Lunch at Leeks Marina

Our intention yesterday was to take a drive to the area where bears are regularly seen in the north end of the Park. We headed out at about 10:30 and made a stop in town to pick up some mouse traps - story below. We continued on to our destination but on the way we decided to check out a location that we heard about but had never visited - Leeks Marina. We have an acquaintance that keeps his boat there and we also heard about their delicious pizzas. It was close to lunch time, so we opted to stop there and have a pizza for lunch. It was everything we heard about. Great pizza, great views:

We enjoyed the time at Leeks Marina so much, we decided to return home following our lunch without another stop.

Now, an update on the mice situation. As mentioned yesterday, we discovered some mice droppings in our kitchen and some food that was "tampered" with by mice. We stopped at ACE Hardware yesterday before our drive and picked up some mouse traps. After our drive of the day, we set one trap in the basement of our RV. Within a half hour, we had one. I reset the trap (twice) and within an hour we had two more. We again set the traps (3) for the night last night and got one more. That's 4 so far.

The traps are set again for today while we work from 9 to 5....

Drive to Granite Hot Springs

While deciding what to do on such a gorgeous day yesterday, we decided to drive to the Granite Hot Springs south of Jackson. There has been daily construction delays north of town, so a drive to the south would be open without delays. It is a very picturesque drive of about 30 miles from Jackson. We have been there before and always loved the drive. We took lots of photos, some of which are below.

The valley is full of wildflowers and the river was running fast with the effects of the snow runoff:

It's tough to beat the beauty in this area:

There is one feature that is very famous as being the location of the waterfall that was used in the filming of the movie "A River Runs Through It" many years ago:

We didn't take any shots of the mineral spring as we didn't feel like taking the walk from the parking area to the site. We did, however, get a shot of this doe that was just casually walking along the side of the road:

Our drive ended at about 3 PM when we arrived back home.

The final day of our four day weekend is today. There are no plans other than to do laundry and for Josie to do her hair for work tomorrow. We also need to pick up a couple mouse traps as we discovered some mouse "do" in the kitchen and we want to eliminate that situation right now...

Some New Roads

We decided to take a drive yesterday to some of the lesser known roads in the Park. Some of these roads are just dirt roads and/or off the beaten path. We have seen several of these but never traveled them.

The first one was a side road that went down to the Snake River in a location where some of the Float Trips put in the River to float south toward Jackson. We took lots of photos yesterday so here is a sample of what we saw. Starting with the Deadman's Bar road at the edge of the Snake River:

While walking this area, we saw many new wildflowers that we have, so far, missed this year. I couldn't locate our wildflowers book to identify these, so except for the Larkspur (1st photo), I don't have the names:

This is a good time of the year to looking go for the wildflowers.

After leaving that area, we took the road to Cunningham's Cabin which is one we last took the very first year we were here. This is the fabulous view that J. Pierce Cunningham enjoyed during his years at this location in the late 1800's:

There were several more buildings that Cunningham had constructed that are no longer standing, but the one above is the main building.

We then crossed the main road and took a National Forest road to an area close to the Clear Creek Ranch which is a luxury resort tucked away in the hills of the National Park. We then exited onto the main road again.

The final stop we made was at a little used road that went a short distance to another Snake River overlook. This shot was taken from that area where there are many little ponds and creeks which flow from the Snake River:

It was a different kind of day and one that took away a lot of the stress we have been under recently.

We are dealing with highway construction up and down the main road through the Park which is making travel a challenge during the daytime hours...

Looking at Options

In just one half day of looking at other options for us for the remainder of the summer if this doesn't work out, we received an offer to work at the Loon Lake Lodge and Resort in Reedsport, OR. We had conversations with them about the openings which coincide with the time frame we have here in Jackson. It appears to be an excellent option with one, critical exception - there is no cell service in the area and the wi-fi is spotty at best. That eliminates that option as we must have cell service to perform all of our personal and financial activities. It is amazing that a location so close to Reedsport (22 miles) is without cell service. There are other options that we are looking at and will continue the search until we decide one way or the other on a plan for the remainder of the summer.

The schedule for next week was released yesterday and we do have the 4th of July off as requested several months ago during the early discussions with the management here. The next couple weeks are critical to our decision process for any changes. The important thing for us right now is to not make any rash decision to leave until the smoke clears from the recent disappointments. We do know that there would be many folks who would hate to see us leave which is a consideration in our decision process. There are many friends that we have made here and if we were to leave, it would most likely burn the bridge for future opportunities at the Visitor Center. The area means enough to us that we will give it every chance to work...

Step Backward

Yesterday was not a great day at the office, so to speak. We were introduced to more changes in procedures which have contributed to more effort to perform duties that were more efficiently performed in the past. It was a frustrating day and another one that has contributed to our conclusion that this is not a very fun year here at the Visitor Center. On top of that, throw in an email from the main office that they discovered that we were over paid the last two pay periods. There is a new payroll system this year and a glitch was discovered that added hours to our pay when the checks were cut. They don't appear on our time cards, but only on the final check. We now have to pay back the overage over the next two pay periods.

Between problems with our site and the changes in procedures coupled with new payroll issues, we are seriously looking at terminating our time here. I have already started the search for a potential move. Unless things change very soon we will be pursuing new opportunities for the summer. It is still a terrific location and one we enjoy, but it is important that the work aspect be right for us.

We have the next four days off - another issue. Maybe some things will happen that will change our thoughts, but right now we just want to relax and catch our breath...

Another Phone Issue

This is the scene this morning as our final work day of the week begins:

Always a great beginning to the day when the sun is shining on the mountains.

We stopped at the AT&T store yesterday following work to have Josie's phone checked. She has not been able to charge the phone as a result of a "moisture in phone" message that instructs her to remove the charger immediately. I don't have any such problem on my phone, so we knew she had a unique problem. It turns out that there is a problem with her wiring in the charger slot on the phone and the only way she can charge her phone is through a wireless charger - $50! The other option is to spend a $110 deductible to have her phone replaced through the insurance. Sheesh! We'll see how long we can go using only the wireless charger.

Our Friday is today as we open the Visitor Center at 7:45 this morning. Right now, we have no firm plans for our long (4 days) weekend. One thing we will discuss today with our manager is the schedule as we don't want 4 days off each week. Three days is about right for us this year...

Onward and Upward

Our first work day of this week would be classified as just blah. The number of visitors is slowly rising and the days are getting a bit busier which makes the time go faster. There was nothing out of the ordinary that happened yesterday and we are just counting the days until we get more free time. Our schedule needs to be adjusted so that we can get more hours. Our manager is scheduling shorter days for some reason and we will have to address that issue when we see him again which will be tomorrow. The problem - again - is that we have too many people working and the hours have to be spread around to all the employees.

We open the Center this morning and again tomorrow morning. That means early start times - 7:45 AM - but also allows us to get off work at a decent time - 3:30. Today, we will have to make a stop at the AT&T store after work to have Josie's phone checked. It keeps showing "moisture" in the phone when she connects the charger and that is not true. We'll get to the bottom of that issue today....

First Four Day Weekend Ends

Our first ever four day weekend ended yesterday. It is back to work today for three days. The jury is out about how we like the extra time as this one was special with the time we spent with our visiting friends from Florida. We did lots of fun stuff this week and probably gained weight that we can't afford to gain. It's time to get serious about losing some weight.

We did some local chores yesterday which included going to the post office for our mail and stopping at Smiths for some groceries. On the way to Smith's from the post office, we spotted the moose below:

It was a young bull that is just beginning to get his rack.

We also made a stop at Cutty"s Grill to share a Philly Cheese steak and have a beer:

That will probably be our last splurge before some serious dieting.

Finally, I include this shot that Josie took last night that ends our nice, long weekend:

Final Get Together

Our final get together of this week with our friends from Florida was an excellent meal at a different restaurant for all of us. The Calico provided a nice ending to our visits while they were here in Jackson. The food was terrific but the meals were on the "pricey" side. These shots were taken at the restaurant:

These were taken outside as we arrived:

and this shot of us at the table:

It may be awhile before we return and pay the high prices.

They will leave for the Glacier National Park in Montana on Monday and we return to work tomorrow. Our schedule has us working Sunday through Tuesday before getting another four days off.

It was 27 degrees outside this morning when I got up at 6:30 AM. We are really amazed at how long the cold weather has been hanging on this season. It is almost July and we are still getting winter weather. It has to break soon, doesn't it?....

Drive to Dubois WY

We picked up our friends Ed and Eileen yesterday at around 9 AM and drove to Dubois, WY. Our approximately 80 mile drive was a very scenic one and our weather was partly cloudy and cool with a temperature around 55 degrees.

There were two places we wanted to visit while there - the National Bighorn Sheep Museum and the Dubois Museum and Wind River Historical Center. It was a trip that was well worth the time and we enjoyed the company of Ed and Eileen, as always. None of us knew or understood the impact of sheep on the Dubois area before this trip and were amazed at the history and evolving programs relative to preserving this history.

We had lunch at a popular restaurant in Dubois - The Cowboy Café - where we all had eaten previously on other visits to the town. We were all anxious to have a burger and we were not disappointed. Here is a shot of our table, and check out the burgers!:

and then.....we had dessert on top of that:

all of us had pie-al-a-mode and it was huge!

We returned home at around 4 PM and planned another, final get together for tonight. We will have a final dinner together at a restaurant that none of us has tried before but have heard great things - Calico. They will leave town and head for Glacier National Park in Montana on Monday. It sure has been fun seeing them again and having the visits with them this week. 

Serious diet time is in the very near future!!….

Looking for Bears

Our friends - Eileen and Ed - were very successful spotting bears on the popular road Pilgrim Creek Road in the north end of the Park. We decided to give it a try ourselves yesterday while they went to Yellowstone. We've always known about that area as a great bear spotting location but we have never seen any on our visits. Yesterday was the same result. We did get a shot of some of the beautiful wildflowers that are beginning to show their beauty:

Following some time scouting the area, we stopped at the Jackson Lake Lodge for our first visit this season. The view from the second floor lobby out to the mountains is spectacular:

We have seen many elk and other wildlife over the years in the Willow Flats behind the Lodge. It made for a very nice day.

Today, we will be taking another drive with Ed and Eileen - this time to Dubois. It is a very scenic drive and we hope to get more photos that we can take along the way...

Great Night at the Bar-J

We watched the clock most of the day yesterday to get through our "Friday" of the work week. There was a presentation - as there is every Tuesday at the Visitor Center - of birds that are common in the Jackson Hole area. These shots were taken during one of our breaks and shows a couple of the birds that were there:

These presentations are well attended by the visitors and are very educational.

The main event yesterday was our dinner and show scheduled with our visiting friends, Eileen and Ed Ortagus from Florida. They have never been to the Bar-J Chuckwagon and we wanted to share one of our favorite activities in Jackson. We knew they would enjoy the dinner and show and that is exactly the way it turned out.

We picked them up at their camp-site at 3:15 (following our workday) in order to arrive at the Bar-J early enough to get in front of the line for when the doors opened at 5:30. That is a necessary step to secure the best seating for the dinner and show. This is a shot of us sitting on the bench in the waiting area:

The time went very fast as we enjoyed conversation with all the folks that were sitting around us waiting for the opening.

We went through the process of checking-in, getting our table assignment (B2, up front), and ordered our meals. The next step was to place something at our table to reserved our place while we walked around the grounds to see the Bar-J amenities. Our jackets were placed at our table to reserve our spot. The time spent before the meal was occupied with conversation and a chance to get a couple other photos:

This one of the two ladies:

and this one of the cook grilling the steaks for the night:

The cook provided samples of the steaks to all onlookers.

These shots are of our group at the table:

And of the performance:

It was a typical, fantastic performance by the group and our friends thoroughly enjoyed the evening. They are driving to Yellowstone today to spend the day and we plan to get together again before they leave the area on Sunday....

Wrapping Up the Work Week

Yesterday was our Thursday for the week. It was another day when we had too many workers and spent a good part of the day bumping into each other while trying to find things to do to keep busy. Fortunately, we got off at 2 PM and were able to do a few things to prepare for tonight - our dinner and show with our friends. The most important task being cleaning out the truck and trying to get rid of as much dirt and mud as possible. It is an impossible task while living on this dirt road.

We do have the advantage, though, of having the beautiful views everyday. This shot was taken last night:

and this one taken this morning:

Josie took this shot during a break at work yesterday. It is a nice photo of the red-winged blackbirds that frequent the area outside of the Visitor Center:

Tonight is our dinner with our friends Ed and Eileen. We will pick them up at their campground at 3:45 following work today (2 PM). We would like to get the outside of the truck washed and change clothes before that time. Watch for some photos tomorrow from our expected fun night...

Uneventful Father's Day

My Father's Day this year was uneventful except for working the whole day. It was a long day and not very exciting. We got off work at 5:30, came home, and I watched the ending to the US Open Golf Tournament, won by a first timer - Gary Woodland. It's nice to see a new face win once in a while.

We connected with our friends  Ed and Eileen who are visiting from Florida. We will go to the Bar-J tomorrow night following work to see the show and have dinner. That will be a new experience for them and should be a lot of fun.

I forgot to mention a very exciting event that we will be traveling to Patty's house to see after our season ends here the first of October. Austin is being inducted into the Waubonsie Valley High School Football Hall of Fame in early October. What a huge honor for him.

I'll end today's post with a birthday wish for my brother, George. Have a great day!...

Slow Going So Far

We have only been here about a month so far but it seems a lot longer. The experience for us so far is not as pleasing as in past years. A major reason for that is the slow business volume at the Visitor Center and our concern about our site - very dusty when dry, very muddy when wet. The view from our space is spectacular when it is clear but we have already become accustomed to that view. The scheduling has also been a concern so far as our new manager is all over the place with the days and hours he has people scheduled. It would be so easy to just schedule everybody the same each week and just make exceptions where necessary.

We took this shot of one of the geese families yesterday during one of our breaks. The babies are getting so big that soon we will see them learning to fly:

The next three days are work days for us. Our next day off is Wednesday and we are talking about taking an overnight trip to Riverton, WY, where there is a - you guessed it, a casino. We also like that area and is at the end of a very scenic and nice drive. Our plans will come together over the next couple days.

Happy Father's Day to all the dads out there....

Chillin' Out

Since our four day weekend was interrupted by the unexpected trip of our coworkers to Utah for a family funeral, we opted to stay at home on our third day and do nothing. It was the first day that we just relaxed and enjoyed the "OK weather". Josie did some laundry in the morning and we sat out the rest of the day and watched the ending of the second round of the US Open golf tournament late in the afternoon.

Another first for yesterday was opening our awnings to air out from all the rain we've had. And, we had our first meal using our new Blackstone griddle. These shots will attest to the fact that we had a day of relaxation:

We work from 10 - 6 today and then again the next three days. Our friends - Ed and Eileen - are visiting this area again from Florida and we plan to get together with them sometime over the next week.

So far, it seems like the volume of traffic through the Visitor Center is off from what we are used to. I'm sure it will pick up as we get closer to the middle of summer...

PO and Shopping

There were some things we had to do yesterday that pretty much dictated the day. Starting with a trip to the post office, followed by our weekly grocery shopping at Smith's in Jackson. The weather was threatening all day so we used the time to get some of the chores done.

The plan was to do a hike today but Josie has to take care of a couple other details, like laundry and her hair. Since our four day weekend was interrupted by our coworkers as a result of having to go to Utah to attend a family funeral (cutting our weekend back to three days), we decided to hold the extended trips until next weekend. We are again "scheduled" for a four day weekend at that time.

We are slowly getting settled into the new site and are gradually getting use to our new manager...

Banner Day in Yellowstone

We made our first visit of the new season to Yellowstone yesterday. After driving into town to get the truck washed and having breakfast at Bubba's BBQ, we headed out for Yellowstone National Park. It was sunny, warm and beautiful as it became the most successful trip ever, in terms of wildlife sightings. We saw: (3) bears, lots of bison, elk, goats, antelope, coyote (we thought at first it was a fox) and lots of unusual birds. We couldn't possibly show all of the photos we took, so I will just show some of them.

Starting with bison which were also seen in the Tetons as we drove through:

These shots are of the best bear that we saw. Two of the bears were too far away to get great shots, but this one was only about 30 feet away:

We saw several antelope, this one was closest:

We saw what we thought was a fox but on closer inspection appears to be a coyote:

The elk we saw were also too far away - and too quick - to get good shots. These goats were just browsing along the side of the hill:

Most of these sightings were in the same general area of Yellowstone - the area above Tower Roosevelt and at the start of the Lamar Valley.

We stopped for lunch - at close to 5 PM - and found a nice spot along the Yellowstone River:

We were surprised at the amount of snow that was still present in the higher elevations of the Park:

It turned out to be a trip to be remembered as the most prolific we have ever taken in terms of  wildlife sightings. Our return trip through the Tetons saw lots of clouds roll in and some rain as we got closer to home. This is a nice view of the mountains that Josie took as we approached home:

Today is day number two of our three days off and we will concentrate on some chores that need to be done like laundry and grocery shopping...