Our temperature rose to 84 yesterday making it the warmest day so far this year. The only activity we did yesterday, aside from our work day, was to take a trip to the grocery store to get a few items. There was enough computer stuff to do that we just got caught up on things to do around the rig. One of the major computer tasks is to reorganize all our photos. We have taken so many shots of our travels that I want to sort all the photos into easily accessible albums. Plus, there are photos from years past that I would like to organize and there thousands of photos that are affected. Some of our pictures are ones that we also want to blow-up and print, so there is enough to do there to keep us busy for a long time.
I grilled some burgers for our dinner before heading to work at 3 PM and we had a much slower day than Saturday since the car rally folks are all gone. We expect some slower days over the next week or so before the real summer crowds begin to show. From about late June to the end of summer, we expect sellouts most of the days.
Our work day was with Donna and she told us about a road she drove in Alpine, about 20 miles south of here, to find a fishing hole where she caught several trout on her day off on Friday. It sounded so good to us from her description that we are going to drive there ourselves this morning before work. She described how beautiful the road was and about all the wildflowers she saw. Although it is partly cloudy this morning, we will venture to Alpine to check it out...
Monday, June 10, 2013
Sunday, June 9, 2013
Big Rally Ended
The annual classic car rally is officially ended this morning. The activities yesterday included a parade of the autos downtown and several raffles and meetings ending with a banquet last night and dancing well into the early hours this morning. Our shift at the front desk was dominated by the rally guests wanting all kinds of housekeeping items - pillows, blankets, soap, etc - and idle conversation about the rally and the vehicles that are here this year. We also had a very surprising visit at the front desk by the one and only Virginia - the very spry and alert 89 year old owner of the Virginian Lodge. She was paying a visit from her home in San Diego and she was staying in one of her several homes in the area near the Tetons. She came in with her daughter and son-in-law and spent several minutes talking with us and the management that were on duty yesterday for the rally. A remarkable woman.
This rally is the 36th annual. There are people that have been coming here for over 30 of those years and we spoke to one woman who made her reservations for next year's rally that said she was a relative "newbie" since she began attending in 1991. This rally also kicks off our busy season as we only had 3 rooms available when we left our shift at 11 PM last night. From now on, we expect to be very busy with the tourist season in high gear.
We are happy that our weekend shifts are in the afternoon this year. It should be a circus at the front desk this morning with all the attendees checking out and trying to make reservations for next year. The crowd should be gone by the time we start at 3 PM. In the meantime, we will enjoy our morning and early afternoon in the sunshine and warm weather we have had the last few days...
This rally is the 36th annual. There are people that have been coming here for over 30 of those years and we spoke to one woman who made her reservations for next year's rally that said she was a relative "newbie" since she began attending in 1991. This rally also kicks off our busy season as we only had 3 rooms available when we left our shift at 11 PM last night. From now on, we expect to be very busy with the tourist season in high gear.
We are happy that our weekend shifts are in the afternoon this year. It should be a circus at the front desk this morning with all the attendees checking out and trying to make reservations for next year. The crowd should be gone by the time we start at 3 PM. In the meantime, we will enjoy our morning and early afternoon in the sunshine and warm weather we have had the last few days...
Saturday, June 8, 2013
Still Looking for Bears
Our second day off for the week was spent taking a drive to the northern section of the Grand Tetons to Pilgrim Creek Rd where the bears are suppose to be hanging out. We came here last week and didn't see any bears, so we were hoping for better luck. It didn't happen, but it was a very enjoyable excursion anyway.
We passed the huge field where we routinely see bison and other wildlife and they were again in the field. This time, the dandelions were so plentiful it looked like a yellow blanket was spread in the field:
We also saw some different wildflowers along with the usual ones. Below are a couple of wildflowers we hadn't previously identified:
Starting with the Desert Parsley:
more Desert Parsley with some Lupines, making for some nice photos:
Here are some Western Groundsel:
and more of the Balsamroot that is everywhere:
We saw more wildlife on the return trip, starting with this, the second of two herds we passed:
and the moose that was close to the same area we saw him before, and we could see that his rack, though still in velvet, is getting larger:
I took a short walk to the courtyard area of the lodge when we returned home. The annual classic car rally is taking place at the lodge this weekend, and I wanted to snap a few photos of all the cars that are parked all around the pool in the interior area of the lodge:
This annual rally creates a lot of activity at the front desk and this year, as opposed to last, we are escaping most of the turmoil since we are working the afternoons instead of the mornings on the weekends. Thank goodness for that.
Our weekend is over and we now return to work at 3 this afternoon. We really are happy that our schedule this year gives us an extra half day on our weekends before working again. We are scheduled to work with Nicole, the manager's daughter, for the first time this year. She will be on our schedule every other week, so today will complete our experience working with all the other front desk personnel.
It was a fun two days for us, and we are already looking forward to our next weekend...
We passed the huge field where we routinely see bison and other wildlife and they were again in the field. This time, the dandelions were so plentiful it looked like a yellow blanket was spread in the field:
We also saw some different wildflowers along with the usual ones. Below are a couple of wildflowers we hadn't previously identified:
Starting with the Desert Parsley:
more Desert Parsley with some Lupines, making for some nice photos:
Here are some Western Groundsel:
and more of the Balsamroot that is everywhere:
We saw more wildlife on the return trip, starting with this, the second of two herds we passed:
and the moose that was close to the same area we saw him before, and we could see that his rack, though still in velvet, is getting larger:
I took a short walk to the courtyard area of the lodge when we returned home. The annual classic car rally is taking place at the lodge this weekend, and I wanted to snap a few photos of all the cars that are parked all around the pool in the interior area of the lodge:
This annual rally creates a lot of activity at the front desk and this year, as opposed to last, we are escaping most of the turmoil since we are working the afternoons instead of the mornings on the weekends. Thank goodness for that.
Our weekend is over and we now return to work at 3 this afternoon. We really are happy that our schedule this year gives us an extra half day on our weekends before working again. We are scheduled to work with Nicole, the manager's daughter, for the first time this year. She will be on our schedule every other week, so today will complete our experience working with all the other front desk personnel.
It was a fun two days for us, and we are already looking forward to our next weekend...
Friday, June 7, 2013
Hiking Cache Creek
It was a beautiful morning and the temperature was suppose to reach 75 degrees, so we planned a hike of the nearby Cache Creek Loop. It was close to us- trailhead starts at the southeast corner of town - and it was an easy hike to start our hiking season. The trail is also a popular trail for mountain bikes.
We arrived at the parking area at the start of the trail at about 10:30 AM and read the information and maps on the info board:
which was next to the creek:
One of the trails noted on the info board was this one which was not on our agenda for our hike:
The trail was a long one through this canyon and we had planned to hike only about 4 miles for the day. That meant hiking in about 2 miles and returning on one of the side trails. The countryside and views along the way were fabulous:
The first mile was fairly easy:
as we continued along the trail.
Aside from the terrific views, we saw many wildflowers and took tons of pictures. Some of the wildflowers we saw were unidentifiable using the two wildflower books we have. These are the best photos of the wildflowers:
Starting with the Balsamroot that were everywhere in the open fields and hillsides:
We arrived at the parking area at the start of the trail at about 10:30 AM and read the information and maps on the info board:
which was next to the creek:
One of the trails noted on the info board was this one which was not on our agenda for our hike:
The trail was a long one through this canyon and we had planned to hike only about 4 miles for the day. That meant hiking in about 2 miles and returning on one of the side trails. The countryside and views along the way were fabulous:
The first mile was fairly easy:
as we continued along the trail.
Aside from the terrific views, we saw many wildflowers and took tons of pictures. Some of the wildflowers we saw were unidentifiable using the two wildflower books we have. These are the best photos of the wildflowers:
Starting with the Balsamroot that were everywhere in the open fields and hillsides:
Sticky Geranium:
Creeping Barberry:
Common Cowparsnip:
Prairiesmoke:
Hairy Clematis:
Low Larkspur:
Single Flower Helanthia:
Horsetail:
Some of the unidentified wildflowers:
and yes, lots of Dandelions:
After we reached the end of the 2.2 mile initial trail, we came to and area where there were several options to continue:
At this point, we decided to return by a side trail that would take us along the Cache Creek. Along this trail, we came to a gauging station that measures the flow and depth of the creek for the Forest Service so they can control flooding:
At this point, we were beginning to tire and were glad we decided to return. The total hike was just over 5 miles for us and was a nice first hike of the season.
We returned home and picked up the lawn mower and trimmer from the RV office and performed that task for this week. We sat outside and relaxed for a couple hours before dinner and snapped this nice photo of a Magpie:
This bird, along with a robin that was on our lawn, were grabbing worms from our freshly mowed and watered area of our campsite.
It was a wonderful way to spend our first day off this week and we also noticed that the classic cars were checking in at the lodge. We will get some nice pictures of this year's classic auto rally for tomorrow's entry. We also would like to take a drive today back to the area where the bears are located, so we'll see about photos from that trip...
Thursday, June 6, 2013
End of Week
The week ended yesterday with an increasing number of walk-ins and another Caravan bus tour. It is still below the peak season rate for guests but that should change this weekend with the classic car show returning. We also had a staff meeting yesterday that was more a review of procedures than anything else. It only lasted a half hour but it messed up our day from the planning standpoint. The meeting was at 1 PM and we had had to return home for an hour and a half before going in for our shift at 3 PM.
It is a clear day and the forecast is for warm temperatures, so we are planning to be outside for most of the day. We are talking about a hike and we also need to cut the grass again, so there will be lots of outdoor time. The grass can't be cut while our neighbor, Tasha, is sleeping from her night shift that ended at 7 AM, so that has to be done this afternoon.
With our planned outdoor activities today, we hope to get some good photos of wildlife and wildflowers. So, it's off to spend our first day of this weekend...
It is a clear day and the forecast is for warm temperatures, so we are planning to be outside for most of the day. We are talking about a hike and we also need to cut the grass again, so there will be lots of outdoor time. The grass can't be cut while our neighbor, Tasha, is sleeping from her night shift that ended at 7 AM, so that has to be done this afternoon.
With our planned outdoor activities today, we hope to get some good photos of wildlife and wildflowers. So, it's off to spend our first day of this weekend...
Wednesday, June 5, 2013
Planning First Hike
Our main focus the last couple days, aside from working and getting bikes on order, has been to figure out where to go for our first hike this year. We want to go somewhere we haven't been, and at the same time, we don't want to do a strenuous hike for our first one this year.
It looks like we will settle on the hike through Garnet Canyon, which is not too far into the park and can be as long as you would like it to be. It is also a hike that should take us by some wildflowers that will be at, or near their peak for this time of year. The description of the hike seems strenuous, but we expect to take only the front part of the hike and not the strenuous climb portion. The only thing we need to resolve at this point is whether to do the hike on Thursday or Friday. It looks like there will be a chance for thunderstorms both days, so it is a toss-up.
Our work day yesterday was again with Donna and the time really flies when we work with her as she is very talkative and fun to be with. There were more walk-ins (17) than reservations (12) last night and we had the usual tour bus from Caravan Tours. We believe that the business will increase rapidly as June goes on and kids get out of school. One concern we have is that the Caravan Tour company has removed the Bar-J (western show) activity from their tour schedule because some folks complained that they got back to the hotel too late for their early departure the next morning. That creates more work for us at the front desk as now the tour folks need us to get cabs, restaurant reservations for dinner, directions to town activities and other assistance that we didn't have to provide last year while they all went to the Bar-J show.
We have a staff meeting today at 1 PM so we need to stick close to home so we aren't late for the meeting. It is the first and only meeting that we will have and is difficult to schedule for our management since there needs to be someone at the front desk all the time. We'll see how that goes...
It looks like we will settle on the hike through Garnet Canyon, which is not too far into the park and can be as long as you would like it to be. It is also a hike that should take us by some wildflowers that will be at, or near their peak for this time of year. The description of the hike seems strenuous, but we expect to take only the front part of the hike and not the strenuous climb portion. The only thing we need to resolve at this point is whether to do the hike on Thursday or Friday. It looks like there will be a chance for thunderstorms both days, so it is a toss-up.
Our work day yesterday was again with Donna and the time really flies when we work with her as she is very talkative and fun to be with. There were more walk-ins (17) than reservations (12) last night and we had the usual tour bus from Caravan Tours. We believe that the business will increase rapidly as June goes on and kids get out of school. One concern we have is that the Caravan Tour company has removed the Bar-J (western show) activity from their tour schedule because some folks complained that they got back to the hotel too late for their early departure the next morning. That creates more work for us at the front desk as now the tour folks need us to get cabs, restaurant reservations for dinner, directions to town activities and other assistance that we didn't have to provide last year while they all went to the Bar-J show.
We have a staff meeting today at 1 PM so we need to stick close to home so we aren't late for the meeting. It is the first and only meeting that we will have and is difficult to schedule for our management since there needs to be someone at the front desk all the time. We'll see how that goes...
Tuesday, June 4, 2013
Great Wildflowers
It was so nice yesterday morning we took a drive to Wilson which is the town just before the Teton Pass into Idaho. It is only five miles from Jackson, but the road south out of Wilson is a beautiful drive with many different wildflowers. The countryside is a combination of hills, streams and meadows:
We took lots of pictures of the many wildflowers that we saw along this road. Most of them we were able to identify using our two wildflower identification books.
Starting with the Low Larkspur:
The Balsamroot are the wildflowers that blanket the hillsides and are about at their peak:
Finally, we came back into town from the south and captured the tip of the Grand Teton mountain:
The warm weather has really brought out the wildflowers and we hope to get more shots of different flowers when we take our first hike of the year on our days off this week.
We also decided to go forward and order our bikes from the gentleman at the Teton Mountain Bike Tours who is very sincere in giving us a deal we can't refuse. He will throw in a couple Schwinn helmets with the two bikes, a bike hitch and pump, and free tune-ups for the season - at close to his cost so we will plug his business to guests at the front desk of the Virginian. We hope to have those by the end of this week, or early next week.
It was just another slow night behind the desk last night but we again enjoyed good conversation with Tasha and with the guests. Our work day today is with Donna and we always enjoy working with her...
We took lots of pictures of the many wildflowers that we saw along this road. Most of them we were able to identify using our two wildflower identification books.
Starting with the Low Larkspur:
Desert Parsley:
Low Hawksbeard:
Lupines:
and the plentiful Balsamroot:
The Balsamroot are the wildflowers that blanket the hillsides and are about at their peak:
Finally, we came back into town from the south and captured the tip of the Grand Teton mountain:
The warm weather has really brought out the wildflowers and we hope to get more shots of different flowers when we take our first hike of the year on our days off this week.
We also decided to go forward and order our bikes from the gentleman at the Teton Mountain Bike Tours who is very sincere in giving us a deal we can't refuse. He will throw in a couple Schwinn helmets with the two bikes, a bike hitch and pump, and free tune-ups for the season - at close to his cost so we will plug his business to guests at the front desk of the Virginian. We hope to have those by the end of this week, or early next week.
It was just another slow night behind the desk last night but we again enjoyed good conversation with Tasha and with the guests. Our work day today is with Donna and we always enjoy working with her...
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