Visitors!

Old Faithful Inn

My sister, Ardell, and good friend, Ann, came for a short visit last week.  We had a great time!  I met up with them Sunday morning at Old Faithful Inn where they had booked a room for Sunday night.  Old Faithful was about to go off so we watched that first thing.  After getting things sorted out and checking into the Inn, we headed over to the Middle Geyser Basin to see Grand Prismatic.

Grand Prismatic

The colors were amazing!!  After walking around this area and seeing the springs and geysers it was time for lunch.  I had brought sack lunches for all of us so we headed to one of the many picnic areas in Yellowstone.  The weather was perfect.

Ann and Ardell

After lunch we headed back to the Inn for  a
much needed nap!  Dinner was a treat - literally!  Ardell called it my "birthday dinner".  We had dinner at the hotel and then Ann and I watched Old Faithful go off from the second story viewing area.  Very nice!

Bull elk in the square at Mammoth.

Monday morning we headed to Fishing Bridge and the Lake Area so they could check into the Lake Hotel.  They met some of my friends and co-workers and did a little shopping before we headed to the Canyon - my favorite part of the park.
They were suitably impressed by the waterfalls and canyon!!!   We spent the rest of the day touring the park - Mammoth Hot Spring, Dunraven Pass, the Roosevelt Arch, etc. before heading to the Lake Hotel for the night.

The three of us at Canyon.

Fire near Dunraven Pass.  Nick, Janet and I
had a picnic at this spot earlier this summer.

Tuesday morning we got an early start and headed to the Grand Tetons and Jackson Hole, WY.  We saw a bull elk standing in the middle of a pond - awesome!  After spending the morning in the Grand Tetons, we had lunch in Jackson Hole and played tourist before Ardell and Ann headed back to Salt Lake City.

Great fun having them visit!!

Christmas in Yellowstone

Merry Christmas!

Christmas in Yellowstone is celebrated every year on August 25th.  Rumor has it that some tourists were stranded by snow in Yellowstone one August and to entertain them Christmas was celebrated.  Here at Fishing Bridge we all wore Santa hats in the store on the 24th and 25th.

Christmas Dinner

Dominican 3 singing "Feliz Navidad"

August 24th we had a big turkey dinner at lunch time.  Yummy!!!  That afternoon people were in and out of the EDR (Employee Dining Room) making cookies and other treats and decorating for the Christmas party Friday night.  The store closed a little early so all could attend the party.  Lots of treats for everyone, a talent show, and a round of Family Feud.

Jan playing "Jingle Bells"

Rose - busy making chocolate mice.

Dave and Jeanne hard at work!

A day at work:)

Several people have asked about my work days, etc. here at the park, so . . .

I am one of the cashiers in the gift department and am working 4-5 days a week.  The store is open from 7:30 a. m. to 9:30 p.m. so there are two shifts that alternate weekly.  I much prefer the early shift!  Early shift is from 7:30-5:30; late shift is from 11:30-9:30.  Each has a 2-3 hour break in the middle - nap time!!!  Fishing Bridge is one of the largest stores and sells everything from groceries to camping supplies to gifts of all kinds.  We stay pretty busy!!!

Coworkers at a fish fry in the employee RV park.

THE Group

Coming here I thought I would lose weight - hasn't happened:)  We have the best chef of all the locations and eat really well.  The EDR (employee dining room) is behind the store in the same building.   There is a group of us that usually eat together depending on our shifts.

Ready to ride!

Dorm life is interesting:) The dorm is above the store and right now is full.  Age group ranges from 18 to 70s if that tells you anything:)  We have a lot of people leaving in about 3 weeks to go back to college or their contract is up.  My roommate, Rose, and I get along great and will both be here until the store closes on October 1st.
 

Days off I either explore the park - or escape.  Living, working, and eating with the same people 24/7 means you need to escape every now and then!!!!  We get great rates at a hotel in Cody and another in Bozeman so I have taken advantage of both.

n

FB Quartet (Bill, Gleen, Susie and I)
performing for Bill and Renee before
they headed home.

Update:  Several of my close friends have left; visitor numbers are way down; and things are coming to a close.  Most of the college kids have also left.  I wasn't expecting to form such close friendships in the few months I have been here - but its a good thing.  The store hours will change to 9 a.m to 6 p.m. for the last few weeks.  My end date is October 1 and I'll be heading to Houston.  Babysitting date with Caden on October 6th!!!  From Houston I am going to Foley, Al; Huntsville, AL; and back to TN and then???  I still have wanderlust and am thinking of buying a small trailer (and a bigger car) and wandering.  Next March's adventure is a month in Thailand with my friend, Susie.

Weekend in Durango

Thursday after a visit with Peg and Dave, I headed for a weekend in Durango with Doug, Leigh Anne and Caden to attend the wedding of Forrest and Lyndee.  I spent the night in Grand Junction, Colorado and then drove over the mountain passes with hair-pin turns to Durango.  I think I can now drive on any road in the states!!!  Some of those hairpin turns had speed limits of 10 mph!!!!

The groom with his bride!

Friday, around noon, I met Doug, LA, Caden and their friends, Steven and Jessica, in downtown Durango for lunch before we headed out to the condo they had rented for the weekend.  Friday evening while the four of them were at the rehearsal dinner, Caden and I got to play.  The little guy has grown so much and is such a happy baby!

Doug and Forrest

Saturday the guys fixed a great breakfast for all of us.  The four of them went across the street to try the alpine sledding while Caden took a nap and I played on the internet (it was so nice to have a fast connection).   Saturday night we all went to the wedding of Forrest and Lyndee.  The ceremony and reception were all outdoors with the Colorado mountains as a backdrop.  Gorgeous setting!!!  Forrest and Lyndee are adventurous, free-spirits and their wedding suited them perfectly.  Doug spoke and made a toast.  He did a great job!  He and Forrest have been friends since elementary school.  I had fun catching up with people I had not seen for several years.  Caden was a big hit!!!  He was so good and many of these people had not seen him before.

Leigh Anne on the bull!

Jessica had done her research and found a great breakfast spot in Durango.  The six of us went for a fabulous breakfast and Caden sat in a high chair for the first time.  Sunday afternoon, the four of them drove over to Ouray while Caden and I took a nap.  Caden woke up way before I was ready!!!

Steven

Miniature golf!

Leigh Anne, Caden Doug and I

Guess who?

Monday morning we all packed up and headed back over to the ski resort to play!  We all rode the Alpine slide (Jessica BARELY beat me) and played miniature golf.  Several of them did the bungee jump (I used my back as an excuse) and all four of them rode the mechanical bull (I used my back as an excuse again!)  The last time I had been on an Alpine Slide was over 20 years ago - Doug was so little he had to sit in front and ride with me!!  

More fun visitors!

Peggy and Dave

This past Sunday, my good friend and sewing buddy, Peggy White, and her husband, Dave, came to visit at Yellowstone.   Peggy and I met on Pattern Review years ago.  They were able to park in the "Employee RV Park" about a half mile from the store.  It was great to see them!  The store wasn't too busy on Sunday so I was able to take off the second half of my shift.  While I worked during the day, they explored Yellowstone, The Grand Tetons, and drove over the Bear Tooth Pass.  Dave even managed to get in some fly fishing.

They had to give tours of their great fifth wheel!

Their fifth wheel was the talk of the RV park and they gave several tours to some of my co-workers.  It was really beautiful!  They spent December to March in their rig in Florida.  After seeing their Florida album, I am really tempted to buy a little trailer.  I still have wanderlust!!!

After a last visit on Thursday morning,  I headed to Durango, Colorado to meet Doug, Leigh Anne and Caden to attend a wedding.

Peg and Dave were able to extend their stay from Friday until Monday so were going to do some more exploring. There is lots to see and do in Yellowstone.   Dave had another fly fishing trip planned with a couple of my co-workers.

More Adventures - and Visitors!!!

Beartooth Mountains

The last several weeks have been super busy and great fun!  Unfortunately, the internet connection is so slow or non-existent that it is hard to keep up with the blog.

At the entrance to YNP with Rose

The Beartooth Pass is a gorgeous drive over the Beartooth Mountains to Red Lodge, MT.  Roger (a co-worker) drover Rosie and I over one day because we were a littler nervous about driving on all the switchbacks.  It was gorgeous!  We had lunch in Red Lodge and drove back to the park through Cody.

With Ann and Nancy in the Grand Tetons.

Hiking in the Tetons

Two of my childhood playmates from Glenbrook Valley days, Ann and Nancy, came to visit.  They rented a condo in Jackson Hole for a week.  After visiting me in Fishing Bridge, they explored the park on their own.  I met them for a busy three days in Jackson Hole.  We went to the Western Art Museum,   white water rafting on the Snake River, hiking in the Grand Tetons (saw two gorgeous bull moose), Rosie met us for a float trip down the Snake River and dinner, and then a day exploring Jackson Hole and lunch at the Teton Village.  Busy and fun catching up on old times.

Rose and I got a kick out of these two
 - hiking with a parasol:)

Moose in the Tetons

Rosie and I spent our next days off wandering around the Tetons.  Third time is a charm!  Rosie and I booked a horse back ride at Canyon Village a couple of weeks ago but it was cancelled due to rain.  Next time another co-worker joined us but about the time we were ready to mount our horses, it was cancelled again.  A buffalo was on the trail and they were having problems.  Rosie and I rebooked that afternoon and finally went riding.  I even bought my first hat - splurged on a Stetson - the real deal.

Rose and I getting ready to ride.  Check out that Stetson!

Today I am in Cody (with internet) and am going to the Buffalo Bill Museum.  Sunday one of my sewing buddies, Peggy, and her husband, Dave, are coming to the park for several days.  Next weekend I am headed to Durango, CO for the wedding of one of Doug's best friends.  I am hoping to get some babysitting time in with Caden.

Finished - Quilt!!!

Romantic Charm Quilt

Happy Fifth Anniversary to Doug and Leigh Anne!  To celebrate this occasion, I made them a quilt.    Most of it was done while I was still in Franklin, but I brought it with me to finish hand sewing the binding on.  The pattern is "Romantic Charm" and is one of the patterns Kathy and Kay from the Quilting Squares designed.  The quilting I did on Cathy's long arm  machine- she recently opened The Dancing Bobbin in Spring Hill, TN.  She keeps telling me I'm going to learn this machine.

I really like the two-colored borders with the piano key detail.

Doug had a busy week!  Even though he is licensed in the State of New York, he had to take the Texas Bar this past week.  I'll be meeting up with Doug, Leigh Anne and Caden in Durango in a couple of weeks for the wedding of one of Doug's best friends.

Look how big the little guy is getting!!  He is five months
old now and starting to sit up.

Virginia City and Nevada City, MT

Drygoods store in Virginia City

Earthquake Lake

On a recent day off, I headed through the park into Montana to see the old "ghost towns" of Virginia City and Nevada City.  This was a day long adventure through an area changed by a massive earthquake in the 1950s.  I made a quick stop at the museum about the earthquake on the way.  Virginia City has many old buildings that are original to the town.  You can look in some of the doors and windows and see stores exactly like they were years ago. My favorites were the dry goods stores with the fabrics, ribbons and notions on display.   One ladies' shop in Virginia City is exactly the same as the day it was closed.  Nevada City is a few miles away.  Even though the buildings have been moved in from other locations, it has been set up like a town would have been in the late 1800s or early 1900s.

Driving back to Fishing Bridge through the park, I stopped at sites I hadn't seen yet and took all sorts of little side rodes.  Great fun!!!

License plate:  "GoGrandma"  I like it!!!

YNP; Walked around and saw
the activity.

Another female moose!!  Saw her
on my way through the park.  A
tourist got to close trying to take a picture
and scared her off.

Internet connection continues to be a problem.  There are days I can't get on to post or get booted off constantly.  Very frustrating!!!  Cell phone service is a five mile drive down the road.

Mud Volcano/Old Faithful

We have about a dozen young adults working at Fishing Bridge from Taiwan.  They have been here about two weeks.  With no transportation, it is hard for them to see the park.  I took three of the girls on my visit to Mud Volcano Friday morning.  We walked all the way around and saw the different thermal features and the bubbling mud.

Later in the day, I drove four of them over to Old Faithful for the rest of the day.  They took off and did their own thing and I met up with
them later in the day.  From the sound
 of it, they had a great time.  On the way back to Fishing Bridge we saw a beautiful elk which was another first for them.

Stopped at the Continental Divide for a quick pic

Elk we saw on the way back to Fishing Bridge

I have also been on the lookout for moose.  Several people have seen a bull moose over at Bridge Bay Marina nearby but after several trips I still have not timed it right.  This morning I tried again with no luck but driving around I did see a female moose.  Really awesome!!!  The fires in 1988 destroyed the vegetation they eat so it is really rare to see one in this area.

Exploring!

Heart Mountain

The last few weeks I have explored the Yellowstone area on my days off.  One day trip was to see the Heart Mountain Japanese Relocation Camp between Cody and Powell, WY.  This was one of the camps the Japanese Americans were sent to during WWII.  Several years ago I read a book about this camp but didn't realize it was so close until some friends were talking about it.  Very interesting - hard to imagine being sent here in the dead of winter.  Desolate!

Grand Tetons

Jackson Hole, WY was my next destination.  I have two groups of friends that will be staying in Jackson Hole so went to check it out.  Very nice:)  It is a little over two hours from Fishing Bridge and is a beautiful drive.  My first stop was for some good coffee and fast internet:)  Very definitely a tourist town but there is lots to do - biking, rafting, horseback riding, etc., etc.  I'll spend more time there in the next few weeks.

The barstools are saddles!!

The Northeast Entrance was the only entrance to Yellowstone that I had not seen so I remedied that.  I drove through the Lamar Valley and out the Northeast Entrance with stops at Tower Fall and Roosevelt along the way.  Tower and Roosevelt both have historical lodges/buildings I wanted to see.   There are two very small towns near the northeast entrance but I didn't see anyplace I wanted to stop.  The Lamar Valley is known for animals sightings.  I was there during the middle of the day so missed out.

Lamar Valley

Elk - saw this guy on the way back from
Jackson Hole 

We have about a dozen new workers from Taiwan so the dorms are full, we are working less hours, and it is almost impossible to get on the internet!!!  One decided to see how her bear spray worked and shot some off in the dorm one night.  Not good:)

FYI:  Photos should enlarge if you click on them.  There is a link to the Heart Mountain site if you click on it.