June 12,2015 TIME TO MOVE

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The weather has been beautiful the last couple of days with lots of sunshine and little to none of the rain and thunderstorms that seem to be expected daily this time of year. Looking out over the mountains and watching the weather is really cool. Depending on where we are, we can watch weather systems from 100 miles away as they move over the mountains, see lightning and rain and sun in the same view.



June 5, the day of Roosevelt chuckwagon “shakedown” was a rainy day. Six of us from the Fishing Bridge RV park got to go up for this practice run before they opened on the 6^th. The Tower/Roosevelt area is one of my favorite places in the park. We travel over a gorgeous mountain pass, Dunraven, the highest pass in Yellowstone at nearly 8,900 ft., on Mt Washburn with a peak at 10,200 ft. After we get over the mountain, the Roosevelt area is really lush and green, and from there toward the northeast entrance of the park is the Lamar Valley, a great place to view wildlife.



Anyway, the rain stopped/slowed down so that we could enjoy our wagon ride out to the cookout site. On the wagons, the staff told us about the history of the area and points of interest. They fed us steak, cornbread, “Rosie beans” (they are kind of like your calico beans, Karen), potato salad, watermelon, and apple crisp. Plus soft drinks, water, “cowboy coffee” and hot chocolate were available. It was pretty chilly and we all had sweatshirts and jackets, plus it was damp and drizzly, so dinner was underneath the pavilion! There were a couple of cowboy singers for entertainment. This is the place that employs a lot of younger people, so met some cute cowboys I thought may make for a good son-in-law, but Cassidy says “too country”.



A black bear appeared on the hillside to look with interest at the great spread in the valley. I didn’t see him, and he didn’t hang around long, but I am sure he stayed nearby and as soon as the wagons left and the chuckwagon packed up and left that he was down there rooting around for something good.



A young male bison did not like the wagons travelling through his valley, and he got a little rambunctious, tossing sage brush with his horns, pawing the ground, and rushing toward the wagons. The others didn’t care. Our “wranglers” kept a close eye on him while entertaining us with stories and jokes, as he was agitated and unpredictable. All was well though! It was a fun evening, so if you are ever out here, I recommend trying this trip. Advance reservations are a must! A side note about bison, they are not tame, they are not slow, they are not like cows. There have been 2 gorings that I know of in the park so far, and it is only mid June.



After that trip, on our “weekend”, Jack and I went to the Grand Tetons. I must say, that the Tetons are the best mountains. It is an incredibly beautiful park. It is a small mountain range, but so tall and majestic and the lakes and scenery is just gorgeous. The first time I was there was on that trip with Mom and Dad that ignited the desire to return west. Mom and Dad loved the Tetons, and Jenny Lake in particular. Jack and I called to see if we could get a reservation at Jenny Lake for a night. We agreed we would bite the bullet and pay around $300 if there was an opening. Well, there was 1 opening…. But it was $650 so we went into Jackson instead and found a cheap hotel! Jackson was ok, kind of an upscale Gatlinburg! I like Cody better. So, the Tetons were the most beautiful place, but Yellowstone is more unique, diverse, and , I don’t know, it feels more “wild” I guess. We saw very little wildlife in the Tetons, which kind of offended the visitor center folks (“what? Are you driving with blindfolds on?’). So, there you go. You can decide which you prefer. I would like to go back and rent a boat for the day on Jackson Lake, that looks like it would be gorgeous. It was a good weekend, and a little emotional. Dad loved it there, and I believe he would be so proud and happy for me setting off on this journey. Mom is somewhere between proud and happy and worried and any emotions that are possible, right Mom?



This past Tuesday, we drove up through Dunraven, Lamar Valley and out the northeast entrance to the park. We took the Beartooth scenic highway, which was gorgeous, and stopped at this waterfall that was amazing. Watching the water and mist tumble over the top, it was so powerful, we walked up as high as the trail would take us to get close to the top. I have no balance. Hills are not my friends.



We then took the Chief Joseph scenic highway that leads back down to Cody. Another amazing road with amazing scenery, travelling around and around the mountains. When we arrived in Cody, we found a place to stay, had dinner, and went to the rodeo. That was fun. There is a rodeo every night in Cody, and with our Xanterra employee ID, tickets were $5 instead of $20, so it was a great value! They had bull riding, bareback and saddle broncs, calf roping, and barrel racing, adults and kids. The next morning we took off for the BLM land about 25 outside of Cody to look for wild mustang herds that live there. We travelled around there for oh, 3 hours I guess. More fantastic views, the diversity of landscape is incredible. This was more like the Badlands. Walked a bit, took the Jeep off road a little in select places (can’t afford to tear it up!) and saw no horses. Saw manure, hoofprints, and trails through the grass, but no horses. I would look at an area and say “if I were a wild mustang, I would want to be THERE”. Jack said “if I were a wild mustang, I would hang around the entrance waiting for a hand out”. We left the area and got on the road back to Cody. Within 2 miles, along side the road in the BLM area were the horses, so we pulled over. The stallion decided to show us how proud he was of himself and his mares, so we have horse porn on our camera. LOL. I’m not gonna post horse porn pics here! The mare was not happy, and she kicked him in the face. And, as I said, we can see weather for miles and miles, and saw the dark clouds over the mountains in the distance. We went to Cody, did our Walmart shopping and headed home before the rain!



This weekend I don’t think we will go away for fun times. We will be leaving the Lerv and moving into Fishing Bridge. I hate leaving the Lerv. It is a nice place, we have a nice site, a picnic table and patio. Plus we are allowed fire rings here. This week we had a nice evening to sit around the fire with some coworkers and laugh and gripe about our jobs! But, transportation for me can be problematic, and the people I ride with most of the time are moving also, so our transportation issues become more problematic, no matter who is driving that day. So, moving is the best thing so I can walk to work and to the general store and everything. Then one day we do need to go to Bozeman, which is the largest town in the area, it is about a 3 hour drive. Other than that, I guess we will take it easy and stay local!



The national park ministry (ACMNP) started their services last Sunday. College kids volunteer to come and share the gospel with national park visitors and staff. The ACMNP helps them get jobs here with Xanterra or one of the other concessioneers, and they get Sundays off to provide worship services in a variety of places around the park. I was so happy, I went to an 8am service at the hotel, and a 9 am service at the ampitheatre! ACMNP has adult volunteers that are supposed to provide support to these kids, so I wonder if that is something that maybe Jack and I can do. Yes, I am a total joiner. All the kids I met were very sweet, and they did a good job of pulling together a brief message and leading worship. Tomorrow is Sunday and I have to work at 9. I may be able to go to the 8:00 at the hotel and just make it to work, or maybe Jack and I can both go in the evening at the Lake Lodge. Never take your ability to go to and participate in a public worship service for granted! Think about all the places in the world where it is illegal and life threatening to assemble in the name of Jesus. I believe that can happen here in the good ole USA. Appreciate this freedom while we have it. Having few options here for the last 2 months has been very difficult. I can’t even imagine how difficult it must be to risk imprisonment or death to worship my Savior. Could I bear it? Am I strong enough? Are you?



“And these are they likewise which are sown on stony ground; who, when they have heard the word immediately receive it with gladness; and have no root in themselves, and so endure but for a time: afterward, when affliction or persecution ariseth for the word’s sake, immediately they are offended” Mark 4:16-17.



“Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution” 2 Timothy 3:12

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