New Job Begins

We were on time at 8 AM yesterday for our first day of training at the Virginian Lodge. Judy Peters, Manager, spent the entire 4 hours with us up to noon showing us how things were done. It seems like a very simple system to learn and we feel that with a few real reservations, check-ins and check-outs, we should be ready to go. It is a much more relaxed work environment than most places we've worked and that probably explains why most of these workers are returning every year. There will be some very busy times but we've been in those situations before. We are excited about the next 4 months.

Following our short work day, we decided to take advantage of some clearing weather in the afternoon. We drove through the town of Teton Village just south of the National Park to take a short drive through the southern portion of Grand Teton National Park. I whipped out my Seniors National Parks pass and we were in the Park for the first time since our short stay in 2010. There was lots of new snow on the mountains all around us:

More clouds rolled in so our shots of the Tetons were limited. With 4 more months to go, we're sure to get some excellent, clear pictures of these majestic mountains. We stopped at the new Craig Thomas Discovery and Visitor Center that was on this southern loop road that we took through the small town of Moose. Among all of the other nice features within this Visitor Center, was a display of the Grand Tetons National Park:

It shows the dramatic mountain range of the Tetons and the Jackson Hole Valley between the Tetons and the mountains in Bridger Tetons National Forest to the East. The town of Jackson is at the corner of the display in the left center of the picture above.

It was a short introduction to many trips we will be taking through the Park in the next several months. Along with Yellowstone, just north of the Tetons, we expect to have some great photos of our time in this area, which is our favorite location of all that we've traveled to so far.

Our work day today will be split into (2) two hour segments. The first will be from 9 to 11 AM, and the second from 3 to 5 PM. Judy changed the schedule in order to give us some experience with both check-outs and check-ins today. The full schedule begins on Saturday of this week, following one more training day tomorrow and our regular 2 days off on Thursday and Friday...