Thirteen - 8/28

Breakfast with Buffaloman and Buffalogal

Full day.

Buffaloman and Buffalogal (aka Paul & Joan) invited us to breakfast. They are a Workamper couple who have been WKN members in the past, and Buffaloman is still a staple user of our Forums website. In the summers, they Workamp at a retail shop in West Yellowstone called Yellowstone Outlet. Joan also makes cool artistic pieces using huge gourds and antlers. Paul is a writer and also makes some cool stuff with natural items they've found in their travels. He's also walking art - Joan has made him some unique jewelry from bear claws and turquoise, and he sports some marshall badges and a hat. (The tourists love him!)  So we had breakfast at about 8 a.m. this morning at a nice restaurant in West Yellowstone.

We maneuvered our way through the trees just before the West Entrance to find the Human Resources satellite office for Delaware North Companies Parks & Resorts at Yellowstone (aka Yellowstone General Stores). We met with and interviewed Teri, Rachel and Ashley. It was a quick and easy interview since they know their stuff.

After that we drove the hour+ to Grant Village. On the way there, we saw a coyote traipsing along the road. Not much other wildlife seen today. Let me note here that we have put over 500 miles on our Escape (tow car) in the four days we had to run around in the Park. Everything in Yellowstone is forever apart, and I can't imagine trying to visit in just one or two days. You need two days probably just to see the main tourist hot spots, and there's so much more to explore it's crazy.

So, Grant Village. We first went to the home one wheels of Charles and Karen Resen. Super cool couple who has been working for DNC for a few summers now. They have the same towing setup that we do, except they tow a Honda CR-V, which is very popular as a tow vehicle. Charles said they would've done an Escape too except a new one was more expensive. Charles is a supervisor in the general store there and Karen is a sales associate. It's a really nice operation; they have an employee dining room in the basement of the store and employees can participate in a meal plan if they want to. The lower campground is within walking distance of the store.

Kevin and Robin's RV

The upper campground, where we went next to visit with Kevin and Robin Herber, was a few minutes further down the road. We really like Kevin and Robin; he was an office dude/tech guy and Robin was a nurse before they hit the road. They bought an older Dolphin motorhome and have completely renovated the thing. It is really cool; the outside they buffed the crap out of so it's shiny and vintage-y. The inside we loved too. This couple was actually recruited by Charles & Karen, and it's their first summer with DNC. They are booked up with Workamping positions through 2013 - they are going to be very successful and sought after Workampers.

With not much time to spare, we turned back towards Old Faithful to meet up with Chuck & Nancy Siebert who work for Yellowstone Association. What a couple. We took some pictures of the Sieberts at work in the bookstore inside Old Faithful Visitor Center, and then watched Old Faithful erupt again. After they were off work, we followed them to their RV site inside one of the employee housing areas. The housing areas typically contain RV sites, laundry facilities, maintenance buildings, and dormitories since many of the operations in the Park hire international students. The sites are gravel and surrounded by trees. Most Workampers have spoken about waking up to wildlife in front of their RV. Most have an appreciation for it, and you have to. If you're fearful of wildlife, then Workamping in Yellowstone is likely not right for you.

Workampers Chuck & Nancy

The Sieberts have a 2012 Tiffin Allegro Bus - snazzy rig. Luke wants one. Lots of seating. This couple is just part-time; they go back home to Texas to be with family during the winter time, then head back up to Yellowstone in the summers. They've also spent time in Grand Teton, and done a few other volunteer Workamping stints as well. Chuck was an airplane pilot previously and Nancy was involved in education and did a lot within their community in Texas. They hinted that they began Workamping (or leaving Texas in the summers) to get out of the heat of Texas for help relieve Nancy's MS. They started RVing because they wanted to take a trip, but didn't have anyone to watch their dog. So they bought an RV, threw their suitcases and the dog too. But anyway, we enjoyed meeting them and they are ideal representatives for Yellowstone Association. They really love working for the organization, and it was great that Chuck pointed out that this isn't a money-making endeavor (since they pay for their sites out of their paychecks), but they essentially get to live in Yellowstone just for working a few hours with the public each week. Not a bad gig.

Castle Geyser

It was after 7 p.m. and work was finally done. We went back to the Visitors Center and got on our bikes for the first time. So glad we did. We rode down a paved trail leading away from the Old Faithful area. It was decorated with other geysers and thermal features. First up was Castle Geyser - a really cool sinter or travertine (I don't remember which one; maybe it's both) formation. Not two minutes after we stopped, the thing started erupting…and erupting…and erupting - for like 20 minutes this one goes! It shoots pretty high - it's way neater than Old Faithful. Aside from the cool formation, there's a boiling pool in front of it, and the water gushes down the sides. It's still unfathomable that geysers are natural. We rode down the rest of the paved path and saw a few other, non-erupting geysers and hot spring pools. It was getting pretty dark, so we headed back and put the bikes back on the rack.

An hour drive home…we were pretty tired. The moon was uber bright so you could still make out the textures of the mountains, and the way it makes the rushing stream next to road glimmer is pretty. This is probably where they came up with that word, glimmer. We took one side road on the way back - Firehole Lake Road - and saw a few other moonlit geysers (non-erupting; though if we would have waiting 45 minutes we might have seen Grand Geyser go off, but it was already almost 10 pm), Firehole Lake (or pond?), and Tangled Creek.

That was pretty much our day. I'll get stuff inside the RV put away for moving and Luke will get everything unhooked in the morning. The drive south to Jackson should take 3-4 hours; we're going through the Park and driving into Grand Teton NP instead of taking the somewhat shorter route through SE Idaho. Smoke is still gone so hopefully the Tetons will be in full view!

Grotto geyser at night

 

Castle geyser

Twelve - 8/27

Holy landscapes Batman!

No smoke in the sky today, and we finally got to see the Yellowstone landscape in full, we believe. Awesome. Magnificent. Beautiful. All positive, descriptive adjectives apply.

I'm pretty tired, so I'm going to keep this one sorta brief.

(Reader Reminder: click on photos to see a larger version.)

Met with the person who does the Workamper recruiting for Yellowstone Association and did a video interview with her. Great program; great lady. I am continuously impressed by the Workampers and Employers in the area. It was a very warm welcome at the YA headquarters, and Danny (marketing dude) showed us around and introduced us to their corporate staff. It made us feel very appreciated. Cherie Bardsley is the Retail Operations Manager, so she hires all of the Sales Associates (Workampers). Thus, she was our interviewee. She is also a 'retired' Workamper. About 7 or 9 years ago, she and her hubby saw Yellowstone Association advertised in WKN magazine; they went, fell in love, and now she's part of the corp office. Pretty cool.

We bought some stuff in their bookstore (We found bug repellant shirts! For real!), and also joined their membership program. It's really cheap; they give you a free gift and you're giving back to Yellowstone and the great education programs they provide. You can join too at http://www.yellowstoneassociation.org/membership/ if you're interested (Not making a commission; just impressed with their operation).

Afterwards we ate lunch in Gardiner. It's an okay town in a very pretty area. We hadn't explored the top half of the figure eight that is Yellowstone yet, and after, we decided it's better looking than the bottom half.  Here's the cliff's notes on the rest of our day:

• Nearly hit an Elk that jumped out in front of the car in Mammoth
• Watched Elk meander around Mammoth (town area)
• Hot springs by Mammoth = awesome
• White-butted mountain goats/sheep spotted
• Driving, and more driving
• Two waterfalls
• Super cute chipmunks that move at nearly lightning speed
• Grand canyon of Yellowstone at sunset

Tomorrow we have an early morning as we are going to meet Workampers Buffaloman & Buffalogal (Paul & Joan) for breakfast. They reached out to me via email as they are Workamping at a retail store in West Yellowstone. Then the rest of the day we'll be meeting and interviewing with Workampers & Employers. Hoping we'll have a bit of time at the end of the day, before it gets dark, to get some time on the bicycles we've hauled all these miles. Tomorrow is our last day for doing interviews and such, then two days of just play...and dealing with all the emails I've been piling up!

Eleven - 8/26

I need to stop writing these so late.

I'm much less creative when I'm sleepy, but I hope you're still fairly entertained. :)  Busy days lead to late nights.

Today was an easier day. At the break of dawn…haha, just kidding…at 9 am we met Yellowstone Mountain Guides just down the road here in West Yellowstone. We met Charles and Chris the two guides, and a gentleman from South Dakota/Germany who was doing a full-day ride. They drove us in their truck (also pulling the horse trailer) a few miles north to a trail that is actually in Yellowstone, but rarely visited. It was a skinny trail, that took us through a stream and then next to it occasionally; the trail also climbed up a bit of a hill at one point so we could overlook the valley around us.

Our guide Charles introduced us to Skip (white spotted) and Charlie (pretty brown), our mode of transportation for the morning. The early hours of the day have been chilly, so we dressed in layers and wore gloves to start. By the end of the ride around 1:30 pm, it was gorgeous and I was comfortable in just four layers instead of five and a knit cap.

After the first few clip-clops down the trail, we saw a mule deer bounding around near a creek. The unique calls of two sandhill cranes rang in our ears a couple times as we watched them fly across the valley. And two red tailed hawks worked together high up in the sky, communicating during their search for lunch. Other than few other small birds and the clicking grasshoppers/butterflies (I'm not sure what they are but they're noisy), that was the only wildlife we saw during our 3-4 hour ride.

The landscape was sublime, of course. There was much less smoke/haze today! Yay!  I hope it stays away. A bright blue blanket hovered above us, dotted by occasional white, fluffy clouds.  Trees, dead trees from the '88 fire, huge rocks, rushing stream, tall grasses, sagebrush (my new fav), and taller mountains surrounded and filled the valley we traipsed through. The horses were apathetic, but I understand. I wouldn't want to carry humans around everyday either!  They did like sneaking bites of the grasses and such on each side of the trail, and Luke and I would keep having to pull on the reins a bit and say, "head up" to get them to move along. When we got in areas that had green onions…they really didn't want to listen to us. The horses kept a nice walking pace most of the time, and would break out into an easy trot every once in awhile if they got too far back from the guide horse, making us do a bit of a hop in the saddle. We rode for about an hour and a half, stopped and had lunch (that the guide service provided; just sandwiches), and then rode the same way back to the trailhead.

Luke and his horse Charlie were two peas in a pod. Charlie likes to go at his own pace, and when he was in the back on the walk in, he would often lag behind…doing everything on his time, in his own way. On the walk back, Charlie was in the middle, in front of me and Skip. I'm not sure if it was something he ate, or if it's just natural, but he was a gaseous pony.  At one point he broke out in a trot to catch up to the guide horse (which the horses often did on their own; they liked staying together), and he tooted with about every clop of his hooves. It was hilarious.  I felt bad for Skip, who liked to walk close to the Charlie so his tail swishes would keep the flies off of his face.  Skip was a bit stubborn, and eventually I learned that if I just let him take his bite of grass, he would catch up with the others once his mouth was full. He was very soft, but I don't think he fancied being petted.  Our guide, Charles, who rode Cowboy, was very chatty and liked to tell stories about people in Yellowstone history even though we didn't ask for them. Haha…he was very nice and provided us an enjoyable day.

After we said farewell to our new hoofed friends, we went back to the RV to relax a bit and rest our rears. I am sore as if we've been riding our mountain bikes all day, and poor Luke was sore beneath his tailbone. The ride back had made Luke a little sleepy so he took a nap. I took a load of laundry to the resort office where the laundry room is and watched a movie on my computer for an hour while I waited for the load to finish. Sounds pretty lame, but the office is right along the lake and they have a bench in the hallway next to the laundry room that has windows out to the lake. Probably the best view I'll ever have while washing clothes.

At 6 pm we went to the Beaver's Den, which is a small, event building here on the resort property (it used to be the office). Eileen, one of the managers, had organized a pizza party. She is an absolute hoot. She collects beavers, and we were honored with the gift of one (stuffed, of course; we named it Eileen, hehe). We chowed down on local pizza, enjoyed libations, and chatted with the Workampers there and some of the managers' local friends, oh and Eileen's mom who also lives on the property in a fifth wheel (she's 90). We heard many fun stories and met some neat personalities. Plus, likely acquired another new WKN member or two. Woo hoo!

Tomorrow it's back to "work". We'll get up early and take a few pictures around here at Holiday; we don't have any pics yet of the Workampers here "at work". Then we'll make the 1.5 hour+ drive up to Gardiner, MT, which is the North Entrance to Yellowstone. Here, we'll meet with the HR staff at Yellowstone Association plus one of their Workamper couples. I'm hoping after this we'll have quite a bit of time to see more around the Park. Crossing our fingers for more wildlife spotting too!

Here's a video I took on my iPhone while we were riding today.
 

Ten - 8/25

Hazy days.

Today was the most hazy so far. Not sure if the winds were heavier, the fires in Idaho have increased, or something with the jet stream, but visibility was not so great today. The creamy fog drapes across the landscape, and for parts of the day visibility was maybe a mile. By the time we were leaving Yellowstone Lake around 8:30 pm, you could only see maybe 1/2 mile out into the lake. It was almost erie. The smoke isn't such a big deal, it's just a bummer when you can't see mountain range XYZ off the far end of lake or…stars. I can't even imagine how stunning the celestial view would be here, if the skies were clear.  Next time!

This morning Luke borrowed one of the fishing boats here at the resort and scooted around Hebgen Lake a bit. After I got ready, I joined him.  It's a pretty lake, or at least the terrain around the lake is.  Not sure I'd want to swim here as there's quite a bit of seaweed. I bet the fishes are big fans.

Picnic lunch then prepared, we headed into the Park. The drive to Grant Village (south end of the park by the lake), was about an hour and a half. The bald eagle was not on his usual perch today. We did see three female elk, chowing down on greenery close to the road, and one lone, male bison moseying across a flat area perhaps headed for a soak in one of nature's hot tubs.

According to our film permit, we were to be taking pictures of Workampers at Grant Village Yellowstone General Store around 3 pm-ish…so we did.  Kevin, Robin and Karen (Charles had already went home) showed us around the facility and we snapped a few shots. This was a great introduction and we're looking forward to interviewing the two couples on Tuesday.

Our sunset kayak tour was set to begin at 5:30 pm, so we drove down to the Grant Village marina about 5 so we could eat first. Apparently this marina used to be a much more happening place, but I think they've "let it go" as other areas of the park have been developed. There is the Lakeshore restaurant there, and a beautiful view of West Thumb, which is one of the fingers of the giant Yellowstone Lake. It was a bit windy to begin with, but this park of the lake at least didn't have white caps!

It was a big kayak tour…consisting of Luke, myself, and our guide, Greg. Hehe…  Greg gave us a quick tutorial of how to get in and use the kayaks. We each had our own kayak, a paddle with two ends, and we used a 'skirt' to keep water off of our laps. The best part, the kayaks had rudders! - to help you steer. Made it just a bit easier to maneuver and get around. The temperature was very comfortable when we launched, but we had layered up knowing it would chill down as the sun fell.

We paddled fairly close to the shore, and Greg pointed out different things like a dead elk carcass. Sweet, right?!  We also saw one live lady elk. The destination of our cruise was one of the geyser basins - the same one we had walked through the day before. It was pretty cool being on the other side of it.  A couple of the geysers (they just bubble and steam, no erupting) are out in the water, so we were able to get close enough to hear the bubble, bubble, toil and trouble sounds they make.  We turned around and headed back; the whole tour taking about 3 hours.

We both really enjoyed it, and were surprised that paddling wasn't more difficult. Luke also now has a new idol, as our new kayak buddy Greg is a "ski bum". We got to hear all of his stories about going up to Alaska and doing sea kayaking up there, then spending winters in Jackson, WY working "at a mountain" and skiing/snowboarding often. In the summertime he does the kayak tours. Sweet life, dude.

That was pretty much our day. Tomorrow morning will be horseback riding in the northeast corner of the Park. Then meeting with a Workamper couple working in West Yellowstone (not for an interview, just for fun). And finally, a pizza party with the Yellowstone Holiday crew.  We won't be spending much time in the Park tomorrow. There's so much more to see! I hope we can get it all in next week.

By the way -- if you haven't already found this out, click on an image to make it a little bigger.

Nine - 8/24

Being in an area that you've watched documentaries on is pretty sweet…

…according to Luke. Right on, babe.  Another great day today.  The smoky haze seemed to be a bit lighter this morning, so we could see the texture of the beautiful mountains out our front window, across Hebgen Lake.  It gets pretty chilly here at night - around 30-40 degrees - and the RV heater is doing great. Thankfully, it warms up to 70 degrees during the day so it's really comfortable and almost hot in the sun at times.

We started off our day interviewing the managers here at Yellowstone Holiday Resort - Jim & Eileen Albin.  A super couple; they were Workampers until they worked their first summer at Holiday. They loved it so much they became the managers and stuck around for nine more years, making improvements and running the resort with an all Workamper staff. Again, these Employers "get it" and it was a pleasure to learn about their program.  I would totally work here; the Workampers get to rotate between all of the positions instead of getting burnt out in one area.  And it's gorgeous here.

Afterwards, we made our picnic lunch and headed into the Park. In about two hours, we made it to the "Lake Employee Area" which is a little south of Fishing Bridge (on the east side of the Park). Two hours later, we left with another great story of a successful Workamper couple with great attitudes.  Jim & Alida Banzet have been Workamping for Yellowstone Park Service Stations for five summers. Jim has become a certified RV tech, and he works in the service area. Alida is assistant manager of the station where she pumps propane, handles sales, stocking, and more. Workampers make up a smaller percentage of the YPSS staff it seems as Jim & Alida often referenced the "kids" they work with - college aged students making some extra money for the summer. This couple has been full-time RVers since 1990-something and Workamping for almost as long. Their RV was awesome too, and we shot the video inside.  Jim and my Dad would be two peas in a pod, as Jim said that one of the keys to being happy with the Workamping lifestyle is to acquire "information, information, information". (If you've listened to any of our WKN webinars, you'll have heard Dad/Steve teach on about the importance of "education, education, education.") The Banzets gave us an hour and a half of good information…good luck to Luke when he has to edit this video!  We hope to catch them at work in the next few days to have more photo content for the magazine.

We finally got out of the Banzets' hair about 3:30…and then we had nothing to do. Nothing else on the schedule for the day. Weird. :-)  So we drove down towards the Grant Village/Old Faithful area since we hadn't been that way yet.  We needed a nice place to eat our lunch.  One of the "problems" with Yellowstone is that everything is spaced so far out!  Driving down to Grant Village took…awhile, it seemed like. Along the way, I turned off the road thinking there would be a good picnic spot, but it ended up being the West Thumb Geyser Basin.  We walked around a few boardwalks that lead you safely around the geothermal pools of awesomeness.  Luke's favorite pools are super clear water and a beautiful shade of blue.  My favorite are the boiling mud puddles; I just like how the bubbles look and the noise they make.  There's a lot of variation in the colors of the pools, I believe it's due to the microorganisms living in them (but don't quote me, we didn't acquire the pamphlet on that area). All of this was right along Yellowstone Lake, which is a dark blue, almost navy, contrast next to the lighter geothermal pools.

Still hungry, we continued our drive down the road and found the Grant Village area.  Stopping at the Yellowstone General Store, we were just going to quickly use the restrooms. Hour or so and a convo-with-a-Workamper-who-works-there later, we finally left the Store…hands full of souvenirs. Nearly 6 p.m. now, we finally found a picnic area - ridden with 'don't leave any food containers out because you'll attract bears' signs - so we could eat our "lunch".  Food and groceries in the Park, as with any touristy area, are more expensive than normal so we are going to pack a lunch as often as we can. (Then more $$ for souvenirs! Duh…)

We made it out of the potential-bear-picnic area alive and intact, and popped in to the Visitor Center there. Snapped a few pictures of the Yellowstone Association Bookstore inside (another Workamper Employer) and that was pretty much it as we saw a sign that said the next Old Faithful eruption was at 7:26 pm.  We hopped in the car and drove the 30 minutes to the Old Faithful area (all roads in Y are 45 mph or slower).  It definitely has the most parking lots.  Could also be because of the Old Faithful Inn, General Store, Visitor Center, Yurts, Cabins, and other buildings-we-didn't-see-signs-for in this visitor favorite.  We got up to the geyser just in time, and enjoyed the 3-minute show.  It's pretty impressive!  I can't believe that, naturally, every 90 minutes this geothermal entity shoots hot water really high into the air. I suppose it's all the trips to amusement parks and such that makes it hard for me to comprehend that this "attraction" isn't man-made. There's no ON/OFF switch. Good job, Mother Earth.

The crowd dispersed and we headed into the Old Faithful Inn…built, quite some time ago (I should totally be a historian). The inside is as neat as the guidebooks say it is, and I would like to have a four-sided fireplace in my next home now.  Luke and I got a couple coffees on the second floor and went out onto the deck area that looks over towards the infamous geyser. As the sun went down, the chill started to set in so we leisurely made our way back towards the parking lot. Since we had chatted on the phone awhile with Luke's momma, it was nearly time for another eruption.  We watched the 3-minute show again, from a different angle, then took our nearly shivering selves 'home'.

Driving in the dark was an adventure. And by dark, I mean D.A.R.K.  The National Park Service does a great job at keeping this place 'natural'.  The hour drive back to the RV was mostly uneventful, thankfully. Towards the beginning of the drive, a big male Elk almost came across the road, but he saw my headlights, changed his mind, and scooted back into the timber. Other than bats, we didn't see any other wildlife tonight.

An interesting aspect of being in Yellowstone: everyone is foreign. So many different languages floating around you as you visit the different areas. I'm sure that presents a challenge for the many folks who work here in the Park. Although, many of the employees are students/young people from foreign countries here for the summer, so that probably helps with some of the language barriers. We also heard a Korean (maybe?) tour director taking a group around the geyser basin, and he would speak in their native language and then in English…pretty cool. Asian travelers have so far continued the stereo-type in our eyes - taking a picture of every board in the boardwalk around the geysers, etc. One couple was flashing away while Old Faithful erupted in the almost-dark…bet those were some great shots…hehe.  I do think we picked a good time to visit. Most of the time when we're driving around, there's hardly anyone on the road (but that could also be because this place is HUGE).

Tomorrow, Luke wants to get up and take out one of the fishing boats they have here at the resort and tool around the lake a bit. There's nothing on our schedule until about 3 pm, when, according to our film permit, we will be taking still photos of the Workampers at DNC's General Store at Grant Village. At 5:30 we will begin our kayaking adventure on Yellowstone Lake, starting at Grant Village Marina. It's the 'sunset cruise' that goes till 9 pm.  I've never kayaked before - should be interesting. If there's no blog post tomorrow night, it's because I've paddled my arms off and/or got so cold I just gave in to the chilly lake like DiCaprio in Titanic (too much?). Stay tuned...

Eight - 8/23

Pretty good day, really.

Got up and said our farewells around the Blair Hotels employee campground, and met a few new faces in the gift shop.  Also got a few more pictures in (Henry & Terry Felszer, who run the morning breakfasts).  A few of the gentlemen Workampers helped Luke maneuver the RV out of the campground, while I went and said hello to Johanna Kashi (aka johkashi on the Forums site).  It was hard to leave! It's such a great community of Workampers there.

Then the drive was on again! - along the "most beautiful 50 miles of America" according to Roosevelt.  That's the drive from Cody to the East Entrance.  Tall, rocky, and tree covered mountains surrounding you. A rocky stream bordering you on the left.  We stopped a few times to take some pictures.  At the entrance, we went ahead and bought a $50 year pass to Yellowstone/Grand Teton, since we were going to be spending EIGHT days in the parks…and the regular pass is $25 for seven days.  So now we have an excuse to go back soon. :-)


The drive through Yellowstone was easier than I expected. Parts of the two lane highway were a little skinny and I was wishing there was a wider shoulder…or any shoulder.  But the RV did great climbing the hills and taking the turns.


We saw A LOT of dead trees - some still standing, bleached from the sun or blackened from fire, branchless or at least leaf/pine needle-less.  Many laying on the ground like a game of pick-up-sticks for the Gods that they have yet to play.  The haze has been constant, unfortunately.  It's hanging in the air, from the fires in Idaho, and covers anything a few miles out.  The landscape we've seen has been amazing, but I imagine with the fog lifted, we'd be truly blown away.  It started to smell 'smokey' too; it was probably in the higher elevations.  It sort of gives you a headache and messes with your nose…at least for me.  Not for Luke; he's like untouchable.

We did not encounter much traffic driving through the park, which was nice.  But, there was enough folks around so that we knew when there was wildlife along the road.  We first saw a lone buffalo just chilling off to the side of the road by a stream.  I hope he didn't get kicked out of his herd.  As we went through the Fishing Bridge area, things got REALLY exciting.  See the video we've posted below.  I didn't think this actually happened…  Further down the road, headed up towards the Canyon area, a herd of buffalo was leisurely gathered on both sides of the road.  People were getting out of their cars and getting close to get pictures!  Crazies…  We pulled off further ahead and I got out and took a couple pics with my zoom lens so I was wayyyy back.

Next sighting was of an American White Pelican swooping over a stream…and more buffalo.  A few boiling mud puddles and sulphr smelling steams later, we slowed down to see a couple of…what we thought…were elk by a stream.  And finally, approaching the West Entrance, I saw a bald eagle in a barren tree.  We stopped there and snapped a few pics, and after a bit, another feathered friend joined the eagle in the tree.

The drive today was about 150 miles, and with a few stops, it took us about 5 hours.  West Yellowstone was fun to drive through. Small, but lots of cute shops and hopefully some good eats.  It's so interesting to see all of these Employer's properties who have been advertising with WKN forever.  The Yellowstone Imax building stands out…I wish they would have contacted me about wanting to participate in the article.

We arrived to Yellowstone Holiday RV and Resort (about 15 minutes from WYellow) at 3-something, and were warmly greeted.  We met one Workamper couple - Margie & Jim "JC" Crofoot(sp?) - who were working the office.  We also met the managers - Jim & Eileen - and the official greeter, Carl (who is a furry and lovable pup).  Eileen is a hoot and I'm excited to interview them tomorrow morning. (I don't think Carl will have much to say though.)  This resort is right along Hebgen Lake, and it would be uber gorgeous if the haze wasn't covering the mountains across the lake so much.  They offer a lot here - there's a marina and boat slips, cabins, boat/kayak rentals, an office/store, a fish cleaning station, and of course - RV spots.  We're not in a primo spot right along the lake, but it's darn near close.  Full hookups and WiFi, no cable (but that's okay because I brought The Office DVDs).  Site is huge; gravel but pretty level. We have a concrete pad next to the spot with a picnic table. And the grass! They have grass surrounding all the sites, which is pretty impressive for this area.  Being by the lake is breezy, but the weather here is ideal.

We got setup in our camp site, and finally took the bicycles off the tow car. The auto-level-jack-system-thing is pretty fancy, but again we're left with one set of wheels slightly off the ground, and I'm pretty sure a ball would roll easily  Said hello and chit-chatted with a few neighbors; the RV sites are full here.  After they closed up the office, we met with Workampers Margie and JC in the "Beaver Den" - a building they have setup for groups to use.  It a perfect, quiet setting for doing video.  This Workamping couple is ideal.  This is their first year Workamping, but they've been fulltiming for many years. JC is 78 years old, but you would never guess that.  They heard about Workamping from some folks at a Cal-Am resort in Arizona, and thought it sounded like what they needed…as they were wanting to learn something new.  Margie wondered how she could get connected with businesses who wanted to hire Workampers…and she was introduced to WKN.  They joined as WorkamperPlus members and within three days had three potential jobs lined up, and they took the Yellowstone Holiday position.

Luke and I could have sat there all night and recorded them.  Everything they were saying was music to my ears.  They totally have the right attitude towards Workamping, and they "get it".  Granted, Margie has reviewed some content on our site and learned some stuff…but they have a great spirit and understanding of the lifestyle…and this is their first season!  While they talked about working here at Holiday, they provided glimpses into how Jim & Eileen manage and take care of this property and the Workampers.  Again, we love to hear about those who are doing things "right". YAY! YAY! YAY!  Margie was also interested to learn more, AND she asked if there was a way to tell others about their experience they've had here.  I about fell over from happiness.  I gave them one our new Member Success Manuals, to hopefully help guide her towards the tools that will benefit them.  So, needless to say, we were all pumped up after talking with them.

Since we hadn't really eaten much that day, we then booked it back to WYellow for dinner.  JC and Margie suggested Wild West Pizza.  Great pizza; disappointing service.  Afterwards, we just headed back to the RV so I could type this up and we could crash!  Hopefully a fun day ahead tomorrow -- interviewing managers Jim & Eileen in the morning.  Then heading to the Lake area/Fishing Bridge to talk with a couple who works for Yellowstone Park Service Stations.  No other set plans, but over the coming days we hope to hit the main sights of the park and more.

And here's the fun thing I promised…

Seven - 8/22

Vacation is exhausting.

Last night's stay in the cabin at Buffalo Bill Village Resort was nice. And holy cow, the water pressure in the shower was nearly dangerous - impressive. Luke got up early and worked on the Rendezvous postcard (advertisement) that he and I have been tag-teaming to get done. (Thank you post office for derailing our process by telling us our layout won't work.)  As I finished getting ready, Luke did more work stuff. I finally got ahold of Judie with Blair Hotels via phone, and she didn't have anyone in particular lined up to speak with us so our day was pretty flexible.  We moved our stuff back into the RV, as we decided it would be easier for us to spend the second night in the RV, so we could be up and at 'em for takeoff the next morning.  So here I sit, content in the Challenger…filling you in on our day.

The campground here on the Blair Hotels property is just for the Workampers, which is pretty neat.  I wouldn't call it spacious, but the RVs can easily park next to each other and have room for their slides.  There's a few trees, and it's fenced in and private; secure and comfortable with full hookups, wifi and cable.  Gravel - not much grass for the Workamper pets but they didn't seem to mind. Also, saw one of the Workampers walking their CAT on a leash this morning…awesomeness.

Luke and I headed to the gift shop as that seems to be command central around here.  We had no trouble finding a few Workampers to chat with. It was pretty slow at that time of day.  We sat down with Tommie, who is the gift shop manager.  Her hubby, Burnie, is head of maintenance and he was off doing his thing.  Did a great interview with her, and then sat down with Farrell & Liz.  This summer-only Workamper couple has been coming to Blair Hotels each summer for the last 15 years, and they have seem the place grow and improve…and been a big part of it.  They do a lot behind the front desk - Liz takes and manages reservations and Farrell takes care of guests' needs, keeping upper management informed on stuff, and more.  It's interesting to talk with Workampers who are part-time only and have been coming to the same job for so long…still Workampers, just not what I would consider "the norm."

We snapped a few photos while in the gift shop, and then walked over to the corporate office and met Judie Blair. Her family runs the business, and she is (I believe) VP and director of Marketing.  She manages the Workampers and does all the hiring instead of their HR department. And after talking with her, I know why - she loves it.  They have a really great Workamper program here at Blair Hotels, and I learned a lot.  They have about a 50-60% return rate each year, and they hire about 36 couples (and a few singles or families too).  She hires as many as can fit in the campground.  All hours worked are paid; working 4-5 days a week; full hookup site provided (small charge for electric if it's your first year); plus some other perks and bonuses.  It was really great to hear Judie's stories about some of the Workampers who have really enriched her life personally, as well as made Blair Hotels successful.  It's so awesome to hear from an Employer who "gets it" - the value that Workampers can bring and how to take care of them.

The Workampers here are a great little community, or 'neighborhood'.  They seem to have a lot of fun, but also aren't afraid to say 'hey, this really is work.'  Many have come for the area; many because of the family they've found here.  After we interviewed Judie, we got organized to go do some of the touristy stuff.  First, we stopped back by the gift shop because I needed to get the name of a lovely Workamper that I photographed at work earlier that morning…oh boy, did it turn into a party!  After spending about an hour there, Luke and I left with our faces hurting from smiling and laughing so much.  We met many, many more Workampers and learned more about the Cody area.  I wish we had more time here. I'd love to sit down with each Workamper or couple and hear 'their story.'  But, it is exhausting!  We're just not used to go-go-go and chat-chat-chat.  Love it though.

Once we finally made our way off the property, we headed to the Buffalo Bill Historical Center, which has five different wings of stuff to check out - including one wing dedicated to Buffalo Bill.  Luke liked the Firearms section. There is A LOT of stuffed/mounted animals.  After an hour or so, our bodies were ready to just sit down and relax and we left after going through all sections but one.

We considered watching the free wild west/gun show that they do every day in the street at 6 p.m., but we were pretty hungry and the tables outside of the historical Irma Hotel were full, so we went into the dining room and skipped the showdown.  Luke had the buffet and I had a buffalo burger (restaurant prices are very expensive; typical tourist town).  The food, again, was light on the flavor but plentiful.  The interior of the hotel was pretty. And again, walls covered in 'stuffed' animals. This seems to be a theme in many of the area businesses.

After dinner we stopped back at the RV real quick and met another couple Workampers.  Apparently the crew knew we were coming, and everyone has been so nice and welcoming.  I'm thankful for all of them being around to help Luke maneuver the RV throughout the property (breathe easier Dad!).  One thing I've found interesting, is how many of them recognize "the Workamper" when we tell them who we are, but they don't know "us".  They don't know that I'm the 'boss' daughter' and that we work in the office at our computers 99% of the time.  Many thought we just get to travel around in the RV all the time…oh if only. :-)  We really appreciate folks letting us know that they found this job through WKN and appreciate the resources we provide.  It makes the tough days easier to have faces to the folks who are 'living their dream' and we are helping them do it.

Anyway, because we're crazy, we continued on!  The Cody Nite Rodeo (why they spell 'night' incorrectly, I don't know but it's odd) began at 8 p.m., at a nice facility in front of the mountains minutes away from the campground.  The rodeo lasted nearly two hours and featured some calf roping, barrel racing, bull riding, and this event where all the kids in the audience got to go out in the ring and try and pull a ribbon off of a calf's tails (super funny).  I wasn't a big fan of the calf roping - it seems so brutal sometimes!  But the people in the show all seemed pretty talented and varied in age.  The horses were pretty.  It was a nice evening and some local flavor.  Check it off the list!

 

Tomorrow morning we head to West Yellowstone.  Destination is Yellowstone Holiday RV Park in West Yellowstone on Hebgen Lake. I hope we'll get to meet a few other Workampers in the morning - we're going to the complimentary guest breakfast.  I discovered, as were leaving for the rodeo, one of the more active Forums site members is here!  It's always fun to have a face to a username, so I hope I run into her tomorrow.  So our time in Cody has been fun, and I wish we could stay longer, but on to more adventures tomorrow!

THANKS TO EVERYONE for reading this blog, and for also sending the emails and posting comments. Your support is appreciated and I'm sorry I haven't had the time to reply to each of you individually!

Notes I took on the Workampers that we talked to/interviewed/took pics of (mostly for my own benefit):

Tommie & Burnie Regian
 - Tommie gift shop manager
 - Burnie maint. manager

Farrel & Liz Rasner
 - front desk
 - 15 summers
 - home base in Scottsdale

Gary Holloway
 - photo of him on golf cart
 - Maintenance at Blair Hotels
 - Gulf shores Alabama
 - Worked in RAilroad before
 - Two years at Blair
 - Also done Alaska
 - 2 years at Blair I think

Pat McCracken
 - redhead in Gift store (couple photos)

Delbert Ross
 - photo of him on golf cart w/flag
 - 'hat story' from Judie
 - ambassador for BH
 - Drunk bear in hammock at RV

Sylvia Giguere
 - Sells tickets in gift shop
 - Husband Charlie
 - Home base FL
 - From Qeubec - French accent
 - Helps translate
 - 2 years? at Blair
 - photo of them in ticket booth