LK. HAVASU, ARIZONA !!

      With the help of the 'map app' on Norm's phone we made it to our friends place in Lk. Havasu.  They have a beautiful home...all done in Southwest decor.   Bob has done much extra work on their landscaping, tile floors, a new motorhome garage and shop, stucco fence on the property lines and much more that I can't think to list here.


      They built a 'pad' on one side of the house for those of us in our own homes.  We got settled and spent the next few days catching up on 'stuff' and seeing some of the tourist attractions.   This is a very nice place and we are enjoying it.   One thing we have wondered about is the weather....it's been cooler than we were lead to believe !  Linda says it's because we brought the clouds with us....hmmm.....hope not !   They are great hosts and have made us feel very much at home.


       Monday nights we have a standing date for $1.00 tacos at BAD MIGUELS.   Love it !   Norm and Bob's birthdays are just two days apart so we used both free burger coupons at RED ROBIN.  Loved that, too !  They drove us out to Parker, AZ. and then to Quartzsite.  BIG eye-opener !  There are not alot of motorhomes in Quartzsite, yet, but you can see it's starting to fill more and more.  Norm says, Nope !  Don't want to see this place with a gazzillion coaches around....you couldn't even go out for lunch....way too busy !


      I have to share this story....Norm came in awhile ago and is hungry for lunch.....okay, I'm ready....we go...eat and then he wants to go to London Bridge and take some pic's again.  (He accidently deleted them from his camera the other night !)  We're looking at these funny looking ducks in the lake when a man walks up and starts telling us about these birds....one thing leads to another and he's not only from the Seattle area but from Bothell and he used to be a Firefighter.  "Hmmmm...." Norm says...you don't happen to know a guy named PP do ya ?"   The man looks at him funny and says "Yeah....I'm PP !"    Here's two old farts who haven't seen each other for years looking at one another...can't believe how old the other looks...and finally they start to laugh !   They both were very involved , many, many years ago in fishing, any fishing but primarily Bass fishing.  The expressions on their faces was PRICELESS !!     They talked forever about who's where and where to fish here in AZ, etc.  It was one of those moments we will remember but what were the chances of this happening ?   CRAZY !!!


      Norm and Bob are doing some paint work on 'Griz' so at the moment we are parked in the motorhome garage.  They have the spots almost sanded so Norm is putting up tarps and paper to protect the rest of the coach.  Really is a big undertaking.....Bob is the best when taking on these projects....we are lucky to call them friends.  


      Next week we leave for the Las Vegas Airport....going to Denver to see our kid's.   Nikki and her husband, Wes just moved into a new home there, so Brian and us will fly in for Christmas.  Staying the week to enjoy the snow and then back to Lk. Havasu.  


      There really is so much to do here.  One of our planned trips is to Oatman.  Apparently it is an old mining town, but the wild burros hang around and we can feed them.... carrots !   (We are so easily entertained !)  There are cool marsh areas and coves on the Bill Williams River so we'll take the kayaks and do some day paddling.   The Visitor's Center gave us a list of trails to hike.....so that's on our list, too.   I found a Quilt Store and it's helping host a week long Quilt-fest.   Exciting !!!   The Rotary is looking for volunteers to help with the 2nd annual Balloon-Fest in Jan.  so we're signing up for that.   Lots to do and we haven't even seen much of the state....could take us years to get out of here !


     This may be my last Blog for the year so I'd like to wish each of you "A VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS"!

THE STRIP !!

      Well, boys and girls.......we put on our big girl/boy clothes and ventured into unknown realms (at least for us).    Took the kayaks off the Jeep roof so we could enter parking garages downtown.   

      Our first stop was the Fremont Street Experience.   It's at the north end of the Vegas Strip and is a covered mall.   Several casinos such as the 'Golden Nugget and Binions' take up much of the area but little shops for cigars, fake perfumes, cowboy clothes and of course Booze are found here.   As we walked up one side and down the other we were buzzed overhead by some zip-liners.   Must be part of a night-time act.  Being here in the day-time, it looks like the bad part of downtown Seattle but maybe at night it gets comes to life and is impressive.   We'll have to check.   There are people all over outside the casinos who try to give you "free" tickets for stuff ....must be a gimmick in there somewhere.   We must have TOURIST written all over us !  Just cause we look like deer in headlights !    OK. so enough of this fun let's head down the really good stuff. 

      We head south a couple of blocks and we're now on the "Strip".   The first major obstacle is parking.   Some places have metered parking for $1.50-$3.00 an hour but being the frugile people we are a free parking is what we'd like.    Oh yea, free parking at the Miracle Mile Shopping mall !   Floor 5C, and we're on foot again.   The escalators take us to a mezzanine but we don't know where the exit to the strip is.  A nice concierge guy says that way just stay to the right.   We walked forever until we saw daylight !   This mall is literally a mile around !  Incredible !   I might mention the fire alarm is blaring in our ears and that nice guy said if it was REALLY important he would have been notified.  Right....all we can think about is should we go get the Jeep outta there or is everything OK ?

      Finally, out on the street and the Bellagio Hotel is in front of us.    Everybody says "Go to the Bellagio. it's fabulous!"  Things must be different cause it isn't the grandeur we expected.   Yes, the ceiling is beautifully covered with huge blown glass Flowers done by Dave Chihully but they all are casino's and from our perspective they all look the same inside.   The conservatory was closed for a change in decor (Christmas), ... bummer... so we opted to splurge and have lunch at their buffet.  YUMMY......it was delicious but spending $50.00 + for lunch ??????  It's all quite ........I don't even know what the right word is but this is not us..... ...I'm glad to experience all of it but we are both exhausted.    Guess we are more at home with simpler things !

LAS VEGAS !!

      We are in Las Vegas until Wednesday.   It's totally a different place than we are used to or even comfortable with.  After spending an hour at AT&T, (Norm's new smart phone is not being very smart) we opted to stop across the street for a burger at Carl's Jr.  Norm had his famous star burger with side salad and I had a teriyaki burger...YUMM !   I had to go to the restroom to wash off the teriyaki sauce that was all over my hands when the gentleman sitting behind me said "Don't think you want to go in there right now".  Ok, I thought he was pulling my chain so I went anyway...you guessed it !   There was a drunk (man) sitting on the throne in the Women's room !    The gentleman laughed and then went to tell the clerks behind he counter.  They weren't even going to check til the gentleman went first.   Crazy ! He finally did leave, some minutes later.    Whew !!   Well....so much for that......just then two younger boys got up from their table, meandered to another table that a guy just left to go get salsa for his burger, paused, reached into the bag and out the door they went with the guys burger !  OMG.... I think we're in the wrong place !   This sure doesn't help us feel all warm anf fuzzy !

      Thought we'd drive out to Hoover Dam and get out of town for awhile.   It is HUGE !  Our first stop was going to be the Visitor's Center (it was actually the Men's Room, but that's a different story) only to find out they charge and admission fee...for the Visitor's Center ?   There was a fee for everything (except the Men's Room) so we walked the perimeter of the dam and took lot's of pic's.   The constuction began in 1931 and took 4 years to complete.  Over a million tons of concrete was poured by the end of completion.  The eerie thing is several workers lost their lives during construction and a few (didn't hear the exact number ) are still entombed here.   Standing over the very top and looking down the face of the dam gives an almost nauseous feeling......it is a  L O N G  way down.  Lake Mead is the result of the Colorado River being dammed and the border between Nevada and Arizona runs down the middle of the dam.  Our Jeep was parked in Arizona (which is an hour ahead in mountain time ) and we were in Nevada.  Cool !  

      Tomorrow , we venture out again to find the paint store that mixes the formula for our Coach. ( I guess it takes a couple of days to mix. )  Then, I think we'll find the Apple store to see if they can help with the 'dumb phone'.   Norm's making me crazy over that thing.  Many more adventures to come !  ( I can't help but be a little nervous as to what they are !!)  :)

     

ON THE ROAD AGAIN !!

      I am finally back online.   We have spent the last month going to Doctor's and Dentist appt's, visiting Norm's Mom and cleaning out un-necessary 'stuff ' from the coach.  Lots to do but the weather was getting worse so we left 4 days ago.

      The first night out we spent the night in Eugene, OR.  It was quite cold (about 39*) .  The next morning was just as bad and we heard they were expecting several big rain storms for the rest of the week.  Norm's goal was to just get over the Siskiyous before they got really bad.  As it turned out there was a bit of snow but none on the roads. ( Interesting, the sand they use is red.)  California has inspection stations near the border.  We were expecting they would be concerned about plant materials so we had none.  Who would have thought it was fruit of any kind that is not allowed.  Now, I know many of you are saying to yourself ...didn't they know that ?  Let me exlain.....NO we didn't !   Our travels, though extensive, are really limited to the Pacific NW.  This trip has placed us in areas we have not been in before.  So, if some of this sounds naive it's because it's all new to us.

      Willow, CA was our next overnight destination but it was under construction.   Darkness now comes earlier and since we don't know the area Norm decided to press on.   60 miles later we stopped in Woodland,CA which is a bit N. of Sacramento. 

      Day three, we are seeing palm trees pretty regularly and groves of trees lined the freeway as far as we could see, until we turned  E. to Bakersfield.  Truck drivers are even more dangerous here than in Seattle.   They pass, then cut over right in front of our coach kicking up anything on the road.  Norm says, if we get to Lk Havasu with our windshield intact it's gonna be a miracle !

      So now we are officially in southern CA.  We're both a little nervous, Norm thinks it's cause everything is 'unknown' .  Even the trees are weird....I think they're Yucca's but not sure.  I feel like a fish out of water, as it were, nothing is familiar to us...so very cool...but scary! It even smells different !   We arrived in Las Vegas yesterday afternoon and OMG !!!    I've never been here before and I couldn't believe all these huge hotels in the middle of nothing but desert!  I'm quite anxious to get out & explore "the Vegas Strip".   We got the coach settled in for a few days & temps are in the high 60's.  We hear birds singing away....again.... don't know what kind... but it's nice.

      Today is Thanksgiving !  We woke to blue skies and about 75*.  Norm's Mom told him it's still raining and cold in Bothell......we are grateful to have sun and warmth.   Dressed, fed and in the Jeep to go see town.   Talk about overwhelming !!   We can't even find a grocery store...don't they fix meals at home ?  By the middle of the afternoon we're exhausted...all I do is check the map and Norm's I Phone map app and all Norm does is make U-turns cause I got him on the wrong road!!   Sheeesh !!   Think we'll go back to the coach and fix tuna sandwiches for dinner !

      HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYONE !!

     

      

     

HALLOWEEN WINDOWS !!

             Yesterday was a very busy one for us.   First,  there was alot of commotion, etc coming from the Men'S side of the Park's bath-house.   Norm came out screaming like a little girl !!  "What on earth is going on?" I asked.   "Group shower !"  he pants back.   Turns out it was Norm and three frogs !   This man is soooo funny !

       We had an appointment with a guy who fixes 'creepy' windows.  AKA...Halloween Windows !   He drove to our site about 9:30 am  in a truck pulling a smaller, nice, work trailer.  He and his helper immediately began removing all the windows of our coach on the passenger side.   We were impressed with the efficiency and the care that was taken reguarding our house.   One guy on the out side and one on the inside.   In no time at all they had removed the inside levelor blinds and valances and placed them on the clean drop cloths they brought.  OOOooooo....this is scary !  Our house looked so.....busted !   The windows were wisked into the trailer and some pounding and banging began .   Our thought was this must be some kind of secret formula that cannot be revealed to anyone !

       I decided, since the blinds were out I would use the time to clean them.   I forgot...each slat has to be cleaned ...on each side.   My back was killing me by the time I finished one and I had three 72" x 33" blinds to do.   Should never have started that project !  =(     Norm held the lawn chair down and supervised.

      A couple of hours later the windows were brought out and carefully put back in place.   Outside guy put them in the gaping holes as inside guy screwed them in .  When each one was back where it belonged outside guy put a neat little bead of silicone around each window, to keep the rain out, and inside guy had the task of putting the rubber seal around them and replacing all the blinds and valances.   They worked very well and efficiently.  We were impressed with how quickly and meticulously they did their jobs.  Whew ...

      Norm called the friend who recommended this company to us earlier in the day...no answer.    When Norm called later to tell  'friend' how pleased we were with the job...low and behold....'friend called back !  He must have thought Norm wasn't happy and wanted to wait until it was all over and done well before he answered !  HA  =)

      We can't believe the difference this makes. Check these pic's.  We knew our view and some light was obstructed..but now we almost have to wear sunglasses !  COOL......VERY COOL !

       Sooo.....one more project completed and on to the next.   I'm pushing, hard, for a new couch ! Yay !!

(Just a note:  that is Norm's kayak on top of our Jeep, outside the window,  I knew somebody would comment !)

BEND, OREGON

      After spending time with family and friends in Idaho we ventured on into Oregon.   It is approximately 320 miles from Boise to Bend and it is more than we normally like to travel but we pulled into the  CAT Service place by 4:00pm.   Monday morning Griz went in for new fluids, belts and filters.   Big smile on its front bumper when we returned !

       We are now at the Sunriver, Thousand Trail RV Park and Wednesday, tomorrow,  Griz gets it's windows de-creeped.  (The seals around the insulated glass are no longer staying in place....looks like they are 'creeping' toward the center.)   Soooo,  Mr Dave is coming to repair them.   We're hoping for....fabulous results !  

      This morning we drove to Bend.   It has a great waterfront park along the Descutes River complete with bike/ jogging trails, pic-nic areas and large manicured lawns and natural gardens.   We happened to  noticed a group exercising  in a covered gazebo and dogs playing in a dog park near-by.  Statues and creative sculptures dotted  the parks.   My favorite is this kayak sculpture.  These are Eddyline Kayaks.....just like the ones we have so we found it very fun !

     Norm and I come here almost every summer to kayak and enjoy the warmer weather.   In October, we are usually back at work, driving school bus, so we are feeling like we are playing hookey !    I keep telling him we just finished working so, now, it's our summer.   The problem is...the weather is cool.  Fall has definately arrived !   (Whole different place when it's not hot.)  

      We did get one very important thing done today.   I was finally able to get my SENIOR PARK PASS !
This enables the holder to enter any National Park, BLM area, US Forest Service or Fish & Wildlife area, free and only costs a one-time ( in your lifetime) $10.00.   Everyone who turns 62 should get one.  It's one of the few benefits us "old" folks still have to look forward to.   Rumor has it, the Government is talking about 'adjusting" this which would mean some kind of additional fee would be charged at each park, maybe 50% etc .   Anyone who already has one would be "Grandfathered" .   Soooo...go get yours !     My only complaint was....I was expecting a marching band, balloons, trumpets and maybe ice cream !!   All I got was a grumpy, heavy-set, older woman gruffly asking to see the ID of the purchaser.    Hmmmmm........just not what I envisioned !    Oh, well....Ouuuuuu....Norm said we'll celebrate with a teriyaki burger at Carl's Jr !!
YEAH !!!   Now, for a little chocolate cake !  =)

FAMILY

     Meet my Aunt, Bonnie !  She is my Dad's sister and my last remaining relative other than my own family.  

     We left West Yellowstone on Tuesday.  It rained from the time we left and continued until today, Fri.  Tuesday evening we just happened to cross paths with our friends from Lk. Havasu.  They are returning after spending the 'summer' at their place at Longbeach, WA.   Time seemed to fly by and we ended up having breakfast together the next morning!  Finally broke away after lunch and they went East...we went West.  Having time to stop for awhile and visit friends is a real luxury for us.   In the past, we were always pressed to arrive at a given destination by a particular date and/or time.  Love being able to "stop and smell the roses" as it were !

      Boise was our next stop, all of 130 miles away.   Our exterior 50 amp plug had worked it's way loose from the cord leaving a myriad of wires exposed to the elements and Norm's fingers.  Camping World was just off the freeway so....RRRRRRR!!!! we hustled to get in brfore it closed.   They could maybe get us in the next morning so we camped out in their parking lot for the night.  Couldn't plug in so no heat except the furnace which would run almost all night.   Snuggle time !

     The plug was installed and away we go again.....found a small campground for the night.   I called my Aunt and she was so tickled to hear from us !  She didn't know we were just down the road.....I love to 'drop in' on folks !  =)   Her son, Vic, my cousin, was able to stop in briefly as well.  Again, the time just flew  and before we realized Bonnie had missed her dinner.  Hmmmmm.......gee golly.....guess we'll have to take her out.  (She's in a very nice assisted living facility here in Boise and not far from Vic's house).   Going out was a treat for her...so off we go to the GREAT WALL Restaurant.  Chinese buffet !   GAD'S !  

     This morning another trip to Camping World !  New step covers for the outside retractable steps and a new roof vent cover for our Fantastic Fan over the kitchen.  My tiotty has been ordered and now I'm on the lookout for a new couch !  :)    Griz needs some sprucin'up, inside and out. 

     Tomorrow we hit the road again heading for Bend,OR.  Our windows are "creeping" ( I hate it when they do that!) so we have an appointment to get them fixed. 

     Right now, however I am being pushed to "Get Going" !  Cabela's is about 5 miles up the road and somebody in this house thinks it would be a SUPER idea to go and "check it out !".


    

GRIZZLY GOODBYE'S !!!

      This was our last week at Grizzly RV Park and it's been a busy one !   Last week-end the park roads  (here at Grizzly)  were seal coated.   What a pain !! We had to move reservations to sites that would be done later and still keep access to their rigs.   You would have thought those of us in the Office were out to "get" our guest campers.   Men would come in and complain about how they couldn't walk the 50 ft to their rigs because of this or that.  They yelled at us, even swore, threw tantrums and threatened to drive over the seal-coat if they were blocked in !  GOOD GRIEF !!   The manager would step in and offer to refund their money but they had to leave NOW!   Since there isn't another place like this one closeby they would huff off but never would leave.   (Darn)

      At the end of each workamper couple's contracted stay the manager's have us come in and they give  their evaluation of our job performance and ask for suggestions of how to improve things.   We must have done okay because we were invited to come back next year.  Hmmmmm........?!

       Fall doesn't last long here.   Two days ago the Aspen and Cottonwood trees were all green.   Now they are a beautiful amber color and I noticed the leaves have fallen considerably.   Nightime temps are below freezing even though the days continue to be warm and sunny.   It has been absolutely wonderful all summer long.  Snow is predicted Thurs or Fri so Norm wants to get moving way before that.    It is going to be difficult to go back to Seattle and the rain if only long enough to get our medical/dental done.

       It's interesting to see the beginning of the season, last May, and now the end of it.  Many of the facilities in YNP closed right after Labor Day which surprised us.  The only campgrounds open now are Madison, Mammoth and two very primative campgrounds at the far north of the Park.   We've noticed alot of younger retiree's have been traveling since Labor Day and our park has remained busy,  and about 90% full every night.   Many of the stores in town are having sales and will be closing this week.

      We spent the day today cleaning inside and out and Griz is looking pretty sharp!  The kayaks and the bikes are on the Jeep and all looks ready to go.   I wish I could accurately express how weird it feels to know we are heading off to another adventure and not know what to expect.  We have no timetable , no adjenda and no clue what we'll find around the next turn of the road.  Exciting...Yes.... but kinda SCARY, too !

      Norm came in and asked if I wanted one last buzz into YNP.    You bet !... so off we go..  We just can't get enough of this place !


     

FAVORITES !!

        The summer has just flown by !   This is our last week of working here at Grizzly and it's almost bittersweet.  On one hand it's nice not  to be going to work each day but we are definately going to miss  Yellowstone.  

      I thought I would tell you some of our favorite places  in town and in YNP.   One morning a week we'd walk the four blocks to our favorite coffee shop, THE BOOK PEDDLAR .   As we enter the store we are greeted by the fragrant smell of fresh brewed coffee.   A rustic western interior with rough hewn shelves on the walls, holds a variety of books filled with the local history, tales of cowboys, ghost stories to be told next a crackling campfire, local flora and fauna and everything you could ever want to know about Yellowstone.  Toward the back of the store is a slightly raised wood plank floor, enclosed by a pine rail fence, with knotty pine tables and chairs.   The barista gives us a hot mug and we pour any of the specialty brews sitting on an old  kitchen wood cookstove.    It's always busy !   Inevitably, we find ourselves visiting with the folks at the next table only to end up exchanging business cards.   Some people are so interesting.

      The CANYON STREET GRILL is a fun place for lunch.  Big red booths line two walls as the decor is  kind of retro 1950-60's, with an old car front in one wall and posters of James Dean, Betty Boop, Elvis, etc. 
It's a Mom & Pop store run by local residents.  Quite a number of the college aged students hoping to make it in Hollywood work there during the day and act at the evening performances at the PLAYMILL THEATER.   Their menu includes Wolfman Jack sandwiches, (one of many) and a great burger with fries or green salad.   I like their chicken strips.

      THE HOMEROOM is our favorite Gallery.   The building used to be the school gymnasium and now has beautiful paintings, pottery, furniture and artistic accessories.  We never get tired of browsing here and almost always walk away with some little ' find'.

      The IMAX, aside from showing films about YNP, Amazing Caves and Tales of Lewis & Clark on a 60' - 80' screen, has the best  a 50 cent ice cream cone in town.  Not too big...not too small !  :)

      In the Park we enjoy the drive to CANYON VILLAGE.   Fabulous Visitor's Center!  Lots of displays and Rangers to answer all our questions,  a really nice outfitter store in case you need outdoor wear, sandals, boots and even fishing gear.  Artist Point is just down the road and that's where the best views of the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone can be seen.

      LAMAR VALLEY is in the NE corner of YNP.  Herds of bison are grazing on the grasses across many acres of meadow.  The wolves that were introduced back into the Park in 1975 can sometimes be seen in the distance.  People from all over set up chairs and huge spotting scopes along the banks of the road and wait all day for glimpses of the wolf packs.  If asked they will give you more info about them than you really wanted to know!   This is Norm's favorite spot. He'll spend all day walking along the banks of the Soda Butte & Lamar River's fishing  thinking  he's gone to" hog heaven" or in this case "fishing heaven" !   I do have to say, it is a thing of wonder watching how, with the sunlight behind him, he casts that fishing pole, the line forms a consistant 'S" again and again until  finally  the line goes taut and you know there is a gorgeous trout fighting on the other end !   With great care, not to overly tire the fish, he reels it in.   The barbless hook is carefully removed and then Norm cradles it in his hand under water so Mr Trout can rest, get it's bearings and swim safely away.   AAHHHH !!!   What a sight !     Now, Norm's down the river a ways searching for his next catch !

      On our way back to West Y.  we like to go through MAMMOTH.   As we enter the village, Elk can be seen grazing or just laying on the well manicured lawns.   There are two nice gift shops here and a Grill that serves a decent, reasonably priced burger.   The highlight here are the terraces of alkaline that cover one hillside.  Apparently,  however,the area has been hit with a slight drought.  Water would cascade down these terraces leaving the alkaline deposited on the 'shelves'.  This year they aren't quite as spectacular because of the lack of water but......Still, pretty impressive!

      These are just a few of our favorite things (Oh...I should break out in song !) 

     

JUST STUFF.........!!

      Labor Day is past and we expected things to quiet down a bit so we could relax... but Oh No!!....it's been as busy as ever! The place is booked every night!   Those (in the office) who have been here before say now the "Gray Hairs" are out !  They are right...mostly retired folks arriving and are they ever demanding!  Holy Cow, Batman!!!    First off, they don't like to make reservations so they just show up.  Sometimes we have space for them and sometimes not.  Boy, do they have a fit when it's full.

     "This is the time of year when Campgrounds slow down,  what do you mean there's no spaces left for us?"

      It takes twice as long to get them registered (we have to get all their info while they stand there) and often they walk around looking at the  merchandise and don't pay attention to us.   OR......they see someone they met at another place and  have the 'down home reunion' right there in the office!  Sheesh!

      I loved the lady who came in to get a refund on her site for that night because she forgot the KOA (5 miles West of town) was having a one free night if you pay for two campaign !   Or...the man who wanted his money back because he didn't see ANY animals in the YNP (Yellowstone Nat'l Park).  >_<

      The weather is changing quickly, now and our nice warm 80* days and 40* nights are cooling off.   It rained Sat. and the whining we heard from campers was crazy!  Many of them shortened their trip because it was too wet, or it got too cold and we didn't bring clothes for this.   (Why wouldn't anyone who is going to the mountains , 6,666 ft altitude, in the Fall, at least bring a jacket ?)  I really think I liked the vacationers better.  They came, with money to spend and only a few days to see everything , then went home.  

       Walking thru town today we saw the businesses are putting up Christmas trees and outside lights!   We asked why so soon and they explained the snow could arrive any time and it's easier to put them up now instead of trying to thread lights on a tree covered in snow and ice.  Makes sense, just felt weird!   We're still in summer mode.   The weeks have just flown by and we're not even ready for Fall let alone the Holidays!! :(

      Last week the couple who lived next to us went home to Puyallup.  We liked them alot and it was very hard to say Goodbye.   Another couple leaves this coming Wed. so we'll be down to just the last 3 couples.   (We're  next to leave but our departure date isn't til Oct. 5th. )  SAD....SAD   Despite  a rather rocky beginning we have really enjoyed our time here.

      Oh......for those of you who saw the camera pic I posted on FB the other day.....Norm has grumbled and squirmed about getting a new ..BIGGER....BETTER... camera all summer long.  I keep saying "Get the darn thing so you'll have it here!"   He has procrastinated forever!!!   Now  he orders it, 3 weeks before we are leaving, right?   The store won't deliver it to an RV Park!  He re-orders it and tells them this is our residence, which is true.......they aren't sure if it can be sent or not ...check after the week-end.   He finally got through to them this evening and it was just shipped.   Guess we'll see how long it will take to get here!

      We actually saw that camera and it belongs to the man in the photo.  He is a professional photographer and takes and sells wildlife photos to magazines.   We expected to see a fabulous Elk, Moose or Bear on the other side of that lens.   Turns out he's getting shots of rodents burrowing in the hillside.   The native Pika, which is a cute little mouse-like creature has diminished in numbers over the last few years.  They aren't on the endangered species list yet but studies are being done to prevent that.  

      We have two more days off and the plan is to go up to the Lamar Valley and Norm's favorite fishin' hole.  I'm going to take my little "Point & Shoot" camera and see if I can get some shots of ALL these fish Norm is catching!               Think I'll take a good book along...just in case!    :)
      

FALL HAS BEGUN IN YELLOWSTONE !!

      All the big Rally's are gone and the families have their kids back in school.  Now, we have an entire new set of challenges!   The "Gray Hairs", as the office calls them ,   are now on the road & campgrounds.   These people are the Full-Timers who have no permanent house and live in their coaches traveling the country.  

      I find them rather amusing!   They often have a very playful attitude about life, travel and things in general.   Politics really get them going !   We've had a few near death experiences right there in the office while getting them registered!   The other thing that gets their 'goat' is the cost of things.   Now, I know this is a rather expensive Park to stay at but nobody forced them to drive in here!   And NO we do not combine discounts...just cuz you're an 'Old Fart' doesn't mean we can deduct 10 % for  AARP & AAA & Good Sam & your Senior Pass to the Nat'l Parks to your nightly rate!  No matter how cute and charming you are!  Sheeesh!    And, NO, we don't provide Bingo, Pochinko, Pot Luck dinners or Pancake Breakfasts!  Get your complimentary coffee, tea, cappucino or hot chocolate in the morning and go into the Park and play!

      We did just that, yesterday, and noticed the shrubs and undergrowth have begun to change colors!  Seems like we just got here and it's already feeling like Fall.   Nights have been in the high 20's or low 30's and day temps are in the 70's.  As soon as the sun starts to go down it gets cool, fast.  Had to get out our trusty Eden-Pure space heater the other day.  Got up to take showers and there was frost all over the ground and cars.  We hate it when it's sooo cold that the potty seat freezes to our toush !  That's what we were trying to get away from!

      The Bison have completed their rut and now the male Elk can be heard bugling to their harem and other males.   We watched one group of females grazing in a meadow and noticed a Big Buck trying to round up one more doe.  Another group of females came by and the Male for that group was very wary about getting too close to the first group.  The males turned, saw each other and began to charge and  dig their horns into the grass at their feet throwing up clods of sod and mud hoping the display would discourage the other male.  They snorted and pawed for a while, then when no challenge was evident they took their own harem and skeedaddled away!   It was absolutely AMAZING!!!  Something we've seen many times on TV but never really experienced  first hand.  WOW !!

      Being here for the entire season has sure given us a chance to see many wonderful things.   We have been coming here for many, many years and always find something new to see and do.   Now that we are free to travel we can only wonder at what other fabulous adventures await us!

   

LABOR DAY !! :))

      Well, guys, today is the day we have been looking forward to for many...MANY moons!  Labor Day is the official end of the camping season, just like Memorial Day is the beginning.   For the last umpteen years we would be frumped out, and grumpy with each other because we had to leave whatever fabulous place we were at and return to our jobs.  :((

      This year we are sitting in our rocking chairs, under our awning with a cuppa coffee and a plateful of assorted fresh grapes,  watching trailers, motorhomes and campers leaving this wonderful park to go home and start school, return to the office or ?.  I'm sure the faces on the people in those vehicles mirror ours in years past.

       The temps are always nice in Sept. and so it is here at Grizzly.   High 70's, blue sky, just a hint of a breeze and the smell of pine off the trees surrounding us.  Don't know that it gets any better than this !

      In general we never venture far from 'home' on holiday week-ends.  So instead of driving anywhere, we set off on foot and toured town.  The main stop, of course, was LUNCH !!  Norm's favorite!   We enjoy sitting out on the patio areas, watching the people.  Great entertainment!   People are everywhere ...many shops have big sales going on hoping to get as much revenue as possible til next year.  RV's are lined up at each signal light waiting their turn to get on the main roads out of town.  An impressive sight .   And here we sit....enjoying all the sights and sounds....knowing we are about to end one adventure and  begin another!!

END OF AUGUST !

We've been gearing up for the Summer and all of a sudden it's almost over ! Three months has gone by and now there is only one month left. Hard to believe ! Norm has been busy with maintainence and I finally feel comfortable in the office. Well... until we got a new couple that started last Sunday.

      ' John & Jane' live about 70 miles from here and come to help with the end of season 'stuff '. Apparently, I said/did something that set her off! Maybe I did, don't know for sure,( probably did ) but she told me in front of a roomfull that , I was RUDE... really..really RUDE ! HMMM. Decided it was best to leave. Came back about an hour later and we duked it out. It's been awhile since I've been involved in a 'cat fight' but wasn't going to back down. Whew...now that we have that over Mary & I can be friends! Sometimes us girls just have to clear the air !

      You may have heard our favorite Coffee Shop has been sold and the Barista, that as been there forever, was let go. We had to go and have our final cuppa Joe with her this AM. She will be missed by many. While there, we read that another Grizzly fatality took place, last week-end on the Mary Mt. Trail about 5 miles from the trailhead. A 59 yr old Michigan man was hiking alone and was mauled. Haven't heard all the details but he didn't have any Bear Spray with him. The really scary thing about this, is, we hiked this trail a few weeks ago and posted pic's we took of a male Grizzly. Don't know if it is the same bear or not, but they are territorial. This bear has not been found, yet, and will probably be destroyed when they do. The Park Ranger's are always telling people not to hike alone, take Bear Spray, make noise and if you see a bear, any bear, leave the area. SAD...SAD !

        The weather has been sooo beautiful here for the last few months. ( We hear from many of you how the heat is so miserable or.... from our friends in the Pacific NW how wet and grey the days have been.) In the last few days, there has been a slight change. The clouds set in and the thunder & lightening can clamor for hours. The temps at night will be close to freezing on Fri & Sat. Guess Fall is trying to poke through soon. We just hope the Snow God's don't arrive anytime soon.

      On one of our outings to Hayden Valley, the Bison were everywhere.....in the meadows and on the road. Traffic was backed up for miles in both directions. It's most entertaining to just sit and watch them any time but now they are "rutting". If the female is ready she curls her tail up and off to the side. They circle each other in courtship as if teasing and then play a game of cat and mouse. This goes on for a few more weeks then POOF...next Spring we have new "red dogs" ! AMAZING !!!

      Can't believe Labor Day is this week-end. Most people will be returning home, resuming their normal lives after putting the 'camper' in storage. We hadn't really thought about life after our job here at Grizzly until we realized we lose one couple every week til the middle of Oct. (Our last day is the end of Sept.) The other couples have Winter jobs and have definate plans after leaving . We don't ! Sure feels weird not having a job we must return to or for that matter a place we must be!

       So, for all you who have a job or place to be...carry on! For the rest of you who have begun this "Gypsy" lifestyle and have paved the way....See you on the road ! :))

BIG RIGS !!

OMG! You guys should see the coaches in our park this week! A Prevost Rally has taken over almost every pull/thru site we have. 60, 45 ft motorhomes that start at about one million dollars +...each is towing a trailer about 25-30 ft long, painted to match the coach...and inside the trailers they have Harley motorcycles, also painted to match...and then a hydrolic lift comes down from the ceiling and they have some kind of car also painted to match !!! We have never seen so much chrome in our lives !

A few came in last Friday and we had to check them in. Women with diamonds all over their fingers, upscale clothes, and lots of plastic surgery (eyes,lips and boobs) and make-up. Norm says "Isn't it nice that all these old guys with these big expensive rigs thought to bring their daughters and nieces!" WOW !

I was told how they could be demanding but just seeing how competitive they are about everything, money, cars, bikes, young wives, etc its a wonder they live to be old. We can feel the tension and stress in the office when they come in.

Norm told me he wouldn't feel comfortable owning a coach like these...how would you be able to drive one into a State/Nat'l Campground and worry about scratching it...even if the park could accomodate a 45 ft coach! And if we got sand in it from the beach...YIKES!!! We laughed...just can't picture these gals hiking up a trail with sweat on their brow...or racing on the beach to dig a razor clam ! They don't know what they are missin'!

Speaking of hiking up a trail...last week we did just that and as I was working my way around to take pic's of Norm I started to slide on some loose gravel, caught my left foot on a rock, fell forward ( my behind just kept on goin' downhill!) and hyper-extended my knee ! OUCHY !!! It's been almost a week and it is still sore. (Just wanted you to know in case I can garner more sympathy over it ..haha.)

We finally got to see our first moose! I've been waiting 3 months to see a moose! A mama and baby were grazing in a stream near Island Park. Really weird looking animals...with very tall ears...they look like a donkey's ears. We watched for a while until mama became nervous having a growing audience. She decided enough was enough, took Jr and went into the forest.

On Wed., we were sitting at our favorite coffee house and realized that In-Service & Route Pick was probably on Thurs/Fri. morning and for the first time neither of us were going to be attending! We would have left this area a few days ago and headed 'home' and summer would almost be over for us, again. Can't tell you how happy we are to be able to stay here. Most of the families have headed home to get ready for school so the park is much quieter. We are still full every night but the clientele is mostly couples. As soon as this rally is over it'll be even quieter... I like it !

Some of the other couples working here will start leaving right before Labor Day. I think we are one of two couples staying until the first of October. It felt weird to lose our first couple 2 weeks ago so we'll see how things go from here. We're just now getting the hang of things and the season will soon be over! We can already feel some chill in the mornings and of coarse it gets darker earlier in the PM. (I don't like to get up early enough to see when it gets light in the AM! I'll have to take Norm's word for it!)

Sooooo, to all our Bus Driver friends (and Secretaries) so sorry we're not there but we'll be think' 'bout ya on the first day of school. (Only 179 more days after that!) Luv ya guys !

Today is our first day off this week and we planned on driving to the Grand Teton's for the day. Norm always check the weathrer forcast and it didn't look all that good, so off to our favorite Coffee House ! Ran a few errands and back at the coach til this afternoon. Thought we'd try to catch some wildlife photos later in the evening.

The wind has really begun to blow and it's raining pretty hard so we've decided to get a few things done here at home til it blows over.

We have this BIG raly coming this next week-end which will fill the Prak to capacity. I work the day they arrive and I'm not looking forward to checking in almost 60, million dollar coaches. We've been told they are a very demanding group so we'll be drained of all energy by the end of it!

Friday was the Barbeque hosted by the owners of our park. Ellie Povah and family have a ranch near town and one of the outbuildings houses a huge bar and collection of old horse drawn buggys, saddles and other old cowboy paraphinallia. Just the collection is worth a fortune! As we walked in they have a mammoth saloon type bar with stools made from seats of old tractors. The actual bar was shipped from England a gazzillion years ago and is absolutely gorgeous! It is made from cherry wood, stands about 12 feet tall and runs about 50 feet in length. All the cabinets in it have beveled glass and a large mirror hangs in the center! AMAZING !! The dinner was catered...serving steaks (of coarse), green salad, pasta, and a huckleberry bread pudding for dessert. Yummy. The problem was we had to go back to work for 2 hrs afterwards. I just about fell asleep, my tummy was sooo miserable from way too much food. Uhg.

One of the couples we have worked with gave notice and left a few days ago. The Managers were a bit upset but not surprised. I guess when workampers have trouble with the work, conflicts with other workampers or anything they just leave. It's very hard to get and keep good help. Gives us some leverage if we decide to come back next summer. We're really getting the hang of this now and also enjoy putting our extra funds in savings.

Norm has some projects he wants to get done on the coach and already is getting appointments set up for this fall. I really hadn't thought much more about what we were doing after we leave here. Seemed like it was going to be a long way away. Funny, how quickly the days have gone by. Does feel good to have some plans.

Guess we're not going anywhere today... the wind is REALLY blowing and it's starting to thunder and lightning. Sky is dark. I'll have to write about the Teton's next time.

A "GIT-ER-DUN" KINDA DAY !!

Norm was so excited to have another day off today! He jumped out of bed this morning and went right to work washing GRIZ (our coach). This last week we have had a number of rain and hail storms roll through later in the afternoon. The wind really does a number on GRIZ and T-Bear (our Jeep) and they haven't looked as pretty as they should. (Grizzly RV Park is expanding another 30 sites and the dust that the workers kick up could choke a mule !) He spent most of the day cleaning and polishing. Sure looks good! Batteries are checked and our windsocks are flying again.

I, on the other hand was able to get our clothes, some dainties and the bathroom rugs washed. The inside was given a clean and now we're ready for a new week.

The neighbors, Jerry & Lorraine came over to tell Norm how fabulous the grass around our sites look and then told us one of the couples we work with have left, gone, no longer working here ! Gads, we thought we would be the ones to leave first ! From what we have heard, they have workamped for nine years and finally reached the burned-out stage. I'll have to learn more about this tomorrow.

Last week was the Annual Rod Run. There were so many vintage cars here in the park it looked like we'd gone retro. Norm was reminded of his
younger days when he had a white W/ black convertible top ,'56 Chevy. Ohhh, how he loves to tell the stories associated with that car !! Fortunately, there were a bunch of old guys ready to listen and then tell their own tales.

This week we are seeing Motorcycles! They are not just motorcycles, they are Harley's and they're on their way to Sturgis for a HUGE Rally. I'm told we'll see them again on their way back. Sure are noisy bikes!

We were hoping to do something in YNP, yesterday, but the road from here to Madison Campground is being chip-sealed this week. Norm won't take the Jeep anywhere near that stuff so we checked out a couple of the Forest Service Campgrounds near town. They are actually pretty nice ! It's primative camping but quite do-able. I like the sweet, pine fragrance especially after a rain, and the fact you can have a campfire. I can taste those S'Mores !!

One of my favorite things to do for breakfast is have coffee at The Book Peddlar in town. Norm treats me every once in awhile and as you can see they now have a gargantuan size for those of us with the need for CAFFINE !! Ha. Sherry owns the shop and was quite happy to serve me this perfect cuppa Joe. YUMMMMMM....

Norm reminded me...usually when August gets here we start feeling the end of our summer looming all too close. We would be thinking of going back to the BUS BARN to pick our routes for the next school year and do our Kindy Orientations. Nerves begin to show up...will I get my route back, who would take it, has Beth mucked up all the routes,again, will I get my bus back or do I have to completely clean another one?, and then when are the first days off? I have to say...we are sooo incredibly glad to NOT go back to that!! Yes, Maryann, retirement IS a good thing !

We are full with reservations again this week. Looking at what is ahead for this month, we have a big PREVOST Rally (these are very high end coaches, over a million dollars each). There are about 50 of them staying with us and it will last about 4-5 days. I sure hope they aren't a bunch of cranky girl's and boys. Funny thing, they had to reserve a cabin with a lock to keep all their booze in! Only the guy handling this event will have the key ! Kinda weird.... they can afford really expensive rigs but can't be trusted with the booze! Hmmmmm....

After this, things appear to be slowing down some. That will be nice. I feel like we've been on a real roller coaster ride! Our last day here is Sept. 30th. It's odd to be saying that, it feels like we just got here and now everyone is talking about where they're going to work over winter and are we coming back next year? No, we're not working this winter and we don't have a clue about next year. We are both excited to move on to another adventure.

A Day to Myself !

      Today is Wednesday and the last day off before 4 more days of work.  Norm has gone fishing on the Madison River for the afternoon and evening.  This is my quiet time and I find it as necessary a part of my life as eating and sleeping !

      The 'house' is clean and neat and I am sitting outside in my rocking chair watching people go about their evening as I write and drink my coffee.  We had a storm come through yesterday and it rained, with thunder & lightning but it certainly cleaned the air.  It smells like fresh pine with a hint of sage. Ahhh......The temp outside is 76.9* here on the patio ( 7:30 pm) and just a slight breeze is blowing...just enough to keep any lingering mosquitoes from landing.   Ahhhhh....no TV....I love these moments!

      Got my sewing machine out and altered Mr. D's Tee-shirts from last year.   He's lost a bunch of weight and doesn't want to buy anything new yet.  I also finished two more banners for our outside poles.  I would put pictures on here except my camera is in the car with Norm !  I'll do it next time.

      The beginning of April, our beautiful and talented daughter, Nikki, insisted I start a "Blog".  She said it would be a great way to keep in touch with friends and family.  She ran me through the preliminaries and then said just click on things to see what they do and learn.  Okay, I'm still learning alot but I have surprisingly,  found this to be a good way to relax and 'talk' about day-to-day events.  One of the ladies that works in the office with me, Terrie, came in and asked if anyone knew how to blog.   Well, next week, guess who is giving a class to several of our staff on Blogging !!

      We have also been asked by a friend we met at a "Life On Wheels" conference many years ago to send some pic's and funny stories to her along with our work schedule info so she can write an article about us in the RV Life Magazine.  Arline Chandler, is a well known author among RV'ers, and writes many articles about this lifestyle.  She is also an authority on many aspects of life in Branson, MO.  I'll have to have Norm do the funny stuff, he is much better at that than I. 

      While on Facebook this morning Elise L. posted photo's of herself  in her "Happy Place".   Norm & I both said , "She's in OUR  happy place, too!".   It was wonderful looking at all her pic's as we have many of the same photo's.  ( Only ours have us in them).   Yellowstone is a fabulous place but our hearts will always be happiest at the beach.  Enjoy, Elise !

      One of our favorite families (we both drove their kid's, Wilson & Libby, on our schoolbuses) is moving to California.  It will seem odd not to have her sending us posts about all hte things going on in Redmond, WA.   Hopefully, a few of our other Favorite Families  will  continue to keep us in  the loop !  Right Mary, Elise and Birgit ?   Ha.

      The picture I put on the last blog was taken at a Fabulous  little coffee shop in the back of  "The Book Peddler"  book store.  It's not only adorable inside but the barista really brews a GREAT cup o' joe !  There are absolutely no Starbucks anywhere near here so we have now become regulars.  She has our cups ready as we walk in the store.  Ahhh...

       Since this is a tourist town many of the people who work here are seasonal, like us.  We have met many of them and in the process have heard how to find work in other areas of the country, who's good to work for, or not,  what places pay the best, etc.  It's amazing how much more there is to this nomad life style than we could possibly imagine.  All this knowledge,  and all we have to do is listen !  I like it !!

      Next week we plan on spending a day in the Grand Teton's.  I really want some photos of  moose !  ( Funny how it's goose/geese but not moose/meese ?!)  Hmmm.....The weather needs to co-operate and we have heard they may be chip-sealing the road from here into YNP.  Norm will absolutely NOT drive on it so we may have to wait another week.  Oh well.....

      I do believe my honey is home from chasing those fish up & down the river.  He'll have to tell you those stories.  Just remember...he loves to spin a yarn !! 

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      I have said many times how every day at our house is usually an adventure.   Well, working here at Grizzly RV Park has, so far, exceeded anything we have experienced, to date!  

      Working with the public has always been pretty easy for me.  I enjoy drawing peoples personalities out, getting the "old fart" to smile, and making each guest feel welcome.  This job has been quite the eye-opener for me.   At the Front Desk we are 'entertained' by as many as 90 incoming campers (plus all their family members) per day. 

      Traveling affects each one of us differently because we go about it in different ways.  Some people drive up to 20 hrs each day to experience Yellowstone.  They have about 2 weeks to vacation and are determined to see as much as possible in that time frame.  That's great but it takes it's toll.   When they arrive to register, we can see they are wound tight.  Tempers are short.  The family has spent all day in a small space,  they are not used to being together 24/7 and all this family bonding time is more than they can handle.

      One dad was trying to get all his site info while his young son pleaded to play video games in our Game Room.  Dad snapped in front of an office full of other guests and yelled at the boy to be quiet.  He didn't realize what a scene he had made for several minutes.  The face on that man was so striken with embarrassment, he had to leave and send his wife in to finish.

      An older man with  full 'mountan man' attire approached the desk and as usual I greeted him with a cheerful  "Hi!".   He really took me by surprise because his reply was "No, very Low".  He wasn't more than about 3 1/2 ft tall !  What a sense of humor he had !  Had us all in stitches ! 

      Yesterday, a balding, very heavy set, grumpy man in his late 60's started to unload on Lorraine (she and I work together alot)  about how he needed to be put in a better site because his 5th wheel trailer would not fit in the site he was assigned to.  I watched her back up slowly in disbelief as he went on and on.  Finally, our manager, Mark, came out and tried to help Mr. Unreasonable with his situation.  All our sites were full so there was nowhere else to move him.  They went back and forth until Mark just said leave and I'll refund your money.  (Sounded good to me !)   No, the guy knew there were no other places to stay in town so he did back down.   When Norm & I got home that evening guess who was in the site right next to us ?  YUP, it was Mr. Unreasonable !!  Gads !!

     A lady came into the office insisting on a refund.  When asked why, she said her daughter was very allergic to mosquitoes and unless we could move them to another part of the park,  that had no mosquitoes, they would be leaving !    (You have got to be kidding !)

      Kate Plus Eight were here filming for one night. I couldn't believe all the complaints we received about all the noisy children there were playing outside.

      The big RV that arrives after hours.....like at 1:30 in the morning.....takes 6-7 tries to back into the site with his headlights on high beam and the reverse beeper going like crazy.....spends another hour setting up his rig with ALL the outside lights on and then wonders why none of his neighbors are friendly.  DUH.....

        These are just a few of the weird situations we encounter...all in a days work .  I honestly did not expect to have this much adventure here at Grizzly...WOW !


   

   

     

    

     

"Do what you love...Love what you do!"

         One of the things we had to do before we started our adventure, last Spring, was to get full physicals from our family doctor.  He was thrilled with our plans but told us he didn't see any reason to live after retirement so he preferred to go quietly in a few years.   I could not believe my ears!   My reaction stunned him as I went on about how I had so much to see and do and that I would only go kicking and screaming!! He explained that all he sees are people who have nothing left...no hobbies...no interests...no purpose... and sometimes no family.   BUMMER !!

      One of the really cool things about our lifestyle now are the people we meet.   An example...an older couple came in to register.  She was thin and small, had short gray hair, was wearing a floral muu-muu and sported a cane. She had just celebrated her 85th birthday.  Hubby was taller, balding, pretty typical except he had that mischievious look in his eyes.   I watched as they entered the building and  greeted them with "Hi kids, how can I help you?"   From then on they were a handful!  They really did act like they were youngsters taking on the world !   They have so many plans to go here and do this and write that...I was exhausted !  Speaking of that, the old guy said he didn't sleep well last night kept dreaming he was a muffler !!    "A muffler?",  I asked.   "Yes," he said, "I woke up exhausted!"   This is what I deal with everyday!  WHEW!

      My point is, Fulltime RV'ers have such a different view of everything. ( My doctor needs to get out and see these folks.)   We see many people on hiking trails carrying oxygen in their backpacks.  They go slow but...they go.  

      A question we get asked all the time is "Was it hard to give up your house?"   No, we still have a house it's just on wheels.  It may only be  360 sq ft.  but, it is more efficient than a big house and much easier and faster to clean and heat/cool.  It's amazing how much 'stuff' we accumulate and don't really need.  It's equally amazing how much it free's up our time and reduces our stress.  People seem to loose weight, look happier and are more active.  

      That being said, Norm has finally been able to get out and fly-fish.  (His passion)  His attitude about everything has improved so much.   He has lost 45lbs. looks fabulous and is pretty happy most of the time.  Retirement has been a good thing!  His last trip on the Firehole River was a bit interesting, though.  He couldn't figure out why these two men on the shoreline were yelling at him.   Nothing weird was around him so he kept fishing.   Finally, he was able to see that a large bear was coming around the bend towards him !  The brush hid the bear from him but the men on shore could see!   WHOA!!  Norm waded into the middle of the river and stood there very quietly...Bear Spray at the ready!   The bear just walked by, more concerned about eating the flower bulbs than chasing a fisherman.   Close call !  ( He did get some great close-up pic's.) 

      Tomorrow is another full day of fishing for Norm.   I love it because he's gone all day so I get a chance to do what I want.   Usually entails some cleaning but I also make time to work on my card making and quilting.  Doesn't get much better than this ! :)
     

    

     

     

     

SUMMER !!

     4th of July came with all the parades, candy & kids, barbeques and fireworks anyone could ever hope for !   We had ring side seats to all the festivities in town and the fireworks were shot in a field right next to our park.   The booms and crackle of the rockets went on for well over an hour.  One of the best displays we've seen in a long while.

    The Company Barbeque was held out of our conference room, here, at Grizzly Park.  Lots of good food and laughter.  We did get a bit of a downpour just after dinner but before the fireworks.  The thunder and lightning  continued to light up the sky  all night !  Really cool !!  :)

      Temperatures have warmed considerably.   This last week it was in the high 70's.  Just perfect !  Even the mosquitoes are enjoying it.  They are large, aggressive and hungry.  We have a hunt before we go to bed evey night !  (We just love to have those little buggers dive bomb us and do that zzzzzzzzz thing right in your ear just as you almost fall asleep ! )

      The other night after a long day at work, as we finally started to doze off ,  some very bright lights woke us.  It was 1:30AM and a huge 5th wheel trailer came in and backed into the open site next to us.   This guy was a jerk !   It took him 7 trys to get that  thing backed in square and another hour to get all his hoses etc. connected.  Doesn't he know that campground etiquite dictates whenever you arrive after 10 pm you always come in quiet and do just enough to get off the road, shut that #$%^&!  thing off and wait till morning !!  GOOD GRIEF, MAN !!

     My work in the office has been a bit easier this week.  The Park is  full every night so we don't have to do much on the phones except give out phone numbers to other parks in the area. ( I am surprised at how many reservations are being made for next year, already.)   I like to tease my guests when they register....it keeps them from being grumpy and I get a real kick out of it !!

     The guys have settled in to whatever work they feel comfortable doing.  Norm 's  favorite is to pretend he is raking  the sites as they vacate so they look pretty.  This way  he ends up talking with the people in the neighboring sites, finds out all kinds of neat stuff and he gets paid for it !!  Tough job. 

     The best part of our week is our day's off !  (Big surprise!)    Yesterday we had  thunder, lightning and big, big rain.  Stayed in and vegged.  Today, however, the sun came out and it was incredible !  The air smelled so clean and sweet.  The meadows in YNP are covered with bright flowers of yellow, hot pink and blues.  I wish there was a way of sending their fragrance to you.  The animals have moved into the higher fields to beat the heat so not much activity lately. 

      All in all, we are still here and determined to stick it out till the end of September.  Seeing the changes from the snow, when we got here, till now has been quite amazing.  I'm anxious to see how things change from now until  Labor Day, when the kids & families go home for the start of school.

    

    

      

    
    

Casualties

      This week has been a tough one for the Yellowstone Park.   We've had so much snow melt and that makes the rivers run high and fast !   As a result a pipeline that runs under the Yellowstone River was undermined and ruptured causing an oil leak.  It happened 150 miles downriver from the Park and doesn't  affect anything here.   It does affect some farmland and tributaries though downstream.

      On Wednesday, the road into Artist Point near Canyon was closed.   Apparently a couple was hiking into Wapiti Lake (Norm & I have hiked this trail several times) and came across a Grizzly Bear sow with two cubs.  Instead of retreating they continued into the lake.  On their way back, they surprised the sow and got between her and her cubs.  She perceived it as a threat and charged the couple.  The man screamed at his wife to run !  He was mauled, to death, and the wife dropped to the ground.  The Grizzly grabbed her by the backpack, shaking her violently,  then turned and left with her cubs.   Another group of hikers heard the wifes screams and called Park Rangers.  Within a very short time the Rangers were there and secured the area, closing all the trails in that part of the Park. 

       This was such a tragedy.  It was the hikers fault for continuing to the lake and not leaving the area.  They knew the bear was around and had cubs but disreguarded all the precautions.  All the books and pamphlets, about the Park hikes, give detailed instructions about bear sightings.  These people didn't adhere to any of them and unfortunately paid the ultimate price. 

      Just to let you know the momma and her cubs are being moved to a remote spot in the Park.  The Rangers said she was doing her job and didn't want to destroy them. 

      Last night,  about 1:00am we had a Black Bear come into our park.   We keep telling folks to put their coolers and barbeques inside their vehicles but not everyone did.  As a result the smell of all those barbequed burgers and hot-dogs was too much for this hungry bear to resist.  Two coolers and a grill  were destroyed!  It wondered around the park, here, for over an hour before dissappearing into the forest.

     Today, we had a weird storm roll in for about two hours.  The skies went dark, the temps dropped from 85* to 59* in just a few minutes and the rain came down !  Thunder and lightning was so loud we could hardly hear and we watched, as the lightning struck the nearby mountains!  The power to everything went out for about 45 minutes, even the computers and phones in the office were down.  Was nice to have a few minutes to get caught up but when things came back on line the phones and messages went crazy !  WHEW !

      Never a dull moment this week !  Hope the rest of you are enjoying calmer weather.

Life is a Journey...

      Grizzly RV Park is full almost every night for July and  August.   Norm and I talk to many of the campers and a question we often hear is, "How long does it take to see everything in the Park?"  Our answer is, we have been coming to Yellowstone for almost 35 years and we haven't seen everything, yet.  They respond with,  "Well, we drove the entire Park in a day (or two) and we've seen it all."       Okay...

       Last night we took one of our favorite drives to see animals.  A pair of binoculars and a camera is a must.  We started at Tower Falls, which is a beautiful waterfall cascading between very large pinnacles.  Each area has its own village/campground, gift store and anomoly.  For the last couple years we have observed a pair of osprey soaring around the canyon feeding their chicks and repairing the nest.  It is quite a sight to sit and watch. 

      Continuing down the winding road we are surprised to see cars, trucks and motorhomes pulled onto the shoulders.  A by-stander pointed out a large Grizzly Bear sleeping in the sage.  Apparently he had killed a baby elk that morning and after a big meal laid on top of the carcass for a little power nap !  A carload of people sped by not even seeing the bear.  So sad...

        Roosevelt is the next lodge we pass.  (They have the best chuckwagon dinner out in the meadow here!  We have reservations the end of August so I'll save that for another day.)  More cars are pulled over, and sure enough a momma Black Bear is trying to keep tabs on her very mischevious twins.  They are romping over logs, chasing each other and even nursing.   Something you don't see everyday!  Another vehicle races by missing this event.

       Mammoth is the home of Minerva Terrace, a large formation of alkaline water flowing down a step like hillside.   It also is home to a  small herd of elk.  They love munching on the manicured lawns and having their photos taken.  A super way to spend some time.  If we leave this area around 8:00 pm our chances of seeing more animals on our way to Norris increases.  There were elk, buffalo and even antelope that were close enough to photograph.  The scenery is also gorgeous.

      Norm thought he saw something so we pulled over to 'glass' the area.  Yup... another Grizzly !  It was  fairly young but still a BIG BEAR !  He got close enough for us to see his paws and the nails on that big boy were humungous!  We watched him till it got too dark. I can't begin to tell you what an incredible experience that was!  Another group of cars slowed down and maybe got a pic or two, but missed so much.

     So to the lady who said she had been here four times and never saw a bear,  I say...Chill...Take time to smell the flowers...Look and listen to what and who is right in front of you...Remember that life is a Journey.. .Enjoy your time here.

      I read a great card - ADVICE FROM A RIVER
                                     Go with the Flow
                                        Slow down and meander
                                     Delight in life's adventures
                                           around every bend
                                      Go around obstacles
                                         Stay Current
                                       The beauty is in the Journey !