Horseback Riding in the Gallatin Mountains

All my pictures from my latest adventure are on my phone.  And even though I have all the 'technology thingys' to get them from my phone to my computer I just can't seem to master that art.  Thus, the pictures remain on my phone and you must use your minds-eye to imagine me astride a beautiful white steed striding me off into the sunset amongst the beautiful backdrop of the Gallatin Mountains.  In other words, I rode a horse and my butt is killing me!

Andrea and I knocked off one more item on our list on Friday.  We went to Skyline Ranch at Cooke City for a 2 hour horseback ride that took us on a 6 mile mountain journey.  It was just the two of us and our guide, Luke.  What an incredible and fun experience.  I spent most my time mounted on Sage (Andrea rode Jimmy) scanning the beauty and looking for any bear activity (always on alert!).  We didn't see any wildlife, only the occasional rustle of brush which eventually resulted in us breathing a sigh of relief when we realized that it was only Susie, the ranch's border collie, prancing along with us. 

A couple of moments sent us into fits of laughter.  One was when we were on a narrow trail next to a drop off.  I spent most of my time in that area at nearly a 45 degree angle to Sage.  I was sure I could lean that horse into staying on the trail and not plunging down the rock slope.  I really didn't need to worry, Sage spent most of his time looking at the trail.  The moments that he looked away I would calmly tell Sage to look where he was going.

The second laughter moment was when Jimmy decided he wanted to turn around and take Andrea back instead of continuing on down the trail with us.  Andrea spent some time trying to turn Jimmy back but ended up spending a few minutes circling around a tree.  Andrea eventually won.

Mammoth has been filled with elk activity.  The bulls have been bugling all night.  I repeat:  ALL NIGHT.  I remember those days, not long ago, that I couldn't wait to hear that autumn sound of bugling elk.  Ok, I've heard it.  And I wish they would observe bugling curfew.  8:00 pm:  it's a wonderful sound.  2:00 am:  it's.......well, kind of annoying.  Especially when there is work in the morning.  But when it is over I know I will once again yearn for that sound so I should muster up the early, early morning energy to appreciate it even then.  

I do appreciate the fact that I'm incredibly lucky to have such things happen right where I live and work.  And the end result of all this commotion will be all those Mammoth baby elk in the spring.  I guess I can live with the fact that I will be awaken numerous times a night to some bugling when in the future I will be squealing over those babies.

I have not been able to take my evening trips to Lake as often as I would have liked to lately.  The store went to 'short hours' (9:00 - 6:00) and with the sun setting earlier and earlier in the evening I haven't had time to make it there before sunset.  Patrick surprised me earlier this week with a trip to Mammoth to see me.  He made me dinner and we spent the evening watching Mildred Pierce (working our way through old classic movies).  

A couple of weeks ago Patrick presented me with a Kindle.  Joy, oh joy!  This is the best invention ever (followed by a close second with Mt Dew)!  Being at Lake at the time I went to the nearest location with cell service so that I could register it using the 3G network.  And that is how I ended up at Steamboat Point registering the Kindle.  In Mammoth I can use the wireless internet to get all sorts of great books.   I am having a ball loading all the free books that I can.  I have an assortment of classics (The Scarlet Letter was my first book followed by Little Women) to books on Abraham Lincoln and Teddy Roosevelt to thrillers (Dracula and Frankenstein).   I am an avid reader when I have the time and I at one point in my life had nearly 2,000 books.   With winter coming I will put this Kindle to great use.

This week 4 more employees will be leaving Mammoth General Store.  Saying good-bye is something that I do but do not relish doing.  My friends at Canyon General will be leaving this coming Friday.  Another season is coming to an end.  I am here year-round but so many that I get to work with and people I form friendships with are seasonal.  They leave to go home or on to other locations to work for the winter.  An amazing thing happens here in Yellowstone.  Friendships that are formed are not seasonal friendships but they are forever friendships.  We may drift apart in miles but we are forever entwined by Yellowstone. 

Chief Joseph Highway

 With Saturday coming around I decided to head off on my newest adventure:  heading to Cody via the Chief Joseph Highway.  It had been years since I had taken this road and so it was like a fresh and new moment for me.  Of course to get there I had to head through Lamar Valley, it was only my 5th time this summer that I had ventured through Lamar.  I had spent so much time there these past few winters but it seemed anew without any snow and my sporadic drives through this summer.  The golden vegetation and the newly yellowed aspen leaves reminded me that fall was just about here, and the huffing and puffing of a few bison proved to me that rut was still lingering but mostly over.

The Chief Joseph Highway is my 3rd favorite drive in the area (the Beartooth is my favorite and the drive along the South Fork is my 2nd).  Clouds hung low in the area and I had seen that snow had fallen in the higher elevations when I got a glimpse of the Beartooths as I headed toward Chief Joseph.  I stopped at an overlook before hitting the switchbacks up the highway and after wandering a ways from my car I was pelted with rain and sleet that stuck to my clothes and hair.  Great, sleet hair for the rest of the day.

The winding road up and over on Chief Joseph Highway

View from the top of Chief Joseph Highway

 I met up with Patrick in Cody where we went to a Japanese restaurant.  We got to climb up to our table and sit on pillows at the table.  We got to keep our shoes on since there was a cutaway underneath the table where we could put our feet instead of curling up to eat.  We have been working our way through the various restaurants in Cody, sometimes eating at our favorites a second time.  The food was delicious so we will be heading back for some Japanese feasting sometime in the future.

Mammoth has been abuzz with the bugling of elk.  A couple of bull elk have their harems in Mammoth and we were pleasantly surprised this morning when a bull elk wandered behind the store.  Armed with our cameras we were watching him from the loading dock when he stopped on the hill behind the store and let out a loud bugle.  We all applauded him as he majestically wandered off behind the gas station next door.

I had a small malfunction with my camera and eventually was able to capture the moment as he crested the hill and wandered away and eventually found himself crossing the road.  All that was left for me was this butt shot.  He spent most of the day wandering around Mammoth causing quite a commotion with the visitors as he stood across the road from the store.  Later this evening I heard a short siren.  Looking out my window I saw three park ranger vehicles with lights flashing as they followed him down the road by the store.  It is once again time to carefully survey the area when taking the trash out.

He is not the only bull in the area.  The other night I saw two of them in Mammoth.  One lounging in the grass in front of the post office while another on clawed at the ground with his massive rack by the hotel.  It was an impressive display of ground raking.  The sounds of bugle resonates through the air here.  I love that sound!

Bugle Boy

There has been a thick layer of smoke over areas of the Park lately.  There are a few fires burning and the Lake area has been hazy and stinky at times.  I can see the smoke plumes of the fire on the east side of the lake from the porch of the apartment.  Sometimes the wind blows just right and Mammoth becomes smokey and the smell sticks to our hair and clothes.  This morning is one of those mornings.  

Andrea spent last Sunday in the Tetons.  It was a beautiful blue-skied day but smoke from fires in that area obscured the mountains a bit so I didn't even bother to take any pictures.  We wandered the streets of Jackson; popping in and out of stores and boutiques.  We even stopped in a shoe store, tried some on and left without falling into temptation.

My alarm clock this morning was the bugle of an elk.  There has been a bull and his harem by the Chinese Gardens and they wandered behind the store this morning.  The rut is coming and I look forward to seeing the big bulls wandering the Mammoth area.

The temps can dip down into the 20's overnight but the days have been in the 70's and 80's.  The grasses and ground vegetation are now turning an autumn colored brown/orange/gold.  Some of the mountain peaks are still holding snows from this past winter.  The herds of bison in Hayden are still grazing in large herds and the males are occasionally raising the clouds of dust as they roll.  I hear very few roars of the males as everything winds down.  I still get in jams in Hayden and I now wish I had carried a stopwatch with me so that I could have timed the jams I had been in this previous year.  My jam time would be measured in many many hours.  

There are only a few weekends left before the snow starts to fly and I want to cram so much in.  I have included on my list of things-to-do a guided ATV tour and an overnight horseback riding trip.  Though not overtly dangerous I feel a little wild when something I do involves signing a waiver.

I have been feeling a bit guilty lately.  I have been ignoring my e-mails.  I haven't had much of a chance to look through them in at least a month and a half.  But I have had quite a few people stop in the store and say hi to me and I thank you for that.  Summer is such a busy time and the slower paced winter season is so much more conducive to finding time to answering e-mails and posting.   And right now I think I will start my winter to-do list:  snowshoeing, cross country skiing, etc.  So much to do!

I Can Fly

Robyn and Andrea harnessed up and ready to zipline

Andrea on the zipline

On Saturday Andrea and I decided to cross off another item on our summer to-do list so we headed to Big Sky, Montana.  Destination:  Basecamp for some ziplining.  We harnessed up, put our brain buckets on then we started the hike up the mountain.  First I should mention that I tend to be on the clumsy side and I have had a fear of heights.  And as for flying in any fashion:  I once had a panic attack on an airplane and decided to spend two unsuccessful days in a fear of flying class at the Northwest Airlines headquarters in Minneapolis.  Though I was excited all arrows pointed to a disastrous experience for me.  There was a total of 3 lines we needed to zip down.  On my first I didn't even think about what I was doing so after being hooked to the line I took a running leap into midair and flew over to the other side.  I LOVED it!!!  The second line I stood backwards on the platform, leaped off, swung my legs up and around my line, let go and flew across upside down.  On my third I crossed over doing my best Peter Pan imitation for the photographer snapping pictures below.  Andrea and I had the best time, conquered some fears and laughed a whole lot.  I can fly!

 

 

 

 

 

Goodbye Summer

Here I sit wondering just where the time went.  It is September 1, the summer is just about over and so much is left to be done.  Granted, I have done some fun things this summer but I feel like I have neglected so much on my list of "Things To Do During The Summer of 2011".  But there really is plenty of items to cross off my list, such as:  camping, fishing, having a picnic, seeing Old Faithful erupt, boating on Yellowstone Lake, hiking, Pig Races, visiting the Bighorn Mountains, etc.  So what is left on this list?  Visiting the Grand Tetons, zip line, white water rafting, more hiking, more picnics, etc.  If I could gaze into a crystal ball I am sure I can see all those activities in my future.  Maybe not this year but there are plenty of years in Yellowstone to come to accomplish all that and more.

With the bison rut coming to an end I am making my way through Hayden Valley with much less sighing on my part.  The jams are smaller and farther apart.  My trips from Mammoth to Lake have taken as long as three hours this summer but I am now able to do it in the normal 1 1/4 hours.  Occasionally I find myself in a jam but nothing of the magnitude of earlier jams.  I often thought it would be interesting to have a stopwatch where I could see how much time I spend sitting in jams during a one year time period.  Or maybe I may not want to know.  I do admit that of all jams I have enjoyed the bison rut jams the most.  I roll down my window and listen to the bellowing of the males as they keep their lady loves separated from the rest of the herd or watch as they roll in their wallows or paw at the ground.  Aaaaah, bison lust.

And now I look forward to elk rut.  I heard my first high pitched screech of an elk in Mammoth the other day.  The elk were in front of the store this morning grazing on the grass and I am looking forward to the bull elk moving in and displaying their machoness.  

And as you may have heard, there has been a second death due to a grizzly mauling in Yellowstone this summer.  It happened last week on Mary Mountain Trail and the west side of Hayden Valley has been closed to hiking.  It is a very sad situation indeed.  

The winter crew for the Mammoth General Store has been chosen and I am looking forward to an incredible winter.  The crew will include Andrea, Faye (current Floor Supervisor at Mammoth), Connie, Jerry (current Custodian at Mammoth) and myself.  What a GREAT group!  This will be Faye's and Jerry's first winter working in Yellowstone and both are looking forward to serving up some of those famous Taco Tuesday tacos.

There is currently a few fires in the Park because of lightening strikes and dry conditions but there was a nip to the air today that reminds me that fall is right around the corner.  Snow flurries are possible at higher elevations but fall can be temperature temperamental.  Cold one day, hot the next.  Last fall was beautiful and warm and then the snows came.  What is in store this year?  I have not a clue.  But the cooler temps remind me (as do the store schedules) that it is time for so many of the employees to move on to their next adventure.  Over 50% of the Mammoth General Store employees will be leaving on September 6.  It's that time of the year to say goodbye to so many people.  It's hard.  The next exodus from the store will be October 16.  Then all that will be left is five.

I am blessed.  I have met and worked with some of the most incredible people I have ever known.  Yellowstone is filled with incredible beauty, incredible opportunities and incredible people. 

Goodbye summer, hello fall.

Christmas in August 2011

On Thursday it was everyone's favorite day in Yellowstone:  Christmas in August.  We close the store one hour early, clear the floor of the store and set up tables for a Christmas meal.  The surroundings were festive with tinsel and Christmas decorations.  Our meal consisted of turkey, ham, lasagna, beans, rolls, mashed potatoes, stuffing, etc.  I have moved up from my dressing like a banana days (2 years ago) to emceeing.  Paul did a stand-up routine and told us jokes.

 

The evening was complete with a visit from Mr. and Mrs. Clause and a game involving our gift exchange. 

Pig Races

For the second time in August I took a trip over the Beartooths.  The reason:  Pig Races by Red Lodge, Montana!!  Andrea and I set off from Mammoth on a Saturday morning a couple of weeks ago and headed for The Top of the World.  Yes, there really is a place on the Pass called Top of the World which consists of some cabins and a store.  We stopped at the store and picked up a couple of sandwiches and snacks and matching t-shirts with Beartooth Pass written on the front.  

This was Andrea's first trip over the pass, and though I had been over it a few times in the past, we both enjoyed the scenery.  We stopped at a small mountain lake and had a picnic....a very short picnic since we were soon covered with ravenous mosquitoes.  We had a moment of laughter when we crossed over into Montana on the pass and saw a sign that said "Speed Limit 70 mph".  Yeah, right.

The pig races were fun.  Though there is an opportunity to bet on them (a fundraiser for local kids for education.  They have already raised over $90,000!) we were too afraid that we would lose our spot so we stayed put and watched 4 of the races.  Since we were camping in the Custer National Forest south of Red Lodge we left while there was still light and headed back to the campsite.

While Andrea and I spent our time shopping in Red Lodge and watching pig races Patrick was at the campsite setting it up.  We spent the evening popping popcorn, watching the fire and strategically placing our bear spray in areas of the tents for easy access.  No bears showed up but Patrick did need to chase off a deer that circled our campsite and showed no fear of humans.

The next morning we went back to Mammoth via the Pass and made one last stop in Cooke City for funnel cake.  It was quite a weekend.  Beauty of the mountains, the thrill of watching adorable little pigs run in a circle and gaining the knowledge that I can warm up an egg and sausage burrito on a log by a campfire.

My Minnesoooota Visitors

Last week I spent the majority of my time sitting in bison jams in Hayden Valley.  With the bison rut in full swing there was plenty of snorts, ground pawing and rolling in the dirt to entertain me while I sat and waited.  My commute from Mammoth to Lake was extended by nearly an hour due to these lookers of love but I have always enjoyed the rut so I tolerated the extra time.

Last Thursday my friends from Minnesoooota arrived.  Patrick and I met them in Red Lodge after driving over Beartooth Pass.  Since I have been here Lyle and Denise have had my Jeep in storage and hauled it out to me.  Wanting to go over the pass themselves we decided to meet them in Red Lodge and take the Jeep so that they could go over the Beartooth's without having to haul it behind them.   It was a five hour drive for us since we were met with jams in Hayden, and road construction over Dunraven and over the Lamar River.

Beartooth Pass

With a list of animals that they wanted to see I had Lyle and Denise follow me from Mammoth to Lake.  I had assured them that I would get them in a bison jam and that we would find some elk.  Mammoth is usually teaming with elk but we only managed to see a couple crossing the hill behind the store.  I was sure I would find them a herd.  Our first encounter after leaving Mammoth was a large black bear half way to Tower.  One animal checked off the list.  And that was about all we saw after that.  No jams in Hayden, just a handful of bison that were so far from the road that they were just brown specks on the hillside.

After dinner we decided to head out and find some wildlife.  With Patrick, Levi, Leah and myself in my car and Lyle and Denise in another we headed east of Fishing Bridge.  At Pelican Creek we saw a mother grizzly and her cub swimming for the road.  They then got on the road right next to Lyle and Denise, crossed the road and walked right next to my car.  Oh joy!  Another animal crossed off the list.  We then went to Hayden..........still no bison.

Grizzlies by Pelican Creek

Mama Grizzly and Cub

Lower Falls

Levi, Lyle, Denise and Leah

Waiting for Old Faithful

The next morning we headed out again.  We saw the Lower Falls, Norris Geyser Basin, ate at West Yellowstone and then headed toward Old Faithful.

Old Faithful

White Dome Geyser

Before we got to Old Faithful we stopped to look at some other geysers.  As we snapped pictures, and without notice, White Dome Geyser went off right before us.  Incredible luck!

We stopped at Grant Village for some shopping and headed back to Lake.  Before we got to the junction we saw a large group of people on a bridge.  It was a large bull elk, something Levi had been wanting to see.  Another animal checked off that list.  Now all that was left was a moose and a bison jam.

Heading out onto Yellowstone Lake for some fishing

Heading out onto the Lake

Fishing was another thing that Levi had wanted to do in Yellowstone.  Patrick took the gang out on the boat and headed for Grant Marina.  After letting Lyle, Denise and Leah off at the Marina to walk to the store Patrick and Levi set out for some fishing.

I met up with the others in Grant while Patrick and Levi fished.  It was not a lucky fishing day:  no fish and storms kept blowing in.  Levi was left off at the marina with his family and I drove them back to their car at Lake so that they could get to Billings that night.  Patrick had to sit with the boat for another couple of hours waiting the storms out before heading back to Bridge Bay Marina.  Storms on Yellowstone Lake are not something to take lightly.

It was a great weekend having good friends visit.  I enjoyed being a pseudo-tour guide and a tourist myself.  In fact, I have been here for over two years and this was my first opportunity to see Old Faithful erupt.  I was thrilled that they got to see some Yellowstone grizzlies, and a black bear to boot.  But no matter how hard I tried I could not find a bison jam so that they could experience that too.

I am now back in my real Yellowstone world: working and living here and making my Mammoth to Lake commutes.  On my first commute back to Lake I got into a huge bison jam.  Go figure.

Elk Moving Day

Shoey moving the elk out of the storage area

 A couple of weeks ago Jerry had an incredible find in our warehouse.  The first time I layed eyes on them it was quite startling but then our excitement grew.  We had stumbled across, with only the aid of flashlights, a life-sized elk stuffed animal much like the moose at the Canyon store.  And along with the elk we also found a grizzly bear and a larger-than-life howling wolf.  We knew the elk had to be part of the store so today became Elk Moving Day at the Mammoth store.  But first we had to get it out of the warehouse, move it up the road to the store and then into the store.  Not an easy task when moving a life-sized elk.

Shoey and Jerry move the elk into the back of Shoey's pickup.

The ride down the road became quite a head-turner for visitors armed with cameras.

The elk had to moved into the store via the front door.

Jerry and LouAnn pose with the elk

 Though there was not room in the store for the bear and the wolf we decided to include them on this moving day.

Jay, Preston and Shoey move the 7 foot tall bear through the employee entrance.

Preston and Jerry move the bear through the employee living room.

The bear is now a permnant resident of the employee area. 

Fishing on Yellowstone Lake

Bridge Bay Marina

This past weekend I got to have one of those 'first time' experiences.  I got to be on a boat on Yellowstone Lake.  Earlier in the week we launched the boat.  While Patrick ran the boat motor I was assigned the job of backing up - Patrick had to place it perfectly straight because I am absolutely unable to backup a trailer without it zig zagging all over the place with the end result being an unintentional jack-knife.  My next job (which I assigned myself) was to slurp on a green apple slushie from the Bridge Bay YGS.

On sunday, with a bit of fishing in mind, Patrick, myself, Andrea and Buddy (a dog) boarded the Park Robyn and took from the marina toward the blue waters of Yellowstone Lake.

Lake Hotel

Fishing off from Stevenson Island

Our destination was Stevenson Island.  Andrea and I spent the early afternoon fishing.  Casting and reeling in......but not one bite.  There was a bit of excitement between us when we saw a fish jump behind the boat.

We fished on every side of Stevenson Island, enjoyed the beauty of the scenery and located familiar landmarks look so very different from the perspective of the lake.  And no fishing excursion would be complete until someone says:  "Hey Robyn, you have a hook on your butt."  A persons dignity does become lost when you stand there with a Jake's lure hanging off your behind.

View from Lake Butte Overlook

Robyn and Andrea

Andrea and I laugh at ourselves because of the fact that most of the shirts we own say Yellowstone on them. 

The Park has been incredibly busy this past week.  During my breaks at work I will sit on the porch in front of the store and watch the people and cars pass by.  The temps have been warm, somedays it gets into the 90's.  We always look forward to a nice breeze to help cool us down and keep air flowing through the store.

Even though I travel on a regular basis through the Park my wildlife sightings have been rather slow.  I did see two foxes running on the road north of Fishing Bridge the other morning and then in Hayden a coyote jogged off the edge of the road.  Most of the bison that I have been seeing have been lone bison and not the large herds that I have been accustomed to seeing the previous summers.  I have been seeing herds of elk.  The other morning at 5:30 I noticed something bobbing in the Yellowstone River between Canyon and Hayden Valley.  After studying it for a moment I realized that an elk was swimming madly across the river.

Next week my good friends Lyle, Denise, Levi and Leah are coming to Yellowstone to see the sights and visit me.  I am so excited that I will be seeing them and playing tour guide for a few days.  Denise came back with me from Minnesota two years ago and spent a couple days in the Park and now will be accompanied by her husband and children.  Good friends and good times lay ahead.

Hayden Valley in the morning

High Water

Grizzly Overlook on any given evening

The Yellowstone River from Fishing Bridge

Celebrities in Yellowstone

A typical sight in Mammoth Hot Springs

 On Tuesday evening Jeremy and Tina hosted an evening of food and fun for Kim, who's final day at the store was Friday.  Jeremy and Tina smoked and cooked a brisket and the rest chipped in with other delicious items.  Everyone from the Mammoth General Store who could make it came and socialized.  What a great group of people!

Kim, LouAnn and Brenda

 I finally hit the mother of all jams in Hayden Valley Thursday night.  The road was clogged from Alum Creek up to Grizzly Overlook.  And what was causing such a stir?

 The sow grizzly with two cubs.  They were a distance from the road but I could see the 3 brown bumps moving through the brush.  I hadn't seen a bear in a couple weeks but with the very slow moving traffic I was able to watch them and actually get a picture of them........though it is from quite a distance.

 Yesterday a cinnamon black bear was spotted on the hill behind the store.  We all rushed for our cameras and I was able to capture a few shots of her.  She has been a regular in the Mammoth area for a few years but this was my first sighting of her.

I include this picture I took by Canyon Village as something people should NOT do.  Bison are lightening quick and this fella could rise to his feet and charge and send a person airborne before there was a chance to push the shutter button.  

Lately I have been watching a new show in tv called:  Attention.  Aquiring Satellite Signal.  Please Wait.  I've been watching it for days.  Not much of a plot.  So if something interesting is happening out in the world I know nothing of it.  Yellowstone has its share of famous visitors.  This past week Andrea got the opportunity to wait on a celebrity herself.  An actor from the show True Blood came into the Adventure Store (I didn't recognize the name of the actor but she definately knew him!).  Last year Georgette Engel came into the Mammoth General Store (Mary Tyler Moore Show and Everyone Loves Raymond).  I would have loved to seen her and Judy said she is as nice in person as the characters she has portrayed.  Faye once helped Michael Jordan at Old Faithful, Kenny Rogers once ate at Fishing Bridge (but had to leave his meal when he was bombarded with fans) and last summer John Cusak was reported to be seen in Gardiner.  With my limited tv viewing I guess the biggest celebrities I could hope to see in Yellowstone would be those people from The Weather Channel.  Jim Cantore, Yellowstone is waiting for you!

Yellowstone Time

I am currently sitting in my apartment in Mammoth contemplating my next posting all the while considering how cruel the world is with my eating 1/4 lb. of lasagna and gaining 3 lbs. of body weight.  But this was 'Minnesota Lasagna'.  Patrick likes to differentiate the difference between my lasagna and his real-deal Italian Lasagna.  I would like to think that the Scandinavian/Minnesotan delicacy Lutefisk is the secret ingredient that makes mine so darn tasty but that would be an outright lie.........it's the lefse.  My Minnesotaness has been somewhat of a topic lately in the store.  I apparently say "Oh, yaaaaa" on a regular basis which causes the workers in the fountain to "Oh, yaaaa!" me right back.  Uff dah, what's a gal to do?  

On Wednesday night Patrick invited a few of his workers over for dinner.  I considered my driving time from Mammoth to Lake in 'Yellowstone Time'.  Yellowstone Time is a complicated mathematical equation that uses the figures from what driving time should be going 45 mph (and lower in appropriately marked places) and adding on 10 hours because of bison/bear jams.  I left Mammoth in what would normally be a good time with consideration to the for mentioned.  All was well until I got to almost Hayden Valley.  A very, very long line of cars.  Inch by inch we moved.  Cars came from the other direction sporadically which told me that there must be a bison in our lane heading in the same direction as us.  And no phone service to call and let anyone know that I was possibly going to be late.  The bison finally moved off the road and up Mary Mountain Trail.  

The next place to tackle was Grizzly Overlook.  Every evening there is a huge line of vehicles moving by, pulling into parking spaces, pulling out of spaces, people running across the road, car doors being flung open, etc.  It is a very busy area and not one where eyes should be taken off what is happening in front of your vehicle.  I made it through.

Then came the Mud Volcano Area.  Another huge line of vehicles.  And this time I could see ahead of me that people had exited their cars and were all over the road.  This is a sign that you may be sitting there a very long time.  I started fidgeting and repeatedly looking at my clock.  If I was there long enough the guests could show up and find no food (that delicious Minnesota Lasagna), no beverages and no Robyn.  And since I had sorted through my CD collection on a previous jam I had nothing to do but sit there and tap my fingers on my steering wheel.    Tick tock, tick tock.

I finally made it to Lake with just enough time to spare to prepare the lasagna (the sauce was made the previous evening), make a salad and some garlic bread.  And that is how a dinner gathering in Yellowstone goes.  It's one of the only places that the hostess may have the excuse that they were late because of bison blocking traffic.

My morning drives still are one of the best parts of my day.  Though Hayden Valley is extremely foggy in the morning I am able to peek out at the landscape when I come by Grizzly Overlook and I am over the fog bank.  I can look down and see the fog rise up over Alum Creek and blanket over parts of the valley.  There is still a patchwork of snow to the west of the valley but that is melting quickly.

This morning I needed to be in West Yellowstone for ServeSafe certification training.  Andrea had also signed up for the training so I picked her up in Canyon along the way.  I miss seeing her on a regular basis so our morning drive to West (locals shorten West Yellowstone to West) was filled with our old familiar laughter.  The ServeSafe training took all day and it ended with our testing.  We will receive our results in abut ten days.  No worries, though.  All employees are required to take a shortened version of ServeSafe as part of their new employee training but we decided to further our training and be certified.  Learning more or something new is something I have always valued.  We ended our day with a grilled cheese sandwich at the Canyon General Store fountain........and more laughter.  We have also decided that we would go to the pig races near Red Lodge together.  


And a special message to my dear friend Judy:  We still are the 3 Amigos!  You are always in our hearts!
 

Park Robyn

How do you know when life is good?  Well, one way to tell is when a boat is named after you.  Patrick's career in the park service has included many dimensions, one includes using a Park Ranger boat on Yellowstone Lake.  When one of the boats he had used in the past was retired from the park service and put up for auction he lept at the chance to own it. 

Patrick is now the proud owner of the boat and I am the proud person that it is now named after.  We are hoping to have the boat back on Yellowstone Lake in August and doing some touring and fishing.  So if you are out on Yellowstone Lake and you see the Park Robyn cruising by just wave, I'll be the one on it with a big grin.