A Little Variety

I have been in British Columbia for the last two work weeks. It has been a very busy and productive conference. My routine has been the same. I eat in the same place, sleep in the same place, socialize with the same people I am working with, and haven't really spent much time off the establishment. 

This all made me realize how hardwired humans are for variety.

We all have a favourite meal. The go to meal that just makes your day. However, if you try to eat it three times a day, your body will start to not like it and it will lose its appeal. After a break you will probably like it as much as you did before.

We crave variety. This is a good thing. It drives us to seek out new experiences. It motivates us to improve. I'm sure it has a hand in innovation. When your innovation is cut off, it can grind you down. You need to change is up and do something different. 

I admit that I am very lucky. My job has a lot of variety. I don't work on an assembly line doing the same task everyday. Most days I don't feel stifled. However, eight days of meetings on the same subject pushes me close to my limit. It's not that I don't care, in fact, I care a lot and that may be part of what makes me a bit crazy at times.

In the end, I know I'm hardwired to have some variety. It's obvious to me and without it life loses its zest.

The Grand Canyon

On the last day of my trip to fabulous Las Vegas, we rented a car and headed out to the Grand Canyon. I have seen many pictures of the place over the years and thought that's nice, but I don't know if that's worth the trip. The picture I included is a nice picture but I'm not sure if it says you have to go see this place.

Everyone should go see the Grand Canyon.

Located entirely in the state of Arizona this natural spectacle is so far amazingly beyond any natural destination I have ever seen. I have not been everywhere. By no means have I seen it all. I have been a few rather cool places in my life. The Grand Canyon tops my list.

The canyon is wide. The canyon is deep. You can see many layers of the earth. You feel small as you stand at the edge. It is difficult to write about as words do not do justice to how I felt as I stood next to this natural wonder.

Since we were in Las Vegas we went to Grand Canyon West. The Hualapai Indians own the land and manage the attraction. They are business people, it will cost a bit more than a couple of bucks to visit, but I was completely satisfied and felt I got more than I paid for.

I also pulled out my iPhone and turned on the GPS app I have in it. The south rim at the west end of the Grand Canyon has an elevation of over 4600 feet. That's higher than Calgary but not quite as high as Denver. It added to the feeling of being with nature to be up in the thin air.

Although it was fairly cloudy the day we were there, it was quite the place to be as the sun set. As the sun gets lower in the sky and strikes the canyon walls at different angles the experience is enhanced. As the sun was setting it did manage to find a bit of a hole in the clouds. Sunshine on the bottom of clouds is always breath-taking, even more so at the Grand Canyon.

There was one thing I did find a wee bit strange. There is was no safety barrier along the edge of the canyon and the ground is not prepared along the edge. If you mis-step, you could stumble and fall over the edge. That would be it. However, it was part of the amazing experience that it was not too prepared. The adrenaline rush from standing so close to the edge without any safety equipment was unique in this day of over safetied everything. It felt closer to nature.

I've tried but I know I have not done justice to this amazing natural spectacle. All I can really say is everyone should make every attempt to visit the Grand Canyon in their lifetime.