I WAS ASKED TO DRIVE A BUS FROM SF TO SALT LAKE FOR THE 2002 OLYMPICS BY THE SLOC 'S TRANSPORTATION CONTRACTOR,,,HE TOLD US IT WOULD BE PROFESSIONAL AND SAFE AND WE WOULD GET MORE THAN THE FEDERAL MANDATED 8 HOURS OFF EACH NIGHT FOR SLEEP, PLUS TIME TO ENJOY DOWNTOWN SALT LAKE CITY,,,HE SAID IT WOULD BE A MAXIMUM OF 10 OR 12 HRS ON DUTY EACH DAY FOR $168 EACH DAY,,,AFTER WE SPENT 2 DAYS DRIVING TO SLC WE CHECKED INTO A RUN DOWN APT BLDG THAT SOME WELFARE FOLKS HAD VACATED FOR US ,,,WE GOT 2 SHEETS AND ONE BLANKET THAT WINTER,,,I DROVE AROUND SLC TRYING TO FIND AN ELECTRIC BLANKET, BUT MOST OF THE CHEAPER DEPARTMENT STORES LIKE JCPENNEYS AND KMART ETC HAD ALREADY REMOVED THEIR ELECTRIC BLANKETS AND IN WINTER WERE JUST PUTTING OUT SWIMSUITS !!...A BEAUTIFUL MOTHER OF 3 TOOK PITY ON ME AND HAD ONE OF HER FAMILY'S ELECTRIC BLANKETS DELIVERED TO ME,,,
THEN WE SPENT 3 DAYS DRIVING ALL THE POTENTIAL BUS ROUTES BECAUSE MOST OF THE MAPS THE SLOC TRANSPORTATION CONTRACTOR HAD PREPARED WERE WRONG AND WE HAD TO RE -DRAW ROADS AND LOT ENTRANCES,ETC.,,,
THEN I WAS TOLD THAT WE ALL WOULD BE WORKING 20 HOURS PER DAY WITH ONLY 4 HOURS OFF THE CLOCK TO SLEEP,,,EVERY DAY,,,,SO ILLEGAL AND SO UNSAFE AND SO GREED- STUPID,,,FOR THE SAME $168/DAY,,,
BEFORE LEAVING SF WE ALL WERE TOLD BY THE SLOC T.CON NOT TO BRING SNOW CHAINS TO SLC ,IN THE WINTER ,BECAUSE THE ROADS WOULD BE SO CLEAN,,,THE FIRST DAY IT SNOWED AND SNOWED TO ABOUT 3" ON THE ROAD IN PARK CITY,THEN 4",,,AND THERE WAS ONLY ABOUT 2 FEET OF SNOW PACK FOR THE OLYMPIC SKIERS !! WHAT A LOUSY WINTER,,,AND NO PLOWS,,,SO THIS DRIVER FROM THE DC AREA HAD NO CHAINS BUT I DID AND HE LED OFF WITH A BUNCH OF SPONSORS AND THEIR WEALTHY GUESTS,,,AS WE DROVE UPHILL TO DEER VALLEY(?) SKI AREA BOTH OF OUR MINIVANS STARTED TO LOOSE TRACTION,,,HIS WAS FISHTAILING ALL OVER THE ROAD FROM THE RIGHT LANE TO THE LEFT LANE AND HE FINALLY HAD TO STOP AS HE DIDN'T BRING CHAINS,,,MY PASSENGERS WERE VERY QUIET SEEING HOW HE WAS LOOSING TRACTION JUST IN FRONT OF US,,,I HAD 3 DIFFERENT RADIOS AND TRIED TO CALL FOR A PLOW,,,CARS WERE PASSING US ON BOTH SIDES OF THE ROAD,,,NO COPS FOR MILES,,,FINALLY THE PLOWS CAME DOWN AND CLEARED THE RIGHT SIDE AND THEN THE LEFT SIDE OF THE 2 LANE ROAD,,,WE MADE IT THE MILE OR SO UP TO THE HIGHER SKI VILLAGE,,,RUMOR WAS THAT NIKE WAS THE BEST SPONSOR BY FAR TO DRIVE FOR AS THEY GOT YOU INTO RESTAURANTS FOR MEALS INSTEAD OF SCROUNGING FOR OURSELVES AND THEY EVEN GOT THEIR BUS DRIVERS INTO SOME OF THE EVENTS,,,I WANTED TO PAY FOR THE OPENING CEREMONY BUT COULDN'T SEE PAYING OVER $200,,,SUCH A CORPORATE VS PUBLIC EVENT,,,SO SAD,,,I WOULD TURN THE APT HEATER ON AND MY ROOMMATE WOULD TURN IT DOWN OR OFF,,,ONLY ONE PROVIDED BLANKET,BUT I HAD BOUGHT A QUILT AND A FOAM BLANKET FOR GOUGE PRICES,,,
AFTER ALMOST A WEEK OF THIS INSANE SCHEDULE OF DRIVING AND WORKING 20 HOURS PER DAY, FROM 6AM TO 2AM, I QUIT AND TURNED IN MY OFFICIAL BADGE, THAT HAD MY DAD'S NAME ON IT ,NOT MINE,,,GREAT SECURITY,,,,SHOULD HAVE KEPT IT FOR A SOUVENIR,,,MY BOSS IN SF FIRED ME CUZ HE SAID HE SOLD ME TO THE SLOC UNDER CONTRACT,,,WHAT A JERK,,,,RUMOR WAS THAT LOTS OF DRIVERS AND FULL COMPANIES WERE QUITTING LEFT AND RIGHT DUE TO THE INCOMPETENT SLOC MANAGEMENT,,,DESPARATE SCHOOL AND COMMERCIAL DRIVERS FROM THE MID-US WERE BEING ROUNDED UP,,,I AM GLAD NIKE TOOK SUCH GOOD CARE OF ITS DRIVERS,,,BUT NEVER AGAIN,,,I HEARD FROM OLDTIMERS THAT THE L.A. OLYMPICS AND ATLANTA OLYMPICS WERE JUST AS BUS- HOUR INSANE,,,U.S. BUSINESS, AS USUAL !!
OH, AND THE 4 MAJOR NEWS MEDIA TV WERE DEFINITELY NOT INTERESTED IN THIS STORY,,,,GEE, ABC, NBC, CBS AND FOX ALL COVERING UP ANOTHER BIG UGLY U.S. SCANDAL ??? MAYBE NOT SO STRANGE,,,
