This entry is going to be a little bejumbled because I did not write anything down about these past days. So some dates and activities might be off, but at least I'm writing them down now:)
I forgot to mention one thing about Frisbee yesterday. Jenny threw a low pass to me and I caught it just in time... but after I picked up my hand I found a big pile of bison poop underneath! That was a close one;)
Anyways, I left Mammoth today. It was a shame to leave because I really liked it. The people were nice, seeing the hot springs, and elk and bison so close were great. But I did not know what awaited me at Old Faithful so after a quick morning overview of the cashier register, I decided it was time to head out... especially because it started to rain as I was in training. So I rushed out of my room for the drive to Old Faithful... and it started to snow! I was warned about this... it can snow anytime in the park. As I was driving I saw a bunch of cars pulled off to the side (big indicator that there is something good!) so looked to my left to see a glimpse of a female grizzly bear! I quickly found a spot to pull off and Francis (who I found out is from Texas) did, too. We just missed seeing the bear when we got out of our cars! There were a couple rangers there keeping people a safe distance away and they said she had been there all morning so would probably come back, but Francis and I decided to move on.
When I arrived at Old Faithful I immediately went to the personnel office to check in and get set up. I am in Laurel dorm right behind the Old Faithful Inn... which I have heard from multiple sources is the worst one and is a party dorm hahaha. But it hasn't been bad so far and it is a 3 minute walk from my work compared to the half mile walk some people have. My roommate's name is Cassie (from Idaho) and we're getting along great. I actually didn't meet her for most of the day because I went to find my manager (Mike) and worked that afternoon. I met my co-workers, who seem great, and one of my assistant managers (Danielle) is from Snohomish! Someone that actually knows where Wenatchee is haha.
Friday, May 11th, 2012
We worked all day. The hours are a little off right now and we don't have a set schedule because we are just setting up the store, which I am grateful for because I am learning where everything is. We unloaded a truck full of product and supplies and then tried to put all the supplies in the right place. I did mostly name knives and Christmas Ornaments (we celebrate Christmas here on August 25th).
After work Barb, Francis, and I went on a walk around the geysers. Geysers are fascinating to me. All the turmoil and power coming from deep inside the Earth is pretty amazing. As we were headed back to our dorms, we saw our local coyote. I've seen him 3 times now around here. He/she is a beautiful little thing with grey color and black, beady eyes. We stayed a safe distance away from him, but were close enough to see him. It is important to remain a good distance away for both the animals and humans safety. We don't want animals to get used to people's presence and start getting closer and closer to humans until there is an attack, or they have to remove the animal from the park... which is sad because we are in their home. When I got back to the dorm I met up with Tisha and Sasha. Sasha I met in the bathroom at my dorm... I've actually met a lot of girls in the bathroom haha. We had a fun night and were starting to watch It... the scary clown movie... but then realized how lame we were and played games and went out to the employee pub. 18 and above are allowed in the pub but only 21 and above can get alcohol. The pub is a nice area where people play corn hole, pool, eat pizza, and hang out. It's a fun atmosphere.
Saturday, May 12th,
We worked a bit today, but finished early so had most of the day to have fun. Laurel dorm got a ton of new people that work in the Old Faithful Inn. I met Trisha (also met in the bathroom haha) and invited her to go on a bike ride with Francis and me. I also met Greg and Bernie (from Georgia) playing basketball. We have an employee rec center which is unlike anything I have ever seen. It is made of logs, but inside is a full size or close to full size basketball court. My heaven. There is also a place for presentations, ping pong tables, and some weights on the side.
We had a dorm meeting at 7 and after Greg, Bernie, Marty, and I were all showered up we hung out a bit and went to the pub. I saw my co-worker, Alan, who was describing me as SheHulk because I was lifting so much at work. It was a great night. I met tons of people and ended the night looking at the stars. The stars here are awesome, but I have to admit I think jungle stars are better.
Sunday, May 13th
I woke up early Sunday morning to go out into the park with Barb and Francis. We started driving south from Old Faithful towards West Thumb. West Thumb is breathtaking. There are geysers right next to the frozen lake with snowcapped Absaroka Mountains in the background. There were also three Elk very close to us while we were there. We continued to do a 9 hour tour around the lower part of the grand loop. The scenery in Yellowstone is amazing. It really puts me at peace. Even at work, if I'm tired, I just remember I'm working in this wonderful place and smile. I'm so glad I'm here.
When we got back, I was exhausted and was going to just chill... but got invited to go to the rec center to play basketball... which I couldn't say no to haha. We had enough people to play 5 on 5 full court. I was the only girl, but was doing pretty well. I just need to get my lungs used to the altitude and then I'll really be SheHulk:)
Later, I went to the pub with Herman (he's from Mississippi and has a strong accent... I love accents!), Mike, and some other guys I played basketball with. We played corn hole and had a pretty chill night.
Monday, May 14th, 2012
I woke up early this morning to go on a hike with Steele (yes, that is his real name... awesome!) and Emily. I love the way you meet people in life. I met Steele when I first met my roommate in my room because they were going on a hike. I met Emily in the basketball gym and she is Taylor (girl from Wenatchee's) roommate. We didn't know we would have such a blast together. We got lost from the trailhead on two different hikes, but still had an amazing time. At Sheepeater trail we found a perfect spot to chill and read a book right by a river...far enough away from people to have utter peace. We hiked along the river until we couldn't find the trail anymore. We stopped at a part of the river that was raging. We decided that if anyone was going to fall in they would probably die. We were really careful, but when we decided to head back...I slipped down a rock and my arm slid down the rock and got scraped up. I luckily fell feet first into a part of the river that was two feet from the raging part. Anyways, I learned my lesson. I am not invincible haha. On our way back to my car I was trying to convince Steele and Emily to jump in the river (a calm part). I jumped in the river right away. It was refreshing and made me miss my beloved Columbia River. Steele said he was going to go in too, but found that the river was a little too cold for his liking. So as he turned to get out he accidently started falling and slid gracefully into the chilling river hahahaha. It was quite a sight:) Throughout our hike Emily spotted everything... including many different bones in various location on our hike. Steele was the Nature Man on our hike because he knew so many facts.
When we headed back to Old Faithful and after dinner, Steele, Jason (a guy in my dorm from Tennessee) and I went looking for the softball field here. The employees have a softball team in the summer... only the field is obsidian... so don't slide! We possibly have a Frisbee golf field, but I haven't been able to find it.
Here is a list of animals I've seen so far:
Mamma grizzly bear and her two cubs, other female grizzly, tons of bison, tons of elk, pronghorn, marmot, pika, osprey, eagle, sand hill crane, trumpeter swans, coyote, rabbit. There is a pretty bright blue bird around that I'm not sure what it is, but I want to find out.
Since I have been here I have heard many horror stories. One was about a dog and a man. Dogs don't know hot water from cold water so will jump into a geyser. That is why dogs are not allowed on the boardwalks. A man died because his friend's dog jumped in a geyser and started yelping so the man jumped in to save it. Both the man and dog died.
Common sense and following the rules is a key concept here. People get fired frequently for doing stupid things like giving alcohol to minors, walking right up to Old Faithful, hiking closed trails, etc. Geysers have been altered and other natural features destroyed because people are ignorant. As far as being safe... the rules are there for a reason so I would follow them.
Tuesday, May 15th
After work Steele, Emily, Barb, Francis and I all ate dinner together. Dinner turned into a competition between me and Steele eating disgusting combinations of food... such as water, salt, pepper, and peas all mixed with ice cream residue. It was hilarious though and we were all laughing so hard... I might have eaten some napkin, too. After dinner Steele and I walked around a bit and then headed to Barb and Francis's dorm to play the card game named golf and drink wine. It was funny because I hadn't seen Barb or Francis yesterday and missed them... even though it was only a day.
There is a creek right outside my dorm and no AC or heater so Cassie and I always sleep with the window open. It is pleasant and soothing listening to the sounds of the creek as we fall asleep. There is also a bison always around our dorm. Steele was walking me home tonight and we barely saw Henry (the bison mascot of Laurel) because the bison absorb light really well. The only reason I really saw him was because I saw the reflection in his eye. I have decided I will never drive in Yellowstone at night!
Wednesday, May 16th
I allowed myself to sleep in because I have been coughing for about a week now and I just want to get rid of it. I missed breakfast (they have certain times when they serve food in the EDR... Employee Dining Room), but luckily have the leftovers from the sack lunch I ordered for the hike.
I went to work and shortly after went to a BBQ at Mike's (my bosses) apartment for the Inn gift shop employees. The food was delicious (I didn't have meat because I'm a vegetarian) and it was great connecting a bit with my co-workers. When the BBQ was done I stopped by the pub and danced the night away with some friends:)
Thursday, May 17th
I woke up early this morning to do some laundry and hike with Emily. We headed toward Blacksand Pool which is AWESOME! It's a geyser that thumps (sounds and feels like a strong heartbeat) before it starts erupting. Emily came up with a good story that the thumping sound is all the Sheepeater Indians who fell into the geyser and now are banging on their drums. Pretty legit:)
After work (today was our last day before opening! and finally the Christmas ornaments were completely done... I did them 3 days in a row because people kept wanting to change them hahaha) there was a shakedown at the Inn restaurant. A shakedown is where the employees get to eat in the restaurant for free so the restaurant employees get to practice serving people. I went with Francis, Emily, and Steele and filled myself to the brim with delicious food. I had lentil cakes and a Gouda soup. In reality... if we had to pay for all we ate we would have spent over $100 on everything! Being an employee has it's perks;)
Thank goodness I'm finally caught up for the blog! I can truly say I am having a blast here. I am fortunate to have met and connected with the people I have. I miss my family and friends though and hope you all know that you are in my thoughts and heart no matter where I am.
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