Fires in Idaho

Our trip to Idaho Falls yesterday included a bit of uncertainty about the wildfire situation. We had heard that the fire was huge and that there was a chance it could impact the traffic flow from Swan Valley to Idaho Falls. This is a shot of one area of the fire and you can see how the entire hillside is aflame:

It was burning in many different areas, but this one was the closest to the highway.

Our fire situation is improving and we plan to take a drive today to the area that was closed for most of last week as a result of the effort to control the burn. We will (hopefully) have some shots from that area for tomorrow.

Tomorrow, we are planning another drive to an earlier fire location which was south of town, and in an area where we enjoyed many hours of taking in the beauty and soaking in the mineral spring nearby. We will go there if the road is open and the public is allowed...

Wildfires

It's been a crazy summer for wildfires. The one in the northern section of the Grand Teton National Park flared up again yesterday just as news was spreading that it was contained. The road to Yellowstone is still closed and will be for at least one more day. The wildfire in Eastern Idaho is finally contained, but is the largest wildfire in Idaho history in terms of area burned. We will be traveling through that area today on our way to Idaho Falls. These fires have done more than just burn property. We have felt the effects of the smoke the last few days with sore throats and breathing problems. It will be a relief to see all the fires extinguished.

As mentioned, we will be traveling to Idaho Falls today. I have a 1 PM appointment with my dentist to get an adjustment made to my new bridge. It has been difficult eating solid foods since I picked it up last week and I hope to get it fixed before my dentist leaves for his vacation to France later this week.

At least we don't have to make another visit to the Ford dealer in town. It appears that the "check engine" light is off to stay for now. The truck seems to be running OK.

As of now, there are no plans for our other two days off this week. Depending on the fire situation, we may drive to affected areas to try and see the effects on the landscape...

Road Still Closed

The main road - in fact, the only road - from the Grand Teton National Park to Yellowstone remains closed at the north end of our park. The only way that anybody can drive to Yellowstone is through Idaho and enter Yellowstone at the West Entrance. We haven't really felt much of an impact except that people need to be shown the route on a map, and we have spent a lot of time reviewing those options with visitors. The fire is just about out now, but the trees need to cool down and the Forest Service will cut down trees that are a threat to fall on the road over the next day or so. The haze from the fire has just about dissipated, as can be seen from this photo taken on the way to work yesterday:

You can also see that the snow is just about gone from the mountains.

As we get into September, the trees will begin to change to their Fall colors and the days will get shorter. We can see that happening now as it is still dark outside at 6 AM this morning. It is a beautiful time of the year, and we hope to get some nice photos of the changing colors over the next several weeks.

Today is our Friday, and we look forward to having the next three days off. There is one more trip to Idaho Falls planned as I need to have an adjustment made to my new bridge. It is creating some soreness to my gums, and I have to get it adjusted before the dentist leaves on a two week vacation to France. I sure hope he can see me before he leaves on Wednesday...

Earthquake

The news from yesterday was that we felt our first earthquake in the region. Actually, Josie felt it as I was waiting on a customer when it hit and didn't notice it at all. It was a magnitude 4.8 which is large enough to cause damage in a populated area. This one was in a fairly remote area, about 30 miles from Jackson. We know that there are always small earthquakes around the Tetons as they are constantly growing.

Also at work yesterday, Josie took a few shots of our workplace which are below. These first two are of the elk scene that is so prevalent in the building:

and finally, this one of yours truly standing at the register:

That will probably take care of the inside photos of our workplace for this year.

It is nice knowing that we only have two more days to work this week. The three days off schedule came just in time to wind down our summer season this year. With only September to go, it is getting close to the time when we have to plan our return to Arizona for the winter. At this point, we aren't exactly sure when we will leave as we volunteered to stay for a few days following our commitment which officially ends on September 30. Whatever the date we leave, it will not be more than a few days into October so that we can beat any snowstorms out of the area...

Early Planning

We received a request at work yesterday to indicate our plan for next year. The management at the Grand Teton Association, our employer, wants to start early to plan for next year. We were given a form letter to complete that states our desire to return next season, our location preference, dates of availability, housing required (site preference), and type of position - paid or volunteer. It is a terrific idea as most RVer's want to plan well in advance. We will submit our request, but next year we would want to work only 4 days per week in order to do more things in the area. This year, we have been so tired from working that we didn't feel like hiking, biking or exploring. Also, we have had several issues that have interfered with our planned activities. We have a lot of time to think about next year, and we will take some time to think about the right course for us to take.

It is still very hazy from the area wildfires. The main road connecting the Grand Teton National Park with Yellowstone is still closed as a result of a huge fire burning just north of the Park. It has severely hampered the traffic flow between the parks and the volume of visitors has dropped accordingly. It's a shame that the number of people visiting should be peaking with the free admission to the Parks while celebrating the 100th Anniversary of the National Parks and not growing smaller. All of the area fires have started with lightening strikes, so it hasn't been the result of negligence. There aren't any easy routes to take between the Parks, and people have to go at least 100 miles out of the way to visit Yellowstone from here. Likewise, coming south out of Yellowstone to Jackson is not an easy trip right now. No matter what, it is still one of the prettiest areas in the country...

Extra Day Off

We decided that it was really nice having an extra day off this week. It could become the standard. Add to that the fact that we aren't scheduled in to work until 10:45 this morning, and we can certainly get used to this schedule.

Our target for the day was to get haircuts. We went to a salon in Jackson - Frost - that was recommended by our previous supervisor (Bridget) at the Moose Visitor Center. Sheesh. We can't afford more than one haircut every six months at the rates we paid for what we believe is a below average haircut. It cost us $135, including tip, to sit in the chair for about 20 minutes while the work was being done. We didn't even receive a styling for that money. There is no future for that place in our lives.

Our schedule only has us having the extra day off for the next three weeks. There are about 5 weeks left, so we might have to go the last two weeks working the original 5 day schedule. Maybe we'll get lucky and talk our supervisor into allowing the three days off each week for the rest of the way. Our fingers are crossed...

Some Relief

We received a call from our supervisor early yesterday morning asking if we might want to try a four day week schedule. You betcha! We have  another couple that has joined the staff for the next three weeks and she asked if we might want to do 4-day weeks during that period. We have been wanting to go to that schedule for quite awhile. That means we will have Tuesday thru Thursday off for the next three weeks.

We went to Idaho Falls again yesterday to pick up my bridge and to stop at the Ford dealer again. I'm set to go now with my teeth. We got about two blocks from the Ford dealer and the "check engine" light went out. It has been out since that time. Anyway, the service advisor was off yesterday, but they gave me a partial check for reimbursement of the car rental. I expect to get the rest of it when Ford approves the rental. It sure is a relief to have that light out, so we will see how the truck runs now.

The trip to Idaho Falls was unique in that we drove through a fairly thick haze the entire trip. There are forest fires just about everywhere between Jackson and Idaho Falls and it was not a pretty drive. It is also not healthy to breathe this smoke, so we are hoping that it changes very soon.

We plan to use our "new" day off today to get haircuts and to do some work around the RV. We may request a 4-day week from now on wherever we work as the five day weeks are wearing us down. We have not done a lot of fun stuff on our days off this year, mainly because we have been so tired and have been dealing with other issues.

I saw two moose (cows) again this morning that were just grazing in the campground. It seems like they are becoming regular occupants of our campground, so maybe they are getting used to us. So far, they appear to be harmless...

Good Catchup Day

We spent a good day around the RV catching up on some chores. The main thing was to empty - and clean - the black holding tank. It has been a while since I thoroughly washed out the black tank which tends to get a coating of "solids" in the tank. If I don't clean it out regularly - aside from just emptying the tank - it begins to get an odor that can be bothersome inside the RV.

The second main chore was to defrost the freezer which was sorely needed. After a while, the frost builds up and it doesn't operate as efficiently as it does with all the frost removed. We are set to go for another couple months.

We were surprised last night at around dinner time when three moose came walking through the campground. I could only get two at a time in the shots I took, but they casually walked through just as the big bull did the day before:

Once again, we are headed to Idaho Falls today to get more work done on the truck and to pick up my completed bridge at the dental office. The frustration builds over the inability of the Ford dealer and - Ford Motor Company - to properly diagnose and fix the problem. We'll see what comes out of today's effort.

Chilling Out

It is now beginning to show a seasonal change in the weather. It now goes down into the high 30's at night, and the daily high is around 78 each day. Soon, we will be seeing the possibility of overnight freezing temperatures. As long as there is no snow, we will be OK.

While driving out of the campground to go to work yesterday, we saw our friend, the huge bull moose again. We rushed to get a couple photos, so these are the results. The first one was taken through the windshield which is why it is not so clear:

and this one, taken outside the truck as he was walking away:

He is definitely a big one.

Our weekend will open with a quiet day as we rest from another busy week. Another trip to Idaho Falls is on the schedule for tomorrow as I wrap up my visits to the dentist, and we try to make some progress with the truck situation.

Now that the Olympics are over, the TV schedule goes back to its mostly boring schedule. I always miss them when they end, but also always look forward to the next one...

Great Run Ends

We were sad to see the great run we had at the Olympics come to an end last night. Even though we didn't see the closing ceremonies last night, we taped it for watching later. I believe we finished with 121 medals which was the third highest of all time for us. Tremendous effort. I did watch the first half of the marathon before going to work yesterday and was thrilled to see the American - Galen Rupp - running right along with the leaders for the first 12 miles. It turns out that he won a Bronze medal in only his second marathon ever. He will be around some more, I'm sure. It's unfortunate that Ryan Lochte, the swimmer, had to cast a dark shadow on the behavior of our team in Rio. It seems like there always has to be some kind of controversy in all of the Olympic games.

Our final work day of the week is today - Amen. This has been a particularly tough week with the trips to Idaho Falls. It's nice that we did take the short break in Pocatello on Tuesday night that helped soften the blow of our truck woes. Hopefully, that will all be fixed this week. We do have to make at least one more trip to Idaho Falls on Wednesday to pick up my completed bridge at the dentist. Josie has decided to wait until we return to AZ to have her work done.

Now that we are getting close to September, all thoughts will be on getting things wrapped up here and heading south. The crowds will begin to lessen in September and the wildlife activity will pick up as we approach mating season for the animals. We are also looking forward to seeing the changing colors as the Fall season approaches...

False Alarm

We left our RV at 6:50 AM yesterday to make the trip to Idaho Falls, turn in the rental vehicle and pick up the truck. It was a little after 9 when we arrived at the Ford dealership. Almost enough time to take care of business and get back home to start work at 10:45. At least we would not be very late.

A half hour was lost as we waited for them to run the truck through their carwash. All was well and we left to head to work. We were about 10 miles out of town when the "check engine" light came back on. We pulled over to the side of the road to call the dealer to let him know. Of course, he said to bring it back. So much for being to work on time. They ran diagnostics again on the truck and this time they discovered a "new" code which they called into Ford. The decision was made to let us drive the vehicle while they worked to discover the meaning of the new code and try to figure out what the problem is. The dealer was confident that it would be OK to drive with the light on.

It was 2 PM by the time we arrived at work. We had no breaks and didn't stop for lunch before getting off work at 7:15 PM last evening. Let me tell you, we are really frustrated over these problems with a new truck that only has 14,000 miles on it and nobody knows what to do to fix it.

We open at work this morning at 7:45 AM and we are so tired from the long day yesterday that it will be tough to make it through the day. Since we have no choice, we will dig down deep to find the energy to make it work...

Truck Fixed

The good news from yesterday was a message from the Ford dealer in Idaho Falls that our truck is fixed. We are concerned that if we do not go there this morning and pick it up, they will not cover the extra days for our car rental if we wait for our next days off (beginning Tuesday). Our supervisor at work said there would be no problem if we went this morning. Our schedule has us closing again today, so our regular start time isn't until 10:45 AM. Our plan is to leave by 7 this morning, pick up the truck by 9 - 9:30 and return home for work by 11 AM. It will make for a long day, but we will be happy to have this whole experience behind us.

There is a new couple starting work today. One of our co-workers (Monica) is returning to college and today will be her final day. She gets to train the new couple on opening procedures which is a shame for somebody to go through on her final day of the season. She will be missed as she was one of the best workers we had. Dealing with new employees with just over a month to go may put a strain on our efforts over the final weeks of the season. The good part is that they will fill open spots on the schedule. We are counting down the time left - about 6 weeks to go...

Another Moose

Our work day went about as expected. We did however, have pizza brought in for lunch by our management to thank us for our hard work this summer. That was a nice gesture and appreciated.

It rained most of the afternoon which surely helped with all the fire danger in the area.

I have not heard that our truck part has arrived or that the repair has been scheduled. I hope to hear something today. If not, I will contact them this afternoon to get and update.

This morning, we go to work at 10:45 and close tonight. The schedule continues to be our main complaint. It is all over the place as one day we open and the next we close. It is really hard to plan anything during any day of the work week. Oh, well.

While watching the start of the Today Show this morning, we spotted this cow moose walking directly behind our RV:

We never know when we will see one, but they frequently walk through the campground. It is kind of a nice benefit to staying here in this particular campground. We expect to see many more toward the end of our season as their movement picks up during the rut which should begin in late September or early October. It should get very exciting during that time...

Back to Jackson

Following breakfast at the hotel yesterday AM, we drove to Idaho Falls for our appointments. That was about a 30 mile drive. Before going to our 1:30 dental appointments, we stopped at Sam's Club to get a few things and at the Ford Dealer to get an update and to grab some items from the truck that we needed. The deal is this: the part was shipped and is expected at the dealership anytime, all of our expenses  (car rental) will be covered , the truck should be ready for pickup early next week. We'll believe all that if and when it happens.

Our appointments at the dental office were started a little early. Everything went OK and we will return again next week to pick up my bridge and to get Josie's work done following her evaluation yesterday - if they can squeeze her in. It was a nice, unexpected overnight trip.

We discovered that our schedule changed a bit from the normal times. Instead of starting late (11:00 AM) following a weekend, we have to open the store at 7:45 AM. We are not too happy about that, but will make it work. It is the practice to start late following a weekend, so we don't know what happened. Anyway, it's back to the grind for another week...

Surprise Trip

The first order of business yesterday was to take the rental truck to the Jackson Airport to swap for another vehicle. It was an easy exchange, and instead of another truck, we picked up an SUV - 2017 Hyundai Sante Fe - with 7400 miles on the odometer. It is a super economical vehicle:

We took a drive to the Colter Bay Visitor Center to check it out and compare to the one where we work. It is forgettable. There s no way we would work at this smaller, much more remote location. It was something that we had to do to satisfy ourselves that we are in the right place.

It was at this time that we made the decision to take a trip to Pocatello and visit the Casino there, stay overnight, and travel to Idaho Falls for our dental appointments today. So, we had to hurry home to pack a bag and get things together for our surprise trip. It was at this time that we spotted the huge herd of Bison that was, once again, close to our campground. These are shots of our encounter with them:

and this last one, with two birds riding on the back of this bull:

We made it to the hotel at the Casino by 5 PM:

It turns out that this is a new Casino in Fort Hall, ID, and it is located on a "dry" Indian Reservation. We had to be careful about smuggling in a bottle of wine for our room.

Anyway, we enjoyed a night of playing the slots - something we haven't done in a long time - and I won $120 while Josie won about $20.

Our appointments are at 1:30 today, so we plan to make a stop at Sam's Club before then. It is nice to get away for a change and enjoy a weekend of something other than dealing with issues...

Word From the Dealership

We received a call from the Ford dealer in Idaho Falls stating that the part he needs to repair our truck is on back order. Wonderful. That means that we will be driving a rental vehicle for at least another week. I made sure that they knew we weren't going to be responsible for payment of any extended vehicle rental beyond the five days they committed to paying last week. He put us in touch with the Customer Service Department at Ford Motor Company. They contacted the Regional Service Manager and assigned a case number for follow-up. We also contacted Enterprise Car Rental to extend the rental and we indicated that we needed to "swap" the vehicle for another as a result of a faulty seat belt. We will exchange vehicles this morning at the Jackson Hole Airport Enterprise location.

So now, we will still travel to Idaho Falls tomorrow for our dental appointments and to do some shopping at Sam's Club and Walmart. Today's plan is to go to our sister Visitor Center in Colter Bay in the National Park to check out their inventory. We each have $50 gift certificates that we received as bonuses from the Association that must be used on inventory items before the end of the season, so we want to try and use them on something that we want, no matter which location among all the stores in the Park. We also get a 40% employee discount on inventory items within any of the stores. It's a nice benefit.

We are looking forward to enjoying our next two days off and resting up for another week...

Cooling Down

It appears that the season is about to change in this area. Our low temperatures have been going down to the low 40's at night the last several days, even though the highs remain in the low 80's during the day. The forecast is for possible showers over the next three days and they are a result of the monsoon moisture creeping up from the south. The showers we get aren't anything like the fierce monsoon storms in AZ, and we are thankful for that. With the weather beginning to change, it means that we are closing in on the final stages of our summer.

Our final work day of this week is today, and we have  at least one more trip planned to Idaho Falls this week. Josie has suggested we travel there tomorrow and spend the night. That way, we will already be there to pick up our truck - if ready - and to be there for our dental appointments scheduled for 1:30 PM on Wednesday. We also have some shopping to do, so maybe that is not a bad idea. It all depends on the truck schedule, and we have not heard anything yet on that situation. We are anxious to get rid of this rental vehicles as there is a problem with the safety belt on the driver's side. It doesn't want to "lock", so we have been putting up with long periods of the warning light and sounds you get when your belt isn't fastened. That's a first. So, our schedule hinges on the truck being repaired, and we hope to hear something from the dealer later today...

Opening at Work and Olympics

Our scheduled days of opening the Visitor Center mean that we have to get up a little earlier and be ready to leave by 7:15 AM on those days. On the one hand, we don't care to get up so early, but we do enjoy getting home at a decent time in the evening - especially with the Olympics in full swing. It has been exciting watching our swimmers add to the gold medal count and watching the "new" swimmers begin to make names for themselves. It is also nice to see Michael Phelps go out in style with four more gold medals this year. He is an Olympic legend now.

Now that the Olympic schedule switches to the outdoor track and field events, we will watch more "new" names making Olympic history and adding to our impressive medal count. The stories coming out of the Olympics are always fun to hear. The TV coverage on NBC has been pretty good so far.

Our second of three consecutive days of opening the Visitor Center is today. We are anxious to get this week over with and get our truck back on Wednesday. The dealer in Idaho Falls has not gotten back to us with a definite schedule, so it is tentative at this point...

Work Schedule

One of our employees at work is scheduled to leave next Saturday. She is one of the most dependable and best employees we have. Josie and I are already working solo shifts on days we open and/or close. There is a new couple slated to begin work next week, but they know nothing about the operation and it will take time to learn. Essentially, we will have more stress and will probably be working more hours by ourselves. Fortunately, there will be fewer people coming to the Visitor Center after September 1 as the schools will be open and fewer people coming here on vacation.

There are just over 6 weeks to go for the season. We can't say at this point if we will return next year. The final stretch this season will determine whether we will come back. There are times when we feel that we should move on and try another area, and there are other times that we are grateful to be able to spend the time we do in this part of Wyoming each summer. Ho hum, we start early this morning as it is the first of three consecutive days that we open the Visitor Center - alone...

Huge Visitor

It was a normal day at work as we went in at 11 AM and closed at 7 PM. Everything went smoothly, and we were home by 7:45 last night.

Shortly after settling in to watch some Olympics coverage on TV, Josie was going into the kitchen to get something and she looked outside and went crazy. She yelled to get my shoes on and get outside with our cameras.

Nonchalantly waking through the campground was the largest bull moose we have ever seen. These photos show the huge bull with the big spread of antlers:

It's amazing that he wasn't bothered one bit by all the attention he was getting from people taking photos of him walking through the park. He may be the moose that we saw earlier in the summer before his antlers grew to the size they are now. We will probably see him again before we leave in early October.

I finally heard from the Ford Dealer in Idaho Falls yesterday AM before leaving for work. He indicated that the problem was a bad filter - Diesel Particulate Filter - whatever that is. They called and got clearance to cover our rental and to order the part. We only hope that they receive the part and get it installed by next Wednesday when we plan to go back to Idaho Falls for dental appointments - and to get the truck...

Wasted Day

These last two days that we have been off were pretty much wasted days. Although I did get my dental work done in Idaho Falls, yesterday we spent the entire day waiting to hear something about our truck that is at the dealership in Idaho Falls. This entire experience with them has been another lesson in poor customer service.

I had to contact the dealership three times during the day in order to get updates. They called me once - to let me know they didn't know any more about what was wrong with our truck or when they expected to have a time when it might be ready to pick up. It turns out that they don't even know what part to order yet, and that will take several days to arrive before they can perform the fix. In the meantime, we called Enterprise Car Rental in Idaho Falls to extend our car rental to one week. I also contacted the Mechanical Protection Plan folks that I contracted with when I purchased the truck to get approval for the car rental and the work being done on the truck.

Josie and I sat around the whole day, reading and waiting for the phone to ring. Josie did get our laundry done, so that was some meaningful activity. These are shots of our site while we had the awnings extended and were relaxing outside. The first shot has our car rental sitting alongside of our RV:

and these, showing our site at other angles:

Fortunately, it was a beautiful day with highs in the low 80's.

Back to work today at 11 AM, and we will work until 7:30 PM. I will be anxious to get the survey email from this car dealership to review our experience with them...

Yes, Another Issue to Deal With

Our trip to Idaho Falls yesterday was an all day affair. It didn't leave any time for shopping at Sam's Club or Walmart as we had hoped. In fact, we will return to Idaho Falls today.

My dental appointment went well enough as the bridge was fitted yesterday for a final appointment next Wednesday which will be the pick-up day. We also scheduled an appointment for Josie at the same time next week for a checkup.

Following my dental appointment, we went to Broadway Ford to get service and to have the "check Engine" light issue checked. The oil change was completed and they put the truck on their computer diagnostic system to check on the engine. They received a code from the analysis that they had never seen before. What? Halfway into the model year (2016) and the dealers get a code they have no clue about? Why doesn't Ford give dealers a list of all codes that could possibly appear from an analysis?  Makes no sense to me. Anyway, we had to rent a vehicle from the Enterprise Car Rental company located in Idaho Falls. We have a 2015 Ram 1500 Pickup - the only vehicle available - and it doesn't get much better gas mileage than our own truck.

With today being our final day off for the week, the dealer has to find out from Ford how to fix our problem, fix it, and have it available for pickup sometime today. If I don't hear from them by 10 AM, I will call to get an update. I have this horrible feeling that the truck will not be ready today and we will have to extend our rental for a week. If that happens, you can bet I will go after Ford for reimbursement for our rental.

Never a dull moment...

Elkfest Auction Photos

Every year, the Elk Refuge feeds and supports about 7,000 elk that winter there. The elk begin arriving in mid to late November, depending on the snowfall in the high country. They are fed on the Elk Refuge, and about late February/early March, the bulls lose their antlers to begin new summer growth. The local Boy Scout troops gather up all of the dropped antlers from the Elk Refuge following the departure of the elk back to their normal summer range.

The Boy Scouts sort and prepare the antlers for the huge auction which provides funding for another year for the Boy Scout programs and camps. One of my co-workers was present in April of this year for the latest Elkfest Auction, and took these photos of the project:

That is one program that is fascinating to follow. Many of these antlers go to local merchants - including the Grand Teton Association of which we are part - and use them to generate funds for the Boy Scouts. I, personally, have sold some of these antlers in our store, and those funds all go back to the Boy Scouts.

We head to Idaho Falls today for my dental appointment. Following that, we will go to the Ford Dealer in town and have the truck serviced and checked. There is a potential problem as my "check engine" light is on. Just what we need - another issue to deal with...

Stormy Day

Almost the entire day was filled with off-and-on thunderstorms. We really need the rain to help with the wildfires that are still burning in the state but we had to stay inside for our breaks as the timing was such that the storms were passing through at those times.

One of our staff read the schedule wrong and came into work at 7:45 instead of her scheduled 11:00 AM. It was nice to have the extra help in the morning, but it made for a super long day for her as she had to stay until 7 PM to help close. That is one thing we hope never happens with us. It is a long enough day without misreading the schedule to make it longer.

Our week winds down today with another early start. Looking forward to 4:15 when we can start our weekend...

Working Alone

Yesterday I mentioned that our schedule had us opening the store for three days and closing for two days - alone. We worked from 7:45 AM until 11 AM yesterday with no help in the store. Then, only one other person came in to help. We missed our morning and afternoon breaks as there was no one to cover for us during those times. To make up for that, we left work early at 4 PM. Today will be a repeat except that there will be two people coming in at 11 AM.

Below are a couple shots that I took of the store so you can see how nice it is:

Yep, that's Josie behind the counter in the first shot.

Our friends Eileen and Ed are leaving this morning for visits to Yellowstone and Washington to visit family. They will be back in a few weeks for another visit in this area before heading back to their home in Florida. Meanwhile, we will be sticking it out at the Visitor Center at the Elk Refuge until the end of September...

Stepping Up

Our new schedule at the National Elk Refuge Visitor Center includes two days of closing alone at night, and three days of opening alone in the mornings. Our last two months at the Moose Visitor Center we performed those functions, but always with someone else scheduled at the same time. The job is basically the same except there are more items to include in the reporting. The new location includes sales from permits and licenses which we didn't have to report at the other location. We like the added responsibility, but the hours still stink.

Still no word from the Highway Patrol about the accident report, so I guess we will wait at least until Monday to hear anything about that. We still have no clue about the status of the Mexican driver who caused the whole thing.

The last thing to mention is that we missed seeing three moose outside our RV yesterday AM. Our neighbor in the park told us that they were romping around our rigs at about 7 AM. Usually, I can see those things happening from my window when I work at the computer in the AM, but yesterday I was in front of the TV watching the Today show about the Olympics. Maybe next time...

Accident Update

We really don't have much to update except that I reported the accident to our insurance company yesterday morning. I have no update on insurance issues from the other parties involved. The Highway Patrol indicated it would be a few days before we would receive an accident report. I do know that my damage will be estimated when we return to AZ in October. It isn't anything that needs to be repaired before then, and the nearest body shop endorsed by my insurance company is not within a 50 mile radius of Jackson, WY.

My insurance company also indicated that they would pay for the repairs - with a $500 deductible - and they would go after repayment, including the deductible , from the other drivers' insurance companies. What a mess.

With less than two months to go this season, we are beginning to look forward to our return to AZ to regain some normal events in our life. Our season in Jackson has, so far, reflected how our year of 2016 has gone for us so far. Maybe the second half will be filled with good things and happy occasions...

Accident

As if we needed more issues to deal with, we were involved in a car accident last night on our way to dinner with our friends. We were driving through town in Jackson, about two blocks from our destination at the Artisan Pizza restaurant - five minutes before our reservation - and we were crawling along in traffic when all of a sudden there was a big jolt. We had been rear-ended by 2004 Audi who was rear-ended by a 2000 Chevy Suburban. The driver of the Suburban was Mexican, had no driver's license and no insurance. Below is a shot of those two vehicles at the accident scene:

The Mexican driver that caused the crash is on the right. The poor girl who was in the middle between our vehicles is shown looking on to her three small children who were not injured. I pulled the truck into the middle lane out of the way as we waited for the Highway Patrol:

When the police and emergency vehicles showed up, we were moved off the highway while the cop collected all of the facts. Here is a shot of the two vehicles damaged the most in the accident:

Those vehicles were both totally disabled and had to be towed away. Fortunately, we were OK and the damage to the truck is not very serious - at least it doesn't look serious:

The plug assembly was shoved up under the hitch and there are scratches on the rear bumper. I will contact my insurance company this AM to get things started.

We made it to the restaurant - over one hour later than our reservation - and we had a terrific meal and great time. These shots are of our friends - Ed and Eileen Ortagus - and Josie sitting at our outside table:

It was a great way to end an otherwise horrible day...

Dental Issues

I received a call from my dental office in Jackson yesterday morning. They indicated that they may not be able to repair my bridge without sending it to the lab in Idaho Falls which could take at least a week with a good turnaround time. That wouldn't work, as I need to be able to eat. They suggested I call the lab directly in Idaho Falls and make an appointment to have it repaired by them directly. Good idea. I called the lab at Park West Dental, and the Technician said "get here as soon as you can as I can take you if it is before 3 PM". Josie and I hustled to get ready and we arrived at the lab in Idaho Falls at 2 PM. My bridge was repaired in about a half hour and I made another appointment for next week on my day off to be fitted with a new bridge. The one he repaired was so old that he was afraid it would not last very long. So, next week I get to graduate to a new one.

We took advantage of our time in Idaho Falls to visit the Walmart and stock up on some food and other items. We also stopped for ice cream at our favorite location in Swan Valley on the way home. Josie wanted to try a different ice cream location recommended to us in Victor which is just over the pass from Jackson. She got a huckleberry milkshake that was not as good as advertised.

We traveled home through the Ranches area of Jackson, and took this photo of one of the several Ranches in the Valley just before arriving home:

It's still a bit hazy from all the wildfire activity, but it shows how pretty it is in the valley.

Our final day off this week will be spent doing some chores around the RV and ending up with another dinner with our friends that we worked with at our first location and who are leaving the area to visit family in Washington State on Sunday. We will eat at the Pizza Artisan in Jackson this time...