Countdown to June 21.......

June 21st is the day Grant Village campground opens and that is only 2 days away.  We have heard that there are all ready over 300 reservations for Monday.  For the last few days we have been practicing on site.  So far I am at about 20 minutes per registration... at that rate it should take about 100 hrs to get them all done. HELP!!!!!

Yesterday we woke to frozen water pipes and snow.  It snowed off and on all day.  It was one cold day.  The good news is that the Grant Village Lakehouse restaurant served breakfast and dinner to all the Xanterra employees.  All we needed was the employee dining ticket.  It was one of their "preview" days.  The staff gets to practice and we get good meals.

Today, we were treated to the "Circle of Fire" bus tour.  It is a full day bus tour of the lower loop of the park.  The driver was fun and incredibly knowledgeable.  We couldn't believe the difference in the weather from yesterday to today.  It was a beautiful day today!

We came back to our campsite to find a new neighbor to the left of us.  It had been vacant and we were silently hoping it would stay that way.  When we got around to the back we found they had set up a big canvas/mosquito net canopy 20' feet from the back of our 5th wheel.  We can't open the back of the 5th wheel without looking right at them... instead of the lake. It turns out it belongs to our new neighbor, who happens to be one of our coworkers.  Bill politely asked him why he put it behind our rig and he said there wasn't room in his area for the net.  Bill pointed out a spot, but he didn't think it was big enough.  Bill explained that we didn't want to be looking out at his tent...in our campsite.  We will see if he removes it tomorrow or Sunday.  If not, I guess we will need to be the "bad kids" on the block and be more forceful in our demands.  One would think common courtesy would take care of this issue, but I fear not. So now the party begins...............  The other neighbors had suggestions but I don't know that yoga in the nude, with our door open, is the best resolution!

The pictures are from our bus trip today.

June 4-Our first day

It took 9 months, but I sold my home in Seattle---just in the knick of time. We had signed agreements, in March, to work in Yellowstone National Park for the summer season. We were to report there on June 8^th to start training. The house closed on May 27^th, so we moved out of there and into our Raptor 5^th Wheel the next day.  Now we have a couple of days to head east to Gardiner, MT.  We will be in training there for a week and then it is off to Grant Campground to live and work as “Guest Service Agents”.

This is not the type of job I am used to doing. I am more the “back office” kind of gal. So this will be a challenge for me.  Bill has been pointing out opportunities for me to develop some customer service skills, but it is tough when one’s nature is to be cranky.  Bill, on the other hand, has experience dealing with the public. Unfortunately, he would rather NOT!  Like he says, “But I am retired…. I don’t want to work."  But we can't think of a much more beautiful place to be than Yellowstone.  For years I have thought that it would be a dream come true to actually spend a summer working and living in the park--and now it is actually happening-- WOW!!!

Our 5^th wheel is a Raptor toy hauler.  Bill had sold the Harley and gone into deep mourning for weeks. So we now have a Can-Am trike. It has been great fun. We haven’t spent as much time on it as we would have liked, mainly because of the weather, but expect to use it a great deal in Wyoming.  Here is an interesting fact.....WA is the only state that requires a special endorsement to drive a trike.  Bill got his and I have a permit. 

Nelly has a ways to go in her transition to a traveling indoor cat, she is used to having the run of the neighborhood. The Raptor has lots of places for her to explore without the outdoors.  Here the outdoors is not friendly to small critters.  It will be interesting to see how she reacts to the animals she will see in our campground.

Right now, we are in eastern WA. The sun is warm and the sky is blue. Everyone here has taken naps so we should be good to go. Here’s hoping you are all enjoying some sun and a nap or two!!!

June 9- We have officially begun our Yellowstone training.

We arrived in Gardiner on the 6th and are staying in a campground on a hillside overlooking the Yellowstone River and the town of Gardiner. I have never entered the park from here before but it is really picturesque. Mountains on all sides...and the river is muddy, HIGH, and really roaring through this area.

The Seattle weather I thought we left behind caught up to us shortly after my 6/4 posting and it has been rainy and windy ever since.

We checked into a campground in Gardiner that the Xanterra folks had arranged for us. The folks here managed to squeeze us into a spot that I would have thought physically impossible. As it is our neighbors 5th Wheel is about 2' from ours. Luckily they are really nice folks from San Antonio, TX and will be working at Grant campground too!

We arrived a couple of days early so we had some time to do rearrange things in the trailer. Bill managed to get the Blu Ray hooked up and the sound system now works the way it should. That will be nice because there is no TV here, so we will be watching a lot movies.

While Bill was busy working on hooking up the woofer properly, Nelly was busy scouting for a hiding spot. Bill had removed a wood panel from around the water heater so he could get at the woofer more easily. Nelly, somehow, got up on top of the water heater and took a nap. Bill finished his job and replaced the wood around the water heater. We spent the rest of the day looking for her. We called and called and she never once made a peep. Eventually, we figured it out. Now we have to make sure all the cabinet doors are closed since she is looking for a new hideout.

We checked in as new Xanterra employees yesterday. We received our uniforms and PAPERWORK yesterday and spent the rest of the day in orientation, which meant more PAPERWORK. Today we had our first 1/2 day of computer training and 1/2 day of safety information, customer service guidelines and more PAPERWORK. Tomorrow we have a full day of computer training and PAPERWORK. I have never signed so many acknowledgment of receipt forms in my life. This will continue until 6/21 and the campground opens. And then we are supposed to be prepared for the onslaught of campers.  We are expecting long lines and long hours....... we just hope we have enough energy left to enjoy our days off without sleeping them away.    

There are some fun days ahead too... on Friday we are going on the chuck wagon cookout that leaves from Roosevelt Lodge. It is their final test run and some of the Grant employees get to be their customers. I did this a couple of years ago and it was great fun. Also, on the 18th all of the employees at Grant campground get the opportunity to take the full day Circle of Fire bus tour. They want us to be familiar with the area so we are better able to help the guests.

We will be staying here in Gardiner and training in Mammoth until next Tuesday. That morning we move to the Grant Village Campground. This will be our home until Oct 4. We are looking forward to getting the trike on the road.... on our days off.

So far we have seen eagles, mountain sheep, elk...lots of elk, and a new elk calf not yet standing. And all of that in just 2 days and on our way to and from Mammoth. Now that's an interesting commute......

On Tuesday we move to our permanent home (4 months) in Grant Village.  The last photo is of our campsite.  We took a drive down there on Sunday just to see where we would be staying.  In the distance you can see Lake Yellowstone.  There has been bear issues in the area though................  

Devils Tower and Cody Wyoming

We stayed at the campground right outside of the entrance to Devil's Tower. Perfect spot. We drove into the park and saw the prairie dog town I remembered from my last visit --- which was almost 40 years ago. We took in the ranger campfire talk in the evening. The national parks do those so well. The young woman who spoke told us about the Indian languages and their presence in the area. She was able to speak many Indian languages. It was very interesting.....however the only thing I truly remember is that if you throw a wad of bubble gum into a campfire it explodes.

The next day we moved on to Cody, Wyoming, through the southern end of the Bighorn Mountains. It was beautiful. We have determined that if we decide to upgrade our coach one of the "must haves" will be diesel power. It would make the mountain crossing much easier. Dave and Sue's truck brakes had some issues coming down the other side and since they were ahead of us we could smell the brakes. By the time we pulled over their brakes were really smoking. We were all a little concerned about a fire but they cooled off and we were on our way. We stayed in Cody and had dinner at the Irma Hotel. It was originally built in 1902 by Buffalo Bill Cody.

Tomorrow we are off to Yellowstone National Park,

Minnesota and Ellsworth AFB

We currently are calling Ellsworth Air Force Base home. This base has the worst WiFi. the only way I can connect is to sit outside the office on a picnic table. That is as far as their signal will carry. But if I do that I have to place my face on the screen to read anything. That is why the blog has not been updated recently. Next time I will break down and get an air card.

After leaving Kansas we headed to Minnesota spending two nights in Alexandria. My grandparents had a farm near a small town called Garfield. My mom was born and raised there, so my family spent a lot of weekend and summers in this area. We vacationed at Harvey’s Resort for many years and visited my moms family and friends on the weekends. Eventually my folks bought a lake place. In with the pictures you will see some shots of Harvey’s Resort. It has been unused for a number of years and it is currently for sale. The cabins,, the water pump ( no indoor plumbing ), the ice house, the minnow tank (I loved to catch them with the little net) and the dock (barely) remain.. The church my grandparents attended is still there, a classic country church. I enjoyed my little trip back in time. We spent some time with Ronnie and Lois Larson ( my cousin and her husband ) at their home. In the evening, the four of us went to a great Italian restaurant in Alexandria. We had another Italian meal the following night from the leftovers.

The next 3 days we spent in Robbinsdale. We spent time with my brother and his wife, Tom and Barb Richardson and Kate, my niece.They treated us to some great coffee and lunch in their coffee house in Robbinsdale. We rented a car while we were there. Bill had wrenched his knee and since I wanted to show him around it was easier for me to drive. We met Colleen and Bob Kangas, friends of mine, in Stillwater. MN and took a paddle boat lunch cruise down the St Croix River. Colleen and I worked together at Pillsbury many years ago and we sailed together on Lake Superior. It was a glorious time with terrific company.

In the evening, we went to dinner with Lucy and Orlyn Boshans. Lucy and I have been friends since junior high. I think Bill was hoping for some “Girls Gone Wild” stories but it was more “Girls Gone Mild”. Orlyn has a Harley and had some good stories to share. I don't get to see Lucy very often but whenever I do it is like time stood still and I should be passing her notes in class again.

On Sunday, Barb ( my sister-in-law ) invited us to brunch with Bruce and Laura Krider ( her brother and his wife ) who were in town for his high school reunion. Bruce was recently working in Saudi Arabia and had some amazing stories to tell. Erica Horn, Tom’s middle daughter, was there too !!! It was great to spend see everyone and enjoy some great food. They sent us away with some great oatmeal raisin cookies and cinnamon rolls. We enjoyed them immensely.

On Sunday we headed off towards Rapid City. I had not driven the coach once since its purchase. I decided that if I can't drive in South Dakota flat lands then I would never get behind that wheel. So I took over and immediately ran into 50 miles of road construction. Two lane roads with no shoulders. I persevered and we made it unscathed. Since then I have driven more and almost always after I move into the drivers seat those dang yellow road construction signs show up. We spent Sunday night in a roadside rest stop next to at least 16 semis. The next day we made it to Ellsworth AFB.

You can’t make reservations at the AFB camp ground, so we had to spend one night in their overflow parking area. Dave and Sue Weldon, from Oklahoma, joined us there. The overflow area was way out on the far side of the base, I swear I heard small arms fire. That night we had a huge thunder, lightning and wind storm. We were watching the folks next us when the awning over their slide out started to rip apart. We quickly slid ours back in but not before some damage was done. Evidently duct tape is what one uses for repairing these tops.

Dave and Sue have been to the Black Hills before so they were kind enough to lead us around the area. We went to the evening presentation at Mt Rushmore. That was really special. They light the monument, the ranger gave a short presentation, they lowered the flag and then asked all military veterans to come up on stage. They were invited to give their name and branch of service. It was very moving and since both Dave and Bill are retired Navy they really appreciated the show of support.

The following days we DID the Black Hills. We spent time in Sturgis...they are busy getting ready for the rally the first week in August. So it was souvenir T-shirts for all of us. We went to the Badlands and of course stopped in at Wall Drug for lunch. We biked through Custer State Park and saw buffalo, prong horn elk, and donkeys. We traveled through canyons, narrow tunnels and some of the most beautiful scenery. We averaged about 150 miles a day and had great fun.

Tomorrow we head to Devil's Tower.

Oklahoma Heat

Oh my gosh... the heat continues. Today, I believe is the only day that did not get into the 100's. It was only 96 degrees.

The breakfast ride to Claremore caught me unawares..... Dan, one of the Gold Wing Riders suggested the bacon and eggs breakfast... (some day I will get even Dan). This was probably the BIGGEST breakfast I have ever seen. There was a pound of bacon on top of a pound of fried potatoes and 3 scrambled eggs. It was a sight to behold.

We have extended our stay in Bartlesville until July 2. We have had made a number of trips to various repair facilities.... Bell's RV, Tates Tires, Truitt's Brakes, back to Bells and on our way out of town we are stopped at Bell's one more time.

In between visits to the above establishments, we were treated to more Oklahoma hospitality.
Matt and Annie let us borrow their pickup, which allowed us to get around in air conditioned comfort. Dave made Indian fry bread for breakfast TWICE !!! The Weldon family have taken us in, shown us all the sights and fed us incredible meals.

We traveled to Woolaroc, Frank Phillips' ranch, just a few miles outside of Bartlesville. There is a huge museum of western art, a wildlife park and the original lodge. Bill and I spent the better part of the day exploring the place.

The group of Gold Wing riders that the Weldons belong to allowed our Harley to join them on their Friday night dinner ride. We rode to Owasso, passing by Garth Brooks ranch, and had dinner at a Cracker Barrel restaurant. Then we had a leisurely drive back through the countryside and no one complained about that loud motorcycle near the rear of the pack.

We had a breakfast and a dinner at Western Wishes. This is located in Bowring, OK, which is the smallest place to be called a town that I have ever seen. But the restaurant was a kick, great food and fun western decor.

We had a small BBQ at our campsite for the Weldons and Ronnie, Carrie, Hunter, Heather Hatheway (Bill's cousin and his family). The kids, Hunter and Heather, went swimming while the rest told family stories. I now know where Bill gets the idea that anything over a day old in the fridge is "bad".

After having the electric gremlins looked at again at Bells and breakfast we left OK in a slight "Seattle-like" rain.

We drove through Kansas with Bill trying to educate me on the proper pronunciation of the towns, like Neodesha, Osawatomie and Bucyrus. Who knew Kansas had their own language?

In Neodesha, we discovered the steps, on the outside of the coach, had not retracted when we left Bartlesville. So we had driven about 50 miles with them extended. Thank heaven we didn't hit anything. Bill spent the next 20 minutes forcing it back in, tying it up with rope and introducing me to another language-----he said he learned it in the Navy.

We arrived in Kansas City safe and sound. We are camping at the Worlds of Fun RV Park. We can watch the folks on the roller coaster and hear their screams.

We spent Thursday night with Diane Schmid (Bill's sister), her friend Ray Davis, Bill Briscoe (Bill's nephew) and his daughters Claire and Rainey.

Yesterday, we visited the Steamboat Arabia Museum. This boat sank in the Missouri in 1856 with over 200 tons of cargo destined for towns upriver. It was rediscovered in 1988 and the cargo has yielded the most pre-Civil war artifacts and information regarding frontier life ever. It was a great tour.

We spent our afternoon touring a couple of casinos and the evening was spent learning a new card game with Diane and Ray.

Last night we were treated to an amazing thunder and lightning show. The rain came down in buckets. We watched a small tent trailer near us, and thanking the stars that we were here and not there.

Oh by the way, the retractable steps, that Bill worked so hard tying up, decided to start working yesterday. No reason was given, no repairs were attempted... they just started to work.

Today we are going to a Liberty, Missouri for their Fourth of July Festival. Bill Brisco ( Bill's nephew) will be playing his bassoon with the "Liberty Summer Band".

Roswell, Santa Fe and beyond

Roswell was a kick. There is definitely an alien presence in Roswell, even McDonald's has space age decor. We spent the morning examining the exhibits at the International UFO Museum and Research Center and the rest of the day traveling to Santa Fe. Most of the area around Roswell would present a perfect landing area, if aliens decide to come back. Bill thinks this is where the government filmed the moon landing 'cover-up'. (He still isn't convinced we really went there!)

Santa Fe was a wonderful surprise, lots to see. The history of the area is amazing. We took a short city tour and were lucky enough to get a personal guided tour of the New Mexico state capital. Did you know they meet only 30 days a year and they still manage to get their State's business done? The Federal Government should be so efficient. Everywhere we looked there was a mission, a historical building, art and turquoise jewelry. We could have spent another week there and still have missed something.

We drove to Taos and explored the Taos Pueblo. This pueblo has been continuously inhabitated for over a 1000 years. It is hard to imagine, but there it was..... It was a hot day so we had lunch in Taos but didn't spend much time in town. With the exception of the pueblo, I think we both preferred the town of Santa Fe.

On Saturday we headed out towards Oklahoma. Driving through New Mexico, Texas and Oklahoma on the freeway was an easy haul. We stopped in Clinton, Oklahoma for fuel and had a spot of trouble..... no names will be mentioned, but by Monday afternoon I had an insurance check in hand and we were discussing repair alternatives.

Bartlesville, OK is where we are hanging our hats for now. We had some routine maintenance done on the coach and are discovering how hot Oklahoma can be in a heat wave. We have been in Nevada, New Mexico, Arizona but Oklahoma has been the hottest. Currently they are breaking records set in 1994. I was surprised at how green this area is, I thought it would be much drier, but here there are trees, trees, and more trees. They call it Green Country... very appropriate.

Bill's parents lived here for many years surrounded by friends and family. We are enjoying the best of Oklahoma hospitality from Bill's good friends, Dave and Sue Weldon. They have gone out of their way to entertain us.

Bartlesville is the home of Phillips 66 and is a wonderful town. There is much to see here. Last night we had dinner are the world famous restaurant, Murphy's ("gravy over all") and after dinner drinks at the Price Tower. The Price Tower is the only cantilevered skyscraper designed by Frank Lloyd Wright.

This morning we went on a "breakfast ride" to a small town called Bowring. Both Dave and Sue have Goldwing motorcycles, so we have the best Oklahoma tour guides, as well. In the afternoon Bill and Dave managed to straighten out parts of the coach that had been damaged in the "incident". The plan is get it fixed enough to continue and repair it fully when we return to Washington.

Now if I could remember to bring the camera, we might be able to show you some of the sights. Tomorrow we are going on another "breakfast ride", this time to Claremore, home of the Will Rogers Memorial. His actual birthplace is Oologah, OK.