Yellowstone Adventure 2026 - Week 3

 I am siting in the historical Jackson Lake Lodge presently working on this blog. From where I sit I can see the Tetons Mountain range.  The place is very expensive to stay for a night, but does allow people to come into the lodge to look at the view.  They have outdoor seating so you can watch the elk herds when the are around.  The weather today is rainy but what you see in the pictures is also smoke from the Canadian and Oregon fires. The past several days the smoke has prevented seeing how spectacular the mountains really are around us.  The tourist have been very disappointed in their visit, as the views are half the reason people come here to visit. 

  The store has been busy this week but not as busy as July.  So the managers have been letting us go early in our shift, but just a half an hour to an hour.  It seems that once school gets in session business slows down until Labor Day when it picks back up. So far I am adjusting to the altitude and the work.  I estimated before that it would take a month to really feel healthy about doing the job and I am probably going to be correct about that estimate.  So far this week I have put in 88,000 steps. That is roughly 44 miles of walking and lifting in the grocery section.  My new knees are holding up well, but I have no desire to do much hiking on my days off.  So mostly on my days off I explore outside the park.  Yesterday I went to visit the historic town of Virginia City and then explored other small towns looking at their historical buildings. Below are pictures of a very old catholic church I visited. I think it was over 120 years old.  Very nice and well maintained.

  I experienced my first major power outage and fire alarm this week in the store.  The fire alarm was understandable, as the EDR filled with smoke from a breakfast mishap.  Nothing major just smoke and it was cleared out quickly but we still had to wait for the fire department to come and turn off the alarm and verify all was ok.  The power outage was a major one and affected all of the Old Faithful area.  It took a while to get power restored.  The store has contingency plans for when power outages occur and a back up power system.  So the store stays open until the backup system fails, then they go to the old fashioned knuckle dusters to process credit cards.  The don't like to do that but it is the only way to keep the store going and selling items. I am glad we did not get to that point as it is hard on all workers.

  I was able to talk to many continental divide hikers (CDT) this week. If you are not familiar with the CDT, it is a trail from the southern border of US and Mexico and runs all the way to the US Canadian border.  Some of the hikers I talked to were heading south and some were heading north. I felt that the ones heading north had a better chance of succeeding then the once heading south.  I always ask the hikers for their trail names, as when you start a major hike you choose a name for other hikers to know you by. I have met "Chef", "Peach Pit", and "Instant Coffee", as well as a few I did not remember.  They all looked physically fit, if not fairly skinny.  They stop by the store to get supplies for the next leg of the trip.  Mostly the supplies are high calorie items, such as gummy bears and protein bars.  They also by our dehydrated hiking food packets.  We sell a variety of packets that they would just add water and get a complete meal.  They are light weight and provides a good amount of calories.

  Working in the store I get to converse, or at least try to converse, with many tourists from many different countries.  I do my best to understand what they are asking, but sometimes I have to get google translator out on my phone to understand what they want.  I have talked to people from China, France, Russia, Italy, India, England, and one from Australia.  Most are pleasant, but sometimes they get a little rude.  When that happens I just retreat to my walk in cooler and work on making sure we have enough water to be sold.   

  Not too much else has happened in the store this week.  The weather has started to cool down, which makes sleeping in the dorm and lot better.  Mornings have been around 45 degrees and by mid day it is 85. I see rain and cooling in the forecast next week. So we may be entering fall here shortly.  Thanks for reading and I will blog next week.

 

 

 

Yellowstone Adventure 2026 - Week 2

  I made it through another week of work at the grocery store at Old Faithful.  The weather here has beenn hot and sometimes humid.  It has been continuing this trend for several days now, but relief is in site for a few days.  The forcast shows we will start to get nightly lows in the 30's and highs in the 70's.  Myself and all those living in the unairconditioned dorms would welcome the relief.   

   Not too many exciting things have happened this week at the store. Yes we had a person pass out from the heat, but that seems to happen often when the temperatures reach 80's and 90's at 8,000 feet.  The one thing for sure is at these temperatures we are selling a boat load of water in the store.  The water gets delivered once a week and we are running out of water to sell a day before the truck is to arrive.  Speaking of trucks, I get asked quite often in the store about fresh food.  About 95 percent of all the food items we get delivered here comes frozen.  The only fresh things we get for food are fruits and some vegetables (potatoes and onions).  So the sandwiches we sell come in frozen and we have to let them thaw in the refrigerator before we can put them in our display for sale to the public. We also have 28 days to sell the item once we receive it or the item gets thrown out.  Just some FYI for those interested.

  This week I was able to talk to a woman who was hiking the CDT (continental divide trail).  This trail runs from the border of Mexico to the border of Canada.  She was on her way north to Canada and seems to be making good time.  She was loading up on high calorie items for her backpack and I helped her find some items she needed.  Everyone who does the CDT has a trail name and hers was "Chef". She was very pleasant to talk to and I wished her good hiking the rest of the way for her trip.  The CDT is pretty tough to hike, but you are rewarded with some beautiful scenery.

   This week we celebrated Halloween in the store.  The store always celebrates holidays ahead of time, just to give us something to do.  In a few weeks we will be celebrating Christmas.  These celebrations usually involve decorations by the managers and some great food.  This week we had steak and shrimp.  It was very good and seems to help morale a lot.

   Not too much else to report other than I got in 87,000 steps in the store this week.  The steps are not bothering me as much as the lifting and toting of stock items.  My back and knees need the rest for sure.  I am writing this from Idaho Falls, as I will be staying the night here to watch a couple of movies and just relax for a couple of days before I have to go back to work on Thursday.

  Thanks for reading and so far it is Bison 1 and Tourist 0.   

Yellowstone Adventure 2026 - Week 1

 I am writing this blog as I sit in Idaho Falls next to the Snake River Falls.  The water is ruuning fast and high and I love the sound of the falls.  I managed to make it through my first week of work at Old Faithful Upper General Store in the grocery section. My first day consisted of training provided by Human Resources.  I had to take alcohol training again, as it has to be renewed every three years.  I managed to pass the exam with a 90 percent and now I am able to serve alcohol to customers.  Which is strange because working in the grocery section of the store, I don't serve any alcohol to anyone. I stock alcohol for the customers to buy, but I don't' server any.  The rules state that I have to be certified because I handle alcohol.  After the training was over I was released to head to the store and check in with Chanda the store manager.  Chanda is a great manager, but this year she has taken on the responsibility of managing the upper and lower stores at the same time.  I don't know how she keeps her sanity, but she does and she is always pleasant. It took me awhile to get to the store because the west entrance was backed up quite a bit with tourists trying to enter.  I managed to get to the store and found out the construction affecting the dorms has taken most of the parking for those living in the dorm.  I double parked and entered the store.  Chanda checked me in and gave me my dorm key to room 11.  I was happy that I had a room by myself, which they try to do for those who are above a certain age. My friend George was there and helped me unload my truck and get my stuff into the dorm.  George is one of the best workers, and nicest person, I know.  After getting the stuff unloaded I managed to find a close parking space to stash my truck.  I proceeded to set up my room the way I like it.  Now is a good time to tell you that Yellowstone is experiencing a heat spell that they have not seen in quite some time.  It has not only been hot, but humid, and that is not normal for being eight thousand feet up.  My room was very stuffy and I would say about eighty five degrees.  I brought two small fans and set them up first to see if I could get the temperature down.  The dorms have recently been remodeled and have replaced all the furniture.  The only problem is that they removed all the hooks to hang things and I had to buy some removable hangers from Walmart. I managed to get everything put up and headed to the store to find Ron, my grocery supervisor, and find out my schedule.  Ron was happy to see me, as he indicated the grocery section could use the extra help. He told me my schedule would be 10:30AM to 6:30PM with a 30 minute lunch break. I was to start Tuesday and then have Wednesday off before being on my permanent schedule of having Tuesday and Wednesday off.  

   My work days were filled with placing items on the shelves and unloading the trucks when they came in.  The hot and humid temperatures made the days very hard.  One of the benefits of working in the grocery section is that I have to fill the drink cooler and it is a walk in. I really enjoyed getting in there and cooling off from the heat every once in a while.  Not too much happened with the tourists this week, but we did have an unusual incident. The floor managers in the store all have walkies-talkies to communicate with the store and each other.  Well it seems that a kid brought their own walkies-talkie into the store and it was on the same frequency.  Theresa the main manager kept asking that who ever was using a walkies-talkie to please stop.  It did not help and the kid kept broadcasting and everyone in the store kept hearing the kids squeals and laughter.  Theresa was getting very upset and finally requested that all those who have walkies-talkies change to a different frequency.  That helped, but I am sure Theresa would have liked to get her hands on the kid.  I had many tourist come up to me and ask about where is the best place to eat.  I let them know of their choices in the area.  I have told people who ask me about visiting, to bring their own food in coolers before they get into the park.  Mostly because the food in the park is expensive and sometime limiting selections.  I also had a few tourists ask me when is the best time to visit the park, because they could not believe how packed the place was and how bad the traffic jams were.  I always tell people that if you cannot visit the store before Memorial Day or after Labor Day, then I would seek some place else less crowded. Speaking of crowded, with the heat so bad the tourists were smelling quite ripe. 

  Not much else happened during my first week.  My co-workers in grocery are Gary and Joey and Jack.  They all work hard, which is very nice.  But we all have our limitations.  Gary has some health issues that prevent him from going up and down stairs well.  Jack is 89 years old and needs help lifting heavy objects.  I have two brand new knees and I cannot get down on the floor anymore.  Joey and my boss Ron are both healthy and that is a god send.  Ron always makes jokes about the class of helpers he gets, but I know deep down he appreciates us all.  I would be remiss in not mentioning the employee dining room we eat three meals a day at. Is the food fantastic?  Not always, but it has been pretty good.  If I do not like a meal item I then turn to my back up peanut butter and jelly. They always have that available.  I personally do not like any pasta dishes and they make that regularly because it is cheap and easy to make.  I know they have a budget to deal with, so I can't complain on menu items. 

   That is it for week 1.  The score so far at Yellowstone is fluffy cows, aka bison, 1 and tourists 0.  I will update scores as they happen.    

Yellowstone Adventure- 2026 The Load Out

The truck has had its oil changed and tires rotated. It is ready for me to put another five thousand miles on it, which is just about what I put on a vehicle when I work at Yellowstone. Having done this work trip for seven years, I have learned what items I need to pack. Being a tech nerd, I have created a checklist on my phone that I go through as I pack. I don't use luggage, but I use two large bins, as these are better for hauling pillows, blankets, and sheets. After the first year I worked in Yellowstone, I learned that the most important item to bring is a small fan. The dorms are only heated and not air-conditioned. The windows in the dorm room can be opened, but I never do, as the dust is terrible there, and it just coats the room. I have also learned to bring my own power bank and extension cords. I also bring several bottles of water, as bottled water costs an arm and a leg if you purchase it at the store I work in.

I plan on making the trip in three days, as I don't like traveling at night. That also gives me plenty of time to see some sights on the way and to stop by Wall Drug to visit my friends that I worked with in 2020. So my first stop will be the end of Iowa, then Rapid City, and finally Bozeman, Montana. From Bozeman, it is only a two-hour drive to human resources at West Yellowstone. Also, Bozeman has a lot more places to stay that have reasonable rates as compared to West Yellowstone. Once my HR check-in is completed, I get released to head into the park and report to Chanda, the grocery store manager.

Taken off the waiting list

    I got an email from Delaware North's HR asking if I would like to work this summer until the store closes.  I accepted the offer and we agreed that my contract would be from July 20th to October 19th 2026. October 19th is when the store officially closes.  I am looking forward to this contract, as I need to get out of Indiana's heat and humidity.  I also am looking forward to seeing my Yellowstone friends again.  My contract will be to work at the grocery store the Old Faithful General Store.  I will be once again working for Ron, who I have worked for the past 7 times I have been assigned to grocery.  From what I hear the store and the dorms have been undergoing some major renovations.  The renovations are on going with the dorms, but have been mostly completed in the store.

 

 

   From what I hear the dorm changes have been progressing slowly and several things that help make living there have not been completed yet.  The rooms have been updated with new furniture, new light fixtures, three prong electric outlets, and new twin mattresses.  I have asked and was assured that I should have a room to myself when I arrive, which makes me very happy.  I have said this before in another blog post, but I would rather stay and close the store that arrive in April to open the store.  There is just too much snow still around in April and May to be able to hike like I like to do on my day off.  I also like to see the park change from fall to winter and I am a cold weather person too.

    I will be heading out bright and early July 17th following my usual route with stops in Iowa, Rapid City, and Bozeman.  I will drive from Bozeman to Delaware North HR to begin my on boarding.  I have heard it through the grapevine that I will be required to attended alcohol training again.  I have taken the training in the past and passed with flying colors and I see no reason to have to sit through it again, but HR is calling the shots.

   I will attempt to blog once a week on my days off to keep those at home informed and entertained. 

A Special Trip to Explore

    Around April 18th I decided to take an extended trip to see the desert southwest. I have been wanting to see Cero Gordo in Death Valley, as well as many other places of interest.  I also used this trip to stop and see my friends Mark and Mary in Nacogdoches Texas and my old classmate Shane and his wife Robin in Mesa Arizona. I explained to Cathy about what I was going to be doing on this trip and she decided it was not her cup of tea. Also I was going to be driving the truck because of the sketchy roads I wanted to travel.  The truck did great as I drove 6,270 miles. From Indiana, Illinois, Missouri, Arkansas, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, California, Nevada, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, South Dakota, Iowa, Illinois, and then back home.

    I promised the grand-kids I would visit Tombstone Arizona and the graves of several good guys and bad guys. I also wanted to visit Biosphere II and the London Bridge in Lake Havasu. I wanted to explore Soda Springs in the Mojave desert and drive up the 8,000 feet to see the ghost town of Cerro Gordo.  Along the way I saw many sites that I never expected to visit that were diamonds in the rough. One was the cave system in Arizona as the Kartchner Caverns State Park.  I could not believe how interesting this place was and I would highly recommend it to anyone who loves caves and bats. I also got to see the many historical sites around Barstow California and many that dealt with being a Rout 66 stop.

   I plan on going back in the future to explore more of Death Valley and the Mojave Desert area.  It was a trip I thoroughly enjoyed and will have great memories of.