First, I apologize to those of you who may have expected more from this blog. We have been out and about when we weren’t working this summer. The logistics involved in doing anything online have been more than I have had the patience to deal with. Getting some kind of connection for next year is our top priority. Yes, we are coming back again barring serious budget cuts which might eliminate our small ranger station.
Our last working day is September 3, and we plan to leave for home on September 5. We have thoroughly enjoyed this volunteer gig. We have just participated in the annual August Thanksgiving meal with the traditional turkey and trimmings with about thirty of the local NPS folks and will be hosting our own end-of-summer party this week. As I have said before, these people are the best!
This summer has been drier than usual with overnight lows in the high 30s and daytime highs in the 70s or low 80s. We have had a few hefty thunderstorms, one of which destroyed our canopy over the picnic table. The fire danger has been moderated by the occasional rainfalls. The air for the last two weeks has been quite smoky, not from fires in the park but from fires west of us.
The bison have pretty much wrapped up their noisy rut and will soon be moving back through our area to their winter range west of here. The animals are not very visible in the heat of August, and a chipmunk can cause a major traffic jam. We do have our local elk herd whose appearances are welcome. The elk rut will happen after we are gone. There have been no bear-visitor mishaps this season so far although two men were gored by bison in separate incidents. They were not maintaining their distance from the animals in both cases.
The visitors have been a pleasure to work with on the job. They are excited to tell what animals they have seen even though they aren’t always correct about which animal is which. Some do substantial research before visiting the park while others do not seem to know much. No, we do not “raise” the bison. No, bear spray is not like insect repellent. It is kicked up capsaicin, 30 times more powerful than pepper spray canisters and is used to lay down a defensive cloud between you and an attacking grizzly. No, grizzlies are NOT like the black bears you have at home. No, you may not scoop water from the geysers to bless. Actually, it is bison who rub the bark off the trees and not porcupines. You get the idea.
No review of the summer is complete without covering the excess of bad driving. We just had the third fatality in our section of the park. One afternoon we had so many minor traffic accidents that the law enforcement rangers referred to it as a demolition derby. Yellowstone is on the route to Sturgis for many motor cyclists and that is a bloody shame! The lack of mufflers and the compulsive revving of accelerators guarantee that no animals will be seen near the roadways. And the biker look—OMG!
For Barry and me, the summer has been one of discovery of new places even though we have been coming here for so many years. We have hiked to hidden geysers and waterfalls in the backcountry and have re-visited some trails from the past. We drove the Beartooth Highway for the first time without snow piled high and to Cody as well as our monthly trips to Bozeman where we found a doggy daycare for Carly. We even learned of a West Yellowstone hair salon that is as good as one at home. We now know that Old Faithful has less crowded facilities for having a bite and adult beverage while listening to a piano player. We even got a trip upstairs at one of the general stores there to see a room papered with over a million dollars in checks left by the original store operator. Our NPS ID cards have been quite useful, never more so than when we use them to whip right through the entrance gate instead of getting in line behind dozens of visitors asking dozens of questions.
I will close out One Summer in Yellowstone with a few photos.
This is one of our local girls hanging out for the afternoon across the street.
I do believe this moose (August 1 at Big Springs, ID) is urinating in the river!
Lone Star Geyser in the backcountry has just erupted. Of course!
And finally, Old Faithful herself.
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