Ready for Fall Colors

We have reached the time when this area's foliage will begin to transform into beautiful yellows and reds. We can see the start of this transformation in the bushes and small trees outside our Visitor Center. They will be ready to photograph any day now. The shorter days and cooler mornings will speed up the process and within a couple weeks we will take some of our favorite drives through the local canyons to see the best colors. It seems like once the process begins, it changes rapidly. September is a month of winding down and watching the area begin to transform into winter. We almost were able to put together a plan to watch the entire process and to witness the total transformation. Maybe some other year.

It is sad to watch the news these days with all the tragedy and loss in Texas. It will be months, or perhaps years, before that area returns to any normalcy. The amount of rain in that area is so astounding that it is hard to comprehend. We think of lots of rain in terms of a few inches, but to get over 50 inches in a couple days is mind boggling. We heard this morning that damages are estimated to be about $100 billion. We have lots to be thankful for.

Day number two of our week is today and we will close again. That means a later start - 11 AM - and later finish tonight - 7:30 PM. So far, the schedule hasn't changed for us with all the turnover in staff, and we hope it stays that way...

Planning Our Departure Begins

We started planning our return trip to AZ yesterday. It will be a familiar route from Jackson to Phoenix. The first day, on October 2, will be a stop at the Deer Creek State Park in Utah, near Salt Lake City. That will be followed by a night in Mesquite, NV and then arriving in Laughlin, NV on October 4. We plan to spend two nights in Laughlin before heading to Phoenix and the Pioneer Resort on October 6. Reservations have been made at Deer Creek and we are waiting on confirmation for our reservation in Laughlin at the Riverside Campground. We have taken this route before and enjoyed what we call the "last hurrah" before settling in at Pioneer.

Our weekend ends today and we start work at 11 AM. There will be four straight days of closing before opening on Sunday. Our countdown is about to begin as we have just over four weeks to go...

Spreading the Tabs

One of the moves that I made during our negotiations for our winter stay here in Jackson is one I wish I could take back. I thought that I could save some money by getting Wyoming tabs for our vehicles and get refunds for the AZ registrations - particularly for the truck and the Escape. With a valid address in Wyoming, it was a seemingly good move. I only got the plates for the Ford Escape as I discovered that there was no refund on the AZ tabs unless the vehicle was sold. So, we now have Florida plates on our RV, AZ plates on the truck and Wyoming plates on the Escape. I think that someday we will get common plates for all the vehicles. If it were not for health insurance considerations, we would go back to having all Florida Registrations.

We went to the Virginian Restaurant for breakfast yesterday and enjoyed one of the best breakfasts in town. Not only do you get super large portions, but the bill was only $26 for both of us. It is probably the best breakfast value in Jackson Hole.

The weather has been terrific the last week or so. It has been sunny every day with highs in the low 80's. We expect a change sometime today as thunderstorms are in the forecast for the next several afternoons. It would be nice if it holds off until after our weekend ends today...

Our Weekend Arrives

One more note on the situation in Texas with Hurricane Harvey. It appears now that the storm will remain in the area for at least a few more days and will go out to sea and back again for a third landfall. There has already been 30-35 inches of rain in the Port Lavaca area and it isn't over yet. It is just mind boggling to think about so much rain in such a short time. Horrible.

Our friends and coworkers - John and Vicki Tate - will be heading back to Sun City, AZ, tomorrow AM. We said our goodbyes yesterday afternoon as we left for our weekend. It will be more difficult working the rest of the way this season without them. We have enough people to cover the shifts, but the level of knowledge and work ethic will not be the same. We have worked in tougher situations, so we are ready for the final push.

We have no specific plans for our two days off, but will most likely include a drive somewhere. The weather appears to be holding in a "clear" mode, so it should be nice for the entire two days. The days are getting shorter and the mornings are getting cooler. That means that the trees and foliage will be turning their fall colors anytime now. That should make for some very nice drives within the next couple weeks. This is a special time in this area and we always look forward to the Fall changes...

More on Harvey

Just a short update on the developments of Hurricane Harvey in the east Texas coastal area. The eye of the storm actually came on shore at the city of Rockport - 50 miles from Port Lavaca - and practically destroyed the entire town. It was a Category 4 storm when it hit, and the town of Port Lavaca was hit very hard, although not as hard as Rockport. We are thankful that the same devastation was not felt in Port Lavaca, although it will be weeks, and perhaps years, before they get back to any kind of business as usual. We have not yet heard any reports from the folks in Port Lavaca, but the stories we saw on the Weather Channel were not happy ones. Keep the faith.

Out final day of work this week is today and will be the final day that we work with John and Vicki, our weekend managers from Sun City, AZ, who will leave on Tuesday to return to AZ. They are helping their son who is going through some personal problems and need to leave early this season. We will miss them, but plan to get together in AZ when we are all back in the Phoenix area. So, with about one month remaining, Josie and I are now anxious to get through September and get this season behind us.

We have geared our thinking now to AZ and plan to begin setting up appointments for doctors and other important meetings. There are some major goals that we have set to accomplish during the winter this year, so that is a good location for us at this time. Hopefully, we can beat the snow out of this area in early October...

Fury in Port Lavaca

While watching the Weather Channel last night on the status of Hurricane Harvey, it became clear that Port Lavaca was nearly in the path of the storm center. This morning, the Category 4 hurricane report revealed that the eye just missed Port Lavaca, but was - and is, still a situation that will result in devastating damage to the Texas Lakeside RV Resort where we worked for a very short time. The worse news is that the storm is expected to "stay around" over the weekend and feed off the warm Gulf water. We will give updates as we get them.

It is a blessing that the opportunity at that location didn't work out for us. I can't imagine the turmoil and sacrifices that those folks are going through. Many of the residents at that Park are permanent residents living in their RV's as their only home. Those folks don't have a truck or any way to move their homes out of harms way and I would guess that some have been, or will be, totally destroyed. I'm sure there will be stories of help provided to many of those folks and we pray that it all works out well for them.

Our work right now seems meaningless next to the problems of those people in the East Texas Coast area. In the short time we were there, we learned much about the area and when we hear the hurricane updates, we know precisely where they are talking about. God bless the residents and folks that are going through this terrible event...

Arizona Finalized

It looks like the official destination for the winter season is back to Arizona. With all of the close attempts at a few other nice options, the flower shop in Phoenix produced the best option for Josie - and I will take care of other business. There are several things that we need to accomplish over the winter that can only be done while in the Phoenix area, so that option is in our best interest for now. Our plan now is to leave here in early October, take our time to drive to Phoenix and Josie will begin working at the 19th Ave store sometime around October 15. We still have our reservation at the Pioneer RV Resort which has become our home base for now.

The tropical storm expected to hit the coast in Texas is now predicted to become a Category 3 hurricane by the time it hits the coast on Saturday. It will hit Port Lavaca almost dead center, so there will be some major damage in that area by the time it goes through. At this time, there is 35" of rain forecasted for the area and the storm surge will undoubtedly hit the RV Resort where we worked for a brief time. We pray that all the folks we met while there will be safe and not suffer any major damage.

With just over one month to go here in Jackson, things are beginning to take shape for the foreseeable future...

Alert in Texas

We received a notice yesterday from the Texas Lakeside RV Resort that was a surprise to us. We must still be on their mailing list as the alert came through to us about an evacuation that is planned there over the next couple of days. The tropical storm (Harvey) that is forming in the Gulf is now near hurricane force and is expected to hit landfall in the next couple days - dead center on Corpus Christy near Port Lavaca. We feel bad for the folks that are there and are thankful that we have left the area. I'm sure that the damage will be substantial at the Resort, as there are lots of new construction with cabins and other new RV facilities. Good luck to those folks.

Back to this area and our Visitor Center. We heard that the couple that we work closely with is leaving early next week to help with their son in AZ who going through a separation with his live-in girlfriend. The son and girlfriend recently had a child and they are going to help with the situation. That really puts pressure on our manager to come up with a workable schedule. With only one month to go in the season, it looks like we might have to prepare for some unwanted hours. We'll see. We should know more today when return to work at 11 AM.

Josie is expected to solidify her winter schedule at the flower shop this morning. Right now, they want her to work at the 19th Ave store which is a good fit for her. More on that as we hear more this morning...

Nursing Cold

The day after the total eclipse was spent - for me, at least - recovering from a severe cold that has me voiceless and congested. Josie did laundry and some crocheting while I did pretty much nothing except take medications and rest.

Our schedule today includes a trip to Idaho Falls. Josie needs work done on her hair and we will stop at Sam's Club and Walmart to pick up some medications and other items that we buy to replenish our stock  - mostly paper products. It looks like a nice day to drive to Idaho, so we will leave fairly early so that we can back at a decent time to still enjoy some of the day outside.

There is still a lot of talk on the local news about the eclipse yesterday and how it went so smoothly with all the preparation and planning that was done. There were no serious accidents or deaths reported anywhere in our area, so that was good news. The photos are still coming out that show different views of the event. One of my favorites is a time lapse video, taken from atop Josie's Ridge in town, that shows all of Jackson Hole going from daylight to darkness and back to daylight. It would be cool if I could somehow get a hold of that video.

Anyway, have a nice day everybody...

What a Show

It was worth all the hype and preparation. Without a doubt, it was one of the most memorable days in our lives. The weather was perfect, the view was perfect and the only downside was that I should have had better camera equipment to take advantage of the fabulous views. Even with my Samsung Galaxy S7 smartphone and the use of the solar glasses over the lens, I got some pretty good shots.

We closed the Visitor Center from 11:15 AM until 11:45 AM which bracketed the total eclipse period. All of us went outside at the edge of the Elk Refuge to view the event. Our parking lot a the Visitor Center began filling up at 7 AM in the morning with folks setting up chairs and laying out blankets for the occasion:

It eventually became a very large crowd, but this was a terrific place to watch the event. I took these shots of the eclipse as it got closer to totality:

This one at normal zoom:

and this one at full zoom a little later:

While waiting for the total eclipse, we spotted this visitor just outside of our back door at the center, probably stirred by all the activity:

Hmm. This is the first snake we have seen anywhere in this area.

It was now getting close to 11:34 AM when the total phase of the eclipse began. These shots are taken of the total eclipse, from different angles and with different zoom on the camera. I wasn't sure how any of them would look on paper, but we got some great looks:

During the totality phase, the temperature dropped about 15 degrees and it became almost totally night time. The horizon looked like sunset and all the street lights came on. These are the best shots of the area during totality:

The total eclipse phase lasted only about 2.5 minutes, but it was a spectacle that we will never forget.

The eclipse then began to lessen and I took this final shot before going back the Visitor Center to begin working again:

I left work at around noon to nurse a bad cold that I got sometime in the last few days that was totally bad timing for this activity. Josie stayed until quitting time at 3:30 PM.

This was an event that we prepared for over the last year and right up to the actual eclipse. There are a lot of side stories to this occasion that will come out over time. Let it be said that everybody did what he or she was suppose to do to make it a spectacular and memorable event...

Finally, Eclipse Day

Today is the day that everybody has been waiting for and planning for over the last year. The total eclipse will be over the Grand Teton National Park and Jackson Hole Wyoming, beginning at 10:16 AM and ending at 1 PM. The total eclipse will occur between 11:34 and 11:37. It doesn't appear that all the  fears about "gridlock" and heavy traffic jams will be become a reality. The weather appears to be cooperating - so far this early in the am - and we will probably have clear views of the event. I hope to get some pictures of the happenings and of the eclipse, so tomorrow we will report on all the activity. The Visitor Center will close for about a half hour surrounding the "totality" portion of the eclipse so that all of us can go outside and take in the view.

Our business volume has been fairly heavy and we expect a somewhat slower day today as we feel that most people will be stationary at their viewing locations for most of the day. Tomorrow and Wednesday promise to be heavy as folks leave town. Fortunately, we will be off on those days and we will be recovering from the previous week's stress.

Our winter seasonal plans are now up in the air. We had been working with our manager here at the Visitor Center to put together plans for us to spend the winter here in Jackson, working at the Visitor Center. It had been a goal of ours to spend one winter in this area to experience the winter activities - specifically, sleigh rides in the Elk Refuge that will be filled with elk and the Christmas festivities - and all of the skiing events that are held. The problem that killed the opportunity was that the GTA (Grand Teton Association) didn't have the money in their budget to support both of us working. We would have had to wait until December 1 to begin the winter employment contract. Oh well, it is back to the drawing board...

Weather Considerations

With the eclipse coming tomorrow, there is a very good chance that we will have enough clearing that we will get a full view of the event. There are some scattered clouds this morning, and it is expected to stay this way through the next 24 hours. The eclipse will begin at  around 10:15 AM, become "total" between 11:34 and 11:37, and end at 1:PM. We will try to get some photos of the occasion, but there have been lots of warnings about looking at the sun and taking pictures. We will try to use our glasses for any photo activity. The information I have says that the glasses are not required during the totality phase.

Traffic was not so bad yesterday until late in the afternoon. It seems that, so far, the projections have been overstated. In fact, there were hardly any vehicles on the road yesterday AM when we went to work. By the time we got off at 4:15, the traffic became fairly heavy. We went to the grocery store following work and that was not a bad experience either. The store was well stocked and there were not more than the usual number of people there doing their shopping.


We will see if there is any change today - the day before the eclipse...

Bring on the Eclipse

It has already become a test for the Visitor Center to effectively handle the increase in business during this period of the eclipse. We are beginning to run out of some of our eclipse merchandise, but we still have a large supply of viewing glasses remaining. Some of the other items - like shirts, posters, magnets, etc. - are dwindling down to very small quantities remaining. Today and tomorrow will deplete more of the eclipse merchandise and. I'm sure, they will not be replaced with more or any new merchandise. So far, we have been able to handle the increase in business.

We open the Visitor Center for the next three mornings before getting our days off on Tuesday and Wednesday. We are really looking for this experience to be over...

Significant Increase in Crowds

Our work day yesterday was an indication of how the next several days will go. We had the highest sales number we've had all season and the people just kept coming into the store to the extent that it was difficult scheduling any breaks. There are still three days to go before the eclipse, and all of the eclipse merchandise we have is flying off the racks and shelves. Most likely, we will run out of the most popular merchandise before Monday. It appears that the predictions for the incremental increase in people will be close to being accurate.

During the day, I had to drop off one of my hearing aids at the Audiologist office in town to have it cleaned and checked. It stopped working in the AM just as we were leaving home and I had to use one of my old ones all day until after 3 PM when I picked it up. It still wasn't working well, so I concluded that the problem is as much wax in my ears as the device. I took care of that problem last night and this morning so I should be good to go again.

We have run into a couple of issues over our winter plans that could derail the plan. The main one is that our start date would be moved to December 1 which won't work for us. We will have more news today and we will make our final decision - probably today also.

Our starting time today is 11 AM and I'm sure it will be another super busy day...

Ready for Madness

One of the things we had to do yesterday was make a trip to the grocery store to get our supply of food to last us through the eclipse on Monday. We noticed a huge increase already in the number of folks coming into town for the big event. The grocery store was out of many items and the crowd in the store was unbelievable. All of the checkout stations had cashiers and the lines were still very long. I think we will stay as close to home as possible for the next five days and let things develop.

We are back to work today and have no time off until after the big day of the eclipse on Monday. We expect the Visitor Center to be near madness over the next several days and we are not looking forward to that. Of course, we have no choice, so we will try to make the best of the situation.

We are very close to finalizing our plans for the winter season. We are waiting on a decision regarding the schedule and once we get that approval, we will go full steam ahead with our plans. If all goes well, we will have the most unique experience we have ever had...

Local Errands

There were a couple errands we had to run yesterday that gave us the perfect opportunity to take out the truck to make sure all was well with that vehicle. It has been over a month since we last went anywhere in that vehicle and everything is still OK.

We drove to Moose to pick up our mail from the PO box there, and there really wasn't much in the box - especially since it has been a week since our last visit. The post office in Moose was convenient for us last year when we stayed at the Gros Ventre campground but it is really too far away for us (15 miles) while staying in the Elk Refuge. So, we stopped at the post office in Jackson and signed up for a new PO Box - PO Box 7579, Jackson, WY 83002. Eventually, all of our mail will be forwarded to that location and it is only about 5-10 minutes away.

While driving from Moose to Jackson, we saw a cow moose along the road which was tying up traffic with lookie-loos:

We haven't seen too many of those this year which is one disadvantage of staying so close to town this year.

Today will be our final day off before the eclipse, so we hope to get well rested for the final push to Monday which is the big day...

Final Break Before Eclipse

Of course, all of the attention and discussions this week will be about the upcoming eclipse. Just about everybody is expecting a huge crowd and gridlock in a town that already is overflowing with folks on vacation. We are now enjoying our final break before the big day next Monday. Our task is to make sure we have everything we need to get us through this period as travel in and around town will be tough.

Our activities for our days off include working on more details for our winter schedule. There is plenty of time to complete the arrangements but there are a couple of items that need approval by management. It will all become clear very soon.

One of the items that we need to take care of today or tomorrow is to give the truck some driving time. We have not used the truck at all except for short trips to the store or post office to give it some activity. It is ready for anything and everything as we gassed up several weeks ago. The price of fuel has risen since then as - in this area - prices of everything are rising as a result of the expected increase in population for the eclipse.

Actually, we will be very happy to see the eclipse be done so that we can get back to normal...

Scheduling

We are bracing ourselves for some scheduling issues at work. Already, we are seeing a sign that the diminishing staff is creating a situation where morning and afternoon breaks are becoming rare. With only Josie and I working in the early mornings when opening and working alone in the late afternoons on days we close, it is becoming difficult to get our scheduled breaks. This week, with the eclipse only days away, the crowds will be growing and we will become even more busy. Thank goodness we are off tomorrow and Wednesday which will be our final days off before the Monday eclipse.

There are approximately 7 weeks remaining in the season, and they promise to be eventful. Two of our employees are leaving and a third is most likely to leave early. An ad in the local paper for help has not produced any candidates to replace the departing employees. It will only get more interesting, I'm sure.

Our goal is to have the final details worked out this week for our next move in October. Only a couple of issues remain to be resolved, but they are fairly large ones. We are anxious to get it all done so we can begin our planning...

Haze is Leaving

All of the rain and wind that we've had over the last several days has just about cleared out the haze from all the wildfires. Below are a couple shots that were taken this morning from our RV:

We aren't quite there yet, but it's nice to see the mountains again. All of our out of town visitors are also happy to see the clearing. With a week to go before the eclipse, we are hoping that it becomes totally clear.

Progress is being made in putting together the plans for our winter season. We will be ready to tell you all about them in a few days. There are some details to work out regarding dates and other details relating to our RV. It will all become clear when we get everything lined up. It is something we have wanted to do for many years and will be an experience to beat all if we can put it all together..

We open the Visitor Center again this morning and then work the late shift tomorrow before getting Tuesday and Wednesday off. The crowds are beginning to grow as we get closer to the big day next Monday - Eclipse Day...

Milestone

Today is a milestone reached that I never thought possible. This is the 3000th entry in the blog that started over 8 years ago as a journal for our family to be able to follow our adventure. So much has happened during the eight years - as you can imagine - and we are still enjoying the lifestyle and the benefits of being mobile and meeting so many new friends. Someday, we will completely retire and end the blog. I have only missed a couple days throughout the period that is covered, and some of those entries have been made in near impossible conditions with little or no Wi-Fi and/or cell communications being some distance away. Our travels have been tremendously rewarding, and will continue for the foreseeable future as long as we are healthy enough to make it work.

In the meantime, we have another "quick turnaround" day today as we closed last night and have to open this am. The talk and preparations are heating up for the eclipse which is now only 9 days away...

Close to Winter Decisions

Our brief attempt to possibly pursue openings with the Bowlin Travel Centers was derailed yesterday. Their Director of Operations indicated that there were no openings for the winter season in any of the AZ locations. That bit of news was offset by the news that another opportunity might be available to us that we have wanted to do for several years. We will hold off on the news of that possibility until more details are worked out. Our desire to spend the winter season in a warmer location may take a back seat to fulfillment of this target of ours. We expect to have more info today.

We are getting closer to the "big" day of the eclipse. More and more steps are being taken to try to control the extra volume of visitors expected. Right now, there are 100K more visitors expected in town for that event. We have no idea how things will go or how people are going to move around town with the gridlock expected. It promises to be an event of a lifetime, any way it turns out. Ten more days to go, so hold on to your hat...

Beat the Rain

The morning, at least, was clear and a bit cool and nice enough to take a drive to a location we had not been to before. It is the Grand Targhee Resort which is located near Driggs, ID and is on the back side of the Grand Teton Mountains. It is in Wyoming, but the only way to get there is from Driggs, ID which is about 40 miles from Jackson. We timed it right, as we arrived around noon and enjoyed the sights of this wonderful ski resort. Here are a few shots of the resort:

We always liked the town of Driggs but never had taken the road to the Resort before. Glad we did.

The afternoon became windy and the rains came. There were some pretty strong thunderstorms that hit us and we were glad that we made it home before the skies opened. The recent weather pattern has been for storms in the afternoons of almost every day during the last week. We hope this all ends before the eclipse which is on Monday, August 21.

It's back to work today for the start - or the renewal - of our five day work week. The Visitor Center has started advertising for help to make up for the loss of two of our newer employees and the loss of the another that will occur in September. We are getting prepared for the final push to the finish line in September...

Forced Inside

It was a wet and windy day yesterday and one that forced us to stay inside. There was some strong wind in the AM and the rain followed. The advantage of the sour weather was that the smoke and haze began to dissipate. We could actually see the mountains again by the time the afternoon clearing occurred. They aren't real sharp yet, but it was a move in the right direction. Let's have more wind and rain for one more day.

We made some progress on decisions for the winter season while relaxing at home. We have just about totally ruled out the Grand Canyon jobs for a couple reasons. The main one is that they want to split our days on the schedule -  One of us might open, and the other close, possibly in different stores. We want to at least work in the same store and with the same hours so we can travel back and forth to work together. The second reason is that we are concerned about the extreme weather that could occur in that area during the worst winter months - Dec thru Feb. It will get really cold and there could be significant snowfall during that time. It's a shame because the area is terrific.

You may recall our interest in the Bowlin Travel Centers where we had been offered a job last year. The problem with that job offer was that it was in a remote location in New Mexico and we passed on that one. We heard from them again, and are interested in possible openings in one of their AZ stores, or one of the stores in southern New Mexico where the winters are mild. We expect to hear more about that this week.

With our final day off this week, we will enjoy another relaxing day...

Smoke is Everywhere

Our trip to Idaho Falls yesterday was successful. At least it was from the standpoint that we accomplished our goals for the day. The Escape was serviced at the Ford dealership in Idaho Falls after only about a one hour wait and we picked up everything on our shopping lists at Sam's Club and Walmart.

All day, we drove through haze that was evidence of the wildfires burning all over the West. The smoke was probably as bad as we have ever seen it in this area. No part of eastern Idaho or western Wyoming has been spared. I'm sure that all of this smoke will impact tourism. Hopefully, it will disappear in time for the Eclipse that is less than two weeks away.

We have no plans for today - our second day off this week - as the smoke in this area is so bad that it affects breathing which is already made more difficult from the higher elevation. Any more physical activity than normal would only create more problems. So, we will just do our chores around the RV and relax for the day...

Stark Contrast

We could not believe the sight as we drove home following work yesterday afternoon. Below are two shots, taken about a week apart from our RV, which reveal the seriousness of the wildfire smoke invasion in our area:

One week ago:

Yesterday:

One week ago:

Yesterday:

Where did the Tetons go?  Hidden in the wildfire haze!

You can't help but feel sorry for all the tourists that have arrived within the last few days. We spoke with some of them in the Visitor Center that have come from as far away as Australia to see these beautiful mountains. Most have a good attitude as nothing can be done about it and have indicated that they will return someday and try again.

We are off today and are planning a trip to Idaho Falls. Among visits to the wholesale stores, we still have to get the oil changed in the Escape. Hopefully, we can get everything done and have a good day...

Wildlife Sightings

I don't have pictures of these wildlife sightings, but we have had a couple local ones lately. I saw a red fox, not more than 25 feet from our RV, while grilling our supper the other night. It was just walking behind all the RV's in our location and it stopped and froze when it saw me. By the time I could get the camera, it was long gone. There was a sighting of a black bear about 100 yards from our RV's as it ran across the road behind us and into the hills at the end of our campground. Again, there is no photo of the sighting, but the animals are all around us even when we can't see them. Someday, we will get a shot or two of these creatures.

Right now, we are fighting wildfire smoke and haze as the air is getting worse from these fires in Idaho, Washington, and even British Columbia. There was a "white-out" in Seattle yesterday from all the smoke and that is some of the smoke that is drifting our way. With fires in eastern Washington and northern Idaho, we have more to look forward to. If we could just get some heavy rain and a little wind, it might help to clear out the smoke. We feel sorry for the visitors who are not able to enjoy the majesty of our mountains as a result of the haze.

Our final work day of this week is today and we are again looking forward to the weekend. We plan to take a drive to Idaho Falls again - probably tomorrow - to pick up some much needed supplies from Sam's Club and Walmart...

Rush Rush Rush

It seems like we just got home and got ready for bed. It was 7:30 when we arrived home from work and we went to bed at 8:30 after watching the news that we had taped at 5:30. It is after 7 AM and we need to leave for work at 7:40. This one day per week of the quick turnaround is tough. We would not do it if it were more than once a week.

The schedule for working on the eclipse day was released yesterday. We will work from 7 AM until 3:30 on the big day. With the eclipse occurring between about 9:30 and 11:30, it promises to be a very interesting day. The Visitor Center will close for one half hour during the time that the total eclipse is to occur. Nobody can say, with any assurance, what the day will bring. The closer we get to the actual day, the more mystery is added to what will really happen in town. The big day is 16 days from now...

Wildfire Evidence

The effects of the wildfires became even more evident last night as Josie snapped a picture of the mountains under the near orange sky:

It has become near impossible to see the mountains in detail unless you are very close to them. We hope that the fires are extinguished soon so that our beautiful mountains become crystal clear once again.

The plans are being developed for our day of the eclipse. Josie and I will open the Visitor Center on that day - August 21 - and will start work at 7 AM. That is 45 minutes earlier than normal but the management wants to be certain that the store s completely stocked with merchandise when we open the store at 8 AM. The actual eclipse will occur between 9:30 and 11:30 with totality occurring at around 10:30 AM. It will certainly be a day to remember.

We have decided to offer ourselves to return to a five day work week. With one of our employees already gone and another leaving the day after the eclipse, we felt that our manager needed some help and flexibility with the schedule for the remaining season. We also decided that rather than sit around for the extra day off, we may as well earn some money by working. The three day weekend really doesn't give us the time we thought we would need to travel and see the rest of Wyoming. By the time we spend the one day each week doing our shopping and laundry, it still only leaves two days to go to other cities. We enjoyed our trip to Riverton so much that it made us realize that we needed more than just a couple days to enjoy the areas we want to see.

Our plans for the winter season are still not settled. We are debating whether the work in the Grand Canyon area is something we really want to do. The managers at that location want to have us working at different locations and at different hours on some days. Coupled with the possibility of some really cold weather, we aren't convinced - yet - that it is something we want to do. Hang on for that final decision...

Idaho Wildfires

We heard about several more wildfires that have started in Idaho. Most of that activity is in northern Idaho, but the weather and Jetstream brings the effect of those wildfires into Wyoming. We have haze now that is becoming worse with these new fires. This shot was taken this AM of the mountains which are being covered by this haze:

We also get our "usual" low fog every morning which always lifts by around 8 AM. We seem to get this haze from wildfires out west every year at about this time.

Our final day off for the week was spent doing chores around the RV. Josie did laundry and I replaced burned out bulbs and repaired our shower hose which needed attachment to the shower stall. It is back to work again today.

The real "concern" for us now - and for the next several weeks - is the eclipse and its impact on our area. Every day, the discussions get more and more pointed about traffic control and other effects of having an additional 100K people in town for this event. The word is that the town will experience gridlock for the week before and the week after. It will be something that we have never experienced before and we are excited to be part of the whole activity...

Local Stuff

It was a kind of quiet day yesterday as we had no major activity planned. Josie had a dental appointment scheduled at 1:30 PM which split the day and she had some work done that she had been delaying for quite some time. I'm glad she finally had the work done.

We went to the Visitor Center and picked up my cross stitch to bring home. I feel honored and humbled by the comments from our fellow workers. With about 35 years of experience performing these stitching projects, the techniques have been nearly perfected. Our manager wants to buy the one I completed this year. The problem is, I have no idea what I would charge anybody for any of the work I have done. I probably should investigate that option as I have many pieces that could probably bring in some decent money.

Our third - and final day off this week - is today. There are some chores that need to be done like laundry and some repairs around the RV that we will most likely tackle today...

Full Day of Activities

It was a terrific and fun day off to start our weekend.

We started the day with our second interview with the folks at the Grand Canyon Association. We feel that it went well and will wait to hear from them about an offer to work there this winter season. There are a couple concerns that we have, but we hope to have them resolved before any further commitments are made.

We then went to the Exhibit Hall at the County Fair that ended Sunday night, picked up my cross stitch, and took it to our office at the Visitor Center so that our coworkers could have an opportunity to see the winning piece. Several of our coworkers have inquired about it and they will now get to see one of my best efforts:

Our neighbors and coworkers at the Visitor Center gave us two complimentary passes to activities at the Teton Village which we had to use before the end of the month. On the way to the Village, we passed an area of some beautiful wildflowers and we took this shot of a pretty thistle:

It was after 1 PM by the time we arrived at the Villlage:

There are two lifts at the Village, one is the Tram and the other is the Gondola that goes to a restaurant about 3/4 of the way to the summit. Both are great rides through some gorgeous countryside. Here are some shots we took of the Tram, which was our first ride for the day:

and a few shots from the top where the Snake River was seen running through the entire Jackson Hole area:

 
We also have a couple photos of us at the top:

Our next stop was the Gondola ride that was a short distance from the Tram. This is the ride that takes you to the Rendevoux Lodge about 3/4 of the way to the top:

Once at the Lodge, there were people enjoying the views from the Patio:

It was near perfect day, weather-wise, with just a little bit of a haze.

Our final stop of the day was at the grocery store where we had to pick up some items for dinner, and Josie snapped this photo of the car that was parked directly in front of us at the store:

A nice ending to a nice day...