in particular.  Since I see these animals every day (and night), the novelty is lost on Your Humble Narrator.  Trust me, once you’ve nearly collided with a massive elk, they quickly lose the cute and cuddly factor. 

A common sight where I live

While tourists can occasionally be annoying, there are some benefits to having them around.  As noted, without their presence, we’d have no paychecks.  But I find it interesting to meet so many people from around the world, even if it’s only for a few moments. And because they're usually on vacation these folks are usually in a good mood (usually). You also tend to note their food preferences if you work (as I do) in a restaurant.

Many Asian tourists (from Japan and China mostly) seem to favor spaghetti and meat sauce.  Brits, Aussies and Kiwis seem to favor beef, like pot roast or Salisbury steak (which I tend to regard as a glorified hamburger).  Germans tend to order ham steak or fish.  The French are over the map when it comes to their culinary preferences.  Interestingly, the French tend to order a lot of French fries, (frite or pomme frite as they call it).  I wonder if French fries should be called American fries in France.

Because of the glut of foreign tourists, there are of course many different accents one must decipher; that’s when the visitors speak English at all.  Often there is a tour guide conducting groups of 10 to 50 people through the cafeteria, and they must translate everyone’s order.  This can take some time as you might imagine.  It’s especially annoying when one tour bus after another unloads dozens of hungry, tired visitors, each convinced that theirs is the only order that matters.  Adding to the aggravation is the habit of these tour guides to blast their comments through personal PA systems that makes the café echo with ear-splitting feedback.

 For the most part, the process runs smoothly although it can look like organized chaos to an onlooker.  Only once have I (nearly) taken offense to a customer’s attitude.  I won’t mention his nationality, but he was an older fellow, obviously impatient or preoccupied.  I asked him twice if I could help him but he didn’t respond.  On the third attempt, he snapped, “No I do not want your help!  You do not understand your own English?”  I desperately wanted to tell the old bastard to go f**k himself, but what can you do.  (Pardon my French)

The Yavapai Canyon Cafe, where toils Your Humble Narrator

While I’ve ragged a bit on the tourists, let me mention one distinct advantage to having them in the GC:  The many beautiful women who make the journey to see America’s massive hole in the ground (so many jokes there, make your own).  To me, the ladies are a far more interesting natural wonder than the Canyon itself.  Indeed, Your Humble Narrator is known to flirt with some of these ladies (lightly flirt that is; no grist for the sexual harassment mill from yours truly).  My favorite line to use is the following:  “Oh, you’re from (insert country here)?  Tell me, are all the women from (country) as beautiful as you?”  Has that line actually worked?  Ah well … as they say, that would be telling(!)

So if you’re planning on visiting the GC, don’t let my prickly comments dissuade you from stopping by.  You – and your cash – are always welcome.  And if you’re a beautiful lady from overseas of the USA or wherever, you are strongly encouraged to make the trip and stop by the Canyon Café at Yavapai Lodge.  Your Humble Narrator will be at your beck and call – and if you’re lucky, you just might get his private tour (as in a tour of his privates).  A low-class comment to be sure ... but that’s a specialty of mine.

HINJFCA 33: Backtracking Part 1

Okay, so how many of you clever trousers out there sussed out that the 'journal' was actually your humble narrator indulging in some so-called creative writing? Oh, I see – all of you figured it out from the get-go. Well, you'll never again catch me trying to be clever. You lot are far too advanced for me, it seems.

Actually, I couldn't think of another way to bridge the month+ gap between blog entries. Suffice to say that I have moved on from Las Vegas and am now living in the Grand Canyon (not actually inside the Canyon itself ... well, you get the idea).

I did have a bus trip to Flagstaff, AZ where I met some girls from Taiwan (Formosa); they were quite friendly and I've seen one of them on occasion. The 80-mile (+/-) trip from Flagstaff to GC was relatively uneventful, although the higher elevations can promote popping ears, bleeding noses, and even intestinal discomfort. I know because I've experienced these symptoms and more since arriving here in mid-June.

Upon seeing the GC from the south rim trail, I did wonder about the terrain's seemingly abstract angles and valleys and the inherent design and purpose that must lurk underneath those jagged foundations. I did mark an analogy between the Canyon and my own existence. My life has often seemed more the result of happenstance and the vagaries of chance more than the result of a definite plan. But deep down I still believe there is a design within the apparent abstraction; I just can't decipher it yet.

Ah, my self-pity detector is beeping, so I'd better take a different direction here. You may wonder wht happened when I left the Salvation Army in Sin City. After all, I stayed with SA for app. 7 months. During that time I went from sudden homelessness and embarked on a journey of sorts through parts unknown (unknown to me, that is).

I met people I likely never would have met before, given my circumstnces: Ex-cons of both genders, habitual offenders, thieves, cheats, weirdoes, wackos, wack-jobs and wack-everything in between. I met people who had been in and out of prison/jail for more that half their lives. One guy told me that I was the first person he'd ever met who had never experienced any form of incarceration. Indeed, when your humble narrator said he'd never been to jail, his fellow clients seemed to pity him.

Yes, some of those fellow clients seemed to prefer incarceration to a 'normal' life. I've heard that some of them have returned to lockup. Another tried to committ suicide and was locked up in a mental facility. I hope that many of the others are doing better but I haven't heard from many of them since I left SA.

... To be continued (always wanted to write that!) ...

HINJFCA Thirty-Two: Prairie Tales

From the journal of an anonymous traveler, dates unknown:

Well, I did it. Said my goodbyes to the kind folks in Las Vegas town and have now embarked on a strange journey to the east and north.

They was a bit put out about me leaving, really wanted me to stay. Must admit I got attached to the folks at the hospital. They was the ones who helped me recover from my shootout with the Malpaso Kid. A nurse I am fond of told me to forget my anger and let the past go, or some such. I told her I would. But by God if I ever meet up with Malpaso again I will blow a hole through that son-of-a-bitch big enough for a buffalo to roam through.

Doc Martin warned me that where I am going is still a wilderness, filled with all types of dangers from humans and animals alike. After surviving some shootouts with the galoots in Vegas town, I'll take my chances with the four-footed wildlife. The two-footed varmints were enough for me.

(At this point the Traveler was apparently en route to his destination(s); dates unknown):

... Been a easy enough ride on the train from Vegas town to Arizona. Stopped at a small fort called Flagstaff. Been let off at a rail depot where I'm supposed to pick up the next coach heading to the north. Four in the morning now and no one here but the attendant and some fellow travelers. Seem to be from the Orient, I cannot understand them at all. Three gals though, and mighty watchable.

... Two coaches were filled and left me in the dust before I finally snagged this stage. Had to bribe the driver to get a seat, too. The three gals have traveled with me and we have spoken a bit. They are real nice and say they are from a place called Formosa. I asked if that was near China and they got persnickety.

... Heading to the north I can feel the higher elevation make my ears pop. Noisy on this stage what with a couple of dudes from Germany yakking nonstop. Most of my fellow travelers seem to be from foreign lands. I hear some French and even Russian being spoken about. Alls I can understand is some Spanish and Navajo (which sounds kind of like the palaver those gals from Formosa talk) ...

... Seeing a lot of wildlife as we get nearer to our destination. Huge elk, a lot of muledeer and coyotes can be spotted along the plains or sometimes blocking the trails. Even seen a few bear off to the sides. No bison, though. Guess the buffalo hunters have damn near wiped out the herds ...

... The plains seem to stretch on forever. Skies have been clear and blue with the higher altitudes. Someone said that's because we're getting closer to God. Didn't figure on getting that close until I was put six feet under. Driver and scout say it is only a few hours away now, our final destination.

... I hear tell the area looks like a sculptor reached out and carved abstract shapes and patterns out of the very earth and rock. Some folks say it all looks too organized, too planned out to have happened by mere chance or coincidence. I been reflecting on how that could describe my own small existence: Seemingly abstract, events occurring by happenstance without any apparent meaning; yet all along things have been guided by an unseen force, silently orchestrating a plan that I cannot understand, but continues to play out ....

... We have arrived at the place they call El Canon Gran. When I first saw this wonder of nature I felt empty and fulfilled at the same time. I still wonder why I was led here and what I will discover. Guess I will know it when I know it. All I can know for sure is, El Canon was here a long time before we got here. It will be here a long time after we are gone ...

(The journal ends here)