Grant Village 5/12

These pics are over a week old........ I'm just now posting them because we haven't had internet until today.

In front of D Lodge

This guy tried to survive the winter in D Lodge

An employee cabin

Grayling Dorm

Our basketball court

Entrance to the dorm


The snow is not as deep as it is in these pics anymore. It's metled at least two feet since these were taken. I just haven't had the opportunity to post these until today.

Shouldn't winter in the caldera of a super volcano be mild?

Written Wednesday 5/11

I made it to Yellowstone Lake Hotel Monday morning after 2 hours of driving through heavy snow. Along the way, I passed snow banks in the Hayden Valley that were 30 to 40 ft tall. It was obsoletely incredible. I don't think it is even possible for me to describe how much snow there is here right now. I can tell you about it and show you pictures, but unless you were actually standing here, you wouldn't  be able to fully grasp how much there is. 

Driving into the Hayden Valley on my way to Lake last Monday

........wow

As soon as I got here, I went to the Fishing Bridge General Store (operating on limited hours of course) to get coffee. As I  approached the store, I noticed caution tape surrounding what used to be the gas station. Where the gas station once stood was a pile of debris and snow. The snow had accumulated so much on the roof over the winter that the building finally just collapsed. Rumor has it, there were several antique cars inside during the collapse. Why anyone would leave cars like that in the park over the winter is anyone's guess.

What's left of the Fishing Bridge gas station

I guess this person learned the hard way.

When I arrived to work at Yellowstone Lake Hotel Monday afternoon, we did what we've been doing for the past few weeks (distributed linen, got things ready, etc.). The only difference here was that you could see snow drifts at eye level outside of second story windows. At a few spots in the hotel, it looks like you can slide right out of the second story window and land safely on the ground. There is a loading dock for linen and other hotel supplies. Trucks will back up to the dock and unload their cargo. Right now, we can't even use this dock.......not because the road to the dock hasn't been cleared but because of the snow hanging off the edge of the hotel roof. If the snow were to dislodge and land on an unsuspecting employee, they would be dead instantly. 

First floor?.......nope, this is looking out a second floor window in Yellowstone Lake Hotel

As bad as it is here, reports indicate that Grant Village is far worse. To give you an idea of how much snow there is, a member of the snow removal team that's been working in Grant Village said that someone on his team STEPPED OVER one of the basketball goals next to the pub. This is not a snow drift……….this is the actual snow depth. Our personnel manager, Pat, said that the entrance to the dorm is not even visible. She also said the registration building and several employee cabins are completely covered. According to a maintenance team that came back from Grant today, the visitor center's back porch roof is even partially collapsed due to the weight of accumulated snow. It's looking like it is going to be impossible for anyone to move into Grant until at least Sunday or Monday (almost a week behind schedule). Moving in and getting started later does not push our opening (to the public) back at all. It's going to be a hectic two weeks (or less) trying to get everything ready.

Oh well, enough about the snow. 

Life here at Lake is about as simple as it gets. There is no internet, cell signal, or tv. We work, eat, and sleep. Nights are spent hanging out and talking to other managers and trainers. It's a nice change of pace from the "real world". I use quotations like that because maybe life here in the park should be considered the real world. It's much simpler, and life outside of the park is just a blur. 

The rooms we live in are in the annex of the hotel (aka Spider Alley). I don't know who gave the annex that nickname, but it is very fitting. I am living in a room with at least a dozen spiders. When I first arrived, I tried to clear the room of them, but my efforts proved futile. Now we coexist. I only kill them if they come within a certain distance of my bed. I'm not alone in my this fight. All of the other trainers are having the same problem. If you ever come to Yellowstone and decide to stay in the Yellowstone Lake Hotel, DO NOT let them put you in the annex………..unless you really like spiders.

On Friday, we train the new RAs. I'm scheduled to be off Saturday, Sunday, and Monday. I doubt I will actually have those days off. I'll probably end up driving down to Grant Village to begin work there…………..hopefully not with a snow shovel. I am so happy that it's almost time to move to Grant. As exciting as it's been, living out of a bag is tough. The lodges and hotels we are housed in do not have laundry facilities. This means everything must be worn two or three times, and there is a constant rotation of clothing from the car suitcase to the suitcase that I actually carry to my room. My car is packed to the roof, and to make things worse, they were discarding comforters at the Old Faithful Lodge. So of course I had to take one………….or three. Looking back, I should have just not taken any. I can barely fit myself in my car right now. Passengers are definitely out of the question. I'm just so ready to move into my dorm room and to have my car (and fuel economy) back.

Since I don't have internet at the moment, I will probably have to wait to post this until I either get to Grant (wishful thinking…….. Grant probably won't have internet for a couple weeks) or drive to Cody, WY. I would like to drive to Cody for groceries, internet, etc., but right now, it's just too risky. Over the past few days, the road to the East Entrance has been closed a majority of the time. I can't get stuck there and miss work.Tuesday morning, an avalanche covered the east entrance road, and it was closed for most of the day. According to the rangers, it may be like this for a while. I ran into a family at the general store Tuesday afternoon that got stuck in the park. All of their belongings were in their hotel room in Cody, but they were stuck in the park. It's all very surreal right now. 

The beginning

I've been in Yellowstone for almost a month now. So far, I have split my time between Mammoth and Old Faithful. I've run out of books to read having already read five (Lone Survivor by Marcus Luttrell -thanks Wilson, Squatters in Paradise by James Perry, A Cup of Friendship by Deborah Rodriguez, Mark's Story, and Luke's Story both by Tim Lahaye and Jerry Jenkins), and the weather for the next two days is looking pretty dreary. As a result, I have decided to start a blog. I've never written anything like this because my attitude has always been: "Why would anyone want to read anything I wrote?" At the suggestion of a friend, I will try to do this. I have no idea the kind of regularity in which these will be written, but I will do my best.

Aside from my first week in the park (management training), my daily tasks have been simple. Monday through Thursday, I, and the other trainers, do whatever needs to be done to get the locations ready to open. That could mean distributing linen, preparing trainer rooms, etc. On Fridays, easily my favorite workday here, we train the new RAs for each location. It's fun to meet new people and to see the looks on their faces when they say: "I have to clean WHAT?!" The only downside to training day is having to dress nicely and tuck in my shirt. Seriously, why do housekeepers have to tuck in their shirts? I guess looking nice while cleaning toilets and making beds is a must. 

A cabin, smothered in snow, that I had to work in at Old Faithful Lodge

While I'm at these locations, I am given a room in whichever inn or lodge I am working. This is easily one of the coolest parts of the preseason so far. While Mammoth Hotel was cool, I have always wanted to stay in the Old Faithful Inn. We trainers were living here in the Inn for two weeks before any guests were allowed to step foot inside. It was an eerie feeling walking through the massive lobby with 80 foot ceilings at night knowing that I am one of the few residing here. Google "Old Faithful Inn ghosts" and you'll know what I mean.  ( http://www.ghostinmysuitcase.com/places/faithful/index.htm )

Road conditions when I moved from Mammoth to Old Faithful

View of the snow from the Snowlodge lobby

My days off, for now, are Saturday and Sunday. These days have been spent outside the park fly fishing. I will try not to go into much detail with the fishing because that could be an entirely new blog in and of itself, and I am aware of the fact that most do not share my passion and enthusiasm for the sport.

While I was stationed in Mammoth, I would drive north of the park between Gardiner, MT and Linvingston, MT to fish the Yellowstone River. It took me a few trips, but I eventually figured out the river and had some good days. The scenery in that area is beautiful. The fishing is done in the shadows of the10,000 ft. Absarokas with snow covered peaks. The weather is also bizarre. One minute it can be 55 degrees and perfect, and the next, snowing with blizzard like conditions.

The Absarokas that surround the Yellowstone River 

First decent fish of the season - Caught out of the Yellowstone River

A nice brown caught in the middle of a storm

While in Mammoth, I reported a Native American site that Steven and I had discovered near the southern arm of Yellowstone Lake  last summer to the rangers in the visitor center. I expected them to write down my information and to mark the spot on the map and say thank you. Instead, a call was placed to the lead archeologist in the park who also happened to be stationed in Mammoth at the time. Within minutes, she was in the visitor center with a large map and very excited. After she got the approximate coordinates, she thanked me and explained that an archeology team is coming from Montana State University this summer to help her dig, and they were trying to decide where to begin their work. She said that since the lake's shore line is disappearing due to volcanic uprising in the center of the lake, archeological sites are slowly being covered by water. This along with limited funding allows them only one summer for substantial digging. Our information ensures that they will be beginning in location with a high probability of success. As a reward for reporting the site, she invited Steven and I to visit and possibly participate in any of the digs in that area this summer! It may be nerdy, but finding 2,000 year old arrowheads sounds like fun.

When I had to move to Old Faithful, where I am currently, to help get the Inn opened, I kept the same days off and continued to fish. Here, I fished the Madison River to the west of the park instead of the Yellowstone. I fished the section between Hebgen Lake and Quake Lake. The fish I caught there were easily some of the most beautiful fish I've seen.  The Rainbow Trout were a deep red with large black spots throughout. This probably has a lot to do with it being spawning season, but it has been amazing nonetheless. Each of the fish I caught out of that river were 15 inches or more.

A Rainbow from the Madison

The Madison between Hebgen Lake and Quake Lake

A Madison River Brown

One day while fishing here, I hooked into a large Rainbow (probably close to 20 inches). It was my second fish of the day, and I was having a hard time making any progress with it. This fish was very good at using the current to make itself much stronger. After about 5 minutes of fighting the fish, I was close to netting it when suddenly I heard a splash behind me. I turned around, and only 15 feet from me, a large bull moose had entered the river. I looked up the hill from which it came and saw a car sitting on its crest. The tourists, who did not seem to mind the danger in which they put me, just sat there smiling, pointing at the moose, and taking pictures………… Did they really think I hadn't noticed?! I quickly began moving backwards and toward the opposite bank while the moose stared at me. In the process of backing away, my line broke, and I lost the fish that I had been trying to land. Luckily the moose turned the other way, and crossed the river. While terrifying, this incident definitely gave me a good story and was well worth the lost fish. I'm also lucky that it was spring instead of fall. Once the calendar hits October, the bull moose is known to be the most dangerous animal in North America (rutting season).

Also while I've been stationed in Old Faithful, I have been able to take advantage of the close proximity to West Yellowstone. I've been to two restaurants there that I know all of us from Grant will have to visit at some point this summer. One is a small burger joint called Kiwi Burger I believe. It is owned and operated by a lady from New Zealand that has lived pretty much everywhere……….very good food and a very interesting person.. The other is the TACO BUS! I believe the picture will suffice………very cheap, good food.

Taco Bus!

Tacos from Taco Bus!

Monday, I move to Lake Hotel to help get it ready and to train the new RAs. We've heard tales of snow drifts as high as two-story buildings in that area, and I am excited to see it for myself…………that is as long as my small, 2 door Honda Civic will get me there. I will take pictures and post them here. To any Grant Village people that read this, I will be moving in either May 15 or May 17!