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SO, S0…. Many people. Everywhere I go, everywhere I look, there are people. So many people. Summer is in full swing and I guess we are at the peak of the season. A glance ahead at the Fishing Bridge reservations says that we are booked until at least the second week in August. Roads are clogged with people. I miss the days of having the park practically to ourselves, having to unlock gates to get where were going because of roads being closed to the public. At the end of the season, we should be able to get back to some of that and enjoy the fall as we did the spring. When Fishing Bridge closes, sometime around the 20
thof September, we will go back to the Lerv to live for those last weeks. Martha and I are already looking forward to our days of running around the park again while the hubbies work!
Honestly, it is not really as fun now, being so crowded. Not quite as exciting to view a bear standing shoulder to shoulder with 100 other people. Jack and I stopped one day on our way home from breakfast, as it was obvious from
the number of people that a bear was near. We got out and crossed the road to see, I believe it was the bear they call Blaze, with her cubs. She apparently wanted to cross the road, but the onslaught of people had her confused and running. She was not far from the road and people were too close. Jack just grabbed me and said, “we’re leaving, this isn’t safe”, and so we did.
One day we went to West Yellowstone and decided on the way back to grab a pizza and hang out at Grizzly Overlook with all the other people waiting for dusk and the hope of some exciting animal activity in the Hayden Valley. There is nowhere for tourists to get pizza in the park (that I know of. We all usually get our pizza at the employee pub). This was an expensive pizza, about $30 (West Yellowstone is pricey!), and based on the number of people commenting on it, I think we could buy a bunch pizzas and sell them for $50! We didn’t last long with the Grizzly Overlook crowd. Too many people. Rude people. And mosquitos.
SO, SO….
Many mosquitos. I now carry bug spray with me all the time. My backpack is getting heavy. I carry water, bug spray, binoculars, camera, and a little toiletry kit (in case we decide not to drive home from town, which we have done a couple of times), my wallet, and usually a jacket. I have carried a purse exactly one time since we have been here. My old, free CCBDD backpack gave out on me and I had to buy a new one.
SO, SO… glad to have friends to hang around with once in a while. We don’t get to do things with Craig and Martha as much as we would like, as Martha and I hardly ever work together, so none of our off time matches up. We are able to get together for a campfire or a pizza at the pub for a couple of hours once in a while. We have the same days off as Cheryl and Bob from Rhode Island, and in addition to campfires at Martha’s and “senior night” at the pub (oldies at 8:00… when did Journey become an oldie? Ugh,), and one weekend we rented a boat and
went out on Yellowstone Lake.
Now, I was reading a book entitled “Death in Yellowstone” which is, obviously a book about dying in Yellowstone from means other than natural or traffic accident stuff. One chapter was on drowning and hypothermia in the Yellowstone Lake. One LONG chapter. Yellowstone Lake is the largest natural lake at this high of an elevation (7,732 feet), it is 136 square miles and 400 feet deep in places. Average depth is 200 ft. Weather changes quickly up here, and so do the conditions on the lake. It can be horrible rough or as smooth as glass. There were so many stories about people getting caught out on the lake when storms pop up suddenly! Plus it is cold. Very cold. There are signs posted all around the marina saying that survival time in the water is not long! The ice did not melt off until the end of May. So, I was a little reluctant to go out in an 18 foot boat that day. But we went early (gets rougher in the afternoon), and had a lovely time. Water as smooth as glass. We all had to wear these silly orange life vests the whole time. We are also restricted on where we can go in a rental boat, so they can find us easier I guess, lol. I will go again as long as it is early in the day with a good forecast!
Cheryl and Bob are leaving toward the end of July. I am sad to see them go, I enjoy working and socializing with them!
SO, SO… tired of work. Boy, Xanterra was not lying when they said this was a real job. Real it is. Long, tiring, and frustrating. Sometimes there are some great guests who are just so pleasant and enjoyable and sometimes there are those that, well, are not. There are those who are so happy just to be there and those that are not satisfied with anything. Same with employees, lol. We have pretty consistently been short staffed. Like tonight. Not looking forward to tonight. I am the only GSA on from 6-10 pm. Do you know what percentage of people arrive after 6 pm? Well, neither do I, but it is a lot. Being sore and tired impacts my days off too! I feel like I need a day of nothing to recuperate! People ask if I want to do this again. I answer that I don’t think I will come back to Yellowstone, or go somewhere to work for Xanterra. Xanterra has been a fine employer, I have no complaints about them, or how they represented themselves, it’s just that I don’t want to work this much, and that is part of the deal at Yellowstone. I don’t like the 6 month thing either. 3 or 4 is fine. 6 is too long. Now, they are talking about changes for 2016 in the maintenance department. Jack says if any of that comes to pass, he could get onboard for next year. He likes his job, his boss, his coworkers. Martha and I did agree that if WE didn’t have to work, maybe we could come back and play while Craig and Jack work. And, if I wasn’t working, maybe I could fly home a time or two and 6 months wouldn’t be so bad. We shall see. We will talk about next season in February.
SO, SO…. Looking forward to our next trip. We have booked a cruise for Jan 30-Feb 6. Sailing from Port Canaveral to Dominican Republic, San Juan, St. Thomas, and Grand Turk (I think that is right). Anyone else want to go? We leave Yellowstone in mid to late Oct, go home for the holiday season, then take a cruise for sun and fun in the winter, THEN, we will decide what the next adventure will be.
SO,SO…. Glad for a touch from home. Our friends Christine and Jim, along with kids and “Gammy” Pat came out for vacation. First, they stopped in Douglas Wyoming for their annual prairie dog hunt. This year, Jack was able to take a couple of extra days off and went out there to meet them and join in the “hunt” (whack-a-mole with a rifle???). Jack says that we may drive home that way for the scenery between here and Casper. They all came in to Yellowstone as I was beginning my time off. We drove through Hayden, out to West Yellowstone, where they were staying, and had dinner with them. Sent them to Old Faithful first the next day, since it was closest to them and I didn’t want to go there! Talk about so so many people! We did meet up with them out that way after. Took the kids swimming in the Firehole River, then back to West Yellowstone for the rodeo. The rodeo in West Yellowstone is much smaller than the one in Cody. It seems more “personal” somehow, so close that you can choke on the dust from the arena! It was fun and we enjoyed it. Kiley got to participate in the calf scramble, and Lauren and her friend Katie rated cowboys using a Mexican food rating scale??? There weren’t as many bronc riders or bull riders as in Cody, nor did they do calf roping and tying. It was all breakaway roping.
The next day we met up at Canyon to travel over Dunraven. Stopped for a possible grizzly sighting, but it was gone by the time everyone got out of the truck and crossed the road. Went through Lamar, to Trout Lake, and out Bear Tooth Highway to that waterfall we found previously. Everyone enjoyed hiking Trout Lake, even though there were no otters to be found (I went to Cooke City…. Knees can’t take that climb), and really liked that gorgeous waterfall and climbing the rocks around it. We went back through Roosevelt to Mammoth, where we did get to see 2 black bear, as well as the elk welcoming committee in the middle of Mammoth. FINALLY saw an elk calf there! So, in a whirlwind 2 days, Christine and Jim travelled nearly all the way around the park. We parted ways at Norris to go our opposite directions home. It was wonderful to see them. Fast, busy, and not long enough!!! Love you guys-thanks so much for coming out!!!! See you soonish (Octoberish)!
SO, SO… glad to live in the land of the free and the home of the brave, in this country that boasts a wealth of natural resources, the most beautiful places on earth, the freedom to express yourself, to protect yourself, to live as you choose, and to worship how you will. This nation, these blessings are God given. Never forget that, never throw them away.
I celebrated the 4
th of July by working. It was an easy day, all the vacationers came in before the 4
th and left after, so not a lot of arrivals that day at Fishing Bridge. We had an employee cookout that day. There was a parade at the lake. Jack said it was lame. Based on his couple of pictures, I would agree. I was at work! There are, of course, no fireworks here!
I guess that is enough for now. Until next time! I am SO, SO grateful for your love and support!
PS: SO,SO sorry but internet is painfully slow, or rather, non existent, today. I will have to finish photos in the morning. it took an hour to upload the ones that we got!
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Desiree D Ochs
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Missing You All
Hello Jack and Jodi, I wanted to call you the other day and ask you to come and pray over a friend of mine. Then I realized, I could not ask this of you to come to Cincinnati, to pray. But You can at home. We are asking Jesus to heal completely Billy Smallwood, who had a Brain Stem Bleed. Many of us went to pray over him. It was an amazing experience. His eyes opened he looked around and then we saw tears come from his eyes. We love you Both. Donnie and I have been pretty busy, teething baby, getting ready to go to Pigeon Forge, Tn with the family, gardening, pigs are now edible, and chickens started laying eggs yesterday. God is great. I even grew cucumbers this year. Ya'all want some?