The Grand Canyon Escalade

There's a never ending battle between progress and preservation and it can be difficult to know which side of the battle is the right side of the battle. Like a tight rope walker suspended in air with nothing but a wire and my own balance to keep me there, I often find myself rocking back and forth as I try to find the balance. I mean, let's get real here- there are some aspects of progress and development for which I am incredibly thankful. Can you say indoor plumbing and electricity? As much as I am an outdoor enthusiast and love to spend time camping, I am ALWAYS thankful for the opportunity to take a nice hot shower at the end of a camp out. And anyone who has ever had to take care of business in the questionable conditions of some outhouses is likely to sing the praises of a flushing toilet!

But here's the thing...as mentioned in the previous paragraph, I am an outdoor enthusiast. I love camping and hiking in the back country. I grew up outside and I enjoy being able to be in the solitude of nature. I feel such a sense of accomplishment when I spend a weekend carrying everything I need to survive in a pack on my back. I know, it's not for everyone, but there is a group that it is for. I belong to that group.

In addition to spending my leisure time out in the back country, as many of you know, I spend my summers working in the Grand Canyon. In my humble opinion, the Grand Canyon really is the last "Great Unkonwn" of civilized America. Even with all the exploration that has been done, the maps that have been created and the goal of bringing the Grand Canyon into the "civilized" world (you can now explore the entire length of the main river corridor via Google maps) the Grand Canyon has been able to maintain its air of pristine isolation. Cell phones don't work in the canyon. Neither do computers. A vacation to the bottom of the Grand Canyon is still about getting back to basics, living in the moment, enjoying nature and reconnecting to the more primal side of life.

Grand Canyon National Park itself boasts just over 1900 square miles. Add in the surrounding undeveloped areas in the form of National Recreation Areas and tribal land and that number increases. It's the type of place where a lifetime of exploration can be spent without ever truly seeing all that it has to offer. It is a place where you can go to reconnect--with nature, with your family, with yourself. It is a place where all that matters is the here and now. It is a refuge for the spirited adventurer, yet still accessible to the masses by way of a commercially guided trip. (And for my money, that sounds pretty well balanced as it is!)

And now, the point of all my ramblings up till now: A new development threatens the unique solitude that is Grand Canyon. Proposed at the confluence of the Little Colorado River (LCR) and the Colorado River itself is a project called The Grand Canyon Escalade.

The Grand Canyon Escalade is basically a tram ride (similar to the Palm Springs Ariel Tramway) that would take passengers from the rim to the bottom of the Grand Canyon at the confluence of the LCR and the Colorado River. In conjunction with the tram, there is a proposed amphitheater, shopping experience, and restaurant. Oh, and did I mention the hotel that will be going in during the future expansion stage?

Just the thought of what something like this will do the Grand Canyon breaks my heart. Allowing this to happen would be a disservice to all who come to the Grand Canyon seeking adventure and solitude. There are countless places where one can take in a show, have dinner and do some shopping, but the number of places where one can go to truly experience the peace of seclusion is rapidly declining.

I certainly don’t consider myself a conservationist, but I do think there are times when it is important to protect what we have. So I'm asking you this. Will you take a stand? Will you let your voice be heard on this matter? Educate yourself and make your decision. I know that I have made mine. If you would like, I encourage you to join with me in signing this petition to stop the escalade. If it hadn't been for the opposition of people just like us, we would have lost the Grand Canyon back in the 1950's and 60's to the Marble Canyon Dam and the Bridge Canyon Dam. But the voice of America prevailed and preserved one of the world's great natural wonders.

I could go on and on about the Grand Canyon, but instead, I will leave it to President Theodore Roosevelt, who in 1903 stated about the Grand Canyon, "Leave it as it is. You cannot improve upon it, and man can only mar it. What you can do is keep it for your children, and for all who come after you, as the one great sight which every American...should see." (and we don’t need a tram to be able to see it!)

It's the age old battle-progress or preservation. No matter what you decide on this one, shouldn't you at least have an opinion?

Looking up the LCR from the confluence

Looking into the confluence from the the LCR

I Have a Tip For You...

Unless I ask, please, as my server, don't tell me how much to tip you!

I get it. Serving at a restaurant can be tough. People ignore you in favor of their cell phones, they are disrespectful, they treat you as though you are less than human and like they are somehow better than you. It baffles me as well. Therefore, I understand the urge to stick it to your patrons, but, at least as far as my money is concerned, it's REALLY not the best way to get good tips!

Tonight my mom and I went out to dinner. When we were seated our server came to take our drink order. I don't drink soda and my mom doesn't drink caffeine after lunch because it keeps her from sleeping. As a result, we both ordered water to drink. (Boring, I know, but read the vibe of your table, man. If, after several times of you asking I haven't flinched on the fact that I want water, please, quit trying to upsell my beverage choice!)

Our meal arrived and we shared a very enjoyable dinner. It tasted great and we had fun chatting while we ate. As we were finishing up, I ordered a dessert to go. I don't often order dessert when I am out, but tonight was a fun night with my mom so it seemed like a good idea. When our server returned with our dessert and our to go boxes (cause let's face it, there was no hope of me ever finishing the amount of food on my plate) he dropped off our check. I put the $25 gift card we had in the check binder as well as my debit card to cover the small remaining balance. Our server left to run the cards. Now, this is where the night gets frustrating for me. When our server returned to the table with the receipt for me to sign he had circled suggested tip amounts on the receipt. I was so insulted! Do I really come across as the type of person who is an incompetent tipper? And even if I do, how do you justify such arrogance in yourself as to tell me how much I should be tipping you??

Now, allow me to share a little of my own personal arrogance--because of the work I do, I tend to be a great tipper. I understand that tips play a huge role in the income of certain jobs and I do my best to take care of my fellow service industry workers. I also understand how a good tip can make a bad day good, and a good day great. I love being able to put a smile on someone's face in such a way. One of my favorite things to do when I have a gift card is to leave the entire amount of the gift card as a cash tip, because I was going to pay for my meal when I decided to go out anyway. It's just a fun thing to do! But I'll tell you, the second I saw those tip amounts circled on my receipt to call my attention to the "appropriate" amount for me to tip, the amount I had been planning to leave was significantly reduced. I really only left what I did because I know that as a server, you are required to tip out to the other people who assist with your tables- the bartender, the busboy, etc.- and those people were fantastic as far as my table went tonight.

So while I understand the temptation to leave a "subtle" reminder for those you serve, especially if you have been stiffed a time or two, I beg of you, don't do it. Keep the beverages full, a smile on your face and be good at what you do. You will be rewarded for it.

Weighing In: My thoughts on the Cliven Bundy situation

Imagine that you are living in a house that was built by your ancestors. You love this house. It is a piece of who you are, your heritage. It's a beautiful, one of a kind house, well suited to the needs of your family and the lifestyle you intend to live. It has been in your family for just under 150 years, passed down within the statutes of the law, from generation to generation. Each generation has maintained and cared for the house to the greatest of their ability.

One day, a team comes to your house and informs you they are now in charge of managing your house. There are a lot of people on the team. They are powerful and influential, and in an attempt to keep the peace, you agree to let them become a part of your life and have occasional access granted to your home. (I mean, you're not unreasonable, and your mother did teach you to share with others.)

Then, one day, this team shows up at your house and tells you that they are changing the scope of their management practices regarding your house, whether you like it or not. You are now going to be confined to living in only a portion of the house and the rest of the house will be given to some cats. Yep, I said cats. Naturally, you resist. Surely the management team can't just decide that you no longer have access to a portion of your house? Regardless of your resistance, the cats move in and you share your space. Still, you're not willing to give up without a fight. You begin seeking the help of legal council, you go to court, you do everything in your power to stop the management team from coming in and destroying your way of life and taking your home.

Finally, a court order is issued. It's not in your favor. The management team is coming in to take your home. Supposedly, their action is to protect the cats living in your house, but the same group that is taking your house for the cats is also down the road killing cats because they just can't afford to support them. What is your reaction to the situation? How do you respond to the management agency when they arrive at your home?

I'll give you a minute to think about it...

Now, I realize this isn't a direct translation of events as they are unfolding in Nevada. It would be impossible for me to create a scenario that incorporates all the different facets of the situation, but I believe it hits the highlights. I've thought a lot about this situation over the past several weeks and this is my take on it.

The Cliven Bundy family settled in the Bunkerville, Nevada area in the late 1800's. They established a ranching lifestyle and passed it down from one generation to the next. In 1946 the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) was established and began assisting with the management of public lands-already in use by a family that had arrived approximately 70 years earlier. Then, in 1993, this same management organization (the BLM) comes in and informs the Cliven Bundy family that they are no longer allowed to use the land because it is a habitat for the vulnerable (not yet endangered) desert tortoise. Never mind that the cattle and the tortoise have been sharing the land for the past 120 years without causing the extinction of the species? Never mind that this family's livelihood was tied up in the land? Never mind that just down the road in Henderson, Nevada, the same government forcing Cliven off his land for the desert tortoise was also planning to euthanize hundreds of the same species due to lack of funding? He was just to succumb to the will of the government and walk away? Wouldn't you resist, if it was your way of life at stake?

So now an unarmed family is being beaten and attacked. They have sniper rifles trained on them and when they tried to question the BLM about their belief that the BLM had begun shooting and disposing of the cattle on the range land, one of the BLM officers grabbed a 57 year old woman and threw her to the ground. Oh, and heaven forbid you should try to help that woman up or come to her defense, because that gets you hit multiple times with a taser, or at the very least, a threat of German shepherd attack dogs and "you'll be next".

I'm fairly certain that this is bigger than cattle and range land. The government must stand to gain A LOT over this, because if they don't, I can't imagine them fighting this intensely. I think it's safe to say that the government may have forgotten that they work for the people of the United States, and not the other way around. Whether you side with Cliven Bundy or not, the actions of the BLM, on site in Nevada, are inexcusable.

Now, for the disclaimer: Yes. I am a Bundy. I am related to Cliven, somewhere down the line. I believe my great, great grandfather is his great grandfather? Someone with better genealogy skills than mine can verify. I'm not claiming 100% innocence for either side of this situation-- such a thing rarely exists, but the BLM, the federal government, definitely crossed a line on this one. At least that's how the view looks from where I sit. Please, keep any posted comments clean and orderly. You are entitled to your opinions as I am entitled to mine. Discussion is one thing, but blatant disrespect for me or anyone else that may post here is not acceptable.