Yellowstone Adventure - Day 12

  Well I worked the early shift today and believe me it was hard to get up this morning after working the late shift the day before.  I don’t know which shift I like better as they both have their advantages, but for some reason I am leaning toward the late shift.  I think being able to sleep in is the main reason I like it.  Got the day started today with a big bowl of oatmeal, as my body has been urging me to get some nutrition.  I did have a couple of slices of bacon with it just so it would be more palatable.  They wanted me to be into work by 7am even though we do not open until 7:30am.  After I got my till squared away I proceeded to help bring more stock up from the catacombs and to arrange the clothes in order of sizes on all shelves and hangars.  We were pretty busy trying to replenish all the stock that was sold on Friday and Saturday.  Believe you me those two days were unbelievable profitable for Delaware North and the park.  I hoped that today would be a slower day as I was thinking that most Memorial Day visitors would be heading home today.  I was glad to see the day was only steadily busy and not mad busy as Friday and Saturday were.  It was pleasant to be able to talk to customers a little longer and to be able to look out the window at Old Faithful every once in a while.  Speaking of looking out the window.  Today I scored another of my license plate hard-to-get plates, as I spotted a Vermont plate.  Don’t laugh it is hard to get that plate on vacation too.   Today our store had a special visitor.  It seems a Pine Martin had snuck into the store through the back loading dock and had somehow managed to get through into the main store.  He was spotted behind the shelves near our grocery area and the upstairs in our hunting and fishing area.  A pine martin looks to me like a long version of a weasel.  They hang out at the store because they can find food in our stock room to steal.  We have a live trap set up by the loading dock and if caught we will call the rangers to relocate the creature. 

    My favorite foreign tourist story today happened when a man came up to me and I immediately knew he was from France.  He ask me something in very broken English that I could not even make out what he was asking.  So then he tried to do some pantomime and broken English to make me understand.  Try as I might I still could not understand what he was wanting.  It for the life of me sounded like he wanted a “shelf of tacks”.  After about the third try I called over Patrick, as season store worker, and asked him to help me out.  Patrick listened twice to the man and witnessed his arm motions.  On the third time a lightbulb went off for Patrick and said to the man you want a “Selfie Stick?”  The man then nodded his head in agreement and repeated “Yes a shelfy stick”.  Patrick and I both laughed and told the man unfortunately the general store does not carry one of those.  Patrick tried to give him directions to a photo place down the road that might, but I highly suspect the Frenchman did not understand much of the directions even though he kept nodding his head that he understood.

  After a grueling five days I get two days off and I was beginning to think I would have to use those days looking for a dentist, as my tooth ache is not getting much better.  My co-workers told me to try the clinic a couple of doors down by the ranger station.  The clinic is what part of my paycheck pays for.  So I decided to walk down there after work and see what they could do.  I was surprised to find them opened and staffed.  The people in the office were very friendly and after some initial paperwork I got to see a nurse.  I explained what was happening and they poked at the tooth and looked over the gums around it.  They then said they would prescribe an antibiotic for now and see if the pain goes down.  They told me they thought it was a temporary solution but that the antibiotic may keep the tooth from flaring up and causing pain until I could get home in a few months.  In case it did not they gave me the name and number of the dentist in West Yellowstone that they deal with.  Because I have insurance with them through my paycheck the office visit and the antibiotics only ran me $33.  I think that was pretty good and the group seems to be very efficient. So please say a prayer that the medicine works and I thank God we have a local clinic to go to here in the park.

  I have two days off and I have yet decided where I will go.  I am leaning toward a small hike around the Norris Geyser basin and then head up north to Mammoth Hot Springs for another short hike.  I have put in my order for peanut butter and jelly take out sandwich lunches for the next two days, so I should be all set to explore the park some more.  I hope to have some great pictures and some great blogging in the next two days.  By the way several of the tourists told me that up north a gray wolf killed an elk and they saw it feeding on the carcass.  Seeing a gray wolf would be great and seeing it take down an elk would have been interesting too.  I heard later that a bear came by and scared the gray wolf off so it could feed a little on the carcass.  Ahh, the great outdoors and nature at its best.

   On a side note we are supposed to be getting in 18 more workers on June the 6th, so my days of having a room to myself may be coming to an end.  I hope and pray I get a good roommate as that really impacts how life here is.  I do like coming back to an empty room where I do not have to worry about the lights bothering someone or if my late night typing is bothering someone.  I am hoping all of those 18 are already paired off as friends and that they can get them into 9 existing empty rooms we have.  On a personal note there are people in this dorm now who I really would not want as a roommate for the duration.  It seems alcohol and not hiking or enjoying the park is their way of life and I don’t know how I would react if I was forced to share a room with someone that just likes to drink. 

  Well that is all for now and I hope you are all doing well and I am glad you are reading this.  Please make any comments/questions below or you can just drop me an email at Bret.Hobbs@Outlook.Com and I will be happy to reply to any questions.