Got up early to get on the road to Idaho today. Kathy in the EDR turned me onto a couple of things to see just outside the park in Idaho. The first stop would be Big Springs and Johnny Sack's cabin. The second would be the the upper and lower Mesa Falls on the Snake River.
I ate breakfast with some co-workers. It seems that the park got the south entrance opened again and business picked up some, but not immensely. I will see if that is true when I get back on late shift tomorrow.
I grabbed by PB&J lunch and headed toward West Yellowstone. After turning left at Madison junction I noticed many signs warning of fires and traffic could be stopped. About half way to West Yellowstone I could see where the fire burned down several trees across the Madison River and soon the road was one lane as the firefighters were using the other lane for fire fighting equipment. The air was thick with smoke and it stayed that way all the way to West Yellowstone. The wind was pretty much non existent and the smoke just hung in the air all the way through West Yellowstone and into Idaho.
I reached the turnoff to Big Springs around nine and drove to the main spring with the cabin built on the other side of the spring pond. When I got out of the car I could hear running water and looked for the source but being a spring the water was flowing out of the ground hidden by grass on that end of the pond. I could tell that there was a lot of water coming from the spring as the water was flowing in the pond and heading under a bridge and into a small river. The water was cold and as clear as a bell. It was also very good water to drink, as evidenced by all the animal tracks leading to the pond. I walked a path that would take me around the pond, over a bridge and up a trail to the cabin. As I walked beside the pond I spotted many ducks and some fish in the pond. A sign indicated that the fish were trout and that there was no fishing. I continued down the trail and around the pond to the right. I heard more running water and this time I was able to locate the source. I left the trail and approached the sound. Sure enough out of the ground was a fast following water stream but the amazing thing was that there was a tree beside the pond and it seemed that the water was just flowing out of it's roots. A very interesting sight indeed.
I continued around the pond and approached the cabin. It was a small cabin built over a stone cellar and had two stories. Before I got to the cabin there was a small building at the edge of the pond with a mill wheel spinning. It seems that when Johnny built the cabin he was smart enough to redirect a spring to the mini spinning wheel to generate power for the cabin. The guy was pretty smart as well as a good builder.
I walked around the cabin and noted that out back up a short climb was the outhouse. It was a well built log structure also. The cabin would not be opened until ten so I searched around the area and looked over all sides of the cabin. The cabin was situated perfectly to have views of the spring pond from three sides and I could imagine how soothing the sound of the running water was when bed time came. I also noticed quite a bit of animal pooh and tracks. This place must be visited by bunch of animals on a regular basis, as I would personally find out later.
After awhile I sat on the bench in front of the cabin and waited for it to be opened for tours. While I was waiting I watched the ducks go by and squirrels chase one another around the property. No one else was there and it was very pleasant just to sit and relax. Around ten a lady came and greeted me. She said she would be opened shortly but wanted to inspect the cabin of any rodents before she let me in. After about ten minutes of waiting, while I heard her exclaim about removing a mouse, she let me into the cabin. The first thing that struck me was how all the wood and the furnishings went together so well. The floor was unbelievable and I could immediately see that Johnny had wood working talent. He also was an incredible stone mason as the fireplace was well built and looked like it could stand for hundreds of years. From the entrance there was a room on the left that the lady told me was a sitting and sleeping room in the summer. The room had windows on two sides to take advantage of the summer breeze. Walking into the main room where the fireplace was you could just imagine people sitting in that room and talking about the happenings of the day. Every bit of furniture was original and some Johnny even made. The fireplace was the focal point and I am sure in the winter was very needed. The only room off the main area was a kitchen that has cabinets and a wooden counter that was built for Johnny's height, as he was only four foot eleven inches tall. The kitchen had a very old and well used cast iron stove. I am sure in the winter that was a God send for warmth too. Since I was the only person this morning the lady running the place filled me in on a lot of history about Johnny and the area. My favorite Johnny story was that the water wheel only generated enough power to light one light bulb. So when the area started getting power the power company came to Johnny about bringing power to his cabin. Set in his ways as Johnny was he responded that he never needed it before so why would I need it now. Then came the day Johnny traveled to California and someone there demonstrated to him a saw for cutting wood powered by electricity. He was amazed and hooked on electricity. He came back and got the power company to get electricity run to his cabin. The company charged him a whopping twenty four dollars a year. Which Johnny screamed was highway robbery.
After talking to the guide for awhile longer I bid her goodbye and headed back around the the pond to my car. When I reached the front left of the pond I stopped to get another picture of the cabin. While I was snapping a picture I heard a noise to my left. I looked in that direction and twenty feet from me were two moose approaching the pond. I thought this is great. It was a mom and her child moose, whatever they are called. They looked at me and I thought they would run but the just put their heads down and stepped into the pond and started drinking. I risked getting closer for some pictures and the mouse took no notice of me and kept on drinking and eating greenery growing in the pond. I got several pictures and videos. When I stepped a little closer the young moose grunted and moved in front of mom. Then mom stared at me and I got the message. So I moved no closer and backed away some. They looked great and I am sure that Johnny enjoyed many years of these views from his cabin's viewpoint. A very peaceful place and a great place to see.
I got back into the car and headed toward Mesa Falls. Idaho was doing a lot of highway construction in the area and it took me a couple of tries to find the turnoff to Mesa Falls scenic byway. This highway takes you parallel to the snake river and towards the Tetons. It is also open range and I passed over several cattle road barriers. After a few miles cows showed up next to the road every so often. The speed limit was fifty miles per hour and I could see why. The cows were pretty thick in the area. After several miles I came to the turn off to upper Mesa Falls. Traveling only a little down the road my ears picked up the distinctive roar of a powerful falls. I turned into the parking area, after paying five dollars to view the falls. I exited the car grabbing my lunch. As I hoped the falls had a place to eat and watch the falls. Going down a path I reached the visitors center. Which was a very pretty log building. I found out later that the visitor center was previously an inn and was restored in the nineties to be used as a visitor center.
The path led down to stairs that led to several view points for the falls. I cannot begin to describe accurately the power and beauty of the falls. I took pictures and videos of it and uploaded them to Facebook. Hoping that they would do the falls justice. The Snake River comes down into the start of a canyon. Then drops over the falls to about a hundred feet and then levels out and goes over another smaller falls before heading downstream to lower Mesa falls. The falls create a very pretty rainbow at the bottom. I stared at the falls several minutes trying to figure out why I did not see any fish going over the falls. A mystery to me.
I stopped at several other viewpoints and took more pictures. I headed back up the trail and went to the visitor center. They had a nice porch and I took advantage of it to eat my lunch. After lunch I went into the visitor center and that was when I learned about it's past as an inn. They had some great historical photos of the area and some great displays of rocks in the area. They also sell a lot of tourist junk too. I talked to the girl behind the counter for awhile as we were both temporary workers. She was getting to the end of her time also. I think most things start closing around here shortly after labor day. The lady back at Johnny's cabin indicated her job will be over on the fifth of September too.
Leaving the upper falls I headed to the lower falls. After about two miles I reached the parking area for the lower falls viewpoint. This one was different than the other in that you had to view this falls from a distance. The viewpoint was great and gave you a spectacular view of the canyon with the Snake River going over the lower falls. The viewpoint was located over a field of boulders and I stepped out on them to get a better picture. After awhile I looked down and wondered how many rattle snakes were hiding in the boulders. Interesting thought and kind of scary.
After soaking in the great views for several minutes I headed back to the car. I then headed toward the nearest McDonald's to use their WiFi. I wanted to update the phone and to upload more videos to Facebook. I found a McDonald's a few miles down highway twenty when I exited the scenic byway. I got a nice half sweet and half unsweet tea and settled in to get some Wi-Fi work done. After about an hour it was time to head back to the dorm.
I got back to the dorm around six PM and had dinner. I can say that these last two days off have been the best at Yellowstone. A very good way to end my work here. I have talked to Carrie and she gave me permission to only work a half day on Sunday so I can get on the road. I will be working Sunday from seven to eleven thirty and then turn my stuff in and head for Cody. Carrie already gave me my paperwork to fill out to leave and my check list of things I have to do. I will have to get my room cleaned and vacuumed sometime in the next two days. No big deal as I keep it fairly clean anyway. Well take care you all and I have only three and a half work days left. Be nice to all.
This is a blog set up by me, Bret Hobbs, so that those who are interested can read about my adventure of working in Yellowstone. As well as other things I have written. Maybe one day when I am dead and gone my kids and grand-kids will be able to read this blog because I don't see Google going away soon.
Wednesday, August 31, 2016
Tuesday, August 30, 2016
Yellowstone Adventure - Day 104
Got up early today because I wanted to get to my hiking trail before the tourists took up all the parking spaces. The trail was named beaver ponds trail and it was located in Mammoth Hot Springs. So I ate a good breakfast and loaded the backpack into the car and headed down the road.
Not too far down the road I stopped because a pack of coyotes were feeding on something next to the road. They did not run of when I stopped next to them and rolled my window down. I took a few pictures and a video of the three. It seems they do not like to share as one had control over something and was eating and would not let the other two at it until he had his mouth full. Very interesting.
I continued down the road and noted that the smoke was thicker from the fire over the mountain from Old Faithful. The wind changed in the night because I smelled smoke in my room last night several times. The drive to Mammoth was pretty uneventful except for the twenty minute stop for road construction. The park is repairing and expanding the road between Norris Geyser basin and Mammoth Hot Springs. So traffic is stopped for maximum half hour waiting for a pilot car to take them through. I hear that around September 9 the road will be closed to all traffic while they do a great big push to get the work done before the snow hits.
Speaking of snow. I noticed on my drive that the park has started to put in the snow poles around the park. These poles are placed at the edges of the road and around all pullouts. They are around fifteen feet tall and used by the snow removal crew as markers of where the road is when they have to plow as the snows get pretty deep around here in the winter. Without them the snow removal crew would not know where the road is under the piles of snow and may accidentally plow up trees or guard rails.
I made it to Mammoth around nine and was pleasantly surprised that parking was available across the road from the beaver ponds trail head. I chose this trail as my last hike because the guide book said it was no longer than seven miles and was only moderate in hardness rating. Supposedly it only increased three hundred feet in elevation.
I got the backpack on and attached the bear spray. Grabbed my hiking stick and headed to the bathroom, because every good hiker knows to get your business done before heading on a long hike. :) After the morning constitutional I headed for the trail. Much to my dismay two ladies were mounting horses and heading up the trail ahead of me. I thought great dodging horse poop all morning. I let them get going ahead of me and started on the trail. The trail basically started to increase in altitude right from the start as I think most of the three hundred foot increase in altitude was in the first mile of the trail. Which I think was good in that at the start I have much more energy than having to climb at the end of the hike. After several switch backs, and yes horse poop to dodge, the trail finally leveled out and headed north. I was greatly relieved to see that when the trail came to a crossroad of another mountain trail that the ladies on horses took the ten mile mountain trail. So I was finally alone on the trail and without the noise of the horses and their tack I could have a better chance of seeing some animals.
The trail went through woods and valleys as it winded it's way to the beaver ponds. Topping a ridge I went off trail to get some great views of the surrounding mountains and valleys. I definitely picked the right trail to end my Yellowstone hiking with. I took several pictures of the surrounding area and some videos to upload to Facebook as I hiked through the area. The smoke was still in the area from the fire up north and that sort of diminished the picture, but still great views all around. After another mile or two I entered some woods and heard the distinctive sound of running water. Sure enough I came to a log bridge and was standing over a creek that fed into the first of many beaver ponds. I cannot believe that water is still running in the creek when we have not had any significant rain for a couple of months. I guess this is still snow melt and when I felt the water it was ice cold. I passed over that bridge and soon came to another bridge with another creek running into another beaver pond. I guess there are still beaver in the area but I did not see any. I did see the evidence of their existence on several trees that were down in the forest though. I would imagine that when Jim Coulter and other mountain men came through the area that they were thick in number and trapping was probably very good then.
After about a quarter mile I came to the biggest pond and the trail just circled around it before heading back, as this was a loop trail. Rounding the other end of the pond I spotted several ducks in the water. They quacked at my presence, but still no beavers in sight. Just about to the end of the pond the trail headed to a nice man made one log bridge. I did not go over it at first as I wanted to head down the creek spilling from the pond and explore a little. I saw a lot of animal poop here and when I rounded a rock there on the ground was a very big bleached out skull. I could only guess but I think it was an elk. I took a picture of it and will ask one of the people back at the dorm their opinion.
Returning back to the log bridge I crossed over and noticed at little memorial stone next to the trail and about three feet up in a bush. I got closer and the stone read "C S 7-7-38 to 5-3-15 Wanna B" followed by a picture of a dove. Above the stone hanging in the bush was a blue bird ornament. Don't know what to make of the memorial but I did not disturb it out of respect, but took a picture of it to show co-workers who may know what it is all about.
The trail headed up in altitude exiting the forest and started to head south back to Mammoth. The route took me close to the canyon where people exiting the park headed north. The views were spectacular and that made the hike back really enjoyable. I looked at my watch and debated about having lunch there but decided I was not hungry yet. I headed down the trail and completed the hike in a little under three hours. The end of the trail came out right behind the Mammoth hotel and I walked down the street to the Mammoth general store, which is owned by Delaware North also. I used my employee discount and purchased and ice cold coke. I looked around the store and it was much smaller than ours but filled with the same tourist junk.
Leaving the store I headed to my car. I unloaded the backpack and changed into a dry shirt. I decided to head south to see the Hayden Valley for one last time. On the way to the valley I pulled off to a nice mountain overlook and had my PB&J lunch. Looking across the valley and the Yellowstone River I noticed two small fires on top of the mountain. Small tindrels of smoke were coming off of them. I wondered if the park knew about them.
After lunch I headed to Hayden Valley and the first thing I noticed was that there were no buffalo at all in the valley and I did not have any stop me on the road. There were hundreds in the valley two weeks ago. Traveling down the road I had the Yellowstone River on my left. Ahead were several people with telescopes and binoculars, so I decided to join them and see what was up. I also noticed a park ranger in the group. Luckily there was a parking space right next to an elderly couple with a telescope. I grabbed my binoculars and exited the car. I looked in the direction their telescopes were pointing and sure enough across the Yellowstone River was a grizzly bear head down and feeding on something. There were also buzzards around him. I asked the elderly lady what was up and she told me that early this morning a pack of wolves took down an elk. The wolves fed on it for a couple of hours and then the grizzly showed up and took control of the kill. I thought nature at its finest for sure. So I sat on the curb and watched the grizzly tear at the elk and every once in awhile shoo away a buzzard who got too close. The lady asked if I wanted to get a close up view using their telescope. I said "Sure that would be great and thank you." I stepped up to the telescope and looked into it. Man it brought that grizzly up close and personal. I could not only see the elk carcass but I could see the claws of that bear holding the elk down while it's teeth pulled at the meat of the elk. While I watched the bears head went deep into that carcass and moved side to side until it came up with a mighty tug and low and behold I watched as it pulled a complete rib bone out of that carcass. He dropped it to the ground and placed his paw on it and proceed to pull the meat off that bone. I let out an "Oh man!" The lady asked me what I saw and I told her. She laughed and said "They are certainly strong and hungry." I thanked her again and went to talk to the ranger. The ranger was a young man who was assigned to this spot to keep tourist from approaching the river. He told me to turn around and look. I did and there was the smoke from the central fire that I saw yesterday from the store. I told him that looks bigger than yesterday as the smoke was billowing very high. He said that the fire had consumed around a thousand acres already. The park still had not done anything to put it out and he said they won't until it gets bigger or heads to populated areas. I wished him well on his guard duty and headed to the car. I thanked the elderly lady and gentleman again for letting me use their telescope and piled into the car.
I headed back to the dorm hoping to get some laundry done before dinner. I am writing this watching the Cubs play the pirates. Hoping for an easier win than yesterday. Well that is about all for today. An exciting day for sure and a good way to end my hiking in Yellowstone. Tomorrow I will be heading to Big Springs to see some sights. Take care you all and be nice to one another.
Not too far down the road I stopped because a pack of coyotes were feeding on something next to the road. They did not run of when I stopped next to them and rolled my window down. I took a few pictures and a video of the three. It seems they do not like to share as one had control over something and was eating and would not let the other two at it until he had his mouth full. Very interesting.
I continued down the road and noted that the smoke was thicker from the fire over the mountain from Old Faithful. The wind changed in the night because I smelled smoke in my room last night several times. The drive to Mammoth was pretty uneventful except for the twenty minute stop for road construction. The park is repairing and expanding the road between Norris Geyser basin and Mammoth Hot Springs. So traffic is stopped for maximum half hour waiting for a pilot car to take them through. I hear that around September 9 the road will be closed to all traffic while they do a great big push to get the work done before the snow hits.
Speaking of snow. I noticed on my drive that the park has started to put in the snow poles around the park. These poles are placed at the edges of the road and around all pullouts. They are around fifteen feet tall and used by the snow removal crew as markers of where the road is when they have to plow as the snows get pretty deep around here in the winter. Without them the snow removal crew would not know where the road is under the piles of snow and may accidentally plow up trees or guard rails.
I made it to Mammoth around nine and was pleasantly surprised that parking was available across the road from the beaver ponds trail head. I chose this trail as my last hike because the guide book said it was no longer than seven miles and was only moderate in hardness rating. Supposedly it only increased three hundred feet in elevation.
I got the backpack on and attached the bear spray. Grabbed my hiking stick and headed to the bathroom, because every good hiker knows to get your business done before heading on a long hike. :) After the morning constitutional I headed for the trail. Much to my dismay two ladies were mounting horses and heading up the trail ahead of me. I thought great dodging horse poop all morning. I let them get going ahead of me and started on the trail. The trail basically started to increase in altitude right from the start as I think most of the three hundred foot increase in altitude was in the first mile of the trail. Which I think was good in that at the start I have much more energy than having to climb at the end of the hike. After several switch backs, and yes horse poop to dodge, the trail finally leveled out and headed north. I was greatly relieved to see that when the trail came to a crossroad of another mountain trail that the ladies on horses took the ten mile mountain trail. So I was finally alone on the trail and without the noise of the horses and their tack I could have a better chance of seeing some animals.
The trail went through woods and valleys as it winded it's way to the beaver ponds. Topping a ridge I went off trail to get some great views of the surrounding mountains and valleys. I definitely picked the right trail to end my Yellowstone hiking with. I took several pictures of the surrounding area and some videos to upload to Facebook as I hiked through the area. The smoke was still in the area from the fire up north and that sort of diminished the picture, but still great views all around. After another mile or two I entered some woods and heard the distinctive sound of running water. Sure enough I came to a log bridge and was standing over a creek that fed into the first of many beaver ponds. I cannot believe that water is still running in the creek when we have not had any significant rain for a couple of months. I guess this is still snow melt and when I felt the water it was ice cold. I passed over that bridge and soon came to another bridge with another creek running into another beaver pond. I guess there are still beaver in the area but I did not see any. I did see the evidence of their existence on several trees that were down in the forest though. I would imagine that when Jim Coulter and other mountain men came through the area that they were thick in number and trapping was probably very good then.
After about a quarter mile I came to the biggest pond and the trail just circled around it before heading back, as this was a loop trail. Rounding the other end of the pond I spotted several ducks in the water. They quacked at my presence, but still no beavers in sight. Just about to the end of the pond the trail headed to a nice man made one log bridge. I did not go over it at first as I wanted to head down the creek spilling from the pond and explore a little. I saw a lot of animal poop here and when I rounded a rock there on the ground was a very big bleached out skull. I could only guess but I think it was an elk. I took a picture of it and will ask one of the people back at the dorm their opinion.
Returning back to the log bridge I crossed over and noticed at little memorial stone next to the trail and about three feet up in a bush. I got closer and the stone read "C S 7-7-38 to 5-3-15 Wanna B" followed by a picture of a dove. Above the stone hanging in the bush was a blue bird ornament. Don't know what to make of the memorial but I did not disturb it out of respect, but took a picture of it to show co-workers who may know what it is all about.
The trail headed up in altitude exiting the forest and started to head south back to Mammoth. The route took me close to the canyon where people exiting the park headed north. The views were spectacular and that made the hike back really enjoyable. I looked at my watch and debated about having lunch there but decided I was not hungry yet. I headed down the trail and completed the hike in a little under three hours. The end of the trail came out right behind the Mammoth hotel and I walked down the street to the Mammoth general store, which is owned by Delaware North also. I used my employee discount and purchased and ice cold coke. I looked around the store and it was much smaller than ours but filled with the same tourist junk.
Leaving the store I headed to my car. I unloaded the backpack and changed into a dry shirt. I decided to head south to see the Hayden Valley for one last time. On the way to the valley I pulled off to a nice mountain overlook and had my PB&J lunch. Looking across the valley and the Yellowstone River I noticed two small fires on top of the mountain. Small tindrels of smoke were coming off of them. I wondered if the park knew about them.
After lunch I headed to Hayden Valley and the first thing I noticed was that there were no buffalo at all in the valley and I did not have any stop me on the road. There were hundreds in the valley two weeks ago. Traveling down the road I had the Yellowstone River on my left. Ahead were several people with telescopes and binoculars, so I decided to join them and see what was up. I also noticed a park ranger in the group. Luckily there was a parking space right next to an elderly couple with a telescope. I grabbed my binoculars and exited the car. I looked in the direction their telescopes were pointing and sure enough across the Yellowstone River was a grizzly bear head down and feeding on something. There were also buzzards around him. I asked the elderly lady what was up and she told me that early this morning a pack of wolves took down an elk. The wolves fed on it for a couple of hours and then the grizzly showed up and took control of the kill. I thought nature at its finest for sure. So I sat on the curb and watched the grizzly tear at the elk and every once in awhile shoo away a buzzard who got too close. The lady asked if I wanted to get a close up view using their telescope. I said "Sure that would be great and thank you." I stepped up to the telescope and looked into it. Man it brought that grizzly up close and personal. I could not only see the elk carcass but I could see the claws of that bear holding the elk down while it's teeth pulled at the meat of the elk. While I watched the bears head went deep into that carcass and moved side to side until it came up with a mighty tug and low and behold I watched as it pulled a complete rib bone out of that carcass. He dropped it to the ground and placed his paw on it and proceed to pull the meat off that bone. I let out an "Oh man!" The lady asked me what I saw and I told her. She laughed and said "They are certainly strong and hungry." I thanked her again and went to talk to the ranger. The ranger was a young man who was assigned to this spot to keep tourist from approaching the river. He told me to turn around and look. I did and there was the smoke from the central fire that I saw yesterday from the store. I told him that looks bigger than yesterday as the smoke was billowing very high. He said that the fire had consumed around a thousand acres already. The park still had not done anything to put it out and he said they won't until it gets bigger or heads to populated areas. I wished him well on his guard duty and headed to the car. I thanked the elderly lady and gentleman again for letting me use their telescope and piled into the car.
I headed back to the dorm hoping to get some laundry done before dinner. I am writing this watching the Cubs play the pirates. Hoping for an easier win than yesterday. Well that is about all for today. An exciting day for sure and a good way to end my hiking in Yellowstone. Tomorrow I will be heading to Big Springs to see some sights. Take care you all and be nice to one another.
Yellowstone Adventure - Day 103
Was able to sleep in today as I moved to late shift. Got up after eight to get some laundry done. After laundry and some reading I headed for lunch and to clock in for work. Business at eleven thirty was pretty steady and I cashiered for all the first part of the shift. My floor supervisor Robert came by and commented that there was a fire on the other side of the hill that we can see from our window. Sure enough there was smoke rising over the hill and quite a bit of it. The way the park approaches fires is to let them burn unless they get out of control and start moving to major populated areas. So far this fire is just being allowed to burn.
After break I went back to work and business slowed down enough that some cashiers were allowed to leave early. I went to work in the refrigerators and grocery section. I had a pleasant surprise tonight in that a man by the name of Justin and his wife Leslie stopped by to say hello. I met Justin a couple months back when I stopped to watch the Great Fountain Geyser erupt. While we waited for the eruption we talked for quite some time and I told him about my blog. They both have been following my adventure through my blog and stopped by to say hi as they came back to Yellowstone for a visit. It sure was good to see him again and meet his wife. I told them they would make it in the blog tonight. Justin and Leslie thanks for reading about my adventure.
Not much to my Friday and looking forward to a couple of days off. I will be hiking tomorrow and I will visit Big Springs on Wednesday. I hope to find a nice easy hike to end my adventure with. Take care you all and keep smiling.
After break I went back to work and business slowed down enough that some cashiers were allowed to leave early. I went to work in the refrigerators and grocery section. I had a pleasant surprise tonight in that a man by the name of Justin and his wife Leslie stopped by to say hello. I met Justin a couple months back when I stopped to watch the Great Fountain Geyser erupt. While we waited for the eruption we talked for quite some time and I told him about my blog. They both have been following my adventure through my blog and stopped by to say hi as they came back to Yellowstone for a visit. It sure was good to see him again and meet his wife. I told them they would make it in the blog tonight. Justin and Leslie thanks for reading about my adventure.
Not much to my Friday and looking forward to a couple of days off. I will be hiking tomorrow and I will visit Big Springs on Wednesday. I hope to find a nice easy hike to end my adventure with. Take care you all and keep smiling.
Sunday, August 28, 2016
Yellowstone Adventure - Day 102
Got up today for my last day shift before switching to night shift tomorrow. Five more work days left before I leave.
After breakfast I got my til and like usual did stock all morning. Mostly in the grocery but some in knick knacks. Business was slow today until after lunch break. Then from three until five thirty it was pretty steady. I think the uptick in business made Garth happy. Once I got a break in business I went to look for items placed by tourists in areas they should not be. I found a fifth of Jack Daniels on a shelf in the kids toy section. I know we are trying to up sell but not booze in the kids section.
Today I met couples from Switzerland, England, Scotland, France and Italy. They all loved the park and the Italians actually said that driving in the US was much better than driving in Europe.
A couple of reports from customers indicated that a grizzly bear is still feeding on the carcass of a bison in Hayden Valley. On my day off I may venture over there for a look.
That is about all today. I am getting ready for Bible study. We are going to be discussing the Holy Spirit. I hope your worship today was joyful. Please keep praying for each other. Later.
After breakfast I got my til and like usual did stock all morning. Mostly in the grocery but some in knick knacks. Business was slow today until after lunch break. Then from three until five thirty it was pretty steady. I think the uptick in business made Garth happy. Once I got a break in business I went to look for items placed by tourists in areas they should not be. I found a fifth of Jack Daniels on a shelf in the kids toy section. I know we are trying to up sell but not booze in the kids section.
Today I met couples from Switzerland, England, Scotland, France and Italy. They all loved the park and the Italians actually said that driving in the US was much better than driving in Europe.
A couple of reports from customers indicated that a grizzly bear is still feeding on the carcass of a bison in Hayden Valley. On my day off I may venture over there for a look.
That is about all today. I am getting ready for Bible study. We are going to be discussing the Holy Spirit. I hope your worship today was joyful. Please keep praying for each other. Later.
Saturday, August 27, 2016
Yellowstone Adventure - Day 101
Today was an interesting day. It started out early with breakfast and conversations with fellow employees. I went to clock in and someone told me to read the press release under the clock in station. The press release detailed another death in Yellowstone last night. It seems that at three fifteen in the morning a person fell from the grand view station overlooking the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone. They fell to their death a few hundred feet below. A sad way to go but I would put money on it that alcohol was involved. Three fifteen in the morning is not the time for a group of people to be viewing the canyon.
I clocked in and basically put up stock all morning in all departments. Business was incredibly dead. In fact the bosses have been told to start letting people go early to cut costs. I stocked until lunch time and was glad for the break as I would rather be busy than just roaming around fronting stock and looking for something to do when in reality the place was ready for tourists by nine in the morning. My other co-workers were grumbling also about nothing to do but make work.
After lunch a very nice Australian woman came to my register and asked "Can I use a credit card no matter how small the purchase is?" I told her "Yes, we have no restrictions on amount." She went on to explain that in Australia they do not let you use a credit card unless the amount is fairly high. I said jokingly "Well if your country had not started out as a British penal colony there would be more trust." She laughed and said I was very "cheeky". First time I have been called that for sure.
The rest of the afternoon was fairly steady but not overly busy. Close to five Garth came by and told me to pull my til and check out. I did not argue and got off around forty minutes early. Dinner was excellent. Left over turkey and mashed potatoes and water melon. I am once again at the Old Faithful Inn composing this blog and being serenaded by the Inn's musicians. Only six more working days left. The south entrance is still closed due to fires in the Grand Tetons. Beartooth pass is still closed due to snow. Days are getting noticiblely shorter and nights are getting a lot colder. Take care you all and have a great worship service tomorrow. I will be having Bible study tomorrow at seven in the evening as I work early shift. Take care of each other and look out for each other.
I clocked in and basically put up stock all morning in all departments. Business was incredibly dead. In fact the bosses have been told to start letting people go early to cut costs. I stocked until lunch time and was glad for the break as I would rather be busy than just roaming around fronting stock and looking for something to do when in reality the place was ready for tourists by nine in the morning. My other co-workers were grumbling also about nothing to do but make work.
After lunch a very nice Australian woman came to my register and asked "Can I use a credit card no matter how small the purchase is?" I told her "Yes, we have no restrictions on amount." She went on to explain that in Australia they do not let you use a credit card unless the amount is fairly high. I said jokingly "Well if your country had not started out as a British penal colony there would be more trust." She laughed and said I was very "cheeky". First time I have been called that for sure.
The rest of the afternoon was fairly steady but not overly busy. Close to five Garth came by and told me to pull my til and check out. I did not argue and got off around forty minutes early. Dinner was excellent. Left over turkey and mashed potatoes and water melon. I am once again at the Old Faithful Inn composing this blog and being serenaded by the Inn's musicians. Only six more working days left. The south entrance is still closed due to fires in the Grand Tetons. Beartooth pass is still closed due to snow. Days are getting noticiblely shorter and nights are getting a lot colder. Take care you all and have a great worship service tomorrow. I will be having Bible study tomorrow at seven in the evening as I work early shift. Take care of each other and look out for each other.
Friday, August 26, 2016
Yellowstone Adventure - Day 100
One hundred days working at the park. Who would have figured I would have made it this long? Not that time is flying by but it has in some respects gone quickly. Carrie put up next week's schedule and it officially shows my last day of work. I have a day shift on Sunday September the 4th and after checking out with Carrie or Garth I will make a slow trip home. I am still working on a route home and what stops I want to make.
The store was pretty dead today. We had a very cold rain this morning and I think that slowed the tourists coming to the store until the afternoon. I stocked all morning and never even had one transaction processed at my register until I came back from afternoon break at two thirty. The bosses are really in the planning stage of how to handle the staff when quite a few leave after the 4th of September. Jack has been trying to bribe his co-worker Bill into staying through October, but so far Bill has not budged. I think jack will try to increase the bribe in coming days.
That is about all that has happened today as it was a very slow day, but being payday helped. Take care you all and remember God is always watching.
The store was pretty dead today. We had a very cold rain this morning and I think that slowed the tourists coming to the store until the afternoon. I stocked all morning and never even had one transaction processed at my register until I came back from afternoon break at two thirty. The bosses are really in the planning stage of how to handle the staff when quite a few leave after the 4th of September. Jack has been trying to bribe his co-worker Bill into staying through October, but so far Bill has not budged. I think jack will try to increase the bribe in coming days.
That is about all that has happened today as it was a very slow day, but being payday helped. Take care you all and remember God is always watching.
Thursday, August 25, 2016
Yellowstone Adventure - Day 99
Well I am sitting up on the third floor of the Old Faithful Inn and I am enjoying the cellist entertaining the evening dinner crowd. A very peaceful place to blog and to read. Today marks the one hundredth anniversary of the national park service. Also being August 25 the park is celebrating Christmas in August for the employees and tourists. The inn even has a Christmas tree up in the lobby. I guess this tradition started many years ago but few can prove why. I will go with the story that here on a cold August 25th many years ago. A snow storm trapped many tourists in the park as the roads were impassable and the lodging and stores took on a Christmas theme to take the tourists thoughts off being stranded for many days. Our store last night had a Christmas celebration with good food, bingo, a scavenger hunt and gifts for all the employees. I got a very nice centennial coin and an ornament. Plus I got a Christmas tee shirt and a centennial tee shirt to wear. We all had a great time and many laughs.
For lunch today the EDR went all out for a Christmas dinner. We had turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, sweet potatoes, home made rolls and pecan pie. Kathy the EDR cook even made a special snowman silverware holder for each employee to take with them. I gave her a hug of thanks for all the great work her and the rest of the EDR folks did.
The store was not very busy today and I spent pretty much all my time stocking the grocery area. I think the grocery is out selling the store lately in terms of sales. With the south entrance being closed business has slowed down considerably. I also heard from George that fishing has also been restricted to a lot of the park due to a parasite getting into the lakes. The fire in West Yellowstone is getting contained I hear and that is good but the Teton fire is still problematic. Also I heard today that the snows have started in the Beartooth mountains and the pass is closed. I was hoping for one last trip over them next week but that may not happen. It is definitely colder here. Woke up this morning to twenty eight degrees and it never got higher than sixty five degrees today. Many tourists still buying blankets and coats because they were not prepared for the temps here.
The managers are preparing for next week when many people start leaving. After I leave the store goes back to winter hours and I think the workers will start to work straight shifts instead of the split shifts we have now. They have also put up a sign up list for anyone wanting to work in the EDR on their off days or off hours.
That is about it for today. Gonna enjoy some music and read for awhile. Take care and stay well. Only eight more working days left.
For lunch today the EDR went all out for a Christmas dinner. We had turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, sweet potatoes, home made rolls and pecan pie. Kathy the EDR cook even made a special snowman silverware holder for each employee to take with them. I gave her a hug of thanks for all the great work her and the rest of the EDR folks did.
The store was not very busy today and I spent pretty much all my time stocking the grocery area. I think the grocery is out selling the store lately in terms of sales. With the south entrance being closed business has slowed down considerably. I also heard from George that fishing has also been restricted to a lot of the park due to a parasite getting into the lakes. The fire in West Yellowstone is getting contained I hear and that is good but the Teton fire is still problematic. Also I heard today that the snows have started in the Beartooth mountains and the pass is closed. I was hoping for one last trip over them next week but that may not happen. It is definitely colder here. Woke up this morning to twenty eight degrees and it never got higher than sixty five degrees today. Many tourists still buying blankets and coats because they were not prepared for the temps here.
The managers are preparing for next week when many people start leaving. After I leave the store goes back to winter hours and I think the workers will start to work straight shifts instead of the split shifts we have now. They have also put up a sign up list for anyone wanting to work in the EDR on their off days or off hours.
That is about it for today. Gonna enjoy some music and read for awhile. Take care and stay well. Only eight more working days left.
Wednesday, August 24, 2016
Yellowstone Adventure - Day 98
Today was a rest day, sort of. I got up early for breakfast and headed down the road. My first stop would be gas at West Yellowstone. The park rangers shut down all the pullouts on the way there because the fire was just across the Gibbon River and over the hill. Smoke was not bad but about half way to West Yellowstone there was a couple of spots on my side of the hill that were smoldering from being burned recently. Pretty close for sure and I am sure the park is keeping a close eye on the fires jumping the Gibbon River. That would not be good. I was able to get some video and pictures of a big elk laying by the river before I exited the park.
After filling up the car with gas I headed north to see a town called Big Sky Montana. I was told by one of my co-workers that it is an interesting ski town. I left the main highway and headed to the mountains that this town sits close by. The closer I approached the town the more I felt that the area reminded me of Vail Colorado. The area has tons of walking paths and after awhile all the power lines and telephone lines disappeared. Yes this town did not want any eye pollution spoiling the views. I like that for sure. Approaching the town I noticed that all the buildings had the same chalet theme going. I would guess they have some strict building codes here. I drove past a nice golf course and through the town. Yes most of the businesses were very upscale and not one really called my name to stop by for a look. Farther past the town I could see many many ski slopes carved into the mountain. I would imagine that this town is hopping in the winter snow season. Also by the looks of how many coffee shops there were, they have to keep a lot of people warm. A nice looking town and it has a lot of appealing houses but I am sure the place is well out of my budget.
Getting back on the main road I headed to Boseman Montana. I wanted to do some antique shopping. More like antique browsing but still fun. Along the way I spotted an eagle sitting in a tree over the Gallitin River. I pulled over to look at it and the river. Man it was sure pretty there. I stopped by two very big antique shops and spent almost two hours browsing through both of them. They had some very fine stuff and the amount of antique furniture in them was amazing. Some very nice pieces for sure. I did buy an antique hand mixer to add to my collection. Sorry Cathy you will have to find a spot for it. :)
After antique shopping I found a Barnes and Noble in the Boseman mall. I needed some more books to finish out my adventure here. Much to my surprise the place had Wi-Fi and it's speed was excellent. So I managed to update my phone and browse for some books.
Since it was now after noon I entered the mall and looked for their food court. Another bonus, the mall had a Chinese restaurant. Yes! Fast Wi-Fi and Chinese food and several books I was looking for. The day was great for sure. For a mall the Chinese dishes were excellent and before I left I let the workers know this. Since I have worked on the other side of the register I have tried to make those working in similar jobs smile if I can.
Leaving the mall I set the GPS to get me to Yellowstone via the north entrance through Livingston Montana to Gardiner Montana. The drive takes me along I 90 East before exiting at Livingston. The drive was excellent and the views of the mountains we very pretty. Turning south at Livingston I headed for Gardiner. The drive allowed me some excellent views of the Beartooth mountains from the side opposite of where I have seen them crossing over them to Red Lodge Montana. I reached Gardiner and it was a full on tourist town. Many many hotels, motels and lodges. Plus many many eating places. Basically bordering Yellowstone was a boon for the town and the area. Also having the Yellowstone River passing through was a bonus too.
Passing through Gardiner I entered the park and headed to Mammoth to make my way south to the Old Faithful area. One of the interesting things about mammoth is the elk just like to wander through the area and to rest on the lawns. Sure enough there were many elk in the grass just outside of the shops. It really amazes me how they just stand around paying very little attention to the tourists walking down the sidewalks ten feet from them.
Heading south I managed to make it back to the geyser area and the dorm with only one bison road block. Tonight Delaware North is closing the store early so that the employees can celebrate Christmas in August. The get together is tonight at seven until nine. I am trying now to get my laundry done so I can attend. I will take this opportunity to talk to the Taiwanese about what Christmas is all about.
On a sad note. Yesterday Willy and his wife left for home. Willy's mom had slipped into a coma and he wanted to get to her as soon as he could. When he told me this I just did a Nick Moore. I stopped what I was doing and asked him if I could pray for his mom and him. He said yes and we prayed together. Willy worked in the EDR and he will be missed. He was a good worker. Please say a prayer for Willy's mom and his travels, as he has three days of traveling to get to the middle of Texas. Thanks.
That is about all for my second day off. I uploaded videos and pictures to Facebook of my day's adventure. Working day shift tomorrow and nine days of work to go. Take care and keep praying.
After filling up the car with gas I headed north to see a town called Big Sky Montana. I was told by one of my co-workers that it is an interesting ski town. I left the main highway and headed to the mountains that this town sits close by. The closer I approached the town the more I felt that the area reminded me of Vail Colorado. The area has tons of walking paths and after awhile all the power lines and telephone lines disappeared. Yes this town did not want any eye pollution spoiling the views. I like that for sure. Approaching the town I noticed that all the buildings had the same chalet theme going. I would guess they have some strict building codes here. I drove past a nice golf course and through the town. Yes most of the businesses were very upscale and not one really called my name to stop by for a look. Farther past the town I could see many many ski slopes carved into the mountain. I would imagine that this town is hopping in the winter snow season. Also by the looks of how many coffee shops there were, they have to keep a lot of people warm. A nice looking town and it has a lot of appealing houses but I am sure the place is well out of my budget.
Getting back on the main road I headed to Boseman Montana. I wanted to do some antique shopping. More like antique browsing but still fun. Along the way I spotted an eagle sitting in a tree over the Gallitin River. I pulled over to look at it and the river. Man it was sure pretty there. I stopped by two very big antique shops and spent almost two hours browsing through both of them. They had some very fine stuff and the amount of antique furniture in them was amazing. Some very nice pieces for sure. I did buy an antique hand mixer to add to my collection. Sorry Cathy you will have to find a spot for it. :)
After antique shopping I found a Barnes and Noble in the Boseman mall. I needed some more books to finish out my adventure here. Much to my surprise the place had Wi-Fi and it's speed was excellent. So I managed to update my phone and browse for some books.
Since it was now after noon I entered the mall and looked for their food court. Another bonus, the mall had a Chinese restaurant. Yes! Fast Wi-Fi and Chinese food and several books I was looking for. The day was great for sure. For a mall the Chinese dishes were excellent and before I left I let the workers know this. Since I have worked on the other side of the register I have tried to make those working in similar jobs smile if I can.
Leaving the mall I set the GPS to get me to Yellowstone via the north entrance through Livingston Montana to Gardiner Montana. The drive takes me along I 90 East before exiting at Livingston. The drive was excellent and the views of the mountains we very pretty. Turning south at Livingston I headed for Gardiner. The drive allowed me some excellent views of the Beartooth mountains from the side opposite of where I have seen them crossing over them to Red Lodge Montana. I reached Gardiner and it was a full on tourist town. Many many hotels, motels and lodges. Plus many many eating places. Basically bordering Yellowstone was a boon for the town and the area. Also having the Yellowstone River passing through was a bonus too.
Passing through Gardiner I entered the park and headed to Mammoth to make my way south to the Old Faithful area. One of the interesting things about mammoth is the elk just like to wander through the area and to rest on the lawns. Sure enough there were many elk in the grass just outside of the shops. It really amazes me how they just stand around paying very little attention to the tourists walking down the sidewalks ten feet from them.
Heading south I managed to make it back to the geyser area and the dorm with only one bison road block. Tonight Delaware North is closing the store early so that the employees can celebrate Christmas in August. The get together is tonight at seven until nine. I am trying now to get my laundry done so I can attend. I will take this opportunity to talk to the Taiwanese about what Christmas is all about.
On a sad note. Yesterday Willy and his wife left for home. Willy's mom had slipped into a coma and he wanted to get to her as soon as he could. When he told me this I just did a Nick Moore. I stopped what I was doing and asked him if I could pray for his mom and him. He said yes and we prayed together. Willy worked in the EDR and he will be missed. He was a good worker. Please say a prayer for Willy's mom and his travels, as he has three days of traveling to get to the middle of Texas. Thanks.
That is about all for my second day off. I uploaded videos and pictures to Facebook of my day's adventure. Working day shift tomorrow and nine days of work to go. Take care and keep praying.
Tuesday, August 23, 2016
Yellowstone Adventure - Day 97
First day off and decided to take on Mount Washburn today. I got up early and ate breakfast. Two Taiwanese co-workers Kai and Connie wanted me to drop them off at the south rim of the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone. Since that was on my way I told them I leave at seven thirty and they said OK.
At seven thirty we all headed out. I asked Connie if they were hitchhiking back and they said yes. I know that many Taiwanese workers hitchhike all around the park, but I still worry about them. They said they would be OK. The drive to the canyon was only interrupted a couple of times by a bison. I pulled into the parking lot for the uncle Tom trail that they would be taking. Got them unloaded and bid them goodbye with a caution to be careful. They said goodbye and headed off to the trail head.
I got back in the car and headed north for Mount Washburn. The area was very smokey as the West Yellowstone fire was still burning up a lot of acres. Also the Grand Teton fire has blossomed more and the south entrance has now been officially closed. So any ideas I had about seeing the Tetons or Jackson Hole before I leave has been squashed by the fires. Let's hope the west entrance will stay open but from what I hear if the wind shifts from blowing north to blowing south or south east. We may be in trouble and the west entrance will have to be closed.
I reached the gravel road that would lead me to my trail up the mountain and turned the car onto it for a climb. After several hundred feet of climbing I reached the parking lot that was the trail head. I got out my backpack and loaded it up with water and a lunch. It was nine thirty and I figured I would reach the ranger lookout station on the top of the mountain in about two plus hours and I would eat lunch on the top. I had a pullover sweatshirt on as the temperature was around fifty five degrees where I stood. I checked the car's GPS and I was at 8,700 feet. I approached the trailhead sign and it indicated that the lookout was at 10,100 feet and the trail was 3.2 miles. I stepped out on the trail and started my climb. After the first half mile my breathing was coming on hard and the trail ahead had virtually no level areas. It was all an uphill climb using switchbacks to get to the top. After about a mile my legs were starting to complain and I was taking breaks about every fifteen minutes to catch my breath. The altitude and the climb were really weighing on me for sure. I exited a wooded area and looked up. The ranger lookout was ahead but it sure did not look much closer. I also noticed that there were no more trees to block the wind. It was now blowing about fifteen miles an hour and unfortunately the next switchback took me right into it. I trudged on to close to the two mile mark and rested. My legs were getting very wobbly at this point and my rests were coming about every five minutes of walking now. I drank some water and evaluated the situation. I looked up at more than a mile to go to the ranger lookout station and then with 57 years of wisdom I decided the mount would beat me today. I figured I made it to about 9,400 feet when I turned back. It took about fifteen minutes before my breathing slowed back to normal on the walk down. Half of me considered this hike a failure but then again the other half said at least I tried. The view from 9,000 feet up was pretty neat and the walk down the mount trail was pretty good also.
Getting back to the car I unload the back pack and decided to head north and find a nice spot for lunch. After several miles I came to an area that looked familiar. I recognized it as the area where Cathy and I stopped for lunch when we were here a few years ago. Keeping a watchful eye I found the exact pullout spot where we ate lunch and decided that would be a great spot for a PB&J feast. The view was spectacular except for the smoke and it brought back memories of Cathy and I eating cheese and crackers looking at the same view and loving it. I even gave Cathy a call to tell her where I was. She laughed but did remember the spot for sure.
After lunch I decided to head to Mammoth Hot Springs and see if I could find a parking spot to look around. The last three times I have been through there the tourists were so thick that no parking spot could be found. Reaching Mammoth I did not find a parking spot in the lower area but in the upper hot springs area I finally found one. I parked the car and explored the hot springs from above. I took many pictures and will upload them to Facebook later. Mammoth is an interesting place in that the geysers have created an interesting spot with what the geyser water contains but the interesting thing is that over the years the geyser will be changing the area and eventually all the parking spots and lookouts will have to be changed as the deposits from the geyser will keep changing the area. Eventually the geyser may even stop all together and the whole area will be dead. The drive up in the area indicated that this has happened before as there are many dead areas that look like Mammoth only no water is coming out of the areas anymore.
Leaving Mammoth I headed back to the dorm on the west side of the park. The smoke was really thick from the West Yellowstone fire and at a few points in the road I could see the fire in the distance. I pray they can get it under control and have been praying for those fighting the fire also.
I made it back to the dorm in time for dinner. I think after dinner I am going to biscuit basin and look around. It is just down the road and a place I have not seen yet. Tomorrow will be a rest day and I may head into Livingston or Cody to get some free Wi-Fi. Take care you all and keep smiling.
At seven thirty we all headed out. I asked Connie if they were hitchhiking back and they said yes. I know that many Taiwanese workers hitchhike all around the park, but I still worry about them. They said they would be OK. The drive to the canyon was only interrupted a couple of times by a bison. I pulled into the parking lot for the uncle Tom trail that they would be taking. Got them unloaded and bid them goodbye with a caution to be careful. They said goodbye and headed off to the trail head.
I got back in the car and headed north for Mount Washburn. The area was very smokey as the West Yellowstone fire was still burning up a lot of acres. Also the Grand Teton fire has blossomed more and the south entrance has now been officially closed. So any ideas I had about seeing the Tetons or Jackson Hole before I leave has been squashed by the fires. Let's hope the west entrance will stay open but from what I hear if the wind shifts from blowing north to blowing south or south east. We may be in trouble and the west entrance will have to be closed.
I reached the gravel road that would lead me to my trail up the mountain and turned the car onto it for a climb. After several hundred feet of climbing I reached the parking lot that was the trail head. I got out my backpack and loaded it up with water and a lunch. It was nine thirty and I figured I would reach the ranger lookout station on the top of the mountain in about two plus hours and I would eat lunch on the top. I had a pullover sweatshirt on as the temperature was around fifty five degrees where I stood. I checked the car's GPS and I was at 8,700 feet. I approached the trailhead sign and it indicated that the lookout was at 10,100 feet and the trail was 3.2 miles. I stepped out on the trail and started my climb. After the first half mile my breathing was coming on hard and the trail ahead had virtually no level areas. It was all an uphill climb using switchbacks to get to the top. After about a mile my legs were starting to complain and I was taking breaks about every fifteen minutes to catch my breath. The altitude and the climb were really weighing on me for sure. I exited a wooded area and looked up. The ranger lookout was ahead but it sure did not look much closer. I also noticed that there were no more trees to block the wind. It was now blowing about fifteen miles an hour and unfortunately the next switchback took me right into it. I trudged on to close to the two mile mark and rested. My legs were getting very wobbly at this point and my rests were coming about every five minutes of walking now. I drank some water and evaluated the situation. I looked up at more than a mile to go to the ranger lookout station and then with 57 years of wisdom I decided the mount would beat me today. I figured I made it to about 9,400 feet when I turned back. It took about fifteen minutes before my breathing slowed back to normal on the walk down. Half of me considered this hike a failure but then again the other half said at least I tried. The view from 9,000 feet up was pretty neat and the walk down the mount trail was pretty good also.
Getting back to the car I unload the back pack and decided to head north and find a nice spot for lunch. After several miles I came to an area that looked familiar. I recognized it as the area where Cathy and I stopped for lunch when we were here a few years ago. Keeping a watchful eye I found the exact pullout spot where we ate lunch and decided that would be a great spot for a PB&J feast. The view was spectacular except for the smoke and it brought back memories of Cathy and I eating cheese and crackers looking at the same view and loving it. I even gave Cathy a call to tell her where I was. She laughed but did remember the spot for sure.
After lunch I decided to head to Mammoth Hot Springs and see if I could find a parking spot to look around. The last three times I have been through there the tourists were so thick that no parking spot could be found. Reaching Mammoth I did not find a parking spot in the lower area but in the upper hot springs area I finally found one. I parked the car and explored the hot springs from above. I took many pictures and will upload them to Facebook later. Mammoth is an interesting place in that the geysers have created an interesting spot with what the geyser water contains but the interesting thing is that over the years the geyser will be changing the area and eventually all the parking spots and lookouts will have to be changed as the deposits from the geyser will keep changing the area. Eventually the geyser may even stop all together and the whole area will be dead. The drive up in the area indicated that this has happened before as there are many dead areas that look like Mammoth only no water is coming out of the areas anymore.
Leaving Mammoth I headed back to the dorm on the west side of the park. The smoke was really thick from the West Yellowstone fire and at a few points in the road I could see the fire in the distance. I pray they can get it under control and have been praying for those fighting the fire also.
I made it back to the dorm in time for dinner. I think after dinner I am going to biscuit basin and look around. It is just down the road and a place I have not seen yet. Tomorrow will be a rest day and I may head into Livingston or Cody to get some free Wi-Fi. Take care you all and keep smiling.
Monday, August 22, 2016
Yellowstone Adventure - Day 96
Got up today to a very emotional day around here. After breakfast I clocked in and went to work in the grocery store. Around eight thirty the van arrived to take Steven, Daniel and Cindy to Boseman. Cindy had been crying since breakfast and Steven and Daniel started to cry as everyone who could gathered around the van to say goodbye. Jack stood outside the van with the Dominican flag and Carrie helped get every one into the van and on their way. There was crying in the van and several saying goodbye were crying also. After the van left we then said goodbye to Ken and Dianne who drove off around nine. So sad to see some go but as Bob said this goes on every year. Some people keep track of each other via Facebook but most never see each other again.
The morning was pretty slow and not much happened. Was relieved at eleven thirty and headed for lunch. At lunch Carrie my boss handed out tee shirts for us to wear on Wednesday and Thursday. They will be celebrating Christmas in August on Wednesday and one of the tee shirts is a Yellowstone Christmas one. The other tee shirt is for Thursday and it celebrates the centennial of the national park service. Both tee shirts are mine to keep after I leave here.
After lunch break I headed back into the store and it was pretty busy. A lot busier than it has been lately for sure. I was glad to be relieved at five thirty.
Since tomorrow is my day off I think I will try to climb to the top of Mount Washburn. Now don't go thinking that this is a major climb. It is not. I will climb to the top and to the ranger lookout station, but from the highest parking lot on the mountain. After the climb I think I will head to a Yellowstone valley to try to view some wildlife.
Since I am on day shift now I will be on late shift on my last week of work. So I talked to Carrie about getting shifted to day shift on my last day so I can leave right after work. Carrie said she normally does this for everyone leaving and she will make sure she gets my schedule changed too. I thanked her.
That is all for today. The West Yellowstone fire is still getting bigger but so far no issues where I live now. Take care you all.
The morning was pretty slow and not much happened. Was relieved at eleven thirty and headed for lunch. At lunch Carrie my boss handed out tee shirts for us to wear on Wednesday and Thursday. They will be celebrating Christmas in August on Wednesday and one of the tee shirts is a Yellowstone Christmas one. The other tee shirt is for Thursday and it celebrates the centennial of the national park service. Both tee shirts are mine to keep after I leave here.
After lunch break I headed back into the store and it was pretty busy. A lot busier than it has been lately for sure. I was glad to be relieved at five thirty.
Since tomorrow is my day off I think I will try to climb to the top of Mount Washburn. Now don't go thinking that this is a major climb. It is not. I will climb to the top and to the ranger lookout station, but from the highest parking lot on the mountain. After the climb I think I will head to a Yellowstone valley to try to view some wildlife.
Since I am on day shift now I will be on late shift on my last week of work. So I talked to Carrie about getting shifted to day shift on my last day so I can leave right after work. Carrie said she normally does this for everyone leaving and she will make sure she gets my schedule changed too. I thanked her.
That is all for today. The West Yellowstone fire is still getting bigger but so far no issues where I live now. Take care you all.
Sunday, August 21, 2016
Yellowstone Adventure - Day 95
Well as I sit here tonight I calculated that I have only ten more working days left. How about that? Today was a sad day in that I said goodbye to more co-workers. Gigi was crying when she got on the bus this morning to take her to Boseman. Many were waving at her and wishing her well, myself included. Shook John' s hand and said goodbye to him today as he leaves at five thirty tomorrow morning. Tomorrow will say goodbye to Ken, a great Cub fan, and his wife Dianne. Also will say goodbye to my two Dominican neighbors Steven and Daniel tomorrow. Sad days coming up for sure. Even though some may have rub me the wrong way at times, it is sad seeing people leave who I have worked with for almost three months. Chances of seeing them again are pretty slim.
Today started with a Bible study I led. Several invited but it was only Jack and I attending. The shift work around here makes it hard to get everyone together. Jack and I studied the commands of Christ and had a great time in the word.
After lunch I headed into the store and was told by Garth that I would be leaving early again today just like yesterday. A few customer things happened but the funniest was when a Chinese lady brought a box of animal crackers up to my co-worker Terry. Terry asked if she needed help and she said "Yes, are these animal crackers?" Terry responded "Yes they are." The lady then inquired "I want to feed them to the animals. Can you tell me where the bear are so I can get a picture feeding the bear a cracker?" It took Terry about five minutes to explain to the lady they are crackers shaped like animals for people to eat. We all had a great laugh about that story.
Not much else happened on my shift and the crowds are dying down for sure. Bob said at dinner the other day that once kids get back in school the majority of the visitors will be "Newlywed or nearly dead." His words not mine.
After the shift today I sat with Robert and Kevin at dinner. Robert just got back from a camping and mountain climbing experience in the park. He said he camped around Hart Lake and then hiked a peak that was close by. He said when they camped they were met by rangers who were carrying shotguns. The rangers warned them that several tents up here were crushed by a young bear and they could camp but they needed to be warned about the incident. Also the rangers said if they heard any gun blasts it would be them trying to scare the bear away. They also were trying to figure out how to electrify a fake tent so that the bear would get a shock if it tried to crush it. Robert and his group decided to stay and camp as planned. Robert said they had no bear trouble at all and did not hear any gunshots either. He also said that when they climbed the peak that they could see several fires around our area. From the Tetons to West Yellowstone there are fires burning.
Well that is all for today. Up early tomorrow as day shift begins. I hope you all worshipped God today and that you felt the peace that He can provide. Take care.
Today started with a Bible study I led. Several invited but it was only Jack and I attending. The shift work around here makes it hard to get everyone together. Jack and I studied the commands of Christ and had a great time in the word.
After lunch I headed into the store and was told by Garth that I would be leaving early again today just like yesterday. A few customer things happened but the funniest was when a Chinese lady brought a box of animal crackers up to my co-worker Terry. Terry asked if she needed help and she said "Yes, are these animal crackers?" Terry responded "Yes they are." The lady then inquired "I want to feed them to the animals. Can you tell me where the bear are so I can get a picture feeding the bear a cracker?" It took Terry about five minutes to explain to the lady they are crackers shaped like animals for people to eat. We all had a great laugh about that story.
Not much else happened on my shift and the crowds are dying down for sure. Bob said at dinner the other day that once kids get back in school the majority of the visitors will be "Newlywed or nearly dead." His words not mine.
After the shift today I sat with Robert and Kevin at dinner. Robert just got back from a camping and mountain climbing experience in the park. He said he camped around Hart Lake and then hiked a peak that was close by. He said when they camped they were met by rangers who were carrying shotguns. The rangers warned them that several tents up here were crushed by a young bear and they could camp but they needed to be warned about the incident. Also the rangers said if they heard any gun blasts it would be them trying to scare the bear away. They also were trying to figure out how to electrify a fake tent so that the bear would get a shock if it tried to crush it. Robert and his group decided to stay and camp as planned. Robert said they had no bear trouble at all and did not hear any gunshots either. He also said that when they climbed the peak that they could see several fires around our area. From the Tetons to West Yellowstone there are fires burning.
Well that is all for today. Up early tomorrow as day shift begins. I hope you all worshipped God today and that you felt the peace that He can provide. Take care.
Saturday, August 20, 2016
Yellowstone Adventure - Day 94
Today did not start very good. Last night the temperatures dipped into the mid twenties and the dorm room heater does not work. I only had one blanket and I was woke up several times with freezing feet. So I did not get much sleep at all. I found George this morning and he pulled two blankets out of storage for me to use.
After a nice long hot shower I headed to the EDR for lunch. They grilled hamburgers outside and had french fries. It was a good lunch. Headed into the store and found very little business to support eight cashiers. Garth must have thought the same thing as he approached me and Kai about altering our shifts. We would work from eleven thirty to two thirty and then from three until five thirty. I told him yes I would do that but man I was looking forward to the three hour break and a nap. Oh well I will get to bed early for sure tonight.
After my half hour break I went back to store and worked with Mika's group. I have never had Mika as a supervisor before and she runs her shift pretty well. Business was steady for about two hours and I was grateful for that as I was very tired from lack of sleep and did not want to just stand around. Five thirty came and I was off. I went to the EDR and had cereal for dinner. I also said goodbye to Gigi. She has worked in the EDR since she got here from the Dominican Republic. She is a very nice person who always has a smile for those who come into the EDR. She will be missed by the EDR for sure. Her co-worker Stephen leaves the next day.
I am washing the blankets now and once they are clean I am heading to bed. Take care you all and I hope you have great worship services tomorrow. I will be leading a Bible study tomorrow and I pray it will be well attended.
P.s. I also said goodbye to Kira and Kayla today. They are both heading out tomorrow at seven. They are cashiers and occasionally work on the same shift as I do. I am praying for all who are leaving as they all have a long road and major decisions ahead of them.
After a nice long hot shower I headed to the EDR for lunch. They grilled hamburgers outside and had french fries. It was a good lunch. Headed into the store and found very little business to support eight cashiers. Garth must have thought the same thing as he approached me and Kai about altering our shifts. We would work from eleven thirty to two thirty and then from three until five thirty. I told him yes I would do that but man I was looking forward to the three hour break and a nap. Oh well I will get to bed early for sure tonight.
After my half hour break I went back to store and worked with Mika's group. I have never had Mika as a supervisor before and she runs her shift pretty well. Business was steady for about two hours and I was grateful for that as I was very tired from lack of sleep and did not want to just stand around. Five thirty came and I was off. I went to the EDR and had cereal for dinner. I also said goodbye to Gigi. She has worked in the EDR since she got here from the Dominican Republic. She is a very nice person who always has a smile for those who come into the EDR. She will be missed by the EDR for sure. Her co-worker Stephen leaves the next day.
I am washing the blankets now and once they are clean I am heading to bed. Take care you all and I hope you have great worship services tomorrow. I will be leading a Bible study tomorrow and I pray it will be well attended.
P.s. I also said goodbye to Kira and Kayla today. They are both heading out tomorrow at seven. They are cashiers and occasionally work on the same shift as I do. I am praying for all who are leaving as they all have a long road and major decisions ahead of them.
Friday, August 19, 2016
Yellowstone Adventure - Day 93
Second day back to work and business was slow again. So because this was a slow day with nothing special happening I thought I would treat you with a poem created by my co-worker, friend and our poet laureate William. Now to give you a little background William is around twenty two years old and has an appetite like Shaggy on Scooby-Doo. When we have pizza Fridays here, William has been restricted to three slices of pizza. I usually eat just one slice and go get my extra slices for him. This also goes for desserts and bacon. He is lucky to find a job that will feed him or else he would go broke. Over the past few months I have explained to William my desire to get a Delaware license plate so that for the first time in my life I can complete the license plate game. He is a very articulate guy and has been creating situational poems for quite some time. A couple of weeks ago he came to me with the following poem:
I once met a man named Bret
He is one I won't soon forget
Providing pizza a plenty
And blogging intently
He held an incurable wit
This man worked hard in a store
And may seem an insufferable bore
He would not speak profanity
He talked with me plainly
And now I can't help but adore
He came from the land Indiana
This guy seemed like quite the planner
With a raised clenched fist
Finishing his bucket list
He gave pizza as though it were manna
This man had a sleek sense of style
And kept it quite hidden in guile
Out the window he would stare
Searching for plates of Delaware
To accomplish a dream infantile
I hope you all enjoyed the poem as it made me smile. Have a great day and keep smiling.
I once met a man named Bret
He is one I won't soon forget
Providing pizza a plenty
And blogging intently
He held an incurable wit
This man worked hard in a store
And may seem an insufferable bore
He would not speak profanity
He talked with me plainly
And now I can't help but adore
He came from the land Indiana
This guy seemed like quite the planner
With a raised clenched fist
Finishing his bucket list
He gave pizza as though it were manna
This man had a sleek sense of style
And kept it quite hidden in guile
Out the window he would stare
Searching for plates of Delaware
To accomplish a dream infantile
I hope you all enjoyed the poem as it made me smile. Have a great day and keep smiling.
Yellowstone Adventure - Day 92
Today is my Monday and I slept in until eight. My legs are feeling much better after being punished on the trail Tuesday. I got up and decided to get some laundry done. While the laundry was going on I watched TV and read. Lunch today was chicken fried steak and mashed potatoes and pumpkin pie. That made my Monday feel a lot better. The dishwasher and oven are still broke but the EDR staff are doing a great job improvising. We are eating with plastic silverware and eating off paper plates and paper bowls.
After lunch I clocked in and headed out on the floor. Business was steady but not busy. I also noticed that the majority of customers are now foreigners as I think most schools have started up and vacation time is over for many Americans. Had some great discussions with French and Swiss tourists today. I also noticed that the store has many items on sale now. I think they are trying to reduce their inventory for sure. In a few weeks other stores in the park will be closing and their inventory will be distributed among the store that remain open until October first. Ours is one of those.
At two thirty I went on break and relaxed reading and checking on the Cubs game. They won and that makes four in a row. After a short nap I headed to the EDR for a dinner of cereal because my body was asking for some grains and nutrition.
After dinner I headed back out into the store for work and it was pretty dead, even after Old Faithful went off. It was not long before I worked putting up groceries and working in the refrigerator. Business is sure slowing down. Which is good because next week we start to lose about twelve people. I was able to get off about a half hour early and am now sitting in the dorm common room watching the Olympics with Stephen and Daniel. Two co-workers from the Dominican Republic. They jump from Spanish to American all the time. I am getting used to it.
Well not an exciting day but it is over and payday if tomorrow. For all reading this please pray for my family as there are a few things happening at home that makes me wish I could transport myself home to hug my wife and grandkids. Take care and keep standing out as a believer in Jesus Christ.
After lunch I clocked in and headed out on the floor. Business was steady but not busy. I also noticed that the majority of customers are now foreigners as I think most schools have started up and vacation time is over for many Americans. Had some great discussions with French and Swiss tourists today. I also noticed that the store has many items on sale now. I think they are trying to reduce their inventory for sure. In a few weeks other stores in the park will be closing and their inventory will be distributed among the store that remain open until October first. Ours is one of those.
At two thirty I went on break and relaxed reading and checking on the Cubs game. They won and that makes four in a row. After a short nap I headed to the EDR for a dinner of cereal because my body was asking for some grains and nutrition.
After dinner I headed back out into the store for work and it was pretty dead, even after Old Faithful went off. It was not long before I worked putting up groceries and working in the refrigerator. Business is sure slowing down. Which is good because next week we start to lose about twelve people. I was able to get off about a half hour early and am now sitting in the dorm common room watching the Olympics with Stephen and Daniel. Two co-workers from the Dominican Republic. They jump from Spanish to American all the time. I am getting used to it.
Well not an exciting day but it is over and payday if tomorrow. For all reading this please pray for my family as there are a few things happening at home that makes me wish I could transport myself home to hug my wife and grandkids. Take care and keep standing out as a believer in Jesus Christ.
Wednesday, August 17, 2016
Yellowstone Adventure - Day 91
After yesterday's hike I decided today to take it real easy. I got up early for breakfast and then headed down to Idaho Falls. I wanted to see a movie, pick up supplies at Walmart, look for some books to read and check out an antique place out two.
The drive to Idaho Falls was pretty routine. It takes about two and a half hours to get there from the dorm. The movie was to start at eleven forty five and I got there around ten. So I went to Walmart and then to a Chinese restaurant before the movie started.
The movie was good but not great but relaxing. The movie theatre has some great seats that semi recline. After the movie I headed to Barnes and Noble to get some books to read. Found a couple that will hopefully last me to the end of my job here. I then set the GPS to get me into the middle of town and stopped by an antique shop. They had some good stuff but nothing that I wanted to buy.
I headed out of town and decided not to go back through West Yellowstone but to turn east and head over Jackson pass and around the Tetons and back into Yellowstone via the south entrance. I don't know if I said this before but I really like the Idaho side of the Tetons as the mountains and the farm land are just more peaceful to me than the Wyoming side of the Tetons.
Made it back to the dorm around eight with no issues. Today was a great peaceful day of rest for sure. Tomorrow I am back on night shift. So I get to sleep in for awhile as I have to get some laundry done before work. Take care you all and remember to pray for each other.
The drive to Idaho Falls was pretty routine. It takes about two and a half hours to get there from the dorm. The movie was to start at eleven forty five and I got there around ten. So I went to Walmart and then to a Chinese restaurant before the movie started.
The movie was good but not great but relaxing. The movie theatre has some great seats that semi recline. After the movie I headed to Barnes and Noble to get some books to read. Found a couple that will hopefully last me to the end of my job here. I then set the GPS to get me into the middle of town and stopped by an antique shop. They had some good stuff but nothing that I wanted to buy.
I headed out of town and decided not to go back through West Yellowstone but to turn east and head over Jackson pass and around the Tetons and back into Yellowstone via the south entrance. I don't know if I said this before but I really like the Idaho side of the Tetons as the mountains and the farm land are just more peaceful to me than the Wyoming side of the Tetons.
Made it back to the dorm around eight with no issues. Today was a great peaceful day of rest for sure. Tomorrow I am back on night shift. So I get to sleep in for awhile as I have to get some laundry done before work. Take care you all and remember to pray for each other.
Tuesday, August 16, 2016
Yellowstone Adventure - Day 90
Slept in this morning a little bit but managed to get to EDR before breakfast was over. Saw Bob at breakfast and asked him if he wanted a ride into West Yellowstone. I told him my plans were to first get to a free Wi-Fi and then to go to the gun shooting place. I told him that my son's Logan and Jacob gave me money on Father's Day to shoot two guns. The first would be a Thompson submachine gun and the second would be a Gatling gun. He said he had errands to run there and would be glad to go.
We headed out around seven thirty and the way was pretty clear to West Yellowstone. No bison blocking the road. The gun place opened at ten so I dropped Bob off to do his errands and went to use some free Wi-Fi. After updating my phone I met Bob at the gun shop. I told the guy running the place of my plans and he said we would first start with the Thompson. I picked a good target of a nazi zombie and some ear protection and headed with the guy to the range. After he explained the workings of the gun and showing me the best way to hold it, he popped in the first of two clips I bought to shoot. Handing my cell phone to Bob to record the event, I picked up the gun. Ensuring it was in single shot mode I assumed the position to fire and aimed at the head of the nazi. When I pulled the trigger I was surprised by two things. One that I put a hole in the nazi's head and two the recoil of the gun was almost like a four ten shot gun. The next four shots hit the head and that made me smile. I leaned back to Bob and said "OK I am changing to fully automatic." I flicked the switch on the left side of the gun and repositioned myself. I pulled the trigger and just like the guy warned me the first shot hit where I was aiming and then the gun just started climbing up. The shots peppered the target in a straight line up and several then hit the wall behind the target. Putting in the next clip I did several single shots well but the fully automatic was tough to control but I did better the second time for sure.
After the Thompson I chose to do a pistol rather than the Gatling gun because of issues with the gun. I chose a Ruger replica of a single action Colt 44. I also paid extra for more rounds to shoot. After getting simple instructions I loaded the gun and this time I had an evil clown target to shoot at. Pulling the hammer back several clicks I aimed and squeeze the trigger. The first shot was high and missed the target completely. The next five rounds were better and two actually hit the head. After reloading I aimed for the hand and was surprised to put two rounds right next to each other with no space in between the holes. The guy supervising said he was impressed with those last six shots. Reloading the next time I let Bob have a shot. I asked the guy if he had a holster and he said "You would probably put a round right in your foot." I laughed and told him "You are a good judge of my abilities and probably correct." Bob enjoyed shooting and we retrieved the targets and thanked the guy helping us. It was truly a great Father's Day present and I will be taking the targets home as presents for Jacob and Logan. I may go back one day and shoot a Henry rifle if there is time.
Heading back into Yellowstone we were greeted by, yes you guessed it, a bison/tourists road block. After waiting a half hour the rangers finally showed up and told people to stop blocking the road and get moving. We finally made it back to the dorm for lunch.
After lunch I decided to do a hike on a trail down south. Heading out I reached Duck Lake and pulled over to see if any bear were in the valley below near Duck Lake. About ten minutes into viewing the valley a helicopter flew low and was carrying a bag. It was a firefighters helicopter. It circle once and then lowered the bag into Duck Lake and then rose and flew over me and headed out. About five minutes later it returned and repeated the maneuver. I thought the fire must be close. From what I hear we have four fires around us. Mostly contained but still active. In fact while we were in West Yellowstone this morning the smoke was pretty thick from a two hundred acre fire six miles out of town.
After watching the helicopter for a few more maneuvers I headed south to Lewis Lake. I pulled into the trail parking and looked over the map. I saw that the first part of the hike was 6.7 miles to Shoshone Lake and then the loop back on Dogs Head trail was 4.7 miles. I thought to myself slightly under twelve miles and mostly close to a lake or creek. This should be fairly easy and I hoped level. Well I was wrong on both counts. After loading the backpack with water, tying on the bear spray and putting on some sunscreen, I headed out on the Lewis Creek trail. After about a mile I reached Lewis Lake and the view was great. The trail skirted the lake and headed toward the Lewis Creek. The creek feeds Lewis Lake and the creek originates at Shoshone Lake. After about three miles the trail started going uphill and down and I started to figure that this may be more than I bargained for. When I reached about five miles in I was debating about turning around and going back. But I really hate backtracking more than I hate sore legs. When you are five plus miles into a hike and things get tough then you just have to, as they say, "Suck it up buttercup" and keep moving. The views along the creek were great but no animals in sight. After another mile I yelled a hello to a couple paddling down stream. They waived back and I felt that at least if I get stuck on the trail someone may be around to rescue me. :)
After six plus miles I reached the intersection of my trail and Dogs Head trail. I veered off to a campsite and rested on a log talking to a couple of guys from Colorado that were camping and fishing Shoshone Lake. After several minutes and several drinks of water I reluctantly headed back on the trail. The junction sign indicated I had 4.7 miles to go to get back to my car. Well the trail was mostly in woods and I liked that but it was quite a bit of uphill and downhill. Which my legs did not like. Needless to say I took many breaks on this trail to rest my legs and drink some water. Still no animals on or around the trail but plenty of squirrels and chipmunks. After three miles I reached a hippie like guy sitting on a log drinking a beer. He said it was a good day for a hike and I said yes, but my brain wanted to ask "Is beer a necessity to hike?" After another half hour I reached an open area and I could see my car in the distance. I murmured a resounding "Yes!" Getting to the car I opened up the back of the vehicle and climbed in to remove my shoes and socks with an "Ahhhhh!" I had sparer bottles of water and drank my fill. I thought to myself "Never again will I take a trail I did not research the terrain in advance." I got cleaned up and put on a dry shirt and climbed into the car to head back to the dorm. After just a quarter mile down the road I saw two Taiwanese girls hitchhiking with a sign that said "Old Faithful". As I got closer I recognized them as two of my co-workers. As I pulled up and stopped they recognize me and laughed and climbed in. Believe it or not they were on the same trail I was but several minutes ahead of me. They were thanking me over and over for stopping and I told them I could not leave co-workers standing by the road. It was good to have company back to the dorm and they understood English pretty well.
We all made it back to the dorm safely and I headed to the EDR to eat my sack lunch and then to the showers to get the stink of the trail off me. Tomorrow will be an easy day of rest and no hiking. My legs are shot. The good news is that with this hike I have exceeded 100 miles of hiking in and around Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons.
You all take care and I really want to thank you for reading about my adventure.
We headed out around seven thirty and the way was pretty clear to West Yellowstone. No bison blocking the road. The gun place opened at ten so I dropped Bob off to do his errands and went to use some free Wi-Fi. After updating my phone I met Bob at the gun shop. I told the guy running the place of my plans and he said we would first start with the Thompson. I picked a good target of a nazi zombie and some ear protection and headed with the guy to the range. After he explained the workings of the gun and showing me the best way to hold it, he popped in the first of two clips I bought to shoot. Handing my cell phone to Bob to record the event, I picked up the gun. Ensuring it was in single shot mode I assumed the position to fire and aimed at the head of the nazi. When I pulled the trigger I was surprised by two things. One that I put a hole in the nazi's head and two the recoil of the gun was almost like a four ten shot gun. The next four shots hit the head and that made me smile. I leaned back to Bob and said "OK I am changing to fully automatic." I flicked the switch on the left side of the gun and repositioned myself. I pulled the trigger and just like the guy warned me the first shot hit where I was aiming and then the gun just started climbing up. The shots peppered the target in a straight line up and several then hit the wall behind the target. Putting in the next clip I did several single shots well but the fully automatic was tough to control but I did better the second time for sure.
After the Thompson I chose to do a pistol rather than the Gatling gun because of issues with the gun. I chose a Ruger replica of a single action Colt 44. I also paid extra for more rounds to shoot. After getting simple instructions I loaded the gun and this time I had an evil clown target to shoot at. Pulling the hammer back several clicks I aimed and squeeze the trigger. The first shot was high and missed the target completely. The next five rounds were better and two actually hit the head. After reloading I aimed for the hand and was surprised to put two rounds right next to each other with no space in between the holes. The guy supervising said he was impressed with those last six shots. Reloading the next time I let Bob have a shot. I asked the guy if he had a holster and he said "You would probably put a round right in your foot." I laughed and told him "You are a good judge of my abilities and probably correct." Bob enjoyed shooting and we retrieved the targets and thanked the guy helping us. It was truly a great Father's Day present and I will be taking the targets home as presents for Jacob and Logan. I may go back one day and shoot a Henry rifle if there is time.
Heading back into Yellowstone we were greeted by, yes you guessed it, a bison/tourists road block. After waiting a half hour the rangers finally showed up and told people to stop blocking the road and get moving. We finally made it back to the dorm for lunch.
After lunch I decided to do a hike on a trail down south. Heading out I reached Duck Lake and pulled over to see if any bear were in the valley below near Duck Lake. About ten minutes into viewing the valley a helicopter flew low and was carrying a bag. It was a firefighters helicopter. It circle once and then lowered the bag into Duck Lake and then rose and flew over me and headed out. About five minutes later it returned and repeated the maneuver. I thought the fire must be close. From what I hear we have four fires around us. Mostly contained but still active. In fact while we were in West Yellowstone this morning the smoke was pretty thick from a two hundred acre fire six miles out of town.
After watching the helicopter for a few more maneuvers I headed south to Lewis Lake. I pulled into the trail parking and looked over the map. I saw that the first part of the hike was 6.7 miles to Shoshone Lake and then the loop back on Dogs Head trail was 4.7 miles. I thought to myself slightly under twelve miles and mostly close to a lake or creek. This should be fairly easy and I hoped level. Well I was wrong on both counts. After loading the backpack with water, tying on the bear spray and putting on some sunscreen, I headed out on the Lewis Creek trail. After about a mile I reached Lewis Lake and the view was great. The trail skirted the lake and headed toward the Lewis Creek. The creek feeds Lewis Lake and the creek originates at Shoshone Lake. After about three miles the trail started going uphill and down and I started to figure that this may be more than I bargained for. When I reached about five miles in I was debating about turning around and going back. But I really hate backtracking more than I hate sore legs. When you are five plus miles into a hike and things get tough then you just have to, as they say, "Suck it up buttercup" and keep moving. The views along the creek were great but no animals in sight. After another mile I yelled a hello to a couple paddling down stream. They waived back and I felt that at least if I get stuck on the trail someone may be around to rescue me. :)
After six plus miles I reached the intersection of my trail and Dogs Head trail. I veered off to a campsite and rested on a log talking to a couple of guys from Colorado that were camping and fishing Shoshone Lake. After several minutes and several drinks of water I reluctantly headed back on the trail. The junction sign indicated I had 4.7 miles to go to get back to my car. Well the trail was mostly in woods and I liked that but it was quite a bit of uphill and downhill. Which my legs did not like. Needless to say I took many breaks on this trail to rest my legs and drink some water. Still no animals on or around the trail but plenty of squirrels and chipmunks. After three miles I reached a hippie like guy sitting on a log drinking a beer. He said it was a good day for a hike and I said yes, but my brain wanted to ask "Is beer a necessity to hike?" After another half hour I reached an open area and I could see my car in the distance. I murmured a resounding "Yes!" Getting to the car I opened up the back of the vehicle and climbed in to remove my shoes and socks with an "Ahhhhh!" I had sparer bottles of water and drank my fill. I thought to myself "Never again will I take a trail I did not research the terrain in advance." I got cleaned up and put on a dry shirt and climbed into the car to head back to the dorm. After just a quarter mile down the road I saw two Taiwanese girls hitchhiking with a sign that said "Old Faithful". As I got closer I recognized them as two of my co-workers. As I pulled up and stopped they recognize me and laughed and climbed in. Believe it or not they were on the same trail I was but several minutes ahead of me. They were thanking me over and over for stopping and I told them I could not leave co-workers standing by the road. It was good to have company back to the dorm and they understood English pretty well.
We all made it back to the dorm safely and I headed to the EDR to eat my sack lunch and then to the showers to get the stink of the trail off me. Tomorrow will be an easy day of rest and no hiking. My legs are shot. The good news is that with this hike I have exceeded 100 miles of hiking in and around Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons.
You all take care and I really want to thank you for reading about my adventure.
Monday, August 15, 2016
Yellowstone Adventure - Day 89
Today is my Friday and it is a late shift. So I got up early to get some laundry done. I wanted to let you know how nice the services were last night. Unfortunately last night was the last Sunday that the group will be doing services in the park. As I said most of the young people running the services will be leaving soon. So last night's services ended with us standing in a circle and praying. The group thanked God for all He has done this summer and we also prayed for all those heading back to school. Many people in the circle, including myself, prayed. It was great. Also one of the guys I have been inviting to church came last night. I will be trying to have a Bible study next Sunday and I hope to get some co-workers to come as some were wary of going to the church services.
Since I have been writing this blog I have had many people view pages on it. I use Google to host my blog and one of the things it does is track the number of views and where the people are coming from. So far I have had over 8,000 views. Here are some statistics of where people are coming from that are reading my blog. It is interesting to me and I hope it is to you.
United States 7811
Germany 68
France 67
Singapore 16
Belize 13
China 13
Netherlands 9
Sint Maarten 6
Ireland 4
Latvia 3
After laundry was done I grabbed my Clive Cussler book and headed to the store's front porch to read and people watch until lunchtime. The EDR had grilled hamburger steaks and mashed potatoes for lunch. Excellent and pecan pie for dessert.
I entered the store and set up my til. The store was fairly busy and I worked the apparel cash register for all the first part of my shift. I took over the register from Cheryl. Who is a new cashier hire. She seemed pretty nice and asked me a few questions about cashing people out.
After my break and dinner I returned to work. Business was still fairly busy but slowed down around six thirty. I then was assigned to the refrigerator to get it back in shape. Before I left the store floor I stopped by to say goodbye to Mary. It was her last day of work and she will be leaving tomorrow to head back to Texas and school. I gave her a hug and told her to make good decisions and try not to be led into bad decisions by just emotions. She said she would try and I will pray for her tonight as I know she has some tough roads ahead of her.
That is about it and I am glad it is my Friday. Still thinking of what to do tomorrow but I am leaning toward heading to West Yellowstone and shooting some special guns. Jacob and Logan sent me some money for Father's Day to shoot some old guns at a place in West Yellowstone. You all take care and thanks for reading.
Since I have been writing this blog I have had many people view pages on it. I use Google to host my blog and one of the things it does is track the number of views and where the people are coming from. So far I have had over 8,000 views. Here are some statistics of where people are coming from that are reading my blog. It is interesting to me and I hope it is to you.
United States 7811
Germany 68
France 67
Singapore 16
Belize 13
China 13
Netherlands 9
Sint Maarten 6
Ireland 4
Latvia 3
After laundry was done I grabbed my Clive Cussler book and headed to the store's front porch to read and people watch until lunchtime. The EDR had grilled hamburger steaks and mashed potatoes for lunch. Excellent and pecan pie for dessert.
I entered the store and set up my til. The store was fairly busy and I worked the apparel cash register for all the first part of my shift. I took over the register from Cheryl. Who is a new cashier hire. She seemed pretty nice and asked me a few questions about cashing people out.
After my break and dinner I returned to work. Business was still fairly busy but slowed down around six thirty. I then was assigned to the refrigerator to get it back in shape. Before I left the store floor I stopped by to say goodbye to Mary. It was her last day of work and she will be leaving tomorrow to head back to Texas and school. I gave her a hug and told her to make good decisions and try not to be led into bad decisions by just emotions. She said she would try and I will pray for her tonight as I know she has some tough roads ahead of her.
That is about it and I am glad it is my Friday. Still thinking of what to do tomorrow but I am leaning toward heading to West Yellowstone and shooting some special guns. Jacob and Logan sent me some money for Father's Day to shoot some old guns at a place in West Yellowstone. You all take care and thanks for reading.
Sunday, August 14, 2016
Yellowstone Adventure - Day 88
Today is last day of day shift as tomorrow I switch to late shift, but tomorrow is my Friday and that will be good. Breakfast was biscuits and gravy. My favorite breakfast and a good way to start the day.
Clocked in at seven and went immediately to work in the grocery refrigerator stocking goods. For a Sunday business was very very slow, but then again Saturday and Sunday have not been busy days for a few weeks. Not too much happened during the morning shift and I stayed in the grocery area helping them stock food all morning.
Doris replaced me at eleven thirty and I headed to the EDR for lunch. It was fish day and since I do not like fish I made myself a, yes you know, peanut butter and jelly sandwich. After lunch I headed to the dorm to read for awhile and took a short nap.
Clocked back in at two thirty and replaced Doris. The afternoon was slow so the boss asked me to help stock the refrigerator. It did not take me long to get it back in shape and I headed back to my cash register. There was a couple standing in line waiting to be checked out and I called them over so they would not have to wait. I thought the man looked familiar but could not place him. As I was checking them out they also kept staring at me too. Eventually I totaled everything and he handed me his credit card. As I took the card the man said "Aren't you Bret Hobbs?" And then I looked at the name on the card and said "Yes and your Jim Linneweber." We all laughed. They asked me about being here and I explained what I was doing. Linda told me that this was their first real vacation in about seven years as she was battling kidney issues. Recently she got a kidney transplant and now they can get farther from home. That definitely is good news. They were on their way down to the Tetons after Yellowstone and I gave them some advice on what they might want to see and do there. After talking for a few minutes I bid them goodbye. I thought what a small world that two people from Linton would be visiting Yellowstone at the same time I am working and come to my register.
Not too much else went on but before I clocked out I went to the other cash registers and told Andrew goodbye. Andrew's last day is today and he is heading out after he clocks out today. Andrew is a good kid and he has helped me see a lot of geysers here. His hobby is being a so called geyser chaser. He works with the rangers as a volunteer in tracking when the geysers go off. He has been trying to get me to see Fan and Mortar since I got here, but it just has not gone off when I am around and off. He is heading back to California and to college. He is a smart kid and as a great knowledge of the geysers in the area.
Well after clocking out the EDR had BLTs for dinner and they were great. I am now sitting in the dorm watching the Cubs play those evil Cardinals. After awhile I will head over to the rec center for night church services. Jack, who went to the morning services, told me that this is the last Sunday for services. The young kids that put on the services will be leaving to go back to college soon. I will be discussing with Jack about having a Bible study for the next few weeks. I think I can come up with some material to study on the rest of the time I am here.
We also had an incident where a co-worker fell in the dorm and was taken by ambulance to the medical center as they think she stove in a rib or hurt her shoulder. She was a late hire by Delaware North and in my opinion was a prime example of this group just filling a hole and not caring the shape of the person they are hiring. She is a very frail individual who I guess is between sixty five and seventy years old. It did not suprise me that she hurt herself in a fall in the dorm. The world of temporary workers is an interesting one.
That is about it. Take care and stay well.
Clocked in at seven and went immediately to work in the grocery refrigerator stocking goods. For a Sunday business was very very slow, but then again Saturday and Sunday have not been busy days for a few weeks. Not too much happened during the morning shift and I stayed in the grocery area helping them stock food all morning.
Doris replaced me at eleven thirty and I headed to the EDR for lunch. It was fish day and since I do not like fish I made myself a, yes you know, peanut butter and jelly sandwich. After lunch I headed to the dorm to read for awhile and took a short nap.
Clocked back in at two thirty and replaced Doris. The afternoon was slow so the boss asked me to help stock the refrigerator. It did not take me long to get it back in shape and I headed back to my cash register. There was a couple standing in line waiting to be checked out and I called them over so they would not have to wait. I thought the man looked familiar but could not place him. As I was checking them out they also kept staring at me too. Eventually I totaled everything and he handed me his credit card. As I took the card the man said "Aren't you Bret Hobbs?" And then I looked at the name on the card and said "Yes and your Jim Linneweber." We all laughed. They asked me about being here and I explained what I was doing. Linda told me that this was their first real vacation in about seven years as she was battling kidney issues. Recently she got a kidney transplant and now they can get farther from home. That definitely is good news. They were on their way down to the Tetons after Yellowstone and I gave them some advice on what they might want to see and do there. After talking for a few minutes I bid them goodbye. I thought what a small world that two people from Linton would be visiting Yellowstone at the same time I am working and come to my register.
Not too much else went on but before I clocked out I went to the other cash registers and told Andrew goodbye. Andrew's last day is today and he is heading out after he clocks out today. Andrew is a good kid and he has helped me see a lot of geysers here. His hobby is being a so called geyser chaser. He works with the rangers as a volunteer in tracking when the geysers go off. He has been trying to get me to see Fan and Mortar since I got here, but it just has not gone off when I am around and off. He is heading back to California and to college. He is a smart kid and as a great knowledge of the geysers in the area.
Well after clocking out the EDR had BLTs for dinner and they were great. I am now sitting in the dorm watching the Cubs play those evil Cardinals. After awhile I will head over to the rec center for night church services. Jack, who went to the morning services, told me that this is the last Sunday for services. The young kids that put on the services will be leaving to go back to college soon. I will be discussing with Jack about having a Bible study for the next few weeks. I think I can come up with some material to study on the rest of the time I am here.
We also had an incident where a co-worker fell in the dorm and was taken by ambulance to the medical center as they think she stove in a rib or hurt her shoulder. She was a late hire by Delaware North and in my opinion was a prime example of this group just filling a hole and not caring the shape of the person they are hiring. She is a very frail individual who I guess is between sixty five and seventy years old. It did not suprise me that she hurt herself in a fall in the dorm. The world of temporary workers is an interesting one.
That is about it. Take care and stay well.
Saturday, August 13, 2016
Yellowstone Adventure - Day 87
Today was another day shift day and I still did not sleep well. This was because a couple of co-workers decided that eleven thirty at night is a good time to be screaming and yelling. I got up and paid them a visit and at breakfast pounded in the point that quiet hours start at ten. They both apologized but I think alcohol was the main culprit.
After breakfast I headed into the store and was sent immediately to the refrigerator to stock. The day was very slow and I worked stocking all morning until lunch break. At lunch we found out that not only are the ovens still broke in the EDR but now the automatic dishwasher is broken. So the cooks barbequed chicken and potatoes for lunch and set up picnic tables for us to eat outside. Pretty neat and the food was very good too. They don't know how long the dishwasher will be down but it looks like awhile and we will be eating out of paper plates and using plastics silverware for awhile.
During lunch I watched the Cubs play the cardinals for awhile. Seems their winning streak came to an end today. But it was a good run for sure.
After lunch I went back and worked the counter for awhile. I had a guy come to me and want to get his money back on a hair brush he bought. The package was clearly opened and when I asked him if it was used. He sort of hesitated and said no. I then ask why he wanted to return it and he said the package clearly states that California thinks the chemicals that makes the brush may cause cancer. I said that was on the package when he bought it and may not be a good reason to return it. He kept stating he did not want any product that may cause cancer. I called my supervisor over and let Kathy handle it. I could tell by her face that the guy's reason was pretty strange but she said yes give him his money back. I processed the return of a whopping $2.30 and sent him on his way. Before he left my station I looked over the receipt and noticed that he probably bought products that equally could cause cancer as that hair brush.
It must been my day for customers because another elderly gentleman chastised me for not returning his bills facing all the same way. I looked at him and I guess from being tired said "I don't need to because I can tell the difference between a number 1 and a number 5." He looked at me and just grunted took his change and walked away. My patience is getting thin for tourists with attitudes.
Spent most of the afternoon stocking groceries as it was not very busy at all. I was glad to be away from the tourists too. After the afternoon shift ended I clocked out and the EDR had lunch meat sandwiches for dinner. I decided to have cereal which is always available instead.
I think after dinner I will head to the Old Faithful Inn and do some reading. You all take care and enjoy your Sunday. Worship God well.
After breakfast I headed into the store and was sent immediately to the refrigerator to stock. The day was very slow and I worked stocking all morning until lunch break. At lunch we found out that not only are the ovens still broke in the EDR but now the automatic dishwasher is broken. So the cooks barbequed chicken and potatoes for lunch and set up picnic tables for us to eat outside. Pretty neat and the food was very good too. They don't know how long the dishwasher will be down but it looks like awhile and we will be eating out of paper plates and using plastics silverware for awhile.
During lunch I watched the Cubs play the cardinals for awhile. Seems their winning streak came to an end today. But it was a good run for sure.
After lunch I went back and worked the counter for awhile. I had a guy come to me and want to get his money back on a hair brush he bought. The package was clearly opened and when I asked him if it was used. He sort of hesitated and said no. I then ask why he wanted to return it and he said the package clearly states that California thinks the chemicals that makes the brush may cause cancer. I said that was on the package when he bought it and may not be a good reason to return it. He kept stating he did not want any product that may cause cancer. I called my supervisor over and let Kathy handle it. I could tell by her face that the guy's reason was pretty strange but she said yes give him his money back. I processed the return of a whopping $2.30 and sent him on his way. Before he left my station I looked over the receipt and noticed that he probably bought products that equally could cause cancer as that hair brush.
It must been my day for customers because another elderly gentleman chastised me for not returning his bills facing all the same way. I looked at him and I guess from being tired said "I don't need to because I can tell the difference between a number 1 and a number 5." He looked at me and just grunted took his change and walked away. My patience is getting thin for tourists with attitudes.
Spent most of the afternoon stocking groceries as it was not very busy at all. I was glad to be away from the tourists too. After the afternoon shift ended I clocked out and the EDR had lunch meat sandwiches for dinner. I decided to have cereal which is always available instead.
I think after dinner I will head to the Old Faithful Inn and do some reading. You all take care and enjoy your Sunday. Worship God well.
Friday, August 12, 2016
Yellowstone Adventure - Day 86
Well back to work on early shift today. After breakfast I headed into the store to get my til ready. Kathy was my boss today and I was assigned to the grocery area. Since the store was not busy I went to work in the refrigerator helping Jack, Bill and Ron set up groceries. They are all great workers and have thanked me several times for helping them because they are short handed. I told them that it was no problem and that I liked being busy and being useful. I am getting pretty good at finding all the stock and not having to ask them questions. Also I am getting used to the cold of the refrigerator as I spend twenty minutes at a time in there before having to come out and break down all the boxes I have emptied. Around here all cardboard has to be broken down and bundled for selling back to recycle. This park must make tons of money on cardboard recycling for sure.
The morning went by pretty quick but no cashiering at all, just stocking groceries and goods. I was relieved at eleven thirty for lunch and after lunch headed to a well deserved nap. Still recouping after the two hikes this week. Also I have not been sleeping well for the past month and a half. Too much noise from the road beside the dorm. I have to keep the window open for ventilation because dorms are not air conditioned and cars and trucks pass outside dorm all night long. Most are delivering goods throughout the park and early morning or late at night is when they choose to not get caught up in any tourist road blocks.
After break I went back to work and it was only steady and not really busy. I did find out some good news. Denise was telling me that my last day is the 4th of September that is the end of the pay period. She told me to look at my ID card and notice when it expires. Sure enough the ID expires on the 4 th. She said they will work me the 4 th and then check me out to leave on the 5th, which is labor day. Cathy liked this news. I am hoping to work an early shift on the 4th and then checkout after work and head down the road, but if I work a late shift I will have to check out on the 5th.
During the second part of my shift I talked to a family from Turkey. I wish I could have had more time to talk to them as I wanted to pick their brain on many of the biblical sites that are located in their country. Also talked to a man from Sicily and several from France.
After shift I decided to do some laundry as the hikes cause some dirty clothes that needed attention. Not too much else going on but the days are getting shorter and colder for sure. Much frost on the cars and campers this morning. You all take care and be well and safe.
The morning went by pretty quick but no cashiering at all, just stocking groceries and goods. I was relieved at eleven thirty for lunch and after lunch headed to a well deserved nap. Still recouping after the two hikes this week. Also I have not been sleeping well for the past month and a half. Too much noise from the road beside the dorm. I have to keep the window open for ventilation because dorms are not air conditioned and cars and trucks pass outside dorm all night long. Most are delivering goods throughout the park and early morning or late at night is when they choose to not get caught up in any tourist road blocks.
After break I went back to work and it was only steady and not really busy. I did find out some good news. Denise was telling me that my last day is the 4th of September that is the end of the pay period. She told me to look at my ID card and notice when it expires. Sure enough the ID expires on the 4 th. She said they will work me the 4 th and then check me out to leave on the 5th, which is labor day. Cathy liked this news. I am hoping to work an early shift on the 4th and then checkout after work and head down the road, but if I work a late shift I will have to check out on the 5th.
During the second part of my shift I talked to a family from Turkey. I wish I could have had more time to talk to them as I wanted to pick their brain on many of the biblical sites that are located in their country. Also talked to a man from Sicily and several from France.
After shift I decided to do some laundry as the hikes cause some dirty clothes that needed attention. Not too much else going on but the days are getting shorter and colder for sure. Much frost on the cars and campers this morning. You all take care and be well and safe.
Thursday, August 11, 2016
Yellowstone Adventure - Day 85
Got up early to get a good breakfast as I would need the energy for today's hike. Our hike today is in the Pelican Valley and toward Turbid Lake. This hike should be no more than eight and a half miles round trip.
Breakfast was great and we loaded up Jack's car with our stuff and headed out around eight thirty. Jack invited a Taiwanese girl named Sharon to hike with us. So the group was Jack, George, Sharon and myself. Sharon has worked at Yellowstone for four years now and this year her work visa expires and she will be heading home and to school. She is around four foot eight inches tall and can run rings around all of us on this hike. She worked up in Alaska at a fish processing plant before coming here. She said the job was three weeks straight of ten hours a day. She said her job was to gut fish all day. After she told me what she did I can tell you she is one tough girl. She travels around the world working temporary jobs and making enough money to be able to go home and go to school.
Jack asked me to drive his car today as he wanted to just enjoy the view. I drove to fishing bridge with a stop at the general store there. The store is a sister store of ours and I was surprised it was bigger than ours and held some items we did not carry. But as far as sales go our store beats theirs hands down. After visiting the store we headed to the trail and parked. Once I exited the car I was disappointed to see two horse trailers parked on the other side. This did not bode well for seeing animals on this hike as the horses and riders will scare off animals on the trail. Also it took only a few steps on the trail before I figured we would be dodging horse poop all day.
The trail led out of the parking area and into a nice valley before entering into some very quiet woods. Jack would yell out "Hello bears" every so often to warn them of our coming. I like woods hiking as it is really peaceful in there and the wind through the tops of the trees is very peaceful. After exiting the woods we entered Pelican Valley with the mountains behind. One of the peaks was called avalanche peak and George said that was a good hike and being ten thousand feet up the views were fantastic. There was another peak that was named sleeping giant and it really looked like a guys head laying on their back. I will upload a picture of it to Facebook later.
Walking through the valley was nice but still no animals are seen close or in the distance. After about a mile clouds started to congregate overhead and it was not long before we heard thunder. We all stopped and rested while everyone got out a coat or a slicker from their pack. Soon after we started out again the rain started. So I guess I can check hiking in the rain and thunder off my bucket list. The rain was cold but not a big down pour and we plodded on. We reached a sign on the trail indicating that Turbid Lake was to the right and to the left was a trail to Pelican peak. We met a ranger on the trail who slept on top of the peak in a ranger cabin and said it was nice in the cabin as the wind was really blowing last night. He also said he saw no animals anywhere in the valley and we did not like to hear that. Well we turned right and headed for the lake. The rain started to get heavier so we headed for a small group of trees to wait the rain out. The thing about mountain rains is that they tend to blow over fast. After a few minutes the rain lessened and we continued the hike to the lake. After another mile we entered another forest and the rain was blocked pretty well by the canopy. A short walk through the forest brought us to the lake. The rain had stopped then and so we climbed up a hill that gave us a great view of the lake and got seats for lunch. With the weather being slightly overcast the lake had a dark look. The lake was being fed but some geyser areas and Jack said the water was not really fit to drink for humans but it seems fish are in the water and animals come down to drink from it. George and I had peanut butter and jelly while Sharon and Jack had some lunch meat. The view was great and the conversation was excellent. Got to know a lot more about George and we had some great Bible discussions. His basic question seemed to be how do you know you are saved. A good question and one that comes up quite a bit. Some people feel that if they don't get the electric rush of the Holy Spirit when the confess and are baptized that they don't feel they have been saved. I told him that faith in Jesus words is what is needed and to start living differently than before is a good first step.
After lunch the sun started to show and the day turned really nice for the walk back out of the valley. We stopped several times on the trip back as Jack was getting winded pretty easily. When you are seventy and hiking your allowed as many rests as you want. When we reached the Pelican Valley junction we stopped for about a half an hour and just sat on the grass in the valley. We just stared at the view and conversed amongst ourselves. It was truly a great hike and with the sun coming out the day was great. George commented that the days are getting colder early and he feels that winter will be coming early. He also noticed several birds have already disappeared. He also would not bet against a hard winter at Yellowstone. His contract ends in October and he hopes the snows won't delay him getting back home to Naperville Illinois.
After a few more breaks we hiked out and loaded our packs into Jack's car. I drove back to the dorm and I could tell it was a good hike as George and Jack both slept on the way back. We reached the dorm around six and in time for dinner.
Well that is about all for today and I really enjoyed the hike and the conversation today and maybe I will get to hike with them again before I leave. I hope you all take care and stay well.
Breakfast was great and we loaded up Jack's car with our stuff and headed out around eight thirty. Jack invited a Taiwanese girl named Sharon to hike with us. So the group was Jack, George, Sharon and myself. Sharon has worked at Yellowstone for four years now and this year her work visa expires and she will be heading home and to school. She is around four foot eight inches tall and can run rings around all of us on this hike. She worked up in Alaska at a fish processing plant before coming here. She said the job was three weeks straight of ten hours a day. She said her job was to gut fish all day. After she told me what she did I can tell you she is one tough girl. She travels around the world working temporary jobs and making enough money to be able to go home and go to school.
Jack asked me to drive his car today as he wanted to just enjoy the view. I drove to fishing bridge with a stop at the general store there. The store is a sister store of ours and I was surprised it was bigger than ours and held some items we did not carry. But as far as sales go our store beats theirs hands down. After visiting the store we headed to the trail and parked. Once I exited the car I was disappointed to see two horse trailers parked on the other side. This did not bode well for seeing animals on this hike as the horses and riders will scare off animals on the trail. Also it took only a few steps on the trail before I figured we would be dodging horse poop all day.
The trail led out of the parking area and into a nice valley before entering into some very quiet woods. Jack would yell out "Hello bears" every so often to warn them of our coming. I like woods hiking as it is really peaceful in there and the wind through the tops of the trees is very peaceful. After exiting the woods we entered Pelican Valley with the mountains behind. One of the peaks was called avalanche peak and George said that was a good hike and being ten thousand feet up the views were fantastic. There was another peak that was named sleeping giant and it really looked like a guys head laying on their back. I will upload a picture of it to Facebook later.
Walking through the valley was nice but still no animals are seen close or in the distance. After about a mile clouds started to congregate overhead and it was not long before we heard thunder. We all stopped and rested while everyone got out a coat or a slicker from their pack. Soon after we started out again the rain started. So I guess I can check hiking in the rain and thunder off my bucket list. The rain was cold but not a big down pour and we plodded on. We reached a sign on the trail indicating that Turbid Lake was to the right and to the left was a trail to Pelican peak. We met a ranger on the trail who slept on top of the peak in a ranger cabin and said it was nice in the cabin as the wind was really blowing last night. He also said he saw no animals anywhere in the valley and we did not like to hear that. Well we turned right and headed for the lake. The rain started to get heavier so we headed for a small group of trees to wait the rain out. The thing about mountain rains is that they tend to blow over fast. After a few minutes the rain lessened and we continued the hike to the lake. After another mile we entered another forest and the rain was blocked pretty well by the canopy. A short walk through the forest brought us to the lake. The rain had stopped then and so we climbed up a hill that gave us a great view of the lake and got seats for lunch. With the weather being slightly overcast the lake had a dark look. The lake was being fed but some geyser areas and Jack said the water was not really fit to drink for humans but it seems fish are in the water and animals come down to drink from it. George and I had peanut butter and jelly while Sharon and Jack had some lunch meat. The view was great and the conversation was excellent. Got to know a lot more about George and we had some great Bible discussions. His basic question seemed to be how do you know you are saved. A good question and one that comes up quite a bit. Some people feel that if they don't get the electric rush of the Holy Spirit when the confess and are baptized that they don't feel they have been saved. I told him that faith in Jesus words is what is needed and to start living differently than before is a good first step.
After lunch the sun started to show and the day turned really nice for the walk back out of the valley. We stopped several times on the trip back as Jack was getting winded pretty easily. When you are seventy and hiking your allowed as many rests as you want. When we reached the Pelican Valley junction we stopped for about a half an hour and just sat on the grass in the valley. We just stared at the view and conversed amongst ourselves. It was truly a great hike and with the sun coming out the day was great. George commented that the days are getting colder early and he feels that winter will be coming early. He also noticed several birds have already disappeared. He also would not bet against a hard winter at Yellowstone. His contract ends in October and he hopes the snows won't delay him getting back home to Naperville Illinois.
After a few more breaks we hiked out and loaded our packs into Jack's car. I drove back to the dorm and I could tell it was a good hike as George and Jack both slept on the way back. We reached the dorm around six and in time for dinner.
Well that is about all for today and I really enjoyed the hike and the conversation today and maybe I will get to hike with them again before I leave. I hope you all take care and stay well.
Wednesday, August 10, 2016
Yellowstone Adventure - Day 84
Today I am foregoing my usual blog because I got word today that my friend John Griggs just passed away. As I have said before one of the hardest things about being gone during this summer is when people I know pass away. John was a good friend and like myself loved the west and the mountains but more importantly John loved the Lord and knew Jesus Christ as his saviour. I worked with John several years and one of my favorite things was the small hikes John and I took during lunchtime at Crane. During those times John and I would talk about many things but we mostly grappled with the scriptures. I would be preparing a message and I would tell John the gyst of the message and then ask his opinion on some part of the it. His favorite question to me after I delivered a message was "Did you preach on sin and if so are you for it or against it?" He had a lot of wisdom when it came to the Bible and I learned a lot from our discussions. Did we agree on everything in our discussions, no. But we did agree on Jesus Christ as the only way to heaven.
John was also an excellent worker and not one time did I ever hear anyone say he did not pull his weight. I think that John believed like I do that you work everyday as if working for the Lord. His likeable character enabled him to make friends easily. His nickname at work was mountain man because he and Maryann built a cabin up on Flathead Lake in Montana and even wintered over in that primitive cabin one year. He was truly a mountain man.
John was also a great family man who loved his wife Maryann and his kids and grandkids so very much. He would talk about them all on our hikes and would just beam with love and pride.
When we worked at Crane my building was up the road from John's and I would come out and wait for John to appear to take a hike. Sometimes I could not make the walk and John would just head out on his own. Well when I heard that John passed away all I can think of is that John has headed out on a glorious hike without me, but one day I know I will see John again.
Rest in peace John and remember to "Watch your topknot." All my love and prayers to you and your family Maryann.
John was also an excellent worker and not one time did I ever hear anyone say he did not pull his weight. I think that John believed like I do that you work everyday as if working for the Lord. His likeable character enabled him to make friends easily. His nickname at work was mountain man because he and Maryann built a cabin up on Flathead Lake in Montana and even wintered over in that primitive cabin one year. He was truly a mountain man.
John was also a great family man who loved his wife Maryann and his kids and grandkids so very much. He would talk about them all on our hikes and would just beam with love and pride.
When we worked at Crane my building was up the road from John's and I would come out and wait for John to appear to take a hike. Sometimes I could not make the walk and John would just head out on his own. Well when I heard that John passed away all I can think of is that John has headed out on a glorious hike without me, but one day I know I will see John again.
Rest in peace John and remember to "Watch your topknot." All my love and prayers to you and your family Maryann.
Tuesday, August 9, 2016
Yellowstone Adventure - Day 83
Got up early this morning because I wanted to beat the tourists to canyon today. My goal was to get to the south rim of the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone and take the uncle Tom trail down close to the canyon bottom. After breakfast I packed up the car with my lunch/dinner of peanut butter and jelly as I planned on heading into Cody after the morning hike and updating my phone. I left the geyser area and was no more than three miles down the road when a bison decided to travel down my road. So I decreased my speed from 45 mph to about 1 mph as that was as fast as the bison wanted to walk. I could not pass it because there were cars on the other side of the road doing what tourists do. Block the road to take pictures. So I was the only car on my side behind the bison and it was a marvelous view of its rearend swaying back and forth as it plodded down the road directly in front of me. I thought about honking my horn but then I remembered the videos in the store where a bison did a number on a tourist's car when it was mad. So I just waited for the bison to either move left into the other lane or the tourists in the other lane to get tired of taking pictures and clear the lane for me to go around it. A couple of times the bison moved to my left into the other lane but then moved back into in front of me. I think it was thinking "Faked you out." Finally the tourists cleared out of the left lane and I was able to slowly go around the bison and on down the road.
I arrived at the south rim of the canyon around nine and parked next to the uncle Tom trail. Since it was in the forties I put on a pullover sweatshirt and headed up the trail. The trail from the parking lot immediately made a right turn and it was evident early on why this trail was a popular one. The trail literally skirted the south rim of the canyon. If I were to step three feet to the right on some parts of the trail I would find myself several hundred feet down in the canyon. The views were amazing and I took several pictures. After about a half mile the trail started to switchback as it was descending lower into the canyon. I noticed several times there were benches on the trail and later on I figured out why.
After about a quarter mile I reached a sign detailing who uncle Tom Richardson was and why the trail was named after him. Evidently in the 1900's he developed a series of 528 steps and ropes ladders to get the tourist down to the canyon bottom to view the falls. Now it is a series of switchbacks and 328 steps to get you three quarters of the way to the bottom and a platform for viewing the falls. The latter part of the sign has a warning that the trail is at this point extremely difficult and steep and to take frequent breaks and not recommended for those with heart issues. I scoffed at that part and headed down. The views on the way down were unbelievable and the sound of the falls was really loud. After several switchbacks I came to the set of metal steps that would take me to the platform at the end of the trip. Gripping the handrail I proceeded down. Even at this time of the morning there were several tourists on the trail. Reaching the platform I waited my turn to take pictures of the falls and the canyon. I will be uploading them to Facebook when I can but they did not do the view justice at all. You just have to see this for yourself. After helping others get pictures of their families with the falls behind them, I asked a French family to take my picture. After helping a few more with pictures and looking around at the view a few more minutes I decided it was time to ascend back to the trail. Well I can tell you this much the first 150 steps up those metal stairs were no problem but the next 178 were as hard as I have been tested since I have been here. I took advantage of the bench midway up the stairs and after several shaky leg minutes I reached another bench to enjoy the view/get my heart beat to stop resounding in my ears. I finally reached the set of switchbacks that would ascend to the top of the canyon rim. Yes the stairs were over and my legs and buttocks were very happy. The switchbacks were still tough and after four of them I finally reached the canyon rim and yes another bench. I was sitting there when up the trail comes the French family I helped with pictures. As they passed me I waved and the look they gave me was one of a worry that their CPR certifications were not up to date. I just smiled back and after a minute or two I headed down the trail towards the car. Every once in awhile I would veer toward the canyon rim to take a look at the falls and the canyon bottom. Eventually I caught up with and passed the French family and their expressions showed they no longer were worried about my health.
I made it back to the car and took a very long pull off my water bottle as the trek really dried me out. I changed shirts and got rid of the sweatshirt as the day was warming up fine. I pulled out of the parking lot and headed toward Hayden Valley and hopes of seeing some animals. As I got closer to the valley I spotted a bison coming from my right toward the road I was on. This time I sped up and got there just as he was getting onto the road heading in my direction. This time I got by it and looked in my rearview mirror to see that the guys behind me had to stop and get behind the bison. I laughed and said out loud "Not this time bubba!" Going down into the valley I spotted many bison as the herds were moving into the area and enjoying the good grass here. After about a mile I noticed several tourists with binoculars staring across the Yellowstone river. So out of curiosity I pulled into a spot just vacated and got my binoculars out to see what was going on. I stepped up to a couple with a nice telescope and ask what was going on. The wife said that a bald eagle was in the sage brush and to the right of it was a grey wolf lounging the grass. I asked her where to look for the wolf and she told me just up the river bank where a log was washed up. I took my binoculars and sure enough there was the very first wolf I have ever seen in the wild. It was too far for my cell phone to get a good picture but the binoculars showed me the whole wolf. It was just laying in the grass and the wife said they think there are pups close by. I am glad I stopped as it was a fantastic site for sure. After watching it for a few minutes I thanked the couple for the help and headed down the road.
I decided to head up to the Lake Yellowstone over look and have lunch. I reached the over look around eleven thirty and proceeded to get my foldable chair out of the car and had a great lunch with a view enabling me to see from one side of the lake to the other with the mountains in the background. As I have said before there is no steak dinner in any fancy restaurant that could compare with a PB&J sandwich with that view. While up there I talked to several tourists that picked my brain about Yellowstone. I am learning a lot more about this place and I enjoy sharing it for sure.
After lunch I headed into Cody and an odd thing happened. About 12 miles outside of the park next to the road was a bison eating grass. I have never saw one that far out of the park before. I will have to ask some of my more seasoned Montana friends about this.
On the way back to the dorm from Cody not much happened other than seeing a hippie van that had its back wheels buried in the sand on the beach of Lake Yellowstone. Evidently the van owner must have thought that lake beaches are as solid as ocean beaches where you can drive on them. I have walked on the beach and can tell you it is far from solid.
Well that is about all for this exciting day. Tomorrow I go back to work so I can have Thursday off for another hike. Take care and remember bison rearend watching is pretty boring.
I arrived at the south rim of the canyon around nine and parked next to the uncle Tom trail. Since it was in the forties I put on a pullover sweatshirt and headed up the trail. The trail from the parking lot immediately made a right turn and it was evident early on why this trail was a popular one. The trail literally skirted the south rim of the canyon. If I were to step three feet to the right on some parts of the trail I would find myself several hundred feet down in the canyon. The views were amazing and I took several pictures. After about a half mile the trail started to switchback as it was descending lower into the canyon. I noticed several times there were benches on the trail and later on I figured out why.
After about a quarter mile I reached a sign detailing who uncle Tom Richardson was and why the trail was named after him. Evidently in the 1900's he developed a series of 528 steps and ropes ladders to get the tourist down to the canyon bottom to view the falls. Now it is a series of switchbacks and 328 steps to get you three quarters of the way to the bottom and a platform for viewing the falls. The latter part of the sign has a warning that the trail is at this point extremely difficult and steep and to take frequent breaks and not recommended for those with heart issues. I scoffed at that part and headed down. The views on the way down were unbelievable and the sound of the falls was really loud. After several switchbacks I came to the set of metal steps that would take me to the platform at the end of the trip. Gripping the handrail I proceeded down. Even at this time of the morning there were several tourists on the trail. Reaching the platform I waited my turn to take pictures of the falls and the canyon. I will be uploading them to Facebook when I can but they did not do the view justice at all. You just have to see this for yourself. After helping others get pictures of their families with the falls behind them, I asked a French family to take my picture. After helping a few more with pictures and looking around at the view a few more minutes I decided it was time to ascend back to the trail. Well I can tell you this much the first 150 steps up those metal stairs were no problem but the next 178 were as hard as I have been tested since I have been here. I took advantage of the bench midway up the stairs and after several shaky leg minutes I reached another bench to enjoy the view/get my heart beat to stop resounding in my ears. I finally reached the set of switchbacks that would ascend to the top of the canyon rim. Yes the stairs were over and my legs and buttocks were very happy. The switchbacks were still tough and after four of them I finally reached the canyon rim and yes another bench. I was sitting there when up the trail comes the French family I helped with pictures. As they passed me I waved and the look they gave me was one of a worry that their CPR certifications were not up to date. I just smiled back and after a minute or two I headed down the trail towards the car. Every once in awhile I would veer toward the canyon rim to take a look at the falls and the canyon bottom. Eventually I caught up with and passed the French family and their expressions showed they no longer were worried about my health.
I made it back to the car and took a very long pull off my water bottle as the trek really dried me out. I changed shirts and got rid of the sweatshirt as the day was warming up fine. I pulled out of the parking lot and headed toward Hayden Valley and hopes of seeing some animals. As I got closer to the valley I spotted a bison coming from my right toward the road I was on. This time I sped up and got there just as he was getting onto the road heading in my direction. This time I got by it and looked in my rearview mirror to see that the guys behind me had to stop and get behind the bison. I laughed and said out loud "Not this time bubba!" Going down into the valley I spotted many bison as the herds were moving into the area and enjoying the good grass here. After about a mile I noticed several tourists with binoculars staring across the Yellowstone river. So out of curiosity I pulled into a spot just vacated and got my binoculars out to see what was going on. I stepped up to a couple with a nice telescope and ask what was going on. The wife said that a bald eagle was in the sage brush and to the right of it was a grey wolf lounging the grass. I asked her where to look for the wolf and she told me just up the river bank where a log was washed up. I took my binoculars and sure enough there was the very first wolf I have ever seen in the wild. It was too far for my cell phone to get a good picture but the binoculars showed me the whole wolf. It was just laying in the grass and the wife said they think there are pups close by. I am glad I stopped as it was a fantastic site for sure. After watching it for a few minutes I thanked the couple for the help and headed down the road.
I decided to head up to the Lake Yellowstone over look and have lunch. I reached the over look around eleven thirty and proceeded to get my foldable chair out of the car and had a great lunch with a view enabling me to see from one side of the lake to the other with the mountains in the background. As I have said before there is no steak dinner in any fancy restaurant that could compare with a PB&J sandwich with that view. While up there I talked to several tourists that picked my brain about Yellowstone. I am learning a lot more about this place and I enjoy sharing it for sure.
After lunch I headed into Cody and an odd thing happened. About 12 miles outside of the park next to the road was a bison eating grass. I have never saw one that far out of the park before. I will have to ask some of my more seasoned Montana friends about this.
On the way back to the dorm from Cody not much happened other than seeing a hippie van that had its back wheels buried in the sand on the beach of Lake Yellowstone. Evidently the van owner must have thought that lake beaches are as solid as ocean beaches where you can drive on them. I have walked on the beach and can tell you it is far from solid.
Well that is about all for this exciting day. Tomorrow I go back to work so I can have Thursday off for another hike. Take care and remember bison rearend watching is pretty boring.
Monday, August 8, 2016
Yellowstone Adventure - Day 82
Early shift today and very easy to get up because I was freezing. I had the fan on when I went to bed and the temperature dropped to below thirty degrees outside and with an open window it was very cold. Needless to say the hot shower was extra good this morning. After a breakfast of eggs and hashbrowns I headed into the store at seven. After setting up my til and cash register I began working with Anita to put up stock in the kids section of the store. They have some pretty neat toys for kids and some pretty good science projects for kids to work on. Business was pretty light until around ten thirty and then it was only moderately busy at the register.
Got relieved at eleven thirty and headed to the EDR for lunch. We got a surprise at lunch because James and Kathy brought in fresh corn on the cob for all of us to eat. Man was it ever good.
After lunch I called Cathy as she sent me a picture of our new sink. She did a great job picking out a nice one and Chuck Moss did an excellent job installing it. In case anyone is interested we have our old double sink for sale. Just contact Cathy about it. I have said this before but Cathy is doing a fantastic job of keeping up the house while I am gone. She has really fixed up the house with some paint and new furniture and I may not recognize the place when I get home.
After break I headed back into the store and man was it ever busy. The highlight of the afternoon shift was that I met a guy from Canada with the first name Tyrel and I asked him where he got that name. He said his folks were Louis L'Amour fans and he was named after one of the Sacketts. I laughed and told him my son has a middle name of Tyrel for the same reason and my younger son is also named Logan after a Sackett. I told him to hold that name proudly as it is a good tradition.
After shift and dinner I decided to head up to Solitary geyser and search for huckleberries as George told me he saw some berry blossoms recently there and thought they were growing. I have never seen a huckleberry before so I thought I would try looking on the hillside for some.
Well right now I am sitting at Solitary geyser writing this blog with some red berries in my pocket. I took some samples of berries from a couple of bushes I found and will get a seasoned Montanan to tell me if they are unripened Huck's or some other berry. It is sure peaceful up here sitting on a log as most tourists do not want to climb up a hill to see anything. The breeze is blowing the sulphur smell right at me and the geyser is bubbling and erupting every ten minutes or so. The sun is going down and I can tell the days are getting shorter here and the nights are getting colder. Temperature for the nights this week may hover in the low thirties. I am thinking that it will not be long before snow starts to show high up in the mountains again.
Well that is about all for now. I will be getting up early and heading into Cody tomorrow with a stop at the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone to take a look at the south rim side. I asked the EDR to pack two sandwiches as I will be eating lunch in Cody and dinner on an over look tomorrow coming back from Cody. Speaking of Cody, there is a large fire in the area and the fire fighters were using planes to dowse the fire from water pulled from the Cody reservoir. Kathy and James has pictures they were showing me of the planes skimming the reservoir to fill up and the heading off to the fire to dump their load. Pretty neat pictures and videos for sure.
Well take care you all. Thinking and praying for those at home.
Got relieved at eleven thirty and headed to the EDR for lunch. We got a surprise at lunch because James and Kathy brought in fresh corn on the cob for all of us to eat. Man was it ever good.
After lunch I called Cathy as she sent me a picture of our new sink. She did a great job picking out a nice one and Chuck Moss did an excellent job installing it. In case anyone is interested we have our old double sink for sale. Just contact Cathy about it. I have said this before but Cathy is doing a fantastic job of keeping up the house while I am gone. She has really fixed up the house with some paint and new furniture and I may not recognize the place when I get home.
After break I headed back into the store and man was it ever busy. The highlight of the afternoon shift was that I met a guy from Canada with the first name Tyrel and I asked him where he got that name. He said his folks were Louis L'Amour fans and he was named after one of the Sacketts. I laughed and told him my son has a middle name of Tyrel for the same reason and my younger son is also named Logan after a Sackett. I told him to hold that name proudly as it is a good tradition.
After shift and dinner I decided to head up to Solitary geyser and search for huckleberries as George told me he saw some berry blossoms recently there and thought they were growing. I have never seen a huckleberry before so I thought I would try looking on the hillside for some.
Well right now I am sitting at Solitary geyser writing this blog with some red berries in my pocket. I took some samples of berries from a couple of bushes I found and will get a seasoned Montanan to tell me if they are unripened Huck's or some other berry. It is sure peaceful up here sitting on a log as most tourists do not want to climb up a hill to see anything. The breeze is blowing the sulphur smell right at me and the geyser is bubbling and erupting every ten minutes or so. The sun is going down and I can tell the days are getting shorter here and the nights are getting colder. Temperature for the nights this week may hover in the low thirties. I am thinking that it will not be long before snow starts to show high up in the mountains again.
Well that is about all for now. I will be getting up early and heading into Cody tomorrow with a stop at the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone to take a look at the south rim side. I asked the EDR to pack two sandwiches as I will be eating lunch in Cody and dinner on an over look tomorrow coming back from Cody. Speaking of Cody, there is a large fire in the area and the fire fighters were using planes to dowse the fire from water pulled from the Cody reservoir. Kathy and James has pictures they were showing me of the planes skimming the reservoir to fill up and the heading off to the fire to dump their load. Pretty neat pictures and videos for sure.
Well take care you all. Thinking and praying for those at home.
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