'18/#14 Starting To See Our New Neighborhood

The reason we live this lifestyle is so we can see the country. We picked this location so we could see more of Yellowstone National Park. On our days off we drove into the park with the goal of seeing some of the things we didn't get to see when we stayed in Cody Wyoming 6 years ago. We also went back to some of our favorite places from our last trip. Mary took so many pictures that we could put them together and make an old fashioned "flip-book" of buffalo.

As close as we need to get!

Japanese tourist looking to get gored!

This trip we finally got up to Mammoth Springs and the Gardiner entrance to the park that is marked by the Roosevelt Arch. Gardiner itself was kind of disappointing A couple of blocks of homes and a row of tourist shops does not make a town. Inside the park is the site of Fort Yellowstone which has a little more historical significance and is a bit more scenic. We didn't spend much time there but we have all summer to go back.

Of course there is the wildlife and the majestic scenery. We drove through the newly plowed and opened Dunraven Pass and out to Lamar Valley. The valley is, I feel, the most unspoiled part of the park. If there was no road there would be no sign that man had been there. It is what I imagine the west looked like 300 years ago. Herds of buffalo, numbering into the thousands, sharing the valley with bear, wolves, deer, and elk. With the Lamar River meandering through and the wide open grasslands it is a very peaceful and serene place that I never get bored seeing.

No trip to Yellowstone would be complete without a stop at the Old Faithful Geyser. We opted not to stick around for almost an hour to see it spout but we will another time. We will also head to the south entrance that takes us to the Tetons and the Grand Teton National Park. This is another road that has just recently been cleared of snow and opened for travel. So much to see and all summer to see it. Ours is a wonderful life.

I am actually on the clock right now in the campground and have some things to do. So I am signing off from our home in West Yellowstone because....

Home is where we park it,
Fran and Mary

'18/#13 Settling In

It has been a week since we arrived in West Yellowstone and today is day four of work. Everyone has been real nice and it looks like we will have a great summer. Our schedule is still in flux until training is completed so days off are kind of random. We will have one day off, work one day and have two more days off before we are in our regular schedule.

Saturday we will head into Idaho Falls to do some shopping and try and see some waterfalls along the way. Then during the week we will head into Yellowstone National Park. Our current location is just 5 minutes outside the park's West gate. In fact just over the fence behind our trailer is Yellowstone National Park.

Our guests have been coming back from the park telling us about buffalo, elk, and bear sightings. There have been quite a few babies with their mothers in the buffalo and bear sightings. We have seen baby buffalo before but not bear cubs with their mothers...at least not in the wild. 

Some of the roads in Yellowstone are still closed and there has been an avalanche or two reported on the east side of the park. The northern side of the park is reporting 8-12 feet of snow off the roadways. The roads themselves are clear but hiking any of the trails is not possible at this time. We will check in with the park rangers when we head into the park. 

Well I will sign off for now since we are at work in the RV park we are calling home for the summer because....

Home is where we park it,

Frank and Mary

'18/#12 Welcome To Our New Home

The trek is over. We made it to West Yellowstone and will be here for the rest of the summer. The weather has been clear and cool but the temperature still drops below freezing at night on occasion.That means we still have to keep an eye on our water lines. There is quite a bit of snow still piled up on the side of the roads and at higher elevations but it is melting. The rivers in Yellowstone are running heavy with all the snow run-off.

We went into Yellowstone our first full day here looking for wildlife. Of course we found buffalo everywhere there was grass not covered with snow and we came across an elk munching on the grass along side a river. Mary is determined to find a moose this year but none on this trip. At the Old Faithful visitors center we saw snow piled up all around the parking lot and there was a snow bank that reached up to the eaves of the building and beyond. There were not a lot of people here but the season is just getting started.

The next day we decided to take a drive into Bozeman MT since that is where all the bigger stores, malls, and restaurants are. This summer that will be a scheduled trip to get supplies that are not as readily available here in West Yellowstone. The population here in town is only about 1300 so the big stores aren't found anywhere nearby. There are couple of independent grocery stores, a hardware store, gas stations, and a few other small businesses for the locals to shop. As for the tourists there is an abundance of small restaurants and souvenir shops. A number of them aren't even open yet but that will change soon.

Speaking of tourist shops and attractions....we start work  this Monday. Our duties will be in the RV park, gift shop, and I-Max theater. The day we got here they had just gotten a delivery and I'm sure the empty shelves will be full of t-shirts and souvenirs in no time. Several tour buses have been here the past few days and from what we understand that is our "bread and butter" for the gift shop. The theater shows a movie about Yellowstone and then the buses head into the park. Of course to get in and out of the theater you have to go through the gift shop. This layout is no accident as anyone who has traveled to a tourist destination knows. I'm sure we will have fun and stay busy during the season.

Anyway, today is our last day before we start work. We will put the final touches on setting up the trailer for our stay for the summer so it feels like home here in our rig in West Yellowstone Montana because....

Home is where we park it,
Frank and Mary

'18/#11 Another Day To Relax

Our home has moved again and we are in the east end of Idaho, just outside of Idaho Falls. We could have kept on going into West Yellowstone and arrived at our final destination on this trip, but why? We still have time before we have to start work, we have been doing better on the road not pushing ourselves, and we had some things to take care of here in Idaho Falls.

We found a nice county campground and decided to just relax before moving on. The weather has turned a little for the worse so we will stay here for a couple of days. Right now there is a mix of snow and rain with the temperature just below 40 degrees. A cold wet day is perfect for just hunkering down and keeping warm.

The weather cleared up some so we took a drive just to see the area a little. A brief trip into Idaho Falls for some business and a rise out into the mountains to find a waterfall. The roads were pretty muddy so we didn't get as close to the waterfalls as I had hoped but it was a nice drive. The weather started to take a downward turn  so we headed home. Shortly thereafter hail started to come down. Nothing too big or anything to worry about. Just enough to make it miserable outside.

Today we plan on heading out and getting to West Yellowstone by this afternoon. That will be our home for the next five months. So goodbye for the last time from our home in Ririe Idaho because.....

Home is where we park it,
Frank and Mary