Bad Weather Day

It was raining in the AM yesterday and remained wet and very cool all day. There was a short break in the weather around noon, so we jumped in the truck and drove north to try and get a view of some bears that we heard about at the northern entrance to the Tetons. Part of our objective was to stop at a bicycle shop that is close to the entrance of the Tetons that rents bikes and also sells them. Our purpose was to get some advice on distinguishing between the confusing types of bicycles that are available and help deciding what we should buy based on our projected use. Just before arriving at the cycle shop, we saw cars lined up before the bridge over the Snake River which was a popular area for moose last year. Sure enough, there was a lone bull moose grazing about 100 feet off the road and next to the river:

He was still in velvet as you can see, but this guy will have an impressive rack in about a month.

Our visit to the cycle shop was productive as they described the different bicycles and suggested we look for bikes that are in the medium size and are the comfort style. They had some, of course, but they were priced way beyond what we want to spend. They also have a program where you can rent a new bike for the season for $225, and purchase it for $200 at the end of the season or turn it back in. That was an enticing option, but still too expensive for our needs. Our hunt will continue.

We cancelled the drive to see the bears as the weather worsened and we didn't want to waste time looking for animals that would most likely be bedded down in the poor weather.

The last bit of advice on bicycle shopping was given in this article in consumer reports which pretty much says it all. We consider ourselves as casual users, so we are about ready to take the plunge.

It appears that the weather is improving today, even though it is still cool - 41 this morning - so we hope to get outdoors to do something to take advantage of our second day off this week...

End of First Week Working at Lodge

Before heading to work for our final day of the first work week, we went looking for bikes. Our neighbor and co-worker here in the park - Harvey - purchased a bike in Jackson in 2010 at a local pawn shop for $50. Josie and I thought we would check out the pawn shops to see if there were any deals. There weren't. There were several bikes available, but we weren't going to spend $400 on one, nor are we going to acquire a bike that needs another $100 in work before it can be ridden. We surfed the web and found that there are many choices of good bikes that would satisfy our need at Walmart online. They also include free shipping which means we don't have to travel to the nearest one in Idaho Falls. We will study the reviews on the various models and probably get a couple bikes delivered from Walmart. Before that, we will look at the selection at our local Kmart in Jackson.

It was spitting rain off and on all morning yesterday but we decided to mow the lawn anyway since it was getting very high. On the way back from our bike search, we stopped at the maintenance shed here at the RV park and picked up the mower and trimmer. Josie said she wanted some exercise, so she mowed while I trimmed. It didn't take more than about a half hour to complete the whole job:

Our first work week is in the books and it really did go fast. We received our schedule for June yesterday and, as we hoped, we will be working the afternoon shift (3PM - 11PM) from Saturday through Wednesday each week. We will also be working with Donna most of those days which is fine with us.

It's still raining this morning so our plans for the day are still undecided. There is a spot in the northern section of the Tetons where bears are common that we may try if the sun peaks through, so our fingers are crossed...

Mid Season Form

The last two nights at work seemed like we were in mid season form with the crowds and having two buses checking in. The Memorial day weekend is like a switch for business. Our lodging rates are still at the low season level so the guests are enjoying some real deals. The standard room has been going for $59 per night versus a normal rate, beginning on June 1, of $125.

Our shift last night with Donna was eventful. She received a call from her daughter who is staying with her and temporarily house sitting another friend's home that the friend's huge dog was taken to the pound. A neighbor had called the pound after the dog, homesick for his owner, was bothering them. The owner is in Alaska for several months and Donna had to contact them with the news. It will cost about $400 in shots before the pound will release the dog, another $100 for costs for boarding and handling the dog and probably a few more dollars to get a proper harness and leash for the animal before the pound will release him. Donna was on the phone most of the night trying to coordinate a rescue for the dog from the pound and arrange payment from Alaska for all the charges. Donna will have to handle the dog's return this morning before she comes back to work again this afternoon. Obviously, this neighbor is in for a tough time with the owners when they return.

The weather interrupted an attempt by me to mow the grass yesterday. I drove the truck over to the maintenance shed to pick up the mower and trimmer, gassed up the mower, and when I started loading them in the truck it started to rain. That ended that chore. It has been raining, off and on, since then so there won't be any attempt to mow the lawn until at least our first day off tomorrow.

We're trying finalize some plans for our days off but we will watch the forecast to decide which activity to do first. One thing we are investigating is the purchase of a couple bikes to take advantage of all the bike trails around Jackson Hole. It would be a great way to get the exercise we are missing by not using a fitness center. The bikes would come in handy at most any place we stay, but we would the have the problem of transporting them when we leave. That means additional equipment for the trailer so we are taking this step nice and easy...

Back to the Routine

It has been easy to get back into the routine and procedures at work. For the first time we are able to start working and know pretty much everything that has to be done and how to do the job. It appears that we may have the same schedule for all 5 days we work each week. The real advantages are that we get our mornings and early afternoons to ourselves and we get home at a decent time at night - 11 PM. We will miss some of our favorite shows on TV but with our DirecTV DVR, we are able to copy the shows and watch them the next morning without advertisements as we can fast forward through those. Actually, it's a great way to watch any TV show.

We worked with someone last night that we knew from last year but had not worked the same shift with - Tasha. She lives in her Big Country fifth wheel on site in the full time employee area and has worked here for 5 years and lives here year round. She is a very knowledgeable and fun person to work with so we are happy with our scheduled co-worker assignments. It should be a very pleasant summer.

There were no unusual incidents last night and we had a smooth shift behind the front desk. We are anxious to begin our off-days activities and will begin scheduling some fun things pretty soon - beginning on Thursday of this week. We have the same days off as last year, so I will look at how we spent our days off to make sure the timing is right for some of the activities. The river rafting trip needs to be scheduled early in June to take advantage of the best river conditions, and our hiking will begin with the peak wildflower season. There will be some new activities along with some of the same activities as last year. The nice thing is, we never get tired of doing anything in the Parks that are so convenient...

First Day Back to Work

Before mentioning our first day back to work, I wanted to show a few more of the photos we took following the parade on Saturday. We took a short drive through the southern part of Jackson Hole to locate the Lutheran Church that we will most likely be attending while here this summer - on Sundays we will be home in the morning.

There is some nice farmland and horse properties south and west of town. A few samples:

Another barn:

 

 

One of the small roads leading into a condo complex:

 

 

 

There are also some properties with a peek-a-boo view of the Tetons such as this one:

 

 

 

And finally, the church:



 

 

 

Our first day back to work was almost like we hadn't left at all. We were a bit concerned that we would forget how things were done and would have to re-learn the computer procedures. It took us one transaction each to recall how things are done and it was like we didn't have any time away from the system. Nothing has changed with the procedures, and we had a nice time working with Donna again. There was a brief period when the phones rang off the hook as a result of a water pump problem which caused several rooms to be without water until our maintenance person discovered that there was a breaker that needed to be reset. The crowds are growing already and it won't be long before the days will be filled with check-ins and check-outs and other problems that make the job interesting.

 

The schedule for June hasn't been posted yet, so we aren't sure how our weekend schedule will look. So far, it looks like we will be working the 3 to 11shift on Mondays through Wednesdays. It really doesn't matter much to us. We had a chance to watch the Indy 500 yesterday before work, so the late shift will have its advantages. Today, we will work with a person that we haven't worked with before, but know very well from last year. Happy Memorial Day everybody...

 

 









Old West Days

There will be some kind of activity in Jackson Hole just about every weekend from now until October. This weekend kicked it off with the annual Old West Days:

which included a parade for Memorial Day Weekend. We went early to find a good parking space and arrived at around 9:15 for the 10 AM parade. After having a latte at the local bagel shop in town, we found a good spot to watch the parade:

Right at 10 AM there was a flyover by an old biplane:

and the parade was started.

There was the usual color guard:

and many different themes, floats and clubs. We took about 120 photos for the day so we can only show a small sampling.

There were mountain men, such as this one:

 Lots of horses:

 Covered wagons:

 Pack Mules:

 These sled dogs pulling a truck:

 Smokey the Bear representing the Forest Service:

 and the usual fire trucks from the local fire department:

 The crowd was huge and following the parade, everybody that was staying for more of the festivities went over to the Town Square:

We spent some time walking through the Square and captured this sign:

which was made funny as there is a dog in lower right of the photo. It wasn't the only one, so I guess signs don't mean much.

The Town Square is in the center of town and has this monument commemorating local soldiers who lost their lives in all the wars:

There were stands set up around the Square, and we snapped this shot of a local we saw who was dressed in a sheriffs outfit with his dog, who had a deputy badge and 2 six guns strapped to his back:

Entertainment began at 11:30 and included the group from the Bar-J Ranch where they have the dinner and western show held each night during the summer:

This is the 36th year that they have been entertaining at the Bar-J and we will certainly go again this year to the dinner and show.

We had lunch downtown at the New York City Sub Shop where they have what is advertised as the 3rd best Philly cheese steaks in the country. It was a favorite spot last year and thought we would try it out again. We splurged and enjoyed every bite.

Today begins our second summer of working at the Virginian Lodge and we start at 3 PM and will work until 11 PM. We're not sure yet what the final schedule will look like, but we expect a mix of late shift and day shift with having Thursday and Friday off again - the same as last year.

A couple other notes- today is Pop's birthday and he would be 92 today, and our grandson Austin is graduating from high school today -  he will have a couple weeks of free time before heading to Western Michigan University to begin his football camp. Congratulations to him...  

Northern Section of Tetons

When we drove through the Grand Teton National Park last Sunday as we arrived, it was in pouring rain and so cloudy we couldn't see the mountains. Yesterday, we drove to the northern section of the park to see what we missed on the way down.

Starting with Sleeping Indian Mountain which was very visible in the bright sunshine:

Overall, the views on our trip through the northern section of the park were spectacular for different angles of these mountains:

 

While there are many turnouts and viewpoints along the drive, a special stop for us has always been the Jackson Lake area and the Jackson Lake Lodge. The dam is along the drive just before arriving at the Lodge turnoff, and we took a couple shots of that dam:

The view of the lake and the mountains isn't bad either from this location:

The dam actually controls the water flow into the Snake River at this location. The water was being released into the river at a very high rate while we were there. That means that the snow runoff is beginning to fill Jackson Lake and the Snake River will be rising to create some great river rafting trips. Of course, the Snake River also receives snow runoff of its own, so it will be interesting to watch the changes in the river.

Our stop at the Lodge included a small hike to the top of the hill adjacent to the lodge building where there are some great views of the lake and the surrounding area:

By the way, we discovered that the yellow flowers we thought were Helianthela are actually Balsamroot, but they are very similar and both in the sunflower family. We also saw some different wildflowers - Low Larkspur, while walking this trail at the lodge:

We expect to see more and more of the different wildflower varieties as time goes on and the weather stays warm.

The most unbelievable sight so far was on our way home. We drove past this huge field to the east of the main highway when we spotted a herd of elk, running through the field:

While watching these elk, we saw some bison in the distance in the same field:

and then, to our amazement, there was a herd of pronghorn close to the elk who were chasing them away. Here is a rare view of an elk herd, a pronghorn herd and bison, all together in the same field:

It is the largest, single gathering of wildlife we have seen so far this year.

There is a celebration in Jackson Hole this weekend - Old West Days - which is held every year on Memorial Day Weekend. We plan to attend the Parade this morning at 10 AM and maybe participate in some of the other activities. It is our final day today before starting our work schedule tomorrow. What a week it has been...

First Trip to Idaho Falls

Since it was cloudy and the day's weather was unpredictable, we used the day to travel to Idaho Falls for our first visit this year. That is where we go, about 70 miles away, to shop for some major items like paper products, vitamins, detergents, etc. Josie also wanted to get her hair done and that is the cheapest location for that. There is a Walmart and a Sams Club there which makes the trip worthwhile. Plus, it is a very nice, scenic drive.

The negative as far as Josie is concerned is that we travel over Teton Pass to get there. It is a very steep - 10% grade - and winding road to get from Jackson Hole into Victor Idaho on the other side. The photo from near the top of the pass wasn't too bad considering the haze and clouds:

 

The Pass highway can be seen in the above photo and that is Jackson in the far valley.

There is a sign at the pass summit that was taken down for renovation last year but we stopped and got a couple photos of the new sign from the summit:

We no sooner got back in the truck to descend from the summit into Idaho, when Josie saw two moose, our first sighting of the year, on the side of the road, barely visible through the trees. We pulled over to the side of the road and Josie snapped these photos of the moose.

The second moose is barely visible in the trees in the upper right of the second photo.

We visited the Walmart in Idaho Falls and stopped at Sams Club to pick up the items we needed and Josie got her hair done while we were there. We also stopped at the DQ in Idaho Falls and had a Blizzard before leaving town.

We never got a shot of the Wyoming welcome sign this year so we snapped that on our return to Jackson:

I placed some photos of the early wildflowers in yesterday's post and the Heliantha (yellow, sunflower-like flowers) were everywhere on the hillsides and in the meadows:

The pictures just don't do justice for these flowers. We came home a different way, through Alpine, WY, so that we didn't have to come over the pass again. It adds about 12 miles to the trip, but is another, different, and scenic way to travel from Idaho Falls.

We are blessed with another sunny day today so, with only 2 days remaining before we start work, we will take full advantage of the day - somehow...