Robyn In New York City

World Trade Center Site

Trinity Church in Lower Manhattan

Trinity Church in New York City

One of the Staten Island Ferries

Robyn on the Staten Island Ferry with the Statue of Liberty

New York, New York

The holidays are great time to get away. Many people make plans to spend the time in Yellowstone. With snow, snowmobiling, beautiful Christmas Trees (outside the Admin Building and in the Map Room at the Mammoth Hotel), cross country skiing, snowshoeing, etc. there is plenty of ways to celebrate the holidays here. But I will not be here taking part in those festivities. I will be leaving Saturday morning to celebrate Christmas and ring in the New Year in New York City! It will be my first visit there and I have a list of fun adventures that I will be partaking in (riding the subway, the Staten Island Ferry, Museum of Natural History, Time Square, Central Park).

Patrick grew up on Staten Island and asked me to accompany there for the holidays where I will meet his very New York, very Italian and very large family. A small-town Minnesota gal in the big city ---- I'm sure a great comedic holiday film could be made of this.

Bull Moose

Bull Moose by Floating Island Lake

This past week was a week of snow flurries with peaks of sun. But mostly it was gray week. It has been warming up and today is a slushy day. The numerous icicles are beginning to fall off the buildings and we can hear the sounds of steady drips from the roof. But there is plenty of snow on the ground from the storm a couple weeks ago.

My weekend included a trip to Bozeman (according to Andrea that is a trip to civilization). It has been awhile since I had been there so it was a welcome change of scenery.

Once again I had a 'famous last words' moment. Patrick spends most of his time in the southern part of the Park so he went with me on one of my Lamar trips. While driving past Floating Island Lake yesterday I mentioned that area was a good place to spot moose when suddenly we saw a grand bull moose.

By the Yellowstone Picnic Area we saw a couple big horn ewes pawing at the snow to uncover the grass.

Coming back into Mammoth we noticed that the sky was a brilliant display of colors: bright blue, pink, white and yellow.

Liberty Cap

Rocks With Ears

On Saturday I took my first winter trip through Lamar Valley. It has been quite a few months since I've made my way there and I was excited for my first drive through the valley. It had snowed over night and there was about 2 inches of new snow covering it. Occasionally I would see some tracks meandering through the snow.

There were quite a few elk in Lamar but there was a lack of bison. I saw a few lone bison and a few pairs but no large herds.

A snowy Soda Butte and mountains were a spectacular sight.

I looked for bighorn sheep across from the hitching posts since they seemed to be regulars there last winter. I didn't see any sheep but I noticed that one of the rocks at the top had ears. Curled up in a ball was a sleeping coyote, soaking in the warmth of the sun since it was only 6 degrees. It would occasionally raise its head and twitch its ears. It was the only coyote that I saw in Lamar that day.

The 24 hour notice for interior roads to be closed was given at 12:00 pm on Friday. That gave anyone in the interior 24 hours to move their vehicles out. This was scheduled to take place December 15 but there has been so much snow lately that it happened 1 1/2 weeks early. So Patrick made it to Mammoth this weekend via a snowmobile.

Last night we made a stop at the Food Farm in Gardiner and on our way back up the hill to Mammoth we came upon a bobcat running around on the road. It leaped over the guardrail and stopped to watch us. This was my first bobcat sighting in the Park. A little further up the road we came upon a snowshoe hare racing around and even further there was a coyote running on the road. We had to stop at the Yak Camp and as I sat in the vehicle with my headlights on a beautiful little fox came into view. It stopped, sat down and yawned right in front of my car and eventually trotted by my car and down the road. All this wildlife in the matter of 5 minutes.

Random Pictures

Robyn and Andrea

Thermal Feature

Bison by Fishing Bridge Jct.

Bison Herd in Hayden Valley

Lake Hotel

Yellowstone Lake

Canyon Junction

Nymph Lake

Roaring Mountain

Moose at Willow Park

Coyote by Gibbon River

Swans on the Yellowstone River in Hayden Valley

Coyote and Swans

Famous Last Words

Coyote and Swans on the Yellowstone River in Hayden Valley

Life is full of famous last words. My famous last words were: "reliable internet". And of course when someone utters some profound statement life comes along and proves you wrong. I have a bunch of great pictures I have been trying to upload and I keep losing my 'reliable' internet connection and I have to start over again. Since I like to think of my pictures as a storyboard to along with a narrative I certainly like to include some semi-interesting pictures to go along with what I'm talking about. Unfortunately, I can only load one picture, a picture that would be smack in the middle of my story.

Anyway, here goes my story (which would be so much more semi-interesting with some pictures). Patrick had to move his work vehicle and his personal vehicle up to Mammoth for the winter. His next exit out of Lake will be on a snowmobile. He needed to get back to Lake so we took my vehicle to drop him off. So I grabbed my camera and we were off.

My famous last words for today were: "I've never seen moose in Willow Park." The words weren't out of my mouth 10 seconds when Patrick says, "There is a moose." This is an area where I don't mind having the opposite of what I say happen. Sure enough there was a moose. And after looking closer it turned out to be a cow and a young bull. This is where, with your minds eye, you can insert an award winning photograph of 2 moose taken by yours truly. In reality you would see a post of an average picture of 2 moose. Thrilling none the less.

We watched a couple bison and a mousing coyote by Gibbon River. I waited for the pounce but gave up after getting a cramp in my arm holding my camera to my eye as I waited in anticipation. He cocked his head back and forth for awhile and instead of pouncing he just stuck his head in the snow repeatedly.

Our next thrill was making it up Blanding Hill (east of Norris). I usually have a sigh of relief when getting to the top, and I sigh twice when coming down safely.

We got quite a treat in Hayden Valley. We were watching the swans in the Yellowstone River when a coyote came trotting down the opposite side. He finally ran after a few swans that were near the edge, kind of a half hearted attempt. A couple swans sat a few yards from the edge tempting fate as the coyote watched them. It was interesting to watch and fun to listen to. The swans really put up a ruckus as the coyote watched them.

There were quite a few bison in Hayden Valley, and a few on the road by Fishing Bridge Jct. on my return. I followed a couple galloping bison past Obsidian Cliff but my return to Mammoth was much less eventful. I tried out a couple famous last word statements: "I've never seen a mountain lion." "I've never seen a mountain goat." I guess famous last words only work if there is someone else to hear them because as of yet I have not seen a mountain lion or a mountain goat.

And Yet More Snow

Outside the Mammoth YGS this Morning

Andrea Dreaming of Alabama

I'm looking at about 3 feet of snow in Mammoth now. It just keeps coming. But a good dumping of snow cannot stop a Taco Tuesday from commencing. After a feast of tacos most of the NPS employees were sent home, except for a few essential employees such as rangers and snow plow drivers. Betty and Judy were unable to make it to work today so it was only Andrea and myself. With a lack of people moving through the Park it wasn't all that difficult for the two of us. Quite a few NPS employees braved the snow and wind to come for tacos but once that was over we closed the store once again. Andrea and I will open up tomorrow for NPS employees who will be in Mammoth but we are not expecting much activity.

The Gardiner school closed early and had to follow a snowplow up the canyon to the Park to drop off their precious cargo. The only people in the Park at this time are the NPS employees who live here, a few Xanterra emplyees and 3 YGS employees. It's very silent outside except for the sound of the wind and the snowplows as they come dragging their plows by. Interior roads were closed to Admin travel. This ex-Minnesotan is loving it but Alabama Andrea has had enough. Thank goodness she keeps getting her car stuck because I'm sure she would be driving off to Alabama with all this snow in her rear view mirror.

For Linda

Linda

This is for my friend Linda, whom I worked with at Canyon General Store in 2009. She is a wonderful woman who has a new title: Cancer Free!!!!!!!

I am so happy for you and I look forward to your next excursion to Yellowstone National Park. Next time you will not only get a high-five but a huge hug!

Misc. Adventure Store Fall Activities

Tubing down the sidewalk of Canyon Village

The Adventure Store Pumpkin Carving Contest

The Taco Belles

Mammoth General Store after 2 feet of snow

Coyote out my window

Bull Elk on the Blacktail Plateau

Snowy-Faced Bison on the Blacktail Plateau

Mammoth really got hit with the snow during this last storm. We've had about 2 feet of snow. It really started coming down Friday afternoon and when the NPS employees started leaving work early the store was closed at 4:30. With the snow continuing the next 2 days the store stayed closed Saturday and Sunday. Not much was moving around the Park this weekend except for some elk that walked below my window. The younger elk would squeak while wading through snow that was up to the bellies of their mothers. And the fun is not over. Another 1+ feet are expected by Tuesday night. Thank goodness I love the snow. This is Andrea's first winter in the north (she's from Alabama) and she is pretty much tired of having to clean off her car and/or being snowbound. And it's only November, plenty more winter ahead of us.

This afternoon I happened to look out my living room window to see a coyote, which appeared to have a case of mange, wandering around the parking area. I took a picture of him (I took it through the window screen, thus the distorted look of the picture). His tail is hairless and his hind quarters are in about the same nearly hairless condition. He walked with his hind end slumped down and I thought what a long and hard winter this will be on him.

With a break in the snow and the roads being plowed I decided to head out for a little drive this afternoon. I headed toward Blacktail Plateau. I came across a herd of bison slowly making their way down the road. The travel for them is much easier on a plowed road than pushing their way through 2 feet of snow. I followed them for awhile before they moved off to join a small herd pushing their massive heads through the snow for their dinner. I saw quite a few elk on my travel, a few being huge bull elks.

It's been about 7 months since I've really gotten out and taken pictures. It felt good to get my camera back in my hand and snap a few shots. The wintery white made everything seem so fresh and new. The trees were draped with huge piles of snow and I could make out all of the paths that the wildlife were making.

Since it gets dark before we get off work it was decided that a fun winter activity was needed for in the evenings. So Judy, Andrea and myself decided to join a Wii Bowling League for this winter. A local establishment has 3 tv's and had been looking for at least 6 teams. So team Taco Belles is the newest to join.

Mammoth Here I Am

The Adventure Store Boarded Up For The Winter

Mousing Coyote by LeHardy Rapids

Yellowstone Lake

Snowy Sylvan Pass

I am currently sitting in my apartment in Mammoth reveling in all the things that most take for granted: fairly reliable internet connections, cell phone coverage and satellite tv. I pretty much gave up on the internet at Canyon and I found that I could possibly get one bar on my cell phone if I stood in one certain spot on the sidewalk in front of the Adventure Store, but that was unreliable and I found myself bundling up against the elements (ok, it was actually a mild October) trudge outside and I would pace the sidewalk in search of that one bar popping up on my phone.

And since you are reading this post you may now realize that I didn't fall off the face of the earth. The last couple of months have been quite busy. When the Canyon General Store closed at the begining of October the Adventure Store staff found themselves immersed in serving hungry guests hot dogs, soup and chili. We were having over 500 transactions a day (the highest this summer was in July with 362 transactions). With the spectacular fall weather the guests kept coming and we kept serving. At one point we had guests lined up from our fountain counter, around the store and out the door. As overwhelming as it was we all actually enjoyed it.

It was also store inventory time and nothing screams "Fun!" like having to count every single item in the storerooms. Matt and Mike were the lucky ones who got to count the flies (over 3,000). This was all taking place as I spent some down time transferring my belongings to my new apartment in Mammoth.

Us at the Adventure Store spent a few busy weeks...........then Dunraven Pass closed and everything came to a screeching halt. Canyon Village was practically deserted with the exception of some NPS personnel and the hardy crew of the Adventure Store. And how did we entertain ourselves? With a pumpkin carving contest (Morgan and David won), tubing down the sidewalk of Canyon Village, tubing down the road on Dunraven Pass, a game night of Apples to Apples, and an eye opening Adventure Store game show night entitled "How Well Do You Know Your Co-Worker?"

The Adventure Store closed for the 2010 season on November 7 at 12:00. I stayed until the 8th to finish up some odds-n-ends and made my final departure at 10:00 AM in a Winter Weather Advisory. Snow started to fall and I found myself heading back to Mammoth to start my position as Floor Supervisor at the General Store there. I'm back with Judy, Connie, Betty and with new winter employee, Andrea (who was a Floor Supervisor at the Adventure Store this past summer). I started last Tuesday on the first Taco Tuesday for the winter season. I'm seeing all the people I got to know last year when working there. And after only being here in Mammoth for a week I already got my phone call from HR for my 2011 rehire as manager of the Adventure Store. I was offered the position of manager for Grant but I declined to position. I guess the Canyon area pulls at me.

There is one sad part about working at a seasonal job: having to say goodbye to good friends. John and Jackie are back in Missouri, Dave is in North Carolina and will shortly be heading to California, Morgan is back in Washington, Matt is in California, Kem in Texas, David in Colorado, etc. Some of those people I have bonded with over the summer season are people that I will not see again for months and some are heading out to other venues and I will possibly never see again. But there are new friends to gain in the future and I think we are all the richer for having had these people in our lives for even a short moment in time.

And at this moment in time those of us who make Yellowstone National Park our home are awaiting a snow storm. We have had a series of storms move through this past week but the forecast for the next few days is quite a whopper. Areas of the Park may expect up to 30 inches of snow with high winds. Being a snow-lover there is a bit of a thrill for me.

Last Friday afternoon I was heading to Wapiti through the Park via Sylvan Pass. I made sure that at least two people knew where I was going and by what route. So Patrick was notified when I left Mammoth and I was able to text Andrea when I got to Hayden Valley. I told her to give me 2 hours to get over the pass and to a place with cell coverage where I could call her. I was then immediately held up by a herd of frisky bison congregating on the roadway in Hayden. I moved slowly around them all the time mumbling, "Please don't butt my car. Please don't butt my car." None did. Then I stopped to watch 3 coyotes just past LaHardy Rapids. The road was snow covered but there was one set of vehicle tracks I was following. When I turned toward the East Entrance at Fishing Bridge there were no tracks. I drove those miles up and over Sylvan Pass knowing I was the only one out there. I pushed a bit of snow going up the pass and only had one moment of sliding going down. By the time I made it to the bottom the back end of my car looked like a snowy turtle shell.

Driving through the Park after the roads are closed to the public is an adventure. The wood chips are piled up in areas (Golden Gate and by Nymph Lake) to be spread out for the snowmobiling season which starts in December. The piles take up one lane of the road so if you come across a vehicle coming from the other direction someone will be backing up. The wood chips cover up the roadway where the snow tends to melt because of thermal features or to protect the roadway such as at Golden Gate.

And now with the 2010 winter season here I am hoping to continue on and update my blog on a more regular basis. I have my camera out and ready. And now I will turn my attention to the Weather Channel.........old habits die hard.

Jr. Ranger Robyn at Grant

Yellowstone General Store
at
Grant Village

So where do I begin? People have been writing to me and even stopping in the store to say 'hi' to me and all have the same question: "When will you be updating your blog?" I guess my standby explanation of poor Internet connections will only get me so far. Yet that is one of the reasons, one of my other reasons is that a couple weeks ago I was asked to go to Grant Village and manage the store there. Another reason is, well this a good one, I've been out having fun. I've been out beyond the boundaries of Yellowstone experiencing the fabulous West. More on that later but for now I'll fill you in Grant.

I have temporarily left the Adventure Store to be the manager at Grant YGS until that store closes September 20. It is a large beautiful store that includes a grill. I came to the store and the 66 employees there with a bit of trepidation. I wondered if I could get comfortable in a larger store with a group that had already bonded. My worries were completely unfounded and I have found I love it there. The Associates there are top notch and I slid into my position there comfortably. Andrea is now the manager at the Adventure Store until I return there and she is doing a great job. Andrea and I will be friends for quite awhile as she has also been hired to work at the YGS store in Mammoth for the winter. She will soon learn about the excitement of Taco Tuesdays.

Working at Grant does have a small but temporary complication. I now find my stuff scattered between 4 locations: Canyon, Grant, Lake and Wapiti. I travel to Grant from Lake and on August 31 I found myself driving through some heavy snow flakes. The road from West Thumb to the south was eventually closed for awhile. It snowed again on Thursday night but it didn't stick to the road but the trees were covered with a beautiful white powder. I also see elk as I drive along Yellowstone Lake, some of which are huge bull elks that have started their bugling for the fall. A large owl swooped down in front of my car one morning and I saw a pine martin dining on a squirrel that had become the victim of a car tire.

The bison have made the roadway and the shoulders their home between the government area of Lake and Bridge Bay. Patrick and I drove up to his apartment one night earlier this week to find a herd of bison standing between the building and the parking area. Some smart maneuvering on our part made it possible for us to exit the car and make our way up to the building without the bison seeing us. The rut is mostly over but there are a few moaning male bison out there ready to charge or swing their massive heads at passing vehicles. I am still seeing some small bison calves that are still red which makes me concerned for their survival through the winter.

This past Thursday I saw a couple wolves on the other side of the river just north of LeHardy Rapids. It has been quite awhile since I've seen wolves but some of the Associates at Grant have been talking about hearing them howling in that area. One even had 2 wolves run past him as he walked to the store from the employee RV area.

I have seen grizzlies in Hayden Valley but most recently was the sow with her cubs at a kill by Alum Creek. This would be the 3rd kill in that area that I've heard about this summer. The wolves then come out to the carcass which causes quite a stir amongst the guests. There has been quite a show there all summer. I've been seeing moose near the East Entrance and a large bull moose on a drive do a ghost town. Last Thursday evening Patrick had a mountain lion cross in front of his vehicle by the firefighters memorial on the way to Wapiti.

Robyn, Miss Ellie & Jay

I had quite a treat last week while at Grant. Miss Ellie, who's father is the founder of the Hamilton Stores in Yellowstone, came into the store for a visit. She is a wonderful and welcoming woman who I'm sure is filled with wonderful Yellowstone stories. Her father founded the Hamilton Stores 89 years ago when Miss Ellie was 3 months old. She started working in the stores when she was 5. What an exciting life! In this picture I am with Miss Ellie and Grant's Grocery Lead, Jay. Jay has worked in the stores for 20 years and had the pleasure to work for Miss Ellie. I was so excited to be included in the picture with these two Yellowstone veterans but after I saw the picture all I could think was "Wow am I tall!" (I'm 5'9").

Heading to Kirwin

Last Saturday I was on to another adventure. Patrick and I decided to head to an old mining town called Kirwin. It is 20+ miles down a dirt road that at times can be a navigational problem. After crossing dried stream beds, maneuvering around ruts and rocks we finally made it there. The buildings are beautifully maintained by some dedicated volunteers who do not want to see this piece of history disappear into a heap of rubble. The buildings can be entered and you can almost hear the ghosts of the miners as they do their backbreaking labor. Our next area on our list to visit is South Pass, part of the Oregon Trail.

Patrick with Kirwin in the background

Old Kirwin Mine

One of the buildings in Kirwin

The Adventure Store Gang becoming Jr. Rangers

I'm still in close contact with the Associates at the Adventure Store. I returned one evening to take part in the swearing in ceremony of the Jr. Rangers at Ranger Daniel's evening ranger talk. Yup, the employees at the Adventure Store are all now Jr. Rangers. Though it is a program for children we decided as a group to complete the necessary requirements to become Jr. Rangers to show our support for the program. Ranger Daniel is a frequent visitor to the Adventure Store and will absolutely no hesitation he volunteered to be the ranger to swear us in. There was actually one child that evening who was becoming a Jr. Ranger, also.

Jr. Ranger Robyn with real Ranger Daniel

Christmas in August
Adventure Store skit

And as you may remember from last year the employees in the Park celebrate Christmas on August 25. On 'Christmas Eve' the Canyon YGS employees, along with the Adventure Store employees, have a celebration complete with a potluck, a visit from Santa, gifts and entertainment. The Adventure Store put on a skit about what life is like in the interior of the Park during the early spring when we often get snowed in. It was about how much we enjoy eating in the EDR. Half the Adventure employees were covered by sheets and were the 'hands' to the employees who were the 'eaters'. The 'eaters' wore raincoats as the skit got to be rather messy with bananas, burritos, pudding, milk and teeth brushing. I was the narrator but I was unable to watch most of the skit because I kept laughing.

David 'drinking' his milk

Jay 'brushing his teeth' with a pudding-faced Lee looks on

Jack double fisting his burrito