I've been asked what are my favorite trips to take.  Well, the answer is simple...they are all great. It is not so much where you are, but what condition one's spirit is in at the time of travel.  One could be in a beautiful place, but there might be something "off" about the trip or spirit for one reason or another which makes it not so great.  Taking an adventure travel vacation may not be a vacation from doing daily tasks, but perhaps a vacation from making a thousand decisions which effect the whole family or a company.  I have had passengers come up to me and thank me for making a week's most important thought...food, a swimsuit, and what footwear to get for the day.

Speaking of food, here is a video I put together which illustrates what it is like to be on a trip with the GT...the footage is from the Yosemite 3day and the National Parks Loop trips. Turn the music UP and please enjoy!
http://youtu.be/WyCbcOyXlVA 

Next Trip...NPL!!!

Finally rested, getting laundry done, need to pack, cuz Friday, I'm off for 16 days on the National Parks Loop to: San Francisco, Lamoille Canyon, Jackson Hole, Grand Teton NP, Yellowstone NP, a special Hot Springs, Kodachrome, Zion NP, Bryce Canyon NP, Arches NP, Monument Valley, Lake Powell, Grand Canyon NP, Las Vegas then back to San Francisco. Really, this IS my work!

 

Driving and searching...

When looking at the schedule of the year thus far, I have been on ten trips.  The season started with mainly charter groups and a few Death Valley visits.  Now we have gotten into the real season. June was interesting because I was in Yosemite three times.  The Yosemite trips, for the guide/ driver are about the most technical driving there is. The lanes are quite narrow and there remain perhaps only inches of clearance for the bus which needs to be split so the bus can fit within the lane.  Mentally, it is taken in small blocks of task, two hours here, thirty minutes there, and then there is the passenger management.  When dropping 30 plus passengers off at the Yosemite Lodge with instructions on what to do, what not to do, and the right time to return to the pick up point...there is always that one.  The one who gets lost, fails at time management...well of course...he's on vacation...or the non-English speaker who is overwhelmed by the whole experience and is unable to express one's self. No worries, we still love them because at one point we have all been "that guy"

There is hardly a complaint from me because even if I have to calm a bus full of peeps while waiting for That Guy, I get to enjoy the view from my rolling office.

Season Two!

Yes, I know it had been a while since I have said anything here...a very long time.  But really, I found it very difficult to express myself utilizing a smart phone.  I really would prefer to use a laptop for a tablet for that task.

So, here it is the end of June and the season has taken off.  The first few months (April and May) have been taken up by school charter trips.  We would take a classroom sized groups out and about for a week.  It is great.  I remember my 5th, 6th, and 8th grade school trips quite well.  In fact, I feel they shaped my love of the outdoors so much, I just had to work in that kind of environment in order to feel complete.

As the season opens up for me, I think of all I have done and if I feel like I am moving in the direction of fulfillment. I can answer, YES.  It is a compromise to work seasonally and for low wages, but the rewards are great and my "wealth" does not come from a bank account or collected physical items.  It come from knowing my work is important and affects hundreds of people in such a positive way that they are for ever changed. My birthday is tomorrow which causes me to ponder a little about my life.  One aspect that comes to mind is my high school year book senior quote under my photo which reads, "I'd rather wake up in the middle of nowhere, than in any city on earth."  I think my life reflects that vision and I embrace the chance to lead others to great adventures. 

So it's back on the big green bus for a while with few days off until Oct.  I was going to start to bring my laptop along so I could blog, but it is going on the fritz.  The monitor is flashing all sorts of psychedelic colors.  I have been told that the computer has about run its course and time for another. Dang!  Just when I am broke.  Lol on me.   I guess I will have to be patient with myself as I blog w/ a smart phone.