Earlier Departure Scheduled

We were informed that we wouldn't be scheduled to work on Friday so we decided to leave one day earlier and leave here on Friday. It allows us to shorten the first day's trip so we can now stop at the Devil's Tower Monument in Eastern Wyoming. Our plan now has us staying in Sundance, WY, on Friday night and then moving on to Sturgis, SD, on Saturday and staying there for 2 nights. We will see Mt Rushmore and spend some time in Deadwood and see some other local attractions and then leave Sturgis on Monday morning. Monday night we will stay in Sioux Falls SD, Tuesday in Grimes, IA (near Des Moines), and arrive at Patty's in Naperville on Wednesday.

The excitement is building and we had the rig washed and waxed yesterday. This morning we will gas up the vehicles, do some final laundry and wrap up some other small details before we can leave. Josie's final day of work was yesterday but I was asked to work today - along with Karen - to cover the front desk for the final day of the cabins. The cabins will all be closed for the season after tonight.

The weather is holding in a beautiful pattern, so we anticipate no problems with bad weather, at least through Monday. So ends the entry for today - the next to last entry from Cody, WY...

Exodus Has Started

The number of empty spaces in the camping area is growing by the day. Two more couples left this morning and there are about 4 more leaving tomorrow. The big day will be Saturday when most of the rest of us are leaving.

The number of customers at work keeps dwindling and it is tougher and tougher to rent the vacant cabins each day now. There will be more cabin closures today and we will be at just about half way for the closures - 40 out of 83 total cabins. As mentioned before, there is only 1 tour remaining - for tomorrow - and that ends the tour business. Very little is done at all at work now and most of the time we sit around and talk. Josie and I have decided that if we do return next year, we will establish our end date about 2 weeks earlier. There is really no reason for us to remain now, except for our commitment to stay until after the 1st of October.

We got up pretty early this morning as a truck pulled into the (vacated) space next to us to cut down a couple of dead trees that were behind us. We are also having our rig washed, including the roof and a waxing of the front cap on the fifth wheel, later this morning. There's a local guy that does that for just about everybody in here and he only charges $65 each. For that kind of money, he can do ours and I don't have to climb onto the roof to clean it myself.

When we ate lunch at the Senior Center a while ago, we received 2 wooden "nickels" to use for free lunches in the future. We - including Karen and George - will use those nickels for a last "free" lunch at the Center tomorrow.

We're still not totally clear on our work schedule for Thursday and Friday, but the end of our time here is fast approaching...

Cabin Closures Begin

Not much happened at work yesterday. There were 2 tours in and we couldn't sell the 10 cabins we had vacant. The flow of people is dwindling to near zero. The cabin closure process begins today with about 20 cabins slated to be stripped, cleaned and closed up for the winter. There is only 1 more tour scheduled to come in, and that one will be in on Thursday, the last day of the season. Karen and I both will work on Thursday - our normal day off - so that they can wrap up the season. Josie, on the other hand, has Thursday off and will help out a little on Friday to pack up the gift shop for the winter. Then it's out of here on Saturday morning.

The weather continues to be spectacular - high of 86, low of 52 yesterday. The forecast is for it to remain the same through at least Monday, so it looks like we will be taking the northern route to Illinois, via Rapid City and Mt Rushmore. Most people are planning to leave on Saturday, same as us, so it may be a caravan out of the camping area on that morning.

There are no plans this morning except to continue our chore of housekeeping on the inside of the fifth wheel. There are still areas that need attention - like the storage area under the bed. Basically though, we are about ready to go. I will also try to finalize our exact route this morning, with all the campgrounds identified where we will be staying. I'm finding out that many of them are already closed for the winter, and others have cut back on their hookups (such as water) for the winter. We'll find the right combination but it may take a little more research than normal. Until tomorrow...

Basement Cleaned

We started the day yesterday with a buffet breakfast at the Sunset House in Cody. We had been there before for breakfast but the last time we ate from the menu and it was on a day other than Sunday. The Sunday buffet is excellent and for $8.99 per person is a very good value. We drove the truck to breakfast so we could get it washed and ready for our trip.

When we arrived back at the rig the big objective for the rest of the morning was to get the basement emptied, sorted and re-packed. We did get it cleaned although we didn't really eliminate a whole lot of stuff but it is reorganized and ready to go on Saturday. The inside of the fifth wheel is the only remaining big housekeeping chore before we depart.

The weather has been spectacular the last 2 days and the forecast is for it to continue through the weekend. As a result of the nice weather, we are rethinking the route to Illinois and may change it to go the original route we planned that would take us through South Dakota and Mount Rushmore. If we do go that way, we would stay a full day in or near Rapid City and still arrive at Patty's on Wednesday next week. We'll get another forecast update on Wednesday, and if it holds, we will go that way.

This morning is our meeting with payroll to review our bonuses. As indicated yesterday, it is no big deal, so we will get that out of the way. Other than that, with only 4 work days left, we are counting down to the end of the season...

Mostly Discussions about Leaving

Things are getting really slow at work and it leaves a lot of time for people to talk about plans for departure. Most people are planning last minute chores - washing the rig, sorting and consolidating basements and getting other last minute things done like gassing up their vehicles and filling fresh water tanks, etc. Most of the sightseeing is done with the exception of some final visits to favorite spots that are close by. We all have meetings with the payroll department on Monday to discuss any bonuses that are due - we will get a small bonus for completion of our commitment here, and Josie gets a small bonus for sales in the gift shop. None of those will make a whole lot of difference since we are working the last 2 weeks of the season on shorter hours and it almost evens out. It's better than nothing.

Most people that we talk to are planning to return next year. At least that's what they are saying now. Some are like us and will return if we don't find something that is more appealing to us - such as a job in another great area that pays as well as this one. There are those though that will return no matter what since they have already been back 2 or more years and are settled into this area and the job. We will have no problem returning ourselves if we can't find better.

We still need to tackle the outside basement housekeeping that we have been delaying, so it looks like today may be the day to start on that ugly chore. The excitement is building for our departure on Saturday, and we will finalize the exact locations for our stays along the way to Naperville this week. More tomorrow...

Yellowstone Grand Finale

It was exactly 6 AM when we headed out for our last trip to Yellowstone yesterday. The sun still hadn't come up yet and we drove for probably a half hour before it started to get light. There was a spectacular full moon that was visible the whole drive to the Park, and we tried to get some shots of this moon just as it was sitting over the top of the mountains. The one below was probably the clearest of the shots we took:

It was still mostly dark and when we arrived at the East Entrance gate at around 7 AM, the guard told us about 2 moose that were grazing on the side of the road, just inside the entrance. We saw them and took some pictures, but we couldn't get close enough in the low light to get great pictures. It was still a great start to our day. The whole purpose for going so early was to catch wildlife in their early morning feeding periods.

It didn't take much longer before we spotted this huge bull elk, just standing in the middle of the river:

As soon as he saw the crowd starting to build on the roadside, he headed to the shoreline and out of the river:

As we traveled north along the Yellowstone River from the Fishing Bridge junction to the Canyon Village junction, we saw lots of buffalo along the river in fairly large groups. It was interesting to see so many of these animals so close to the thermals in the Park, so we took several pictures of them, including this one:

The buffalo were again just about everywhere in this area, and we stopped - for quite a while - to watch this herd cross the road in front of us:

As we approached the Canyon Village junction, we decided to take the northern road to see the other side of the Yellowstone Grand Canyon and the lower and upper falls that are visible. The last time we viewed these falls, we were on the southern road and had a totally different viewpoint. They were as beautiful as we remembered the last time:

And also, the Canyon itself:

The section of road between the Canyon Village junction and the Tower- Roosevelt junction to the north was closed - due to a fire - so we took the turnoff (west) toward Norris junction to complete the upper loop road and end up at the Tower-Roosevelt junction. Click on this link to see a map of the loop roads , which shows these junctions to eliminate the confusion- (MAP).

Just as we arrived at the Norris junction, we took a lunch break at a nice picnic area/turnout that was adjacent to a creek. While looking for a spot to stop and make our sandwiches, we saw this lone buffalo, sleeping in the woods near the picnic area:

Just before arriving at the Roosevelt-Tower junction, we took a side road - dirt road - called the Blacktail Plateau Drive hoping to see some deer. Although we didn't spot any wildlife, the drive was beautiful as a result of all the fall colors:

We continued our drive through the Lamar Valley toward the Northeast Entrance where we left the Park. The drive home from there was mostly uneventful, but beautiful, driving for the last time on the Chief Joseph Scenic Highway to get home. The only other wildlife we saw, with the exception of a ton more buffalo, was this doe that was grazing on the roadside as we left Yellowstone:

She got alarmed from our picture taking and calmly scampered across the highway:

We eventually arrived back home at around 5:30 PM.

So ends our summer of Yellowstone trips that we will forever remember as one of our all-time favorite places in the USA. We will be back again.

It's back to work today - beginning our final week...

Early Rise

We planned the day yesterday so that we could get to bed at a decent time - 9 PM - and we could get up early - 5 AM - to head to Yellowstone for the last time this season. So far, so good. We hope to leave by 6 AM and spend most of the day there. It's a good thing we waited since the day wasn't real nice until the afternoon yesterday, and it should be very nice today.

There isn't much to say about the day except that when we went out to the store to get some things to take with us today, we saw these 2 young bucks, grazing on the lawn of the recreation center in town:

They were with 2 does, having a great time just walking around the place. These deer are always seen in town and it makes you wonder where they actually live.

Josie is about ready for me to start loading the Jeep with our goodies for the day, so I'll end this short entry to get started. Hopefully, we'll have some good final shots of Yellowstone to share tomorrow...

Weekend Plans

It was a fairly normal day at work for this time of the season - lots of cabins to sell, few reservations, and no tours. People are all talking about their departure dates and plans now that we are down to the last week. We have been asked to work the last day - next Thursday, the 30th - even though it is our normal day off. It's hard to believe that the time here is coming to an end, even though we are anxious to move on.

Our plan was to go to Yellowstone for our last time today. Since it was nasty weather yesterday - high of only 51, low of 43 and rain (.06") - we decided to do that tomorrow when it is suppose to improve. Today we will take care of some errands and maybe do some housekeeping to prepare for our departure.

Merchandise is flying out of the gift shop as just about everything has been reduced. All of the jewelry has been discounted 50% and with the employee discount on top of that, we get 75% off. Of course, most things had already been selling at probably 200% (or more) markup to start with. There were some great discounts on clothing also, so we did take advantage of some of those sales. The inventory has been depleted and everything that is available is now out on the floor and shelves. It is what every merchant hopes for.

That's about it for now...

Final Potluck Dinner

The last potluck dinner for the season was held last night and it was a special program that had been planned for several weeks. Unfortunately, we had to work during the time that the dinner was scheduled so Josie and I (and Karen and George and several other people) were relieved long enough to eat and get back to work. Every potluck that was scheduled this year was scheduled during our working hours and we couldn't really enjoy the camaraderie - or wine - that was part of these events. It is a result of being "rookie" workers, I guess, since the only people left in the dining room were folks that have been here more than 1 year or were management. There were door prizes for this last potluck and even though we weren't present for the drawings, our tickets - with our names on them - were still eligible for prizes even though we weren't there. Josie and I each won: Josie won a NASCAR mug and I won a $25 gift certificate to our gift shop. I took the following pictures of the gift shop cashier area where Josie works:

The gift shop is huge and contains lots of high end merchandise.

The final day of our work week is today. We will probably take our last trip to Yellowstone tomorrow and we hope to leave by around 6 AM so we can arrive at the park during one of the peak wildlife viewing times in the early morning. An effort will be made to get to bed tonight at an early hour so that we can make the scheduled departure. Until tomorrow...

Offer Letter Received

Our meeting with the owner and our supervisor yesterday only lasted about 15 minutes. The owner wanted to let us know that our performance was excellent this year and she handed us a letter that essentially outlined duties, schedule and pay for next year. If we want to accept the offer, we sign it and return it to her office. There are a couple problems with the letter as it stands now. The first problem is that Josie's duties were described the same as they were this year when actually, she will be working with Karen and I at the Comfort Inn, behind us at the front desk. We wonder who reviewed these letters before handing them out. The  second problem was that the number of days was specified (4 days per week) but not the shift. We had requested the day shift, but the offer did not specify. Anyway, we haven't decided yet on what we will be doing next summer so we can think on that some more before responding.

The other noteworthy thing that occurred yesterday was that we received notification from Amazon.com that they wanted to move back our start date from Oct 24 to Nov 7. They offered to allow us to come in one week early (Nov 1), but they evidently over-hired for our start date. That will change our schedule a little but will also give us more time to spend at Patty's in Naperville. There are 2 other couples that we work with here in Cody that were scheduled to start with us on the 24th of Oct and they also received the same notification.

Today should be fairly busy at work since we only have a small tour and very few reservations which means that there will be many cabins to sell. With only 2 days remaining this week, it will nice to get done so we can spend our last weekend doing something that is fun. We have talked about one last trip to Yellowstone which we would like to take early in the morning when the wildlife activity is at the highest level. Our problem has been getting up early enough to arrive in the early hours. Our work schedule doesn't allow getting to bed early, but we will probably bite the bullit for one night and get an early start on Thursday with less sleep. That's the plan right now...

Another Day of the Yo-Yo

It was another one of those "yo-yo" days at work yesterday. This time it was very slow as opposed to very busy the day before. With 3 tours yesterday and only 1 reservation and no cabins to sell, it was a do nothing kind of day. Compare it to the day before with no tours and 47 cabins to sell. Go figure.

We have a meeting scheduled today at 11:30 with Pernille (Supervisor) and Judie Blair (Owner). People that are being asked to return next year are being called into these meetings and it has become a status symbol to have a meeting scheduled with them. The assumption is that if you are not called into one of these meetings, you are not being asked to return. Of course, Pernille has already "unofficially" invited us back. It would be easy to commit to a return back at this point. We have enjoyed every day that we have been here and love this area because of its beauty, weather, and places and things to see and do. We are still staying focused on our goal to see as much of the country as possible and to spend extended time in areas with the same advantages, so we will give it some time. Other opportunities in some other nice areas will be investigated for next summer before totally commiting to a return here. Karen and George are also meeting with them this morning and we know that they would like to return.

There will be another yo-yo day today as we only have 1 tour scheduled and many cabins to sell. It will be like this for the rest of the time, I'm sure. Everybody is getting anxious to move on now, and we see lots of maintenance being performed on rigs to get them ready. Just under 2 weeks to go...

Crazy Days at Work

We are getting such varied traffic at work these days that it is hard to figure out. Yesterday we were as busy as we got in the middle of July, or through August. There were 47 cabins to sell and they sold out. Where are all these people coming from? This is by far the best year that the Blairs have had at their hotels in the last 5 years. There is no economic impact in this town.

Today will be another day that will be filled with tours (3), so our activity level will be near zero at the front desk again. Our plan is to go to the Irma Hotel for the buffet - this time it will be the breakfast buffet. Last week we went for the lunch buffet and it was great. With the new hours at work, our days are shorter before we have to start so we will stay close to home. The good part is that we get off work earlier at night, can go to bed earlier, and therefore get up earlier in the morning.

With just less than 2 weeks to go, we are deciding where to go on our days off that will be pleasant return trips. There are many places that we wanted to return to, but we have to decide on priorites. Of course, we have a lot of housekeeping that still needs to be done, but who wants to spend valuable days off doing that stuff? We'll just have to squeeze in the housekeeping on mornings before work. Sounds like a plan...

Baby Shower for Supervisor

Yesterday was pretty much a stay at home day as a result of the scheduled baby shower for our Supervisor, Pernille. She is having her first child around the 15th of December, so the remaining workampers decided to have the shower for her before everybody leaves in the next two weeks. Josie went at about 1 PM and took the following shots of Pernille while she opened her gifts:

That's Judie Blair, the owner of the Blair Hotels and our "big" boss in the foreground. The shower was held in what we call the Sarsaparilla Saloon, located in the rear of the Gift Shop and used for such gatherings and parties. It is also where the Village conducts it's continental breakfast for guests each morning.

It was chilly and a little breezy all day so not much else was done. We did go to the Hungry Bear Pizza and Italian Restaurant for dinner. We ordered a 16" pizza because we were both hungry, but only ate half of it and brought the rest back for eating today.

Winter is on the way. It went down to 35 last night and this morning we put on the heater for the first time since we've been here. Usually, our electric fireplace will heat the rig, but not fast enough when it's this cold. Both of them are on to warm up the place in a hurry. We are still on the first tank of propane since we arrived, so that's an indication of how little we used it so far.

New work hours begin for us today. We both start work a half hour earlier, and leave one hour earlier which nets out to a half hour less working each day. The countdown to leaving has begun...

Final (?) Trip to Yellowstone

By the time we got started yesterday it was 11 AM. Our neighbors left and I wanted to move the truck from the employee parking lot to the space they vacated and they never left before 10:30. Karen and George left on their own at around 10 AM since we didn't know at the time how much longer it would take us. Anyway, it was another beautiful day and the trip was, once again, different and spectacular.

We traveled the Chief Joseph Scenic Highway to get to the Northeast Entrance and we stopped at Cooke City, MT, to have lunch on the way. We were surprised at the changing colors we saw along the way:

One of the prettiest areas in the Park is the Lamar Valley that is along the drive after you enter from the Northeast. We saw more buffalo on this trip than we have seen on any other trip this season. They appeared to be everywhere in this long valley:

After passing the Tower Roosevelt Junction, we came upon the Calcite Springs turnout which we have never taken before:

The gorge that was created along this stretch of the Yellowstone River was also spectacular as it was created several million years ago by hot lava flowing through the area:

Immediately down the road we came upon the Tower Falls:

While walking the long path to the viewing area of these falls, we saw these two fawns, resting under some small trees, probably waiting for their mother:

From the time we entered the Park, we could see what appeared to be a fire somewhere nearby. It turns out that there was a controlled burn, or managed burn, not too far from us:

As I said before, the buffalo (Bison) were just about everywhere we went on this drive. Below are several of the pictures we took, at various locations, along the drive south:

We drove south to the road that took us to the East Entrance and home. As we were driving home, Josie spotted a bear on the side of the road, but by the time I stopped the car, he had disappeared into the forest. We arrived home at around 8 PM.

We will miss our trips to this great location and will hope that we can return again next year. There may be a chance that we can squeeze in one more trip, but we're not sure at this point with all that we need to do to get ready to leave.

We still need to do our housekeeping, so we'll see if we can get some of that done today...



Two More Couples Depart

Yesterday was about as expected at work. It was very busy and we were happy to see the day end, which was our last day that we will be open until 11 PM. Starting today, the store and office will close at 10 PM. That means that all of us that work there will have 1/2 hour less of working time each day for the rest of the season since the morning shift will also share in the one hour cutback in hours. We have 2 more weeks to work before it shuts down totally for the winter.

Two more couples leave today to move on to other locations. One of them is in the rig next to ours which will free up some space for us to park our truck that has been parked in an employee parking area all season long. That area is out of sight from our fifth wheel so it will be nice to have it right outside our rig for the remainder of the season.

We are probably going to do our last trip to Yellowstone today. Karen and George have expressed interest in going with us, so we probably will make it a foursome. The weather is beautiful (but cool) so it should be a fun day. Hopefully, we will see some wildlife that would make a nice ending to our visits there this year. Until tomorrow...

Lunch at the Senior Center

The day started with taking Karen and George to pick up their truck that was repaired from last week. The problem was a fuel "lift pump" that went bad and everything is now OK for them to travel again. Karen had asked if we would be interested in going to lunch at the Senior Center in town, so we agreed to go at noon. The Senior Center is, of course, staffed with volunteers and it was a very good lunch. We had chicken, vegetables, scalloped potatoes, a drink and a dessert for - $3 per person. It's definitely one of the best deals in town even though it will never get a 5 star rating as a restaurant.

The first couple to leave for the season departed this morning. It happens to be a couple that has a home in Surprise, AZ, at Arizona Traditions which is a retirement community just down the street from Sun City Grand. He (Lou) worked in the Comfort Inn here, and his wife (Cheryl) worked with Josie in the gift shop. They are heading to Pahrump, NV, where he will be taking a pistol shooting class and they will then head home to AZ. Our neighbors on one side of us (Bill and Linda) will be leaving tomorrow AM and we will begin seeing more people leaving as we approach the end of the month.

There were 3 more tours in yesterday which made for another slow day at the front desk, but that will change today. There are no tours coming in and we have 51 cabins available to rent, so we will be very busy. It's our Friday though, so we are anxious to have our play days beginning tomorrow. We are thinking that, if the weather cooperates, we will take a final trip to Yellowstone. We'll know in the morning...

Crawling to the End

Yesterday was right up there as ranking as the slowest day at work since we arrived. It was similar to Sunday and will be the same today. People at work are mostly standing around and talking about their next stop from here. Many are heading to their winter homes in the south somewhere, and many, like us, are moving on to another adventure in a new location. Several of the couples have decided to join us at Campbellsville, KY, to work at Amazon.com. None of us have worked there before but we all are willing to give it a try - at least for a couple months. The money is great even though the work is tough. There is much to see and do in Kentucky so it promises to be a unique experience. Most people, again like us, are going to visit family before arriving at the next stop.

This morning, I have agreed to take Karen and George to the truck repair facility where they had their truck towed last Thursday. It turned out to be a problem with their fuel system, as suspected.

With 2 days left before our "weekend", we are beginning to think about plans to go somewhere that we have wanted to return to. Yellowstone is at the top of the list. Yesterday, I printed out some pictures of animals we have seen at the Park and placed them in a viewing case at our front desk at work. We had some great shots of Buffalo, elk and moose that have added to the collection there. Guests that arrive at our facility that plan to go to Yellowstone enjoy seeing these pictures with the hope that they also will see these animals. There's a good chance they will.

There are about 2 1/2 weeks to go before our work ends here and we are beginning to count the days. We hope the weather stays decent for that time. Until tomorrow...

Buffet Lunch and Slow at Work

We picked up Karen and George outside of their church at 12 PM to go to Irma's Hotel for our buffet lunch. When we arrived at the Hotel, there was another couple from their church that also joined us for the buffet. Irma's was super crowded and we ended up getting a table for 6 in the lounge area which was OK for us. They serve a complete meal, including roast beef, grilled salmon and chicken, along with lots of vegetable choices, salads and a whole table full of desserts. We all stuffed ourselves and our (Josie and I) bill came to $20. We should have gone there for lunch several times since we've been here.

It was a very slow day at work and it made for an extra long day. There were 3 tours that came in and we only had 7 other reservations. We were done by 6:30 and had to find things to do until our quitting time. I came back to the rig and picked up my camera so that I could show people the pictures we took of the moose we saw last week on our trip to Sheridan. Some of the people here are really into all the animal sightings that others have recorded in and around Yellowstone and other areas in northern Wyoming. We saw neat pictures that have been taken of bears, elk, moose, mountain goats, bighorn sheep, badgers, bison, wolves and just about everything else you can imagine in the wild. This is certainly an area where you can expect to see any of those almost everywhere you go.

Today promises to be another like yesterday at work. We are again expecting 3 tours and there aren't many reservations so we are bracing ourselves for another slow day...

Friends Have Trip Ruined

While we were taking our trip to Sheridan on Thursday, Karen and George were taking a trip to Jackson and the Tetons - or so we thought. Their truck was still missing from their parking space next to their rig late Friday, and again all morning on Saturday leading us to believe that they may have decided to stay over an extra day. Wrong. It turns out that they only got about 20 miles outside of Cody on Thursday morning and their truck broke down. They had to have the truck towed to a repair shop in Cody and they won't have it back until later in the week after the problem gets diagnosed and can be fixed. We didn't find out about it until we began work yesterday. They tried to tell us on Thursday, but of course, we were gone on our trip to Sheridan.

We are planning to go to a buffet lunch today at the Irma's Hotel in town before we start our work day. That is something we have talked about doing all summer long and decided we better do it before the season gets away from us. We will pick up Karen and George from their church (they have a ride there) and go as a foursome.

People are beginning to prepare their rigs for departure. The folks next to us are leaving on the 16th of September and there are some other people leaving prior to the 1st of October. Evidently, they all have commitments to be somewhere else by the 1st, which they negotiated with our management before they started here. It will be interesting to watch this slow process of shutting down operations here. Of course, only the cabins are shutting down completely by October 1st. The Holiday Inn and the Comfort Inn will still be open for the entire year, but with a smaller staff of locals. That's about it for now...

Nasty Day Changes Priorities

The fact that it was windy and cool outside caused us to revise our schedule a bit yesterday. Rather than than go outside to clean and reorganize our basement, we tackled some inside jobs that needed attention. There were several shelves in the rig that needed reinforcement so they were repaired. There also were some other minor things that needed attention so they were also done. The other major chore was taking the truck to the Ford dealer in town to have it serviced for the trip back east. Now, both vehicles have been serviced and are ready to go.

A couple changes have been made to the scheduled trip to begin on October 3. The first night will be spent in a town called Glendo, WY, which is north of Cheyenne and represents a total distance of 295 miles from Cody. The second night will be in North Platte, NE (329 miles for day 2), the third night in Grimes, IA (near Des Moines, and 406 miles for day 3), and finally arriving in Naperville on the 4th day (312 miles for day 4). The total trip is 1342 miles and the 4 days make for a comfortable journey. Two of the campgrounds are Camp Club USA campgrounds which provide a 50% discount to us as members, and the third one is a State Park - Glendo State Park - which is a low cost campground. There are no other membership campgrounds (that we belong to) going the way we are going on this trip. We should arrive in Naperville on Wednesday, Oct 6th, the way we now have it planned - I hope Patty is reading this.

We will begin working again today which begins our last 3 weeks here. There will be some minor changes in our work schedules, probably next week, to accommodate new business hours at the Village. It is also still windy this morning so it means that we still cannot do the basement thing again today. Josie will do laundry this morning and that about sums up our plans for today. Until tomorrow...

Our Trip to Sheridan

We left the rig at around 9:45 yesterday morning and headed to Sheridan, WY. Our plan was to take a huge loop through the Big Horn Mountains, which would allow us to go through the mountains on the southern route (US 14) to get there, and the northern route (Alt US 14) coming home. We reached the foothills of the mountains just outside Greybull, MT, and the rock formations were again unique:

There were many beautiful shots that were taken on the route through the mountains and these are just a couple:

We came upon the Shell Falls which was about midway through the pass and stopped to walk the loop which took us past the falls and along part of the deep canyon where the falls empty into the Shell Creek:

Below is a shot of the bridge from where the first picture was taken:

There were areas all along this drive where signs were posted warning of open range and to watch for the possibilty of loose cattle on the road. They were right:

We reached the end of the pass through the mountains and came out to this view, facing east and looking down to Sheridan:

With all of the stops we made along the way, it wasn't until around 2 PM when we finally arrived in Sheridan. There was quite a bit of construction as we entered the town but we finally reached the historic district and the main street through town:

It really was not quite what we expected. Although there were many shops that carried unique western goods, the prices seemed high to us and the town itself had no special "charm" like some of the other Wyoming towns we have visited. Maybe we came at the wrong time of the season, but we left a little disappointed at the town itself.

Anyway, we left with clouds and a little rain, to do the northern route on the trip back at around 3:30 PM. The trip along Alt US 14 was very different from the southern route that we took on the way out. For starters, the scenery was much different - more rolling, forested hills, and not many switchbacks until the end of the pass when we began the downgrade which was mostly a 10% grade. It was very beautiful and exciting for us as we saw 3 moose on the way through the pass. Here was the first one that was right alongside a turnout on the road:

We were able to get within about 20 feet of this one. The second one was further off the road and was in bushes, eating, and it remained mostly hidden but we were able to get this shot, which shows that it was larger than the first one we saw:

We discovered the third moose about 20 yards away from the one above, and it was a cow that was obviously traveling with the big bull:

We also saw a blacktail deer cross the road as we traveled through the remaining portion of the northern route. The mountains were beautiful:

and we came out to the western edge of the pass and took this shot looking west toward Cody:

Although the town of Sheridan was a little disappointing to us, the trip was fabulous and we were glad we took the 2 different routes. The beauty of this state continues to amaze us.

We stopped in Powell on the way home and had Chinese buffet at the restaurant we discovered with Karen and George several weeks ago. It was again delicious, and by the time we got home it was nearly 8 PM.

Our plan for today was to clean out the basement and the truck, but so far, it is pretty nasty outside so we are taking our time to tackle that project. Until tomorrow...

It's Off to Sheridan

There is a nice town east of here, through the Bighorn mountains, called Sheridan. It is a western town with lots of history and is about a 2 1/2 hour drive from Cody. That's our destination for today. We will leave as close to 9:30 as possible and plan to spend the entire day traveling there and back. The description of the town is below:

"WELCOME. Here in Wyoming, it's more than just a word. It's the sincerity of a smile, the friendliness behind a simple "Howdy," and the authentic real West charm of Sheridan,Wyoming.

Sheridan is one of Wyoming's jewels, where fabled Western history and dramatic mountain vistas meet New West comfort and the serenity of wide open spaces. Enjoy a frontier spirit that values friendship - and independence."

Sounds like a place anybody would love to go, right?  We'll let you know how it goes, and hopefully we'll get some good pictures along the way.

We will pack a lunch and probably stop at one of the "vistas" to enjoy. The weather is questionable at the moment, but I saw a forecast that promises sunny skies and highs in the low 80's at Sheridan.

Tomorrow will be our "housekeeping day" where we will do the cleaning and consolidating of our basement and miscellaneous stuff that is in the back seat of the truck. We also had the Jeep serviced yesterday, so it is ready for the long trip back east in early October. The truck still needs to be serviced but we will have that done in a couple weeks, just before we leave.

Off to Sheridan...

Planning This Weekend

With one more work day to go this week, we are beginning to think about how we will spend our 2 days off. There are several things we need to get done to begin preparing for our departure in early October. The main things, and the most important, are to get the truck and the Jeep serviced. Maybe we can get the Jeep done tomorrow as it is the vehicle we use the most. The truck will be more expensive, but can wait until we get closer to the time we leave. We also need to get some work done on consolidating and removing some of the "stuff" we have in our basement storage compartment. There are clothes that we can donate to the local thrift store at the senior center, and then there are some other things that can just be thrown away. By consolidating the basement, I can get rid of some things I have been carrying around in the back seat of the truck.

Josie will probably do some laundry on one of our days off and it would be nice to take a drive somewhere that will provide some fun time. There are a few places that we want to revisit, including at least one more day trip to Yellowstone.

It's hard to believe that we have been here over 3 months, and the total time spent here will end up being 4 months. Next to Happy Jack, AZ, this is the longest stint we've had. It is mostly because we have some very good choices of locations to spend the summer months, as opposed to the winter months, when almost all of the choices are limited to the (crowded) south. It's also been almost 2 years now since we purchased the truck and the fifth wheel for our adventure and we are very happy that we made the decision. There's lots more to come...

Changing Traffic Patterns at Work

For the second straight day we had 3 tours come in to the cabins. These tours create a lot of extra business in the gift shop and Josie stays busier than normal, which is good for her. The effect it has on my day is the opposite. The tours fill the cabins with only  a few rooms left to fill with reservations, and by 7 PM we are done our work for the day at the front desk. The tours bring in mostly people from foreign countries and there are no more kids since they are all back to school now. These older, foreign travelers love to spend.

Today will be a little different from the last 2 days. There are no tours scheduled in and we have about 45 cabins to sell. That makes for a super busy day for us at the front desk since the cabin show-ers (4-5 of them) are constantly on the radios to us indicating what cabins they are showing and what cabins they have sold after which they bring the people in to do the check-in.

Another sign of the season winding down is another "thank-you" pizza lunch that has been scheduled tomorrow for the gift shop personnel. That means that Josie goes to this one and I stay home. Remember the last one I went to and she had to stay home. I don't know why they couldn't have just one big party for all the people so that the couples could all go together. Oh, well.

It's still pretty cold here today (low of 38 this AM), but it seems like it might be starting to warm up a little. We hope that there still are some days left that will reach into the 80's before we leave. That's about it for now...

Sunny But Cold

Yesterday was probably the slowest day at work since we arrived. There were 3 tours that came in and we only had 8 reservations to check in. With only 5 other cabins to sell, we were essentially all done by about 7 PM. Of course, we still had to stay around to finish our shift which, for me, ended at 10:30 last night. A long evening. Josie was somewhat busier and had to work until 11 PM.

The weather pattern appears to be changing for the fall season. Our low temperature was 37 degrees this morning - and sunny. People that have been here more than one year say that it is normal for this time of year. We hope that it doesn't get too cold before we leave here in early October, so we are holding our breath.

We've done a little more research on Campbellsville, KY, where we will be for 2 months while working at Amazon.com. It is situated close enough to the major cities of Louisville, Lexington, Bowling Green and Nashville, that we will very easily be able to take trips to those cities on our time off. We are getting anxious to move on, even though we love it here and may come back again next year. Four months is about long enough to spend in one area at a time. Until tomorrow...

Back To Work

Yesterday was our back-to-work-again day and it was busy as a result of the Labor day weekend. We expect it to really slow down though after this weekend and there should be mostly just tour business and not so many reservations. In the middle of September - around the 15th - we begin to close down 10+ cabins each week, until the end of the month when they all close for the season. Also, the employee discount program begins today which provides for all employees to take 50% off of every item left in the store. There are some pretty good deals and Josie has already stashed away some nice items to buy for when the sale starts.

Fall is definetly in the air. Temperatures are barely making it into the low 80's these days and we see more clouds than we have seen during the rest of the season. It makes for great sleeping weather though.

We are lining up the chores for the rest of the time we have left here - about 4 more weeks. The basement of our rig needs to be consolidated and I have to find a way to empty the back seat of the truck, once for and all. I have files and some other boots and miscellaneous stuff that I haven't used since we set out on this adventure. It's time to clean house.

We have also decided to take the southern route to Patty's house when we leave here in early October. That means taking I-80 through Nebraska and Iowa, instead of I-90 through South Dakota and Minnesota. We had originally planned to stop at Mt Rushmore, but now we don't want to take a chance on having a freak snow storm in early October that would cause problems traveling in that area. Instead of picking up I-90 in Buffalo, WY - after traveling through some mountains - we will pick up I-80 in Cheyenne, WY, and travel through no mountains. It makes more sense, and we will make South Dakota a destination for next year sometime. That's about it for now...

Legend Rock and Petroglyphs

We took our time getting ready to leave Riverton as it was only about 150 miles away from Cody. The trip through the Wind River Canyon between Riverton and Thermopolis was still beautiful. This time, we took a shot of the teepees where the rafters take out of the river on one of their shorter rafting trips:

 We then arrived in Thermopolis and, once again, we soaked in the Hot Mineral Springs in town and had lunch there before leaving at around 2 PM. We stopped at the Chamber of Commerce office in town on the way out and picked up, among other things, information on a place called Legend Rock. The procedure is to take a key and permit - available at the Chamber office - to the site which is about 30 miles north of town. After you enter through the locked gate, you can walk the path in front of the cliff that contains the nearly 300 petroglyphs made by indians over the last several thousand years. It is  amazing to try and visualize these tribes from thousands of years ago, creating these unusual pictures which tell a story that only they could understand. Following are pictures of the cliff and several of the petroglyphs:

This cliff was a wall of rock on one side of a valley that was probably the village for these indians over the years. They probably carved these petroglyphs during the years they lived in this valley. Below is a picture - taken from on top of this cliff - of part of this valley which had a creek flowing through the entire length:

We dropped the key in the drop box outside the gate and left. The remaining part of the trip home was mostly uneventful, except for some pronghorn antelope that crossed the highway in front of us just a few miles south of Cody. We caught these shots of them as they ran down to join the rest of their herd:

We arrived home at around 5:30 PM, unloaded everything from the Jeep, rested a little,  and then took a little walk downtown to get an ice cream cone at our favorite cafe. Sheesh! It closed at 7 PM and it was about 7:15 when we arrived there. So, we came home, got in the Jeep, and drove to the DQ at the other end of town and finished our 3 day trip with a Sundae and a Blizzard. It was a very enjoyable trip, and one that couldn't have been much better - even with the first day rain...