'12/#27Yellowstone w/Tour Guides

Yes, it's been a while but not much going on. Work, chores, etc & Mary ate something that didn't agree with her. That was our days off this past week. This week is going to be different. We have friends coming to town on their way north. We met them last year at Dollywood & have become good friends. We are taking a few days off to spend time with them & plan on seeing more of Yellowstone. This time our friends will be our tour guides since they workcamped in Yellowstone a few years ago.


The goal today was to see the critters of Yellowstone & especially bear or moose. We also wanted to see more of the geo-thermal features in the park. We saw buffalo again & fools who need to see them up close. That is what telephoto lenses are for. Buffalo can sprint over 30mph & have been know to gore those who get too close. Notice the fools in the photo above & my nice close-up below from the safety of the car.

We saw a coyote & a babby weasel during our travels. We also saw a nice rack on the side of the road. This rack was attached to an elk who had a friend with a less impressive set of head gear. Can you say "antler envy"? I forgot that we had seen big horn sheep near the entrance of the park. Hopefully we will see them again on our way out. Big horn sheep are something to see but they don't have elk antlers.

Our next stop was the Norris Geyser Basin. We have seen the West Thumb Geyser but Norris was much bigger & more impressive. It is mind boggling to think that all these geysers, steam vents, & mud pots with their steam & boiling water is a sign that we are walking on top of one of the worlds largest active volcanos. If this volcano should erupt it would make Mt St Helens look like a small burp.

It has been a long day so we headed for home & what should we see? The big horn sheep are waiting to bid us adieu. We stopped off to have dinner with our friends /tour guides & called it a night. We will continue our explorations of Yellowstone tomorrow. So for now it is goodnight from our home in Cody because.....

Home is where we park it,

Frank & Mary

                                          

'12/#26 Back To Yellowstone

Here it is the first of June. That means we have been here a month. Time flies when you're having fun. Not much to say about the jobs here since it has been very slow tourist-wise. They say it will get busy soon & we hope so, because it can get very boring with no customers. The worst part of the job is watching the clock.

  This weekend we went into Yellowstone so Mary could see grizzly bears. This time we took the NE entrance since everyone is telling us that we will see wildlife there IF we get there early. So the alarm clock went off at 4am. Yes AM! Now if you know us at all you know we are not morning people. For the last 25-30 years the only time we saw times before 8am we were on our way home from work, so this was definitely out of character for us. 75 miles of beautiful & rugged countryside later we were having breakfast in Cooke City Montana. Out here in the wide open spaces they mean wide open. Once you leave Cody everything is at least an hour away. By the time we got to Yellowstone it was almost 8am.

The rest of the day was nothing short of amazing with prong horn deer jumping in front of the truck,deer grazing, & buffalo every where. No bears!The mountains are stunning, the valleys are serene, &a natural beauty is around every bend in the road. Pictures do it no justice but we take them anyway to share with everyone. We hope you enjoy them here & on our FB pages.

  The road started climbing as we approached Dunraven Pass. Just a week ago this pass was closed to traffic because of snow. In fact it had not been open yet this year. The snow at times was taller than our truck & this is JUNE! As we drove through the pass we got into a sort of traffic jam with the locals. This shot is through our windshield.

Coming down from Dunraven Pass we stopped to see the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone. We have been to the Grand Canyon & what this canyon may lack in size it more than makes up for in beauty. The colors from the mineral deposits & the water falls are breathtaking.

It was time to head home with another 100 miles to go so we pointed the truck east towards Cody. By the time we got home we had driven over 225 miles & walked countless more. We were tired. The rodeo was in our plans but that will wait for another day & another blog.

So this is goodnight from our home in Wyoming because...



Home is where we park it, Frank & Mary

'12/#25 Snow?!?!?!?!?

May 25th started like any other day for us. We woke up, showered, had breakfast, & got ready to head out to enjoy our days off. But as Mary stuck her head out the door she squealed with delight' "It's Snowing!". She hadn't seen a real snowfall sice she was 11 or 12 years old. That was over 30 years ago. She had never had the joy of digging out of a snow bank to get to work or even driving in snow. These are the reasons many of us move south. By 2pm the novelty had worn off & Mary was tired of the cold & wet.


With cameras in hand we headed out to document the weather. Now remember this is Memorial Day weekend. It's almost June & it is snowing. The locals tell us we can expect snow through the middle of June & they have experienced snow storms as late as the 4thof July!!! After dinner the snow had accumulated a bit & put that pictuesque winter frosting on everything in Cody including workcamper village.

It has been snowing for 2 days up in Yellowstone & the reports are that many of the roads are closed. Cody is at an elevation of 5000' & much of Yellowstone is above 7000' so the snow had not affected us until now. The mountain west of Cody is now covered with snow that was not there when we first arrived. Our truck, camper, & motorcycle are now getting snowed on for the first time. Thank goodness for our electric heaters & propane furnace not to mention our favorite....the electric blanket.

The next day most of the snow had melted but the weather was still cold & overcast. The temps have inched up into the low 40's & dropped overnight into the low to mid 30's. To think that a week ago we were wearing shorts in 80deg weather. Summer is comming soon & with it so will the tourists. Then we will be really busy, or so they say. For now we are just getting into the "groove" & learning our way around.

So until the weathers warms up or the next chance I blog, whichever comes first, goodbye from our snowy home in Cody WY because.......

Home ios where we park it,
Frank & Mary

'12/#24 Yellowstone!!!!!

This past week we mainly worked & hung around town. We still did not have our truck back because Ford didn't want to send the parts to the dealer. Something about odometer readings. Anyway, the dealer got the parts on Friday & we had our truck back on Tuesday. That allowed us to make plans for our next days off.

Friday we got up & headed to Yellowstone. Finally!!! We wanted to get there before all the tourists & before it warmed up too much. Once it warms up & gets busy the critters of the forest head up into the mountains. Well we were rewarded for our patience. The weather wasn't the best but it made for an interesting day. First it was cold & cloudy. The clouds over the mountains made for some interesting pictures. Farther on Mary found snow & was playing in it like a little kid. The lake there was pretty much frozen over.

Like I said the weather was far from perfect & as we headed towards Lake Yellowstone it started to hail. Nothing major but just enough to make us laugh & wonder what was next. Well next was the geyser basin at West Thumb. Here we saw pools of bubbling water surrounded by snow next to a partially frozen lake with elk grazing 100' away. The bubbling water was actually boiling water with temps at the surface of  near 170 degrees! It was amazing, stunning, beautiful, & all those adjectives that people try to use to describe the indescribable. Words can't describe it & pictures do it no justice. This is one of those things that you have to see in person which is why we live this lifestyle.

After 3 cameras, 3 dead batteries, & close to 1000 pictures we headed home. We have our work cut out for us sorting through & posting all these photos. With more to sort & more to take on our next trip into Yellowstone this is goodbye until the next blog from our home in Cody WY because....

Home is where we park it,

Frank & Mary

'12/#23 Heeeere's Cody!

When ever we get to a new place we always ask for recomendations for shopping, laundr-o-mats, restaurants, haircuts, etc. All went well until the hairtcut topic came up. Everyone we asked said we should ask Jan & Don. We couldn't understand why. Were they the only ones who knew where the barbers were? Could it be they kept the locations of all the hair salons to themselves? Or were they the only ones with hair that grew??? No, it turns out that Don had his own barber shop & Jan had a beauty shop next door. After they retired the decided to keep their skills(& sissors) sharp by supplimenting their retirement by giving hair cuts to their fellow work campers. So for $10 we both got excellent hair cuts, good company, & a cup of coffee! How can you go wrong?

After the de-fur-ing we were invited to join them & another work camper couple for lunch at a local Chinese buffet. One of the things that is hard to come by & we miss dearly in our travels is good Chinese food. So when we get recommendations we check it out. As promised the food was delicious. Combine that with good company & our day off was going great. With our bellies full & our friends heading off to work we decided to check out the Cody WY scene.

The main street is Sheridan Ave & it is about 10 blocks long. Along this stretch are shops, restaurants, & local historical sights. We had a nice walk through town, did a little shopping &  a lot of browsing. We will be here all summer so we will have plenty of time to spend our work camping paychecks. We took our cameras so we can post the pictures I have been promising.

Right now I am blogging while Mary takes a nap. I guess the walk was too much for her. So enjoy the pics & until the next blog this is good bye from our home in Cody WY because.....

Home is where we park it,
Frank & Mary

'12/#22 Work, Weather, & Other Woes

The first day at work was as expected. We have all had that lost feeling on the first day. Fortunately everyone was very nice & helpful. It didn't take long to lose that feeling of uselessness & start feeling productive. Mary took to selling & cashiering quickly as she has done this many times before. I, on the other hand, have jumped right in to accepting freight, checking inventory, & pricing merchandise. This is all good news for Mary but I was hired for the front desk/bell hop job. Right now the cabins are empty & there is nothing for me to do on that front so I will have to train again for the next job. I don't mind, knowing several jobs makes me more useful & will keep me from getting bored doing the same thing all the time. Variety is the spice of life, right?

The weather had been nice for a few days. With sun shine & temps near 70deg it was very comfortable. Night time temps dropped to the low 50's but with the electric blanket we didn't have to turn the heat on. The heat goes on during our morning showers then we open the windows for the rest of the day. The wind still kicks up every now & then but nothing we can't handle as long as the awning isn't out. Today the sky stayed overcast & we had a little bit of rain. the temperature has steadily dropped from 52deg this morning to 44deg at 3:30 this afternoon. This front was expected & it should start to warm up again soon.

We have been having some water flow issues & I finally tracked it down to a bad water pressure regulator. These RV regulators are junk & don't seem to last especially in hard water. Traveling around the country you never know what kind of water you will find or what the pressure will be & this is some thing we need. I am looking into a better quality unit & will see what I can find. The truck, on the other hand is giving me fits. The battery dies over night & now the gauges don't work when I do get the truck started. I HATE electrical issues so it is going in the shop on Monday & hopefully it turns out not to be too big of a problem.

Mary has not felt good the past 24 hours so she is napping & if the weather clears I may take a walk & see if I can get some pictures of Cody to post. So until the next blog this is goodbye from our home here in Wyoming because.....

Home is where we park it,
Frank & Mary

'12/#21 First Day At Work

I know that the pictures I promised are not on-line yet. After 2 days of sorting, editing, & deleting we just couldn't look at them any more so it will have to wait a little longer. The truck is having some issues so it will go in the shop soon. Hopefully it just needs new batteries. Yes batteries, it has 2. Something about starting a big diesel & the fact that this particular chassis was designed to accommodate an ambulance body with all it's lights & accessories. For now I can use it locally & that is all we need.

The rest of the weekend we relaxed & got out the clothes we would need for our new jobs. Nothing special, but we did stock up with khakis to go with the uniform shirts they provide. Monday we went to HR to fill out all the paperwork needed for employment & to make sure Uncle Sam takes his bite out of our paychecks. The complex we are working at has 2 hotels, cabins, & gift shops. Mary will be working in the gift shop & I will be working there, the cabins, & "other duties as needed". As my Dad used to call it, "a jack of all trades & master of none". At least I will be busy, I won't get bored, & I'm sure the time will fly. Day 1 at the Buffalo Bill Village was interesting. Not a lot going on because the busy season doesn't start until June. Right now we are recieving inventory for the store & marking it for sale. We are also learning all the ins & outs of the job. First day jitters aside we had a good day. We caught on to the jobs quickly & met a bunch of nice people. It looks like we will have a good time here this summer. New friends, new things to see, & new adventures.

The weather here has been interesting. Temps have been consistantly in the 50's durring the day & dropping as low as 34deg at night. Mary has been surprizingly tolerant of the temperatures considering that she thinks anything below 65deg is dog sled weather. The one thing that has taken us back is the wind. There is no way we are putting our awning out. The winds have been so strong they rock the trailer. One night we put the sattelite down so it didn't rip it off the roof! We have been told that we can't go to Yellowstone or Beartooth Pass because they haven't plowed the snow on the roads yet!!! They say by the first of June it should be cleared but there could still be snow storms through the month of June!!!!!!!!! WHERE THE HECK ARE WE?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?

Oh well, we said we wanted an adventure so stay tuned to see what we get into next. I'm signing off now having survived my first day of work here in Cody WY because.....


Home is where we park it,
Frank & Mary