I realized recently that even though I’ve been living at Yellowstone for two months, I’ve hardly seen any of it - just a whirlwind tour during training and some sightseeing when my family visited. I’d only done one real expedition on my own - my drive to Lamar Valley. I think it’s partly because it takes an hour to drive to West Yellowstone for ( Read more... )

I was supposed to be working on programs, but needed a break, so I was working at the front desk. Outside, the clouds were getting kind of dark. A few minutes later we thought it was raining, then saw it was sleeting - then it was sleeting so hard it was practically a whiteout, and I couldn't see the top of the ridge behind Old Faithful! It went to ( Read more... )

I was supposed to have Wednesday and Thursday off this week. Those will be my usual days off - my “weekend”. However, this week there is a training session on Thursday that I have to attend; I asked Rita about it and she told me to take today (Tuesday) and Wednesday off. So all of a sudden I had my day off early! I had planned to go for a drive on ( Read more... )

Yesterday was my first day on duty, wearing the uniform. Luckily, the rest of the uniform had arrived in time! Of my original order, only one shirt and two jackets fit; the pants, belt, and long-sleeved shirts had to be sent back and reordered. (I had ordered several sizes in hopes that at least one would fit, but that didn’t work with the pants.) ( Read more... )

I'm planning to write about the rest of my trip out here, moving in, and the training so far, but I also want to write about what happens next! So I will post those catch-up entries when I can, and back-date them, but I will also be posting new stuff.

(Note: I will be posting more about the rest of the trip here, and the training so far, but I wanted to get this down while it was still fresh in my mind ( Read more... )

There is a reason everyone who went west on the Oregon/Mormon trail talked about Independence Rock. It is really big! It really stands out against the mountains behind it and the utter flatness of the sagebrush plains all around it. We didn't climb up on top like we did in 2000, but we walked around it - and even that took a while! It was really, ( Read more... )

We hit the Oregon Trail today. Scotts Bluff, Chimney Rock (from a distance), Fort Laramie... Saw a turkey, a few prairie dogs and a bunch of pronghorns (antelope). A LOT of horses - and cattle, but horses are more exciting! Also saw a lot of tumbleweeds. Actually tumbling. And caught up against fences. Lots of sagebrush and yuccas, and we ended up ( Read more... )

Halfway there! We've driven through Missouri, Kansas, and most of Nebraska - tomorrow we'll be going past Chimney Rock, Scotts Bluff, and Independence Rock as we head into Wyoming. It's been a long drive, but we've been listening to NPR and counting the hawks, turkeys, and vultures we see along the way!

So, a month and a half ago, I got a phone call from someone named Rita, at Yellowstone National Park, asking if I was still available for a Park Guide position there. Why, yes, I said! I had some time, so we had a preliminary interview, talking about my experience at the Arch and what the position at Yellowstone would be like - at Old Faithful, the ( Read more... )