Advanced to the Second Round

The Flames has advanced to the second round of playoff and everyone knows that. This is not a news-blog so it doesn't matter how late this is posted. They have to play The Ducks and the first two games would be played in Anaheim, California. 

The Ducks seems to be a much stronger competitor for The Flames. Here you see the American guy Kesler who used to play for Vancouver with No. 8 of Calgary. This is one advantage of being a professional hockey of basketball player. You get a chance to live in different cities!

I checked 17th Ave., SW after The Flames beat the Canucks 7-4 (I don't have any photos though because first of all it was very late and dark. Second of all the majority of the guys and gals where drunk and crazy and I didn't want to risk it!) which was unbelievable. They lost the first period 1-3 but won eventually. People went crazy on 17th which was predictable. Police was there but they cleaned the street from the parked cars and let these morons to do whatever they want to do. 

Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson wearing The Flames Jersey after losing the bet to his viral! 

Calgary's mayor Nenshi  won a bet with Vancouver's mayor Robertson. The bet was that whoever team's loses the series he has to wear the winner's jersey! And he did! I'm going to send a message to the guy who sold me a couple of tickets last year to see a game if he has something or not. I know it would be expensive but I would like to see how much he's asking for.

(Photo, top: The Flames banners are put everywhere in the city including the Core Shopping Center in Downtown. This might not be a clear shot but that's all I got)

Unsuccessful Attempt to The Wedge

After our walk in Kananaskis which was not challenging at all, I and The Chef wanted to do a good hike/climb. He insisted a lot and I decided to take our chances on The Wedge in Highway 40 in Kananaskis. For that plan I set up the alarm for 04:30 and headed for his place in the other side of the town. Due to the distance, by the time I was there, it had already passed 05:10 and then we headed west on Highway No. 1. All of our efforts didn't help much and we were in Wedge Pond parking lot at almost 07:00. The first 20 minutes or so was wasted because we got on the trail which circles around the pond and heads to the highway. Then we turned back and I checked the printed information and we found the trail. The first part of the hike, maybe the first half hour or so was OK but then first it got really steep and then icy. I put my anti-slip sole on and give the other one to The Chef. The Chef's was not as good and he had difficulty getting up but I helped him using the stick method. Then we reached the end of tree-line and the steepness got even worse. I guess you could say it reached 60 degrees! The Chef was insisting to go back but I wanted to reach the damn summit.

In my opinion the next half hour steep scramble was the hard part and then we could reach the ridge and simply walk it. I could see piles or snow and probably ice on the ridge but didn't seem to be a big of a deal.

A beautiful Ptarmigan was seen on the way back down from the alevation. I slowly approached it from behind and took a few shots including this while it was watching me from the corner of its eye

I carried on going up but it was no joke. I had to use both hands and just where I though I could climb on the ridge like a saddle, I found almost nowhere to even get a grip! The Chef was insisting to go back and said he didn't want to risk it. I thought if I could not have gone up, he for sure would not have been able to go up. I decided to climb down but that was not easy either and for a second I thought how on earth I had climbed that part up!

The hike down the trail was not very easy, especially for The Chef. He fell once but fortunately didn't get himself injured. I slip once as well and landed on ice with my hip but nothing happened. He struggled all the way down until the ice disappeared completely.

We got back to the parking lot, I guess at around 10:45 or so but instead of going home decided to take Highway 40 or Kananaskis Trail and go south to see if we could experience anything. The views are amazing at this part but between The Chef being with me, both of us being tired and wanting to go home, I didn't use much of the photography opportunities. The part of Highway 40 right where Smith-Dorian Trail, joins it was closed and I checked later and realized that would be closed until the June. The good part of today's trip was not only getting a good exercise and seeing fantastic mountain views but also was seeing different animals. In the early morning after entering Highway 40 we saw a herd of Elk and then a few Deer. 

Mount Burney in Kananaskis. This in fact is a combination of different peaks. 

Then we saw a couple of Foxes which The Chef believed there were mother and kid(!) then further down the road we saw few other Deer as well and then the second herd of Elk. When we entered the forest and took the wrong trail I saw a couple of White-tailed Deer and on the way back from our ascend, I saw a beautiful Ptarmigan, I guess that was what it was. That completed the day. We were hoping to see other spices but that was it. The little Foxes and the bird were the highlights of the trip of course if do not consider the exercise itself. The Chef was really happy by the time we got to the city. I don't blame him considering the age and the time he had waken up in the morning (04:00, I guess). I'm sure we would have reached the summit, if it had not been that much ice and snow on the trail. We will try another climb in a month or so we announced. It would be either the same mountain or anything similar or harder in Alberta. 

(Photo, top: Wedge Point from The Wedge Trail. I guess this is as high as I got. Kananaskis Trail and the mountains at the other side of the river are seen) 

When East Indians are on Vacation

This experience is part of my Arizona road trip but because it was not planned or desired, it's not posted as part of the series. While at one of the attractions previously described, I bumped to an East Indian couple. The minute I saw them I realized were they were from. The guy stuck like dish of Curry and was dressed like a hobo. Many East Indians wear exercise pants on when they are out or in their place. It's much cheaper and they can buy it as used from a Value Village, Wal-Mart or similar store. It doesn't require ironing and barely they wash it. His accent the minute he opened his mouth you could tell he was from India but when I asked him where he was from he said Nevada!!

If he had been someone who is born from East Indian parent and raised here in, I would not have had any problem with his answer. But with that appearance, accent and smell, No way. he added that his parents were from Rajasthan when I asked him if he was from Jaipour! He either was so dumb or pretended to be clueless because even I know Jaipour is the capital of Rajasthan and my parents are not from anywhere in India, not that there's anything wrong with that!

During the tour I realized that he was taking pictures using a mobile phone. I am not a fan of smartphone and the new expensive phones that people use for almost everything in their daily life but at the same time I don't think when you're on a trip and a special tour, you should take photos using an old camera phone unless you're very cheap! The worst part was the smell! I don't know how the girl puts up with that but maybe her nostrils are filled with that! 

This motherfucker cheap stinking guy that I work with is quite similar. Once he was going to the States for a week of vacation and there was anyone in the company who didn't know he would be going on a vacation south of the borders! That's why I hate these people very much: Cheap but pretentious. They got nothing but claim to have everything!  

Workplace Stories (21): The Scavengers

Many different types of food come to household during the year. Majority of them are bought and consumed. A small portion is given as gift or similar. This second part usually comes during Christmas season and New Year that food give-away in shape of gift is very usual. This is mostly seen at work so at times we bring it home. 

The Lady brought a small box of home-made cookies last Christmas and while we ate a few, the rest were left as they were distasteful, very unhealthy or simply not our kind of snack. There were still 4 to 5 cookies, two of them in shape of human, similar to Ginger Bread in the drawer until last week when I pulled it and saw them for maybe the twenties time in the past 4 months or so and decided to do something with them. I took them to work and put them in a small plate in the kitchen where everyone could see it. I know what would happen considering I know almost everyone's character's in the company now. There are people who eat whatever you offer them as long as it is free! I passed by the kitchen after an hour or so. There was no cookie in the plate but some cookie dust! The Scavengers had eaten all them up! Same nearly happens when there's a meeting or conference. If food is served during the break and something is left. They put them out or simply leave them on the table. The Scavengers attack and nothing will be left in a few minutes! They resemble Vultures. They appear on the carcass after big cats are full and left. They start their meal and after an hour or so nothing will be left of the carcass but bones and skin! 

(Photo: A group of vultures are having party over the left-overs of a stronger animal. This is exactly similar to our workplace people. I can even name them one by one but better not!)

NHL Playoff Fever

The Calgary Flames were able to clinch playoff for the first time since 2009 and the city is excited for that. I was not here in 2009 and I don't think I was even following much of the NHL back then. I was in Surrey struggling with life! Their first home game would be held today in Scotiabank Saddledome. The first two games were played against Canucks in Vancouver and the teams are tied at 1-1. 

My thinking is it will be a chaos tonight in Downtown if the Flames win. Will be the same even if the Flames do not win because there are always people who hate quiet and peace (!) but we'll see. The playoffs I remember goes back to 2004 when they went all the way to the finals and eventually lost to Tampa Bay! 

The Flames were quite a strong team back then comprised of skaters such as Iginla, Conroy, Leopold, Commodore, Kiprusoff and Turek. Today's team is comprised of young players that I barely know any but experts are very optimist about them and to my surprise they beat the Canucks in the first game in their home 2-1!

(Photo: A Flames Fan has hoisted a flag with the teams logo in Calgary. I hope he doesn't mind that I have used his property's photo for this post without his or her consent) 

A Comparison Between Crimea and Kosovo

One topic was discussed with me briefly by someone whom I'm not going to mention anything about, last week and was very interesting. I think it could be a very good topic for discussion, of course not in Canada and the US as this is where people's motto is I Don't Care but I'd like to post it here because I knew nothing about this and find it very interesting and at the same time felt bad for the one who brought it to my attention:

The person is from former Yugoslavia, very heart-broken that the country is torn apart by the West's tricks and has become more than so-called independent states. This has been a policy of West: Divide and Conquer. This is what the British did to Indian Sub-continent. They torn apart the big country of India to India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal and Bhutan. And even after dividing the country they didn't left them alone. They supported local movements for independence. Sikhs in northwestern part of the country wanted to have an autonomous state of Khalistan. Tamils were fighting for years in the northern part of Sri Lanka for the independent state of Tamils and so forth. 

Former Soviet Union is another example but I'm not quite certain as which theory could be proven right. One theory states that Russia wanted to officially get rid of the poor states of the former Soviet Union such as Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan, etc and then unofficially profit from them. Many citizens of the said states work low-paid labour jobs in Russia now. The other theory is the same as what was explained earlier: Divide and Conquer. The west torn the former Soviet Union and now there's no major competitor for them. They can rule the world much easier. This cannot be quite right because now Russia and China are the biggest threats to West's profit-making plans of the world. Not to mention other countries which are not sitting back quietly. Iran and Venezuela are example. At the end you'll never now what theory is right. It's complicated and twisted. It's an enigma wrapped in layers of mysteries! And as it's said in JFK: White is black and black is white. You think of something and it might be completely different from what you have in mind. 

Now back to Divide and Conquer plans of past few years. Yugoslavian War resulted in birth of a few small ruined and weakened countries. Serbians had the majority in the country and after the war they remained the villains. In the south there were Albanians whom were let in during and after the WWII by Tito and now they wanted an independent state! They created the so-called KLA, standing for Kosovo Liberation Army. They fought Serbs with the help of Albanians and then NATO. NATO is of course the military fist of West. They were happy that a small country of former Yugoslavia were becoming smaller and weaker so they helped KLA and in fact Albanian. While a war was going in south, NATO forces started bombing everything worth bombing in north and central Serbia. Bridges, hospitals and schools. The country's infrastructure was gone in a week. I remember watching on TV people crossing rivers on boats because there were no bridge left undamaged. This was being done without The UN's approval. That's why Gene Simmons called the UN, pathetic. I kind of agree with him as a Jew I don't think he should have said that because the UN has acted in favour of the Jewish State in most cases but letting them ignoring its resolutions! 

Anyways Kosovo declared independence with the assistance of West in 2008 while the majority of countries do not recognize it as a country and tensions are high in southern Serbia.

This map shows the newly built autonomous state of Crimea in southern Ukraine, a majority Russian region. 

At another corner of the world, not too far from Serbia, we have Ukraine, Russia and Crimea peninsula in south. Crimea became part of Ukraine after WWII. This was granted by Khrushchev but giving Crimea away didn't mean what some might think as Ukraine was part of Soviet Union. When the USSR, or as it was called by the Soviets, CCCP, collapsed, Russia still had its Black Sea fleet in Crimea and the majority of population of the peninsula were Russians. So a referendum was called and of course this didn't sound good to West. People voted for separation from Ukraine. That drove Ukrainians as well as Western Allies crazy. The question here is why an independent Kosovo is acceptable but an independent Crimea is not in the view of West? The answer is simple: Ukraine turned his back to the motherland and became a ass-kisser of West. Western countries called the referendum unlawful. In their view Crimea could not be an independent state and an ally of Russia while Kosovo could be an independent state and an ally of Albania and the West! This duality is outrages but understandable. The West has shown in the past 60 years and so that they do everything as long as it is in their favour. Vietnam War, Korean War, Iraq War, Afghanistan War, you name it. 

(Photo, top: Kosovo declared independence in 2008. The majority of the world do not recognize that as a country. Western countries of course do as that was their plan to weaken remaining of former Yugoslavia: Serbia. Even Iran, the country which aids Islamic groups, does not recognize Kosovo, the reason being they are Sunni Muslims!) 

Workplace Stories (20): Mumbling Guy Almost Wets Himself!

This fucking stupid Mumbling Guy is a true piece of shit in every and each way. His wife got a contract job with one of the giant companies last year and the next day he started showing off:

1- My wife started as a contractor but they will make her an employee soon.

2- My wife just talked to her boss and she's going to ask her to pass on my resume to the related department manager and I will work for that company. My salary would be roughly $200,000, maybe more! 

3- The company my wife works for is a terrific company. She has this and that and such! 

This nonsense continued until last week around noon. This piece of crap's life is like an infant's in every way. If his lunch is late for 10 minutes, he'd be like someone whose his vital shot is late! 

And if his food is different form the shit that he eats everyday, he'd be like a zombie, going bananas! Anyway I noticed in that specific day that he was not having his lunch and later, maybe after half an hour or so he appeared to be back, with his signature Wal-Mart coat on(!) meaning he had just come back to the office. He never goes out of the office at noon or any other time. The fact is he's glued to the chair most of the day unless something necessary is required. He said something to The Screamer and went to his room. 

At the end of the day he came to me and started: He had to leave the office to go and pick up his wife's stuff and drop her at the train station as she had been chopped off the work! So that was what had happened! The dreams are all gone now! All the fucking nonsense he frequently repeated about his fabulous wife and her job is nothing now. He told how wonderful their life still would be and his wife's salary in the past year or so had not been spent! Not even a Penny of it! I didn't say that I didn't give a shit about his ugly piece of shit pretentious wife and their pathetic life but if he had been smart enough he should have been able to read that in my face! I showed that I was sympathetic while, as I mentioned, I didn't give a shit and in fact I was very happy! He said that the way he had been managing their finances, would make them able to keep the same life style for the next 2 to 2 and a half years. I didn't mention that he had said it before with this little difference that he had mentioned only 1 year! They say lairs have short memory! Then the motherfucker left. Another reason he was worried and I can see that in his work and talk almost every day is that the client of the project that we are working at the moment has given him a warning of some sort. He didn't tell me what the circumstances were but said that there was something that he had never done and now they want him to do or he'd be out! So these days he's watching himself a lot and is nervous. With the job market being shit and all, he's scared to death as what he'd do with two kids, a woman out of work and a mortgage!

(Photo: The company that the woman worked shortly in Downtown Calgary)

What is the Situation?

Different cultures have similarities alongside their deep differences. When two people meet, after greeting, they normally ask what the news is. This is common in the old country. Here though they might not even say Hi and they go “What’s up?” It’s fine. People are different. I somehow have changed it to a punch line now which goes: What’s the situation? The people whom already are asked this question know what to answer. The ones who are asked for the first time usually come back with the question of their own: What situation? And I reply: The general situation. Some start on the actual situation and some, usually the ones who are born here or have been living here since their childhood, give a short version answer. Either one is fine by me because I know what to expect next time I ask the same.

A few days ago I bumped to this guy and after a few words was exchanged he said: The situation is very bad (!) one of my friends got chopped off last week too. It means it will be soon going to be expected as a phrase in the society. How long will it take to have it as a normal greeting line? I would say a very long time particularly because it Is not used when the economy is its normal, flowing situation. Rather than that speakers of English as a native language do not accept a phrase similar to this as a correct one grammatically. They consider that a terms coming out of a poor immigrant who is trying to learn the language and still is struggling! They simply ignore that.

Nevertheless the term situation is frequently used in military. Expressions such as “What is your situation in there?” have been heard. This refers to the number of wounded and KIA as well as the way the position is in regards to the enemies. So this is an accepted and correct term but it is not used in daily conversation. So are many other terms and expressions. Every business has its own specific terms and language which is not used in other fields. For example a Sizer is a machine which turns small objects (mainly rocks) to fine particles. The word Sizer in any other filed means nothing. MS Word considers is a misspelling when it is typed. Examples are plenty. ‘nough said.

TSA's Unexpected Inspection

The Lady came back from a trip a few weeks ago. She brought so much good food and snacks from her trip, mainly the items you can not find them here. While we were looking into the suitcase to check the things, she suddenly found a piece of paper, not handwritten, a sort of printed note and we were both surprised. I probably not to the same level, but immediately realized what the story was. That was a note from Transportation Security Administration indicating that suitcase had been checked! There was a lock on the zipper and according to The Lady nothing has been misplaced. It was hard for her to believe that the TSA guys had opened and inspected the baggage but that was there and that was what they had said. Luckily the lock was still good. Apparently that opened it without difficulty and put it back in! They also indicate in the note that TSA would have not been responsible for any damage. Thanks that no damages had been occurred. 

I haven't had any issue with TSA guys in the few trips that I had to deal with them. Neither I had any issue with CBSA. I usually travel from lightly but that cannot always be a guarantee! 

I don't complain about that as long as everything is there and no damage has occurred. Even if a damage had been occurred, I would not have complained! These guys have to do their jobs to make sure no shit happens. For that they need to have access to everything. It actually is a very difficult job dealing with different people every day and it's a big responsibility too. Anything happens on-board, these guys should be asked as why they didn't their job properly to protect passengers. I can imagine how hard this job will be when travel season arrives although in a big country such as the US, the travel season is 12 months a year. You want to go from this side of the country to the other side, you are not driving unless you have lots of time! Not to mention patient and no care for the hours you have to sit still behind the wheel!

(Photo: A scanned copy of TSA note found in the locked suitcase when we first unlocked and opened it after we arrived home) 

Arizona Road Trip (13): Crossing to Utah for Buckskin Gulch

One of the highlights of my trip was crossing to state of Utah and doing the amazing hike of Buckskin Gulch. In order to do that, I had done a little research and downloaded material including a map of are and then talked to two locals in Page. So left the motel early while the sleep of the night before was not good at all. There were two fucking bitches, possibly lesbians laughing and talking loudly in their room next to mine and they even were using a hair drier and there was nothing I could do. What a great place this Lu Lu's Sleep Ezze is! With paper thin walls, you can hear what people say in the next room word by word! But I guess it's OK for the price you pay. Anyways the alarm went off at 05:30 but I turned it off and reset it for 06:00, as I was very tired! I took myself out of the bad then and went to McDonald's to get a breakfast. Interesting thing is I paid $2.5 less for the exact same thing I got a few days ago in Tusayan's McDonald's!

I then took myself to US 89, heading west and crossing to state of Utah. following the signs and the notes I had maid I finally found the gravel road which leads to Trail-head. It was a very bad road and it appeared that it had become recently dry. I clearly saw narrow grooves that other vehicles had made in the mud road and has been turned out to be rail tracks! I had to slow down because I certainly had no intention to blow the underneath of the car! I checked the map and set the odometer to be sure I was not passing the trail-head. 

In a sunny day the cliffs of Buckskin Gulch look amazing and that's where they get their name from, I guess

After travelling the indicated distance, I reached a Texas Gate and barbed-wire fence and stopped! I knew what barbed wire fence mean. I certainly didn't want to cross to Native people's land and be prosecuted or shot! So I stopped. I was completely disappointed that I had driven that much and wasted my morning for nothing and turned back but after only a few meters I said to myself: I might not get the chance to be here again. I will cross to the gated land and will see what happened. Unfortunately due to the timing there was nobody around. On my way and shortly before turning to the gravel road I noticed a Ranger Station but I knew they were close and didn't bother checking them. So I carried on with driving and there it was I saw the sign and a small building which I assume was a bathroom. There was no car in the parking lot. I parked and started my hike after having a look at the signs and warnings. But I need to mention this here that American trails are well managed compare to the Canadian ones. There was a registration book as well as a paying station there. The hike required a $6 fee that I should have put it in an envelope and the envelope would go to a safety deposit box of some sort but I didn't have anything on me rather than a 50! So I said to myself that I would pay to the Ranger Station when I finish my hike, on the way back to the motel. 

The first hour or so of the hike is in open space environment surrounded by beautiful scenery and vegetation but for me who had seen many places earlier first it felt boring, especially because I was looking for something as unique and especial as Buckskin Gulch. The cliff started showing themselves after a little bit more than an hour. They were first short and apart. The more I advanced, the taller and closer to each other they got. After about maybe 10 or 15 minutes I found myself surrounded by tall buckskin-coloured cliffs in a way that a narrow corridor at spot would make it hard for two people to pass by!  

At one spot I realized there was a deep pool and decided to go back but then said to myself that I might not get this chance to come back to this place again. So I better to pass through. I slowly went from the side and the water was a little more than top of my ankle deep. I continued the rest of the hike in wet feet!

The hike is easy without much challenge. Only at spots there are pools of water that you need to pass them. I guess the season plays a major role here. I have heard that the gulch's water could be as deep as chest level but the highest I experienced was once after almost at the end of my hike and that was up to the top of my ankle. Here, again, I wanted to go back but went through the water from the sides of the puddle. I thought of going on the top of the rocks but they are very slippery and there is nowhere that you could have a good grip. I don't clearly remember this but the puddle would have been after Wire Pass intersection. Wire Pass is another Trail which reaches Buckskin Trail. Many people select that because they don't have to walk the first hour I described but they also miss the part before the two trail meet. Wire Pass is perpendicular to Buckskin Trail. Anyways at 12:00 I realized that it had been almost 4 hours that I had been walking. Considering a little less amount of time would have been required to get back to the vehicle and I had to drive back to Phoenix the next day, I decided to go back at that time. It was on my way back to the trail-head that I saw a few bunches. The level of water in that little pool had been decreased. I guess soil absorbs the water gradually but i had to get my feet and boots wet again. I reached the car at almost 15:30 meaning my return took half an hour less as I didn't stop as frequently as I did on my way. When I approached the car I saw what I had expected: A note on the windshield about not paying the fee. I got myself to the Ranger Station while it was a few minutes to 16:00 but they were closed. I guess they work based on Utah's time which could be different from Arizona's but I'm not sure but I was not able to pay the fee which was a bit disturbing due to the fact that the rental company would probably come after me. 

After all this was an amazing hike which I hope I could go all the way but I know it requires a whole day and extra strength. I hope I could do the rest of the hike one day. 

(Photo, top: The first hour of Buckskin Gulch Trail is outside the gulch and might feel tedious and boring to some and that is why many start their hike from Wire Pass but actually it offers good views and nice photo opportunities. Beside that a remarkable part of trail is between the trail-head and were Wire Pass cuts to the route)

Stupid and Disturbing Eating Habits

One of the things that I hate the most is the disgusting habits of eating that some people have and are very eager to proudly show them in the public! Here a list of them:

1- Eating while walking (Exactly like animals such as cow and goat on the field).

2- Eating every fucking shit that looks like food. There are plenty of them around.

3- Eating different things mixed together. I remember people having Coke, Milk, Orange Juice and Sprite all in their dinner tray where I have a post for it. 

4- Believing whatever nonsense these food companies say.

5- Eating with fucking nasty plastic fork and spoon.

6- Eating at the side of the street from the nasty stinking feces of food trucks like a fucking clueless, stray, homeless, ass.

7- Eating in the fucking vehicle (Where the fuck did this one come from!!!?)
8- Eating with hands and not caring about washing before eating. 

There's this movie called Food Inc. that I bought a little more than a year ago and it says a lot about food but it doesn't say much about eating habits. It's not that the eating habits in the old country are the best. They have their bad habits as well but that's where it's called Third World! You guys claim to be the smartest, civilized, and developed. 

In order to be fair I bring a few bad habits of eating in the old country here: 

1- Eating too much. Generally people serve and eat more than needed. Serving more than required is considered a value in the society and if one does not such, he or she is considered cheap!

2- Long gaps in between meals which encourages you to eat more at the quarter time. 

3- Low water consumption. Instead tea is drunk a lot but alongside disgusting cube sugar which is consumed excessively. 

4- Eating too much damn rice and bread. Bread is the worst. No Whole Grain and baked in the worst possible condition. Rice has only been the staple food in northern provinces close to Caspian Sea. My Mom told me once that they had rice only once or twice, at the most, in a week. Now it's consumed everyday and in two meals. No wonder why people's belly enters the room before they do!
5- Salad and raw vegetables is not considered a good and nutritious food. Forget about 5 times a day. people barely consume once a day unless it's a family party, especially now that people are struggling economically, I guess.

I thinks I covered a good part of what people do when it's come to eating. 

(Photo: I was on bus route # 100 to Hofgarten in Munich when this tall young German guy jumped in with his big sack and nasty disgusting McDonald's little box of shit-burger. While chewing on the piece of crap like a dirty pig, he was cleaning between his teeth and looking around like someone who is afraid of something!)

Arizona Road Trip (12): A Glimpse at Lake Powell

Lake Powell, located between states of Arizona and Utah is an amazing place but I had not planned anything for this attraction. While staying at Page, I didn't get even close to the lake as the main two or three roads to the lake shore are toll roads and I was not sure weather paying for that would do me any good because I was not looking for a boat ride unless I could get a ride from them to do a hike similar to what we see at the beginning of Planet of the Apes movie from 1968. So because I had not planned, I didn't spend much time. I only used two viewpoint to get a few shots. I could go on foot all the way but it was not in my schedule. Maybe next time I have a trip to Utah, I would spend a few hours in the area.

View of a few properties, with Lake Powell in the back taken from a street in Lake Powell View Estates neighbourhood a few minutes away from Page

Just a few minutes from city of Page where you're about to leave state of Arizona and cross to Utah, part of the desert, I would call it, has been turned to a neighbourhood called Lake Powell View Estates. It might be hard to believe some people have chosen this place to live but that is true. All brand new luxury homes with luxury cars parked in their driveway. The view is not bad but nothing extravagant. I checked one of the realtor's sheets: A 0.5 Acre lot with views of the lake, Navajo Mountain and around is sold for less than US $90,000. I don't know what would be the cost of building a house in this part of the US but overall it doesn't seem too bad. Page has it's own local airport and it's at equal distance form two major cities of Salt Lake City and Phoenix. I assume that should be a good retirement place but I don't know. People look at different factors. Shopping is only 20 min. away and the city offers nothing else but the basics that almost every small town might have. 

The crew of movie Planet of the Apes back in 1967-68. The topless beard man is Charlton Heston the lead actor of the movie whom I assume is going through the script! I bought movie's DVD and enjoyed watching it.

(Photo, top: Lake Powell from a viewpoint close to the city of Page)

Workplace Stories (19): Tragedy for the Poor Guy?

I just wanted to briefly post this for myself: Newlywed is back and apparently he didn't leave because he wanted to. He left because he had to. One of his parents had been in an accident and died shortly before he reaches the homeland. It still could be a made up story but then I assume he's a better player than me. He was in Jeans and a white shirt when I said my condolences to him yesterday! Perhaps that's how East Indians mourn their loved ones and show their grief. I know almost every other nation wears black but whatever. He seemed very sad and we had a little chat. He's probably leaving but we'll see. I read that Hindus wear casual white clothing but he's not Hindu. He belongs to a small community but perhaps they share the same dress code for grieving because I had not seen him in that shirt previously. 

Arizona Road Trip (11): Lower Antelop Canyon

I had an almost OK sleep the night before this adventure. It was a little bit cold but I managed to survive using an extra blanket which was available. I made a couple of cups of coffee in the kitchen. The motel's stuff was all Wal-Mart sub-par quality. Lucky me that I had some coffee left from Views Inn! Before heading out I caught up with an American fella named Matt. from Phoenix, originally from Michigan. He told me about a good experience he had at Lower Antelope Canyon and I told him about Glen Canyon Dam. These American guys, some of them are terrific. He even gave me the telephone number of the tour from his iPhone! We shock hands and he headed out. 

I then wanted to grab a breakfast sandwich and headed to McDonald's but realized it had been passed the breakfast hour so I just went to the nearby Wal-Mart to break a note for the tour. I forgot to mention that I called and the guy told me that the tour would have cost $28 and would have started at around noon or so. So that was why I wanted to get exact cash for the tour. I also spent a little time in Glen Canyon Recreation Area and took a few photos as I had time and then got on the road and headed east close to where the power plant is located.

Strangely shaped rocks under the ground have created this amazing maze! 

It was not really hard to find the tour place based on what the guy had told me on the phone. I parked and there were only 4 other people: A Japanese young couple and an East Indian young couple. Add to that our tour guide who was a nice young Native girl: A small group of 6. I have to say that I really enjoyed the tour. We walked for 10 minutes to reach the entrance and then walked down from the ladders and followed the girl. She provided knowledge and answer every questions we had patiently. I asked her about the power plant and she said that was a coal power plant. The coal mine was further east and connected via railway. The facility belongs to Navajo Nation and possibly ran by them, I don't know if technically. The tour took a bit one hour and it was amazing to see how the rocks had been shaped. I took several photos and we all came out of a different hole and appeared on the ground. 

Another shot showing how you would go through cliffs 

There are other similar tours available in the area but I learnt that they cost more and take longer. In my opinion 1 hour is enough and you get both exercise and opportunity to see and take photos. The price is OK and you don't have to pay much or get on trucks but others might like to try other tours as well. The other good thing about this tour is it is not very crowded. So you can enjoy very much. These tours all are managed by Native people of the area as the land belongs to them. All the people in addition to our guide that I already mentioned her, the guy who answered the phone and the girl whom I paid to were Natives. What amazes me the most about this Native people is I can't recall seeing one of them smiles in the entire road trip of Arizona! Obviously they are upset that their land is occupied but that was 200 years ago. Get over it! 

(Photo, top: Navajo Generating Plant, as they call it in the area,  in the east side of the town)

Why is the APEGA so Pathetic and Phony?

I've written about APEGA a few times and a sane and understanding person, only after dealing with them a few times, realizes that it’s only a business. To Be or Not To Be is the title of an old movie from 1942 which I watched it once years ago, probably 20 years ago and don’t remember anything about it. But when it comes to APEGA and we want to see whether it should be or it should not be, I strongly believe that it should not be unless they change the way the manage engineering business in the province completely and fundamentally.

One fact we should not close our eyes to be that APEGA has become a bit more restrict in the past 2 years or so. You didn't have much trouble to become a Professional Engineer just a few years ago. All you needed to do was providing the organization with the list of the courses you had passed during your engineering degree years and then right an exam called National Professional Practice Examination which was about Canadian laws and basics of ethics at work. It is not a very hard examination but people fail. I failed that examination once. The next time I even had 10 minutes extra at the end. Canadian law is complicated and if they want to have a tough exam, they could make it so tough that barely anyone could pass. Ethics is not hard. It is the basics of what is bad and what is good and is mostly common sense. The thing is people mostly read it and forgets it. They do the same to the law part. People, particularly foreigners, study and pass the exam just to be eligible for the title. Fire and forget it a sort of nickname that has been selected for a LASER guided air to ground missile. All that the pilot has to is just to fire the missile after he acquires the target. The system does the rest. The system emits a LASER beam to the target and the missile simply follows the route and hits the target. I don’t think there will ever be a miss. For the majority of the people who apply for the title of Professional Engineer, the scenario is the same: Fire and Forget. They mostly are sure that they hit the target and after that they forget everything about the book and material they studied because they simply don’t care. For the foreigners of Third World countries being an engineer is simply a way to get out of poverty, hunger and starvation, mostly, especially the foreigners from Indian sub-continent. I was talking once with Cheapskate about ASQ’s Certified Quality Engineer examination, a tough examination that I wrote it last time in 2006, failed and never tried after that, and referred to part of the examination that you barely deal with them at work. His answer simply was: Just read them for the sake of the examination and after you pass, forget them all!

Examples of fools who barely know their right hands from the left and have been given the title of Professional Engineer is plenty and as I indicated at the beginning, a few of them are provided already in the past. I list a few other ones I personally have witnessed:

1-      I talked to a colleague once about the visit he had made to a supplier’s workshop. I asked him what he had seen and what he had done. He simply said that they had spent about 10 minutes in the office of his host and then went for beer and pizza in a local joint! Very professional way of handling an order. The individual is now a Professional Engineer working for on a major project and his salary is way higher than mine. Not to mention that he left this company for the one that he works for now because they offered him a better remuneration package.  

2-      This one is a very good example. There was this woman working for the company who believed she was the most knowledgeable individual in the entire company. A holder of a Master’s Degree from a recognized university in Canada, she was a tough one to deal with, a real butch (Yes butch, if you know what it means). She had made this impression that she was the best and unfortunately the management had a blind trust in her. The more I dealt with her, the more of her nasty habits and tricks as well as ignorance were appeared to me. She was working on a purchase order which after months of fabrication, inspection and documentation they finally were shipped to the site. While they were stored at site facility and waiting for installation and commissioning, I once checked the general arrangement drawings and a few other detailed drawings of the equipment and machinery and realized they had not been approved yet by the woman. You imagine this: Months of work by the supplier and the engineering company as well as different sub-contractors on items that are now only a few days from installation and the responsible engineer has not yet approved their basic design drawings! What a responsible engineer who is stuck to morals and ethics. She, for sure, must be nominated for these APEGA awards they generously distribute every year! One person that I’ve already named him in one of my work related posts and I avoid naming him here again in order not to give any clue that whom I’m talking about, told me that she does not usually approve design drawings until she makes sure that the equipment is installed and has not shown any issue during commissioning! Way to go Professional Engineer!

In another interaction I had with her once, I referred to material test certificates provided by one of the suppliers after fabrication and assembly of the items was finished. I asked her what the purpose of those documents, MTRs, would be at that point. If we find any issue with the material not being in accordance with client’s specification or an applicable standard, for example, would they disassemble the machinery, replace that piece, re-assemble, retest and announce its readiness?, I asked. Her answer solely was: We hope that it does not come to that point!! This is a very intellectual answer by a Professional Engineer of APEGA!

Examples of such are countless and it’s only me working in a small company in this city. Imagine how many companies are established and how many people work for them. If we can only see a few members similar to the two, there will be a good percentage of Professional Engineers who do not deserve the title but APEGA provides them with that because they simply care about the money they receive!

Just to show how pathetic APEGA is, it is only enough to refer to the recent election: The last council election of APEGA took place between Mar. 02 and Apr. 04. of this year. According to the organization’s announcement on its website, only 21.45% of the eligible voters participated!! Those probably are comprised of the direct beneficiaries of the election results, colleagues of the candidate who thought by voting for the person and letting him or her know later, would secure their jobs or relationship with the individual, low-capacity, shallow individuals who think APEGA is a big deal and they are now a big deal that are part of a phony organizations and they also though their vote matters! The rest seem they didn't simply give a shit!  

The funny thing is these guys of APEGA are shameless and somehow impudent, if I can put it that way (it must be an obsolete term!). Regardless of all this shit that is going on they still send their silly magazine with glossy paper out, they keep two expensive offices in two major cities of the country open and keep going with their fake business, stressing that this is a self-governing organization! Of course it is self-governing but those selves are special people. Nevertheless I don’t think it would have been much different from what it is now, had it not been a self-governing organization. Their volunteering system is really funny. I, at times, receive e-mails from them indicating they need volunteer for this event or that event and it is specifies in what filed of engineering the volunteer individual should be active in. I’ve never received an e-mail which has been sent to me correctly. If an organization cannot handle something as simple as this, how do you expect them to work on more complicated issues!?

I give you another example to show that these guys are completely inadequate and disorganized. APEGA Publishes a, I think, by-weekly magazine called PEG (not pig although what they mainly do resembles what a pig does!). This is a glossy and shiny magazine which basically has nothing but a few pages of news (that nobody cares about!), pictures of CEO, president, president-elect and other members of the organization including councilors and board of directors, few pages of advertisement, interviews and introduction of available courses which someone might be interested in taking them. That is all! I don’t think anyone even turns the pages when they receive it and it’s of course free because nobody would pay for it otherwise. This magazine used to come in a format of newspaper years ago and this truly shows that APEGA’s revenue has been significantly increased in a way that instead of a publishing a black and white charity-shaped paper, they are publishing a shiny and bright magazine which similar qualities (in terms appearance, not content) are sold for $8 to $12 in magazine stands. This magazine, as I stated earlier, is sent to the members free of charge. Last year I realized that I had not received a certain issue and contacted them. What they did was they immediately send another copy, claiming that my name had been probably removed from their distribution list. I received the original copy just a week after that! This means that they have no clue what they are doing, they have no control over the number of magazines published and they have no cost restriction for this nonsense but this actually is my money which is turned to that magazine and coming back to me. I certainly do not need money spent on such a useless thing and distributed carelessly but hey…what can I do? It’s self-governing but do I have a voice here? Can I ask them to discontinue the magazine and spend the money on something that actually has a benefit for the members, especially that the magazine is available online and you do not even have to be a member to access it?! I’d rather the association had more continuing education courses, presented directly by them or through well-known organizations, with reasonable prices instead of the magazine.

Here are a few of the offered courses or seminars by the association:

* Personal and professional mastery: achieving superior performance and resilience. $299 + GST, an one day seminar!

* Networking; Building a strong business relationship. Same price, an one day seminar again. 

I have nothing against the instructors but we all now that building strong relationship or master your personal or professional life would not accur by attending a one-day seminar! 

Things about APEGA is so much to discuss that I can write a book about it. I don't have the time neither the publisher to publish the book. I'm restricting myself to what is written here. 
(Photo: I certainly believe that there are other phonies in this country and everywhere else but at the same time I believe APEGA is one of them)

Arizona Road Trip (10): Glen Canyon Dam and Horseshoe Bend

The first thing I did after arriving at Page was obviously checking into the motel I had booked. Being a small town which was originally founded for the workers who built Glen Canyon Dam, it's not really hard to find your motel and go around. Lu Lu's is the motel's name and when I entered there was a Hispanic lady whom I talked to in order to get my key (My review about the motel is available in Google Maps). She barely spoke English but was being supported by a guy from the same background so there was not much of problem. I asked her if there was any tourist information office and she said no. I guess that was also the answer the guy gave me. Nevertheless I checked the information I had and went to Powell Museum, a small museum in the town which was about to close! There were two old ladies who helped me a lot and gave me hand-outs and after that I went to Carl Hayden Visitor Center. This is a huge building by Glen Canyon Dam. There was a very nice gentleman there whom helped me with my plan for an Utah hike which I had planned briefly but he gave me much detailed information and explained things on their huge model on the floor. I spent a few minutes around the dam and took a few photos. There are tours available in the dam area but again I'm not a kind of guy who would be able to spend that much money. It would have been great though. 

I decided to go to Horseshoe Bend after that. I looked at the map given to me by the old ladies at the museum and almost got where I had to go but in order to be certain I went to a local McDonald's, apparently the only one in the town, and checked that with the Native girls. 

This is the best I could capture from Horseshoe Bend. I arrived there late and there was a crowed. I decided to go around the cliff clockwise to get a good shot and this is the result. You either need a wide-angle lens or access the scene from the top. I had neither and didn't want to fall 300 meter down in Colorado River. However if I go to page again, I will take a river tour and go down there to explorer and enjoy. 

There were two of them in the restaurant talking and I approached and told them that I was on my way to Flagstaff but would have liked to check this place called Horseshoe Bend! If you tell them you are there simply to see the place, you would not most likely receive a good answer but what I told them made one to give me a good direction. Horseshoe Bend is not too far from the town and its overlook or viewpoint is not far away from the parking lot. So it's easy to get crowded even during the week. The best time to see this place in early morning, which is not crowded or at noon when you have sunlight directly over the river. I decided to go around the place, clockwise and find a spot to both avoid the crowd and also be able to get a good shot. I almost achieved the first goal but there was not much opportunities for photography. I reached a barbed-wire fence after a few minutes and realized by crossing that I might get myself into trouble with the local Natives but then said Screw 'em! and continued. The cliff structure was very interesting in the area but I was closing to the sunset without getting a better photo opportunity. I decided to take a few photos and go back to the car. By the time I arrived at the parking it was completely dark and there was only one or maybe two cars left. On the way back to the motel I checked a Wal-Mart. It was huge and they sell everything that you might find in the local stores. The customers and staff were mostly Native people but unlike Chinle and Tuba City you could also see Caucasians. 

Apart from my experience with Wal-Mart, if I really had wanted to enjoy Horseshoe Bend, I would have gone there the next day, early morning or at noon but I had other plans which you will see.
(Photo: Glen Canyon Dam near Page. Those small light blue things are boats for the people who are interested in Colorado River tours, something I might consider next time I'm in the area)

Arizona Road Trip (9): Grand Canyon to Page

I woke up very early as a few assholes who normally have no respects for others were making noise on their fucking way out of the motel. I guess it was 04:30. Tried to go back to sleep but in general didn't have a good sleep the whole night. It was cold even with two blankets I used! Went to the same McDonald's that I had tried the day before (obviously because that's the only one in the town) and realized that a large coffee was $2.99. So obviously the guy had not tried to take advantage of me but I'm surprised as it's always said that the food is cheaper in the US but maybe not a remote place similar to that! My destination was Page in north so headed towards the park and took Highway 64 towards east to get myself back to Cameron and head north. 

I had a short stop at the visitor center and their bookstore. In the visitor center I wanted to know about the trail which takes you to the river (Colorado River, of course!) and you can cross over from a metal bridge. This time I faced a fucking ugly piece of shit woman who obviously had hatred towards foreigners! I asked her about the trail and she trow a printed guide at me!! I was shocked by her behaviour but I dropped it as my word would not be bought against her. After all these people are mostly volunteers and the US National Park Service has to beg them to work there! I checked the bookshop (gift-shop) too. They have a variety of nice items but not in my price-range. I wanted to purchase a CD of Native people music as well as a lapel pin but didn't due to the prices. 

Had also a few stops at different viewpoint and because there was not clouds and it also was significantly less crowded, took a few good shots. 

I assume this should be Humphreys Peak but I could be wrong. Took it on Highway 64 heading east before reaching Cameron. The colour is not so great due to extreme light. I'm sure there would have been measures to take to make it better looking! 

I had a short stop at Cameron, quite similar to the one on my way to Grand Canyon and obviously didn't buy anything and then headed north on US 89, as stated earlier. The road was wonderful, full of photography opportunities which I used a few of them but unfortunately there was not many rest areas and the narrow road (2 lanes only, I believe) with soft shoulder at both sides, didn't allow me to park and check. After almost 1 hours driving I reached this intersection called Gap where a few shops and a gas station are located. nearby as usual, are Native people dwellings. At this point the GPS was directing me to go straight but the sign on the road was pointing at the right turn to be the road going to Page! I didn't know what to do! I was dependent on my GPS in the entire trip. At the same time, the sign could not be incorrect. I wanted to ask someone but considering the majority of the people around me were Natives who were giving me dirty looks, I decided not to! I would have been given a wrong direction and a shrug! So I followed the GPS and went straight through but just after a few hundred meters (Here again I'm using Metric in a country which its measuring system is Imperial!) I saw a sign which was partially covered! It was not showing the next destination which was Page, of course. I turned back and got myself to the right road but stopped to check my map. I didn't much by looking at the map and said to myself; What the hell?! Everyone's going that way and the sign is pointing to that direction. I'm going that way too!

I followed the road and as soon as I did that, the GPS went crazy by giving different messages! Apparently that reason was that it had not been updated in the past year. Nevertheless I didn't turn it off because I know it would finally get me to the destination by several recalculations! The good thing was I saw a US 89 Temp. after a few minutes of drive but no sign referring to Page the entire time! The GPS was even clueless when I almost entered the city and away from the motel just 15 minutes but eventually realized what his job is and took me there. 

(Photo, top: Frost on the windshield. I never expected to see that in Arizona. The night prior to this morning and the entire morning was so cold cost me a night sleep!)

Abusing Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms

One of the facts that Canada is so proud of is Charter of Rights and Freedom. The Charter starts in this manner:

1. The Charter guarantees the rights and freedom set out in it subject only to such reasonable limits prescribed by law as can be demonstrably justified in a free and democratic society. 

2. Everyone has the following fundamental freedoms:

a- Freedom of conscience and religion. 

b- Freedom of thought, belief, opinion and expression, including the freedom of press and other media of communication.

c- Freedom of peaceful assembly, and

d- Freedom of association.

The entire Charter is provided in this link here:

http://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/const/page-15.html

I have no studies in other countries similar law. Technically expressions such as above should be included in every country's Basic Law. However I think the freedom which is offered here and is indicated to be subject to reasonable limits is constantly abused. In fact it looks like someone has created such a soft law to encourage people to come to the country which for decades was not even known to the rest of the world and was suffering - and is still suffering - from lack of workforce. I give you a few examples of the work-force in Canadian soil, the temporary work-force which is frequently here and mainly because some asshole created this law that wandering people can go to Drop-ins or shelters and get free food and bed simply they are so fucking lazy to get themselves together and build a little life. So instead of them who wander around and look for cigarette buts and empty cans and bottles and time get in to scuffles which others and other members of the society and stab each other to death or similar nice acts, the country has to import temporary and permanent work-force similar to below: 

1- While in Edgar Farms in Innisfail, we realized that the crop is being harvested by Mexican workers!!!! Can you imagine that? Mexicans should be brought up here to central Alberta, more than 4700 Km away to harvest Asparagus. It means there are not a few people in the entire vast Province of Alberta and in the big country of Canada who is able or willing to clear a small Asparagus farm of its crop!!!

2- Golden Ear Bridge in Maple Ridge, British Columbia was constructed with a work-force mainly comprised of Eastern European labourers (I guess Polish)!!!!

3- Cargill Meat Solutions, a big food packing company in High River, Alberta now brings contact workers from The Philippines. It's a shock as truck loads of refugees and immigrants land in this country every month. I guess everyone wants to be a C. E. O. here! No labour job!

Apart from that every and each other part of this so-called Charter is abused in a way or two. Just last week I heard of a new law which suspends the driver license of the ones who are fined as a DUI, indefinitely. This actually is a brilliant law and this is what Canada needs to get rid of this trashes who kill people at every corner of the country each month and these fucking losers protested by saying that their rights would be violated if such law is in affect! I don't know if this law is in effect now or not but the Provincial Government should be tougher than this and change this country from a heaven for criminals to somewhere people have more respect for others and the law as well.
This Freedom of Religion or association is another one which is misused by the people. A good example of it was introduced in a previous post a few years ago: Polygamy! Also people come from all different backgrounds and do whatever they want to do and call it part of the new freedom given to them by their new homeland, Canada! The homeland they always try to evade its income tax and work around its law! This subject to reasonable limits is a very good part indicated in the Charter but is vague and creates many questions. But generally most of the law is that. I ran into this problem many times when I was studying for the N. P. P. E.. Canadian law as described in the main textbook is based on English Law and this is how it works: You have a case let's say in 1982 and it was reviewed, discussed and resulted in a verdict. This could be base for a current case and this type of law which is not enacted called Common Law. Discussion over the Charter could be written in hundreds of pages. That actually has given many the opportunity to whatever shit they want to do, as I've said over and over but this created many issues for the country in the past 20 years that newcomers have stepped in Canadian soil from countries which have a completely different culture and law system from the Canadian one. The fact is: You cannot run a country in 2015 and after with the law that you enacted in 1970's!
(Photo: Queen Elizabeth II is signing the Constitution Act in April 27, 1982 when Canada became a full sovereign nation. The Act includes the newly Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedom presumably to attract more people to My Home and Empty [native!] Land [this is part of the National Anthem which is joked with, at times, pointing at Canada's population. It in fact has gone up in the past 10 years significantly. Thanks for the war-makers all around the world. Canada now is officially the trash can of the world. Everyone who's ass is kicked lands in Canada! From war refugees of Somalia and Sudan in Africa to war refugees of Iraq, Afghanistan and Syria in Middle East. After all that's what mainly Canada wants: Labour work-force! They don't need brilliant people. Tim Horton's McDonald's, Superstore, Wal-Mart, Dollarama, etc are the main businesses of this country and they welcome the people of the above countries with open arms!]. Pierre Trudeau, the then Prime Minister is seen at left. Looks like he's exhausted! He's extended his leg to stretch a bit or maybe he's kicking the Queen to remind her of something! It also look like it was a windy day!)

Arizona Road Trip (8): To Colorado River and Back Up

Hike down Bright Angel Trial in south rim of Grand Canyon National Park is a beautiful hike and a bit tough mainly because of the heat on the way back.Unlike the majority of hikes the challenge is were you're going back! That's where you exert most of your energy and usually is hot. There are several signs in the park and it's indicated in the brochures and the Rangers also tell you not to go to Colorado River in one day and come back up but that's for the kids whom you see truck loads of them in the park and the old farts, posers and wimps who walk around with their iPad and iPhone and take photos of themselves and their partners!

I started early to beat the heat and I have to admit that I was completely not satisfied with my start but it was OK. I didn't have a really good sleep the night before and was woken up but some fucking selfish fools who were going to hell, I hope, at 04:30 AM! I went to the local McDonald's, as I usually do before my hikes and scrambles, to get a coffee and the guy looked like he was crazy because when I asked for a medium coffee he was going to charge me $2.89!!! I told him to cancel the order but he got a $1 from me and gave me the coffee! That was another reason why I though he must have been crazy. Anyways I got the hell out and drove to the park. The Rangers were there early morning and they checked my pass. I found a good spot and walked towards the trail-head. Here how I did the hike before I provide any detail:

Start time at trail-head: 06:20 hours

Arrival at Colorado River: 09:50 hours.

Total time on the trail on the way down: 03:30 hours.

Start time from Colorado River: 10:10 hours

Arrival at trail-head: 13:58 ~ 14:00 hours.

Total time on the trail on the way up: ~ 03:50 hours

The total time of the hike: ~ 07:20 hours (including short stops for rest and photography)

Total elevation gain (Colorado River to trail-head); ~ 755.9 m. or 2479.98 ft.

Total distance walked (return trip): 25.74 Km or 15.99 Miles.

Now the other details about the hike: This is a nice hike and I had not done any similar to that. It has it's uniqueness but other hikes I have done each have their beauty and uniqueness as well. So there's no way that you can say Bright Angel Trial hike is the best. It's similar to comparing Orange and Apple. Eagle's Nest hike is wonderful but cannot be compared to this. Ptarmigan Tunnel and Crypt Lake are each awesome and beautiful in their own way with their own specifications. I can go on with the list. Nevertheless when I stated there was barely anybody on the trail and it was a bit cold but I was OK. I had my exercise suit on. One of the reason that I always intend to start a hike or scramble very early is that you not only beat the heat and crowd but you have a much bigger chance to see wildlife. Here after few minutes I bumped to a herd of Deer (not sure what kind) who were grazing around the path. I kept going and the first signs of humanity appeared after me. The more you go down, the more magic sights of Grand Canyon disappear but there are lots of other beauties on your way: birds, rodents, different plants and vegetation, cliffs with different shapes and colours and they are all unique to Grand Canyon. 

The US Forest Service has kept (and still keeping) the trail very well and it's easy to walk on. There are rest station, I would call them, on the way that you could washroom or seek shade. Not all of them have potable water though but I didn't stop for water even once. Then you reach Indian Garden which is a very beautiful campground with all facilities. It, looked like to me that the stream, waterfall, all the plants, trees everything is man made and it was, I think but it is very beautiful place. This is where people stay so they can go down to Colorado River the next morning or so! How childish and weak someone could be?! But I understand people are different. Funny thing is when I was on the trail going down to the river or coming back up to the rim, people were trying to show how strong and fast they could be!! They had slept for at least 6 hours in the campground and walked half of the way and they thought they were exceptional. After all the pathetic losers didn't know that there's no race in hiking or scrambling but whatever! 

A view of Indian Garden campground on Bright Angel Trial.

There is another set of switchbacks after Indian Garden if you want to get to Colorado River but many divert their route and go to Plateau Point, which is said a very beautiful viewing point for or take Tonto Trail but I kept going down because I wanted to see how hard it could have been to get to the river in one day and come back up. I finally reached Colorado River, as I stated above, at around 10 to 10 AM. There are restrooms and other facilities by the river as well but I didn't check them. Didn't need them. The river was not very wide and didn't seem very dip but that's only an assumption. Later on I saw photos showing a metal overpass but It would have been somewhere else. I wonder if you could cross over the river and continue to North Rim and stay there. Maybe I consider that as another hike for future or do it north to south. I started going back up after a short break and taking a few photos. Everything was fine until Indian Garden and even after that but in about 1.5 hour to the top and that's a critical phase in hiking, I started feeling tiredness especially because of the heat and I had already lost my headband which protects my forehead from direct sunlight. I applied sun screen and kept going. At one point I wanted to drink water and I realized I was out and there was no water available until I reached the top. The trail got busy with all sorts of idiot! Moms had sleeper type shoes on and holding their babies!!! I don't know what kind of moron does that to only take a few photos of her over 200 Lbs. body and post it to Facebook! 

Anyway the last hour was very hard but I got myself back to the trail-head shortly before 14:00 without having a single minute break after Indian Garden and no water. I didn't want to repeat what I had to do in Lost Dutchman State Park. After reaching the hotel I was so tired that I laid down for few minutes but couldn't sleep.

Part of Bright Angel Trail is seen in the deep valley. This is after passing Indian Garden campground and you still have more than an hour to reach Colorado River. Most hikers have difficulty coming back up from this section and I saw many panting which is normal but I never understood what the purpose of those metal sticks were!!? Completely useless in a well-maintained staircase-like trail such as this. I never needed one! 

 There are a lot to do in Grand Canyon but that was the only hike I did and I really enjoyed it. Whether I will go again? Yes. probably. I still like to try that trail which takes you to the metal bridge and I still like to see the North Rim. Grand Canyon is a wonderful place but need attention and organization. It requires stricter rules for the visitors and hikes but in an environment which money rule, not many rules could be defined and enforced. The US Forest Service cares only about the money. I'm not saying they don't do anything but what they do is not enough. They charge a good amount for everyone steps in the park but after that everyone is pretty much is on his or her own. There's no supervision and watch. Unless something serious happens nobody's going to do anything about this lovely, incredible place. 

(Photo, top: A view of Grand Canyon. The photos you see in posters, magazines and others which look much better than this are all taken, or mostly, by professional photographer who equipped themselves with wide lenses. This, I believe, is not bad compare to them considering I had a normal lens on)