Grand Canyon or Grandest Canyon? (post for Sept. 22)

The brakes were squeaking. While that fact alone was enough to keep me restless all through the night, I was also without my keys or any knowledge of exactly where the car was. We had utilized the complimentary valet parking, you see, and that would've been a joy to most people but my obsessions and compulsions quickly overrode any convenience. I've become almost symbiotic with the car - I'm certain that she speaks to me if only I listen closely enough. Not knowing where she was parked was like having an arm amputated - ok, maybe not an arm, but something - and I was antsy to get her back.

She was delivered to us in one piece but the brakes continued to squeak. While I pondered exactly what to do about this in such a foreign locale, we were off to our final interview. Luke worked for Unite Here!, the hotel workers' union in Chicago over the summer, and he had some contacts with the very active Culinary Workers Union in Las Vegas. Conveniently, there was a big meeting Monday morning of union members who are currently taking leaves of absence to campaign for Barack Obama in the swing state of Nevada. We were very excited to be flies on the wall. Before their big meeting, we were able to sit down and talk to a man named Clester Nelson, a baggage handler at Bally's who had been a union member for 50 years and now for the first time was taking time off from his job to work for Obama.

His interview was the perfect endpoint for the many interviews we have done. Mr. Nelson had grown up in rural Arkansas, had joined the Air Force and fought in Korea. After the war he was stationed at Nellis AFB in the Nevada desert and after his discharge in 1956, decided to embrace the warmth of the Southwest. He met his wife (they recently celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary), had 5 daughters, and went to work. He talked to us about the values he's tried to instill in his girls, all of whom are grown now. The value of a hard day's work, he said, was the most important thing, along with a strong spiritual life and the importance of simply being kind to strangers. He had made a good living because of the union, and was determined to give others that same chance. He told us of a conversation he had with his great grandfather when he was just 8. His 90 year-old elder, who had been a slave, told the young Mr. Nelson that one day, he would see a black President of the United States. Clester said that he has never forgotten those words spoken so long ago, and now was determined to make his great grandfathers dream a reality.

It was easy to tell that Mr. Nelson was a person who just loved talking to people. We could have talked to him for hours, but the union meeting was starting so we had to wrap it up. After having talking to people who were in charge of their respective organizations, it meant a lot to us to talk to Clester, who had not necessarily broken down any barriers but had worked hard every day of his life and raised 5 children, all while believing that simple kindness could make all the difference. It clearly had in his life. We wished him the best of luck and all of us determined to make sure that November 4 is a good day.

After a conversation with my daddy and with an incredibly friendly AAA representative (they always are!) I decided to take the car to a mechanic to get the oil changed and check the brakes. The closest one was just off the strip and close to where we were, and they agreed to check it out as soon as possible. We walked around the nearby Fashion Show mall, one of the largest malls I've ever seen, ate at a food court at 10 in the morning, played in the Apple store, and returned to the shop three hours later to find that the brakes were fine. The squeaking was probably just an imperfection in the brake material and was nothing to worry about. I explained to the incredibly friendly mechanic and he was very accommodating. He charged us only for the oil change and guided us on his way. This was clearly the day of the kindness of strangers...

We drove through the day to the Grand Canyon, arriving just as the sun was setting. We had the entire next day to spend at the canyon itself, so we didn't see it today. After our spectacularly sub-par accomodations at Yosemite, we were very happy to arrive at our campsite, which was large, close to bathrooms (which not only had lights, but dryers as well!) and with showers and a general store close by. We got some supplies at the store, made a lovely dinner, built a fire and retired comfortably to sleep. Tomorrow we will answer the question: Grand Canyon or Grandest Canyon?