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

Pig Races

Hi! Remember me? I've had a few 'Are you ok?' e-mails and I thought I should sit down and finally write something. I am only able to post things on the weekends and my weekends have been pretty full lately so blogging hasn't been something I've been able to accomplish lately. During the week I've been busy with work but I occasionally get out in the evenings for a Yellowstone drive. I've been seeing a grizzly bear on a regular basis by the Hoodoos near Mammoth. No pictures though, as I am usually pretty busy maneuvering my car through the crowds. It's a windy and narrow road and people like to stand or walk right on the road so I'm extra careful there as I don't want to hit anyone. Getting my camera out is really the last thing on my mind.

Earlier this week by Grizzly Lake trail I came across a young grizzly running down the middle of the road. I was 3 cars back but got a good look as it clumsily lumbered down the yellow line. Unfortunately it was too dark to get a good picture and this time I was ready with my camera. I guess that is how things work sometimes.

The Park has been breaking visitor records again this year. In July there were almost as many visitors that month as there had been the first six months of the year! Roads are clogged with bison and vehicles, especially these past two weeks in Hayden Valley where there was road work and a 25 mph speed limit from Canyon to Fishing Bridge. That made for a long drive especially when everyone wanted to stop and look at the huge herds of bison in Hayden. Sometimes it was frustrating but sometimes it reminded me of what Yellowstone is all about: huge herds of freely roaming the valley.

A couple weeks ago Yellowstone was the host to Vice President Biden. President Obama is scheduled to come to the Park on August 25 for the grand opening of the Old Faithful Visitor Center. Just like last years visit I will be at work with camera nearby just in case he visits the Canyon area. Chances are he won't but I'll be ready. We occasionally get celebrities in the Park. A couple weeks ago an actor from the movie Lord of the Rings was in Canyon - which one I don't know as I am one of the few people who has not actually seen the movie.

Last weekend a group of us went to the pig races near Red Lodge. It is an annual event for the group and I was invited to join them this year. The races are a 4H scholarship fundraiser that is held on the weekends all summer long at a restaurant/bar 6 miles from Red Lodge. The piglets run a small racetrack (the food at the end is what entices them to run) complete with the sounds of racing trumpets. Patrick and I won $125. It's definitely something that I intend on going to again.

We've eaten a couple times at the Lake Hotel dining room. It's always a treat to eat there. The food is fantastic and I tend to sit there imagining what the place looked like filled with smartly dressed people in the early 1900's. I had a delicious lamb meal my first night there (trying not to think about the pet sheep I once had) and my last time there (Aug. 4) Patrick and I split a beef tenderloin (the pet calf I once had doesn't prevent me from feeling guilty about eating beef) and halibut (nor does my numerous pet goldfish). Scrumptious!

There was a deadly bear mauling outside the Park by Silver Gate a couple weeks ago. The bear, in the middle of the night, attacked 3 different tents, mauling 3 people resulting in the death of one. Grizzly bear attacks can happen but it is extremely unusual. It is a sad story for the people involved.

I will be heading back to Mammoth to work this winter. I occasionally see people that I got to know in Mammoth this past winter and I look forward to going back and working those Taco Tuesdays. I still have 3 months to go. I can't believe that I already have 4 months of Canyon under my belt. It has been an extremely busy summer and I've enjoyed every minute of it.

Scavenger Hunt

Guest artist Daniel from Dung & Dunger at Canyon General

Dirty Jobs

Snow in July

4th of July at the Adventure Store

Andrea, Dave & Lee decked out in their Delaware North 4th of July t-shirts

Where has Robyn in Yellowstone been lately? Well, in the technological black hole that is Yellowstone at times. The issue started about 2 months ago when my last phone died and I bought a new one. Verizon is the only carrier that works decently in Canyon but for some reason my phone could only pick up bars after 10:00pm. With phone communication lacking it became a real issue about 2 weeks ago when I started getting reports of both of my parents being ill back in Minnesota. My father has 2 ambulance trips to the hospital and my mom was being brought into the ER by cars. My father eventually ended up in the ICU for a week. In order to get updates on their conditions I would have to take time off work and either drive 35 miles to Mammoth or go up and over Dunraven to find a signal. Sometimes I made the trips without ever reaching anyone so I would have to a second drive in the evening in hopes of getting a hold of someone with info.

What about e-mail, you ask? I had issues there, too. My computer quit hooking up about 3 weeks ago and the manager's computer at the store was taken off line when their was technological problems with the routers. So even in a pinch I couldn't access my e-mail account on the store computer.

In the end everything turned out well. My father was released from the hospital and my mom started feeling better. They had consumed something contaminated which started this whole downward spiral. I'm glad your feeling better, mom and dad!! And with a trip into a Verizon store it turns out that my phone is defective. I should be getting a new one next week.

In other news.........it snowed a couple weeks ago. A fresh blanket of fluffy whiteness covered the ground over the mountains and up the road from Canyon. I'm not totally surprised by this because of the cooler temps we had been experiencing. Now it has warmed up (to a balmy 60+ degrees) during the day but the evenings are still chilly. The southern part of the Park had a covering of smoke earlier this week when strong winds blew in the smoke from a fire near Idaho Falls. The windows in our rooms had to be closed that night because the acrid smoke stung the eyes and throat. Luckily it was for only one night but it brought back memories of the Arnica Fire last fall and how Canyon filled with stinky smoke.

It has also been a sad week in the Park. Their were fatalities two days straight: a motorcycle accident north of Norris and a drowning in the Yellowstone River. As much fun as it may seem to toodle around Yellowstone on a motorcycle it is extremely dangerous. There are numerous buses and large RV's as well as animals and cars stopped in the middle of the road around sharp curves. Just a reminder to all who crave the wind in their hair atop a motorcycle in Yellowstone: be extra cautious and defensive! The Park should be filling with motorcycles as Sturgis approaches and I want all of them to live another day to come back and experience the Park.

I've been in numerous jams lately. There have been a few bear jams (by Steamboat Point and north of Obsidian Cliff) as well as a coyote jam east of Fishing Bridge. The mama grizzly and her two cubs have been making a regular appearance over Dunraven (once with an exasperated ranger when people were getting too close). Once last week rangers had to haze a bear away from Canyon Junction. The Dorm Bison, Bob, The Magnificent One and the Boys of Summer are all still around wowing everyone who goes by.

The Adventure Store is also involved in a few fun bonding activities. We just finished our employee photo contest (Matt: Overall Photo & Animal; Morgan: Scenic; Dave: Human and Humor) and everyone is working on their 2 week Scavenger Hunt which involves them to take a picture of their mascot (a 12 inch plush animal) at different areas of the Park or with various items. The one with the most points wins. It is requiring everyone to get out into the Park and use maps to locate areas they were not familiar with. It turns out that the Adventure Store employees are one competative group. There is nothing like watching Jack, a 21 year Marine vetran, scour the Park taking pictures of his plush bison at the entrance stations and with rangers. Dave and Morgan are taking quite a bit of time hiking to various locations to snap a photo of their mascot at the top of mountains (such as at the top of Mt. Washburn). So if someone in the Park stops you and asks if you would pose with their stuffed animal it is probably just an Adventure Store employee trying to win themselves a fly fishing pole.

And a close encounter for Jay and Cassie. While hiking a young male grizzly bear came crashing through the woods and stopped on the trail ahead of them (which inclined upwards so it was looking down at them) and stared at them. They backed away and the bear left them alone. But it was a knee-shaking encounter that they hope to never have repeated. I'm glad it ended well for them!

I am also gearing up for the Pig Races in Red Lodge in a couple of weeks. Patrick and I will be taking them in along with a few other YGS employees. This is a yearly activity and we have been included in the festivities this year. 3 condos have been rented and there will be lots of great food and fun as we bet on the fastest pig running around tracks.

I should also send out thank you's to everyone who has stopped into the store to say "hi!" these past couple of weeks. It has been upwards of 7 groups. I love to meet everyone face-to-face and hear about their adventures in the Park. As for all those unaswered e-mails I have - I hope to get to those soon but at this moment I am going to close and go sit out on the porch of Patrick's cabin and look across the Wapiti Valley at Jim Mountain.

Power Outages

Grizzly by Mud Volcano

Black Bear by Tower Junction

It's been a wild week. Thunderstorms on Tuesday night knocked out the power through much of the Park. Dave and Andrea drove back to Canyon from Mammoth after the storm and saw many trees across the road. Canyon was without power for 11 hours and we spent much of Wednesday morning working without electricity. I got up at 4:00am to check on the cooler temps and decided to head back to bed when I saw that we were going to lose two coolers full of food. Wednesday was a morning full of cold showers and puffy hair that didn't get the benefit of a hair dryer or curling iron. We were not as bad off as Lake was. Power lines went down in the government housing section and they were without electricity for 22 hours.

The power outage came just in time for our Director of Operations, the head of HR, our Controller and the Regional Manager came to spend the day working different jobs (cooking, janitorial, stocking) at the Canyon General Store. They got to live firsthand how the stores are worked without power. When the power came on I headed over with camera in hand to snap a few photos of my bosses cooking and hauling out bags of garbage. Though the Adventure Store was not involved with having them work all of us YGS employees had fun working with them and watching them do our jobs.

Last night the head of concessions for YNP had a retirement party and I headed to that with Patrick. I got to know Judy when I was working at Mammoth this past winter. It was also her and her husbands house that I got to go to for Thanksgiving last year. Another thunderstorm came through the area but not with the same results as Tuesdays. This morning I had to drive through another storm that dumped hail on my car and when I worried that my windshield would bust out I found a tree to park under. More storms may come tonight.

I needed to drive down to Grant Village this afternoon. At Alum Creek there is an elk kill with a grizzly feeding on it. A HUGE crowd of people were out in the valley watching the bear. The roads, shoulders and pullouts are filled with cars and people. The bear has been there all day. Since I was on work related duty (and not really in the mood to battle for a parking spot) I didn't stop but I did get to see the bear, which is rather large, off in the distance with it's prize.

I saw grizzly by Mud Volcano last week and two different black bears, one by Tower Junction and one north of Dunraven Pass. But mostly I've been doing chipmunk watching in front the off the store.

The weather has warmed up and for the first time I can look at the weeks forecast and not see the words 'snow flurries' in it. I should have about 2 months of respite from those flakes.

Meet An Adventure Store Employee #9

Mark
California

Who do I call when something needs repair? That would be our miracle worker Mark. Mark is a former machinist or 'turbine jockey' which is someone who worked on wind turbines. This is his first time working in Yellowstone and is not even close to becoming accustomed to the 'winter in June' temps. He came to Yellowstone with his wife and son, who work in Canyon General, and his daughter who works at Fishing Bridge. Though I have to share his mechanical expertise with Canyon General I can always count on him to give a hand. And because of Mark I now how to correctly store an extension cord without it getting tangled. Thanks Mark for all the help!

Meet An Adventure Store Employee #8

Cassie
Maine

Say Hello to Cassie! Cassie has a degree in Human Services and will be attending Grad School in Denver for Organizational Development in Training after her stint in Yellowstone is over. This is not her first job in a national park, she also worked in Acadia. She has also been a cheerleading coach and a Jenny Craig Consultant in New York City. At the Adventure Store she is our 'Huckleberry Lady' because of her devotion to the huckleberry display. With her keen eye she can whip together a beautiful gift display, greet guests and ring up sales in one breath. She does an awesome job and we are lucky to have her! Thanks Cassie!