Out of South Dakota.....

6:42 am - Wednesday - July 15th - Sheridan, WY - 45° F, 68% humidity, wind 3 mph out of the south.....clear, cold, blue skies today with a forecast here in Sheridan of 86° F, but we are rolling our wheels in less than an hour ever westward...the view this morning......↴

 Sheridan, WY Walmart

Our Jello goal was to be out of site P-6 at Spearfish Campground and on our way west by 9 am....it was 9:07 am as we exited the park after inserting the VW into the trailer in front of the campground office.  The drive west on I-90 Tuesday was just spectacular.....that is all I really have to say.  I set the cruise control at 60 mph and just hung onto the steering wheel enjoying the giant vistas as they unfolded before us.....

....within minutes we had crossed once again into Wyoming after almost three weeks in South Dakota.......

 Snow fences

A short video for you viewing, and listening pleasure

 Just missing a rain storm to the south of us

 The hay is cut, and rolled

.....we took time to stop twice in 'Parking Areas'....no bathrooms, or trash, but a place just off the Interstate in Wyoming where you can take a break, stretch your legs, and check the temps of your tires if you so desire.....I so desired.

We exited I-90 just before 1 pm in Sheridan, Wyoming, and were set up in the local Super Walmart parking lot a few minutes thereafter.  We were here a few weeks ago doing a small shopping before heading to our destination for the day at Lake de Smet (I wrote about that here) when we were still heading east.  We parked in this exact same place because it is so level.   It's been a long, long time since we did a BIG shopping, and this was the day for another.  We spent over an hour in Walmart filling our shopping cart.....the final tab?  $262....yup, that's a 'BIG shopping'......

....when we left Spearfish, SD it was threatening rain, but as we continued westward the heavy cloud cover eventually gave way to mostly sunny conditions, but the temps only got into the high 60's for the day.....perfect.....

.....by the time TLE had put away all the groceries from our 'BIG shopping' it was almost 4 pm, and time for a nap.  Around 5 pm we walked back into Walmart to their Deli section and bought some 'Orange Chicken Wings'.....one of our favorites....to which TLE added rice she had prepared just for this occasion.....we love Walmart's Deli section....you can get the same thing anywhere in the U.S., and the food is so consistently good.

We read for the rest of the afternoon, and evening hitting the sack (me) around 10 pm....TLE followed a little later....we roll our wheels in about 30 minutes....life is good.

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The Devil you say!

6:16 am - Thursday - June 25th - Devil's Tower, WY - 63° F, 73% humidity, wind 5 mph out of the northwest....partly cloudy today with a forecast high of 80° F.....we had an amazing electrical storm begin around 2 am with winds, then heavy rain.  We had to get up just before it hit and stow all our awnings, including the patio awning.  The view this morning......↴

After 2 delightful days lazing around the campground on Lake de Smet it was time to roll our wheels once again.  By 8:50 am we were on our way back to I-90 and the eastbound lanes, but for just a few miles....we needed to dump our gray and black tanks and TLE had found a free dump station at the CENEX fuel station in Buffalo, WY.  By 9:15 we were parked next to their dump station and doing the deed.  By 9:35 am we were back on I-90 eastbound through rolling countryside.....a little up, a little down....over and over again......

.....eventually we left I-90 for US-14, which would take us to Devil's Tower, WY, our destination for the day.....

.....soon the tower came into view, and then it was just a matter of a couple of miles until we arrived at Devil's Tower View Campground.....

.....where we quickly paid for one night ($45) for electricity only (50 amp)....the other places here are really expensive, so what's not to like about an actual view of Devil's Tower, and electricity to run your A/C units on a very warm 91° F afternoon?  Claude and Gail  had stopped in Moorcroft, WY to visit a local museum, but arrived about an hour later.....

....setting up in site #5, right across from us (we are in site #2).......

.....TLE and I were here back on June 29, 2013 very briefly....we were traveling with two Newell couples and friends, the McClouds and the Oliviers, with whom we were headed to Alberta, Canada.  It was suggested we take the US-14 loop by Devil's Tower on our way to Great Falls, MT, so we did.  As soon as we turned off our engines in the visitor center parking lot I began to wonder how we would extricate our large rigs from this tightly packed parking lot.  We stopped for about 20 minutes, took the obligatory pictures, and were on our way west again after some tight maneuvering out of the very crowded parking lot.  I have always wanted to do the hike around the base of the tower, which is why we are here almost 7 years later to the day.

We spent the afternoon inside the air conditioned wonder of our individual coaches, but met for dinner at the campground diner around 6 pm for dinner.  We all agreed to meet at 8 am Thursday morning to drive in the VW the 5 miles over to the visitor center to do the aforementioned hike.  The food was surprisingly good....I had their bacon cheese burger, while TLE their Reuben (of course!), and Claude and Gail their fish and chips.

This little 8 site campground with electric only (no water, no sewer) is perfect for a quick overnighter.  They have very nice restrooms and showers....I know, because I used one of their showers whilst TLE took hers in the coach, and they do have a nice onsite gift store, and restaurant.  Thursday we roll our wheels again to Keystone, SD where we will spend two weeks....time to be in one place for a while!

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She said stay, so I stayed......

7:34 am - Wednesday - June 24th - Buffalo, WY - 64° F, 45% humidity, wind 5 mph out of the west......mostly clear skies today with a forecast high of 86° F....gettin' warm!  Startin' to feel like summer....maybe.

Our original Jello plan was to reside at Mikesell-Potts County Park one night, but it was such a nice day Tuesday morning that TLE said we should 'stay', so we decided to stay one more night and just enjoy the clear skies, and beautiful Lake de Smet.  Claude and Gail decided to continue eastward to Gillette, WY where they would visit with an old friend of Claude's.  We'll probably meet up again at Devil's Tower Wednesday.

We took a walk around the campground about mid morning, and after passing by this nice picnic table with a shade so we decided to retrieve our eBooks from the Newell and sit there reading and enjoying the view, which we did for a couple of hours......

....we haven't had our patio awning out since 'The Big Eddie', but it was so sunny Tuesday we had to deploy all the awnings.  By 4 pm we had the rear A/C running as it had really begun to heat up, and it ran until after 7 pm....that is another first....I can't remember the last time we slept with all the windows open, and had to run the A/C in the same day....maybe, just maybe summer has caught up with us.

Also, for first time in a long time I pulled out the Sea-B-Que to grill a tri-tip we bought back in Surprise, AZ almost two months ago.  Not much else to report....it was just one of those lazy nomad days.  I had aspirations to work on a couple of projects, but they involved working in direct sunlight, so I decided to wait until our view changes again, and the sun is elsewhere.

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Octobrrrrrrrr!

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6:36 am - Thursday - Octobrrrrr 5th - 37º F, humidity 83%, wind 6 mph out of the west.....partly cloudy.....forecast high for Livingston, MT is 54º F, and in Billings, MT (where we are headed to catch our plane) 60º F.......and in Riverside, CA (where we will be for the next four days) 90º F!  The forecast high on Saturday, my son's wedding day, is 96º F......my body is in for some big adjusements!

After sitting in one place for the past 3.5 months it was time to change our view once again.  As is always the case when we have been this long in one place I am always wondering if my machinery will function properly after such a long layover.  Will the coach 'air up' as it should?  Will the big Detroit Diesel 6v92 turn over and fire the first try?  Will my speedometer still work (it has broken twice in the last six years, but I have been able to fix it each time)?  This is a big deal for me since my cruise control relies upon a signal from the speedometer signal generator to function......no speedo, no cruise control.  Anyway, those are just a few of the myriad of thoughts swirling through my mind as I wake up Wednesday morning.  Intellectually I believe everything will work as it should, but I tend to be a 'waiting for the other shoe to drop' kind of guy.   

There was not much left for me to do before we hauled anchor.....just basically take off the wheel covers, disconnect the utilities, then drop the trailer on our hitch.....if only it hadn't been soooo cold first thing in the morning.....23º F!  We decided to wait until around 9:30 am to begin to work outside in an effort to avoid possible frost bite....😏  Well, everything went smoothly, and we were ready to fire up the Detroit by 11 am, and within 30 minutes we had the trailer connected to the Newell once again and on our way north.  We left the VW out of the trailer (TLE drove it) as we were only traveling 52 miles to Livingston, and there is still a lot of organizing to be done in the trailer before it is ready for VW insertion.

After an uneventful 60 minute drive we arrived at the RV park in Livingston where we will leave the Newell until we return from SoCal.  We will have 50 amp electrical service for the first time in almost 4 months......it will be wonderful not to have to manage our electrical consumption to avoid tripping the breaker.  We did pretty good this summer only tripping the breaker 3 times.  Now we can run all our electric heaters at the same time, and TLE can even use the hair dryer, or toaster oven without consequence.

Once we were set up and I had a few minutes to relax we got dressed and drove into town to do some 'junkin' and to donate two bags of clothing we had gleaned out of our closets and drawers.........

......as you might recall, we spent part of a day exploring the thrift scene in Livingston about a month ago, so we knew where to go.....I saw this cool sign (above) at the first store we revisited, and had to take a picture for posterity's sake.  In all we visited four thrift stores, but found nothing without which we could not live.  Then it was on to Neptune's Brewery Company out on 'L' Street.......we had not yet visited Neptune (Yelp gives them 4 stars on 47 reviews), so we wanted to do so Wednesday......as the name might indicate, their food specialties are all seafood.....including a beautiful aquarium just below the beer list.....

....TLD ordered a pint of their Latte Stout (5.7% ABV), and I opted for the one just above....Bourbon Aged Scottish Ale (9% ABV)......both were amazing!  For our early dinner TLE ordered their crab rangoons, and I had their fish tacos......so, so yummy!  This place has a completely different vibe than Katabatic, and is quite funky......our kind of place!

We got home just before 5 pm and began the task of getting packed for our 5 days trip to SoCal.....that pretty much took the rest of the evening......usually when we visit SoCal we have our closets with us so no difficult clothing decisions must be made.

Mindy, in the RV park office, told us that this cold weather in October is not the norm....usually the shoulder season in this part of Montana is quite pleasant with daily temps in the 60's and 70's......well it looks like this Octobrrrrr is going to be much, much colder!

Stay tuned for the wedding festivities which begin Friday......three of my siblings will also be in attendance so this will be a wonderful weekend of many hugs, and non-stop conversations.....YAY for our team!

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It is finished......

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6:41 am - Wednesday - October 4th - 23º F (double BRRRR!), humidity 89%, wind - CALM....I would agree....forecast for Gardiner, MT is 51º F, and 49º F in Livingston, MT where we will be later today.....forecast today is partly cloudy this morning with rain later this afternoon.....well after we have rolled our wheels northward.

In spite of all my best intentions not to get emotional Tuesday as I exchanged one 'until next time' after another with more of my co-workers I guess it was inevitable.  I find myself emoting much more easily as I add years to my age.  The longer you spend with people the more attached you become to them, and the more difficult it is to bid them adieu......it is always our intent to reconnect with those who have become friends, but there is a part of me that knows I will never see some of these people again, and that is the part that hurts.....that is the part that makes me tear up.  It's not my intent to be maudlin, but only to describe as accurately as possible what I am feeling at the end of another seasonal job.  Those of you who have worked seasonal jobs know exactly what I am talking about.  Part of me....the part that doesn't like the pain of separation from friends thinks it would be better not to get so attached, but the better part of me knows that as I let people into my life I am changed for the better.....I take a small piece of each of them with me as I move on to another adventure.  When I think of Taylor in the future I will be able to hear her wonderful laugh in my head, and marvel at how brave she is at such a young age to be living her life 'outside the box'......

 Me and my 'Fountain' buddy Taylor together Tuesday for one last shift......this lady can scoop!

......when I think of Bryan I will remember all of the conversations we had about the outdoors, about backpacking, cycling, about his enthusiasm for this nomadic lifestyle he and Caitlin have chosen at such a young age......

 Bryan....the 'Fountain' supervisor....a good man

......when I think of Susan the word 'classy' will always pop into my mind first.......Chuck is the consummate professional.......he is always right to the point.....he always very appreciative of any help you might offer......

 TLE photo bombing......Susan (cashier with TLE) and Chuck (floor supervisor)

........she prefers to be called Caitlin, but Bryan calls her Caitie, and so do I......every time I see her I start smiling, because she is always smiling, upbeat, and professional.....when ever I called for help with a register issue she was there in a flash from wherever she might have been.......

 With Caitlin.....one of our floor supervisors and Bryan's significant other.....she is the sweetest and most conscientious supervisor I have ever had at any seasonal job.

.....then there is Paul, our custodian.......he is the kind of guy you meet sometimes that you would swear you have known for years.......when he talks to you it is like you are the only other person on the room.....we had so many wonderful conversations about everything under the sun, and I will miss that a lot........

Paul.....our custodian.....we had many very interesting talks (Susan the cashier's significant other)

....but now, once again, I must tell each of them 'until next time'......even though I will be separated from them, they will still be with me.....they have become a part of who I am.  Does that make sense?  

Tuesday was much like other recent days in the Mammoth Hot Springs General Store.....not extremely busy.  The time did not seem to drag by so much because I was moving from one 'until next time' conversation to another, and then repeating that pattern all day long.  Around 12:30 pm Kristal, the General Store manager, and our boss called TLE and I into her office to do our 'exit interviews'.  She is the best seasonal boss we have had in the six years we have been on the road......again, very professional, but personable at the same time.  Always a smile, and always a positive word......TLE and I both agreed that we would happily work for her again anywhere she may land.

Around 5 pm Caitlin asked TLE and I to bring our cash drawers to the break room one more time to do our final countdown......this time we kept our big bills.....for me I had two $100 bills, and just added five $20's to those to equal my final $300 count.....all the small bills and coins went into the drop bag, and that was it for me.  TLE actually had three $100 bills so her final countdown was faster than mine.  We turned in our ID cards, our name badges, our red aprons, and our gray jackets (I'm wearing one of them in most of my pictures for this blog entry), exchanged hugs one more time with Caitlin and then we were done.......of course, the tears were not done.....TLE and I both walked to the Beetle wiping tears from our eyes, and then we began our last drive down the Gardiner River Gorge......it has never looked more beautiful than Tuesday evening at 5:30 pm.

We were home a  little after 5:30 still feeling a little emotional, but eventually we began to change our focus to what comes next.....getting ready to roll our 38,000 pounds of steel north to Livingston, MT, and then the drive into Billings Thursday to catch our flight home to see our son, Tim, get married to The Beautiful Laila (TBL).....whew.....I am still tearing up as I finish today's missive......life is, indeed, so good....I am blessed beyond measure.

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One more time........una vez mãs

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5:51 am - Tuesday - October 3rd - Happy birthday to me! - 24º F (I believe it), humidity 82%, wind 3 mph out of the west by northwest......seems much higher than that.....at least 10 mph....cloudy with a forecast high today in Gardiner, MT of 48º F, and 44º F in Mammoth Hot Springs, WY.  No rain forecast today.  As I sit here composing my latest missive the birthday wishes are dinging on my Galaxy Note 5 cell phone.  I've been saying I'm 68 for about 6 months now so I could get used to the sound of it.....now that the big day is here it seems kind of anti climatic.  Maybe I should take up TLE's tradition of saying she is just celebrating the anniversary of her 49th birthday each year.......hmmmm.

Well, Monday is in the history books, and we are down to 'one more time' driving up and then down the Gardiner River Gorge......that's it.....una vez mãs.....as Ferris Bueller is oft and famously quoted......"Life moves pretty fast....if you don't stop and look around once and a while you could miss it".  Thankfully we have been sitting in one place for almost 3.5 months, and while we have missed seeing a few things we made a gallant effort at seeing all the things that held interest for us this time around.  We found out that even if you have 3.5 months of weekends it is still almost impossible to see everything in YNP in that span of time.  Nevertheless, I believe we now have a good working knowledge of this, the first National Park in the world.

We arrived for our second to last work day at the Mammoth Hot Springs General store just after 8:30 am, and within a few minutes were busily getting our stations ready for the opening of the store at 9 am.  There are always a number of folks standing outside awaiting for the doors to be opened at 9 am so we get this initial flurry of activity as the store opens, then things settle down to almost nothing for about an hour.

The outdoor temp never got above 38º F, and every customer coming through our door was wearing winter outerwear.  Ice cream sales were slow, as one might expect, but pretzel sales were brisk all day long. We were fully staffed Monday so I remained at my 'Fountain' assignment for the entire day switching on and off the register with my co-worker Michael.

It was a strictly 'plain vanilla' day at the General Store with nothing new to report.......Michael and I cleaned the 'Fountain' area beginning at 5 pm, and were done by 5:30 pm.....I counted down my cash drawer for the 2nd to last time and was on my way home with TLE a little after 6.  We spent the evening watching the recorded finale of 'So You Think You Can Dance' which was won by Lex.  This is really a popularity contest since the winner is chosen by the viewers of the show, and the best dancer is not always the winner, however, this year I would have been happy with any of the four finalists winning.

We were in bed a little after 9:30 pm thinking about our last day working at the Mammoth Hot Springs General Store, and also about what we still need to do before we rolls our wheels Wednesday.

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Two more times........

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6:09 am - Monday - October 2nd - 32º F, humidity 89%, wind 5 mph out of the north by northwest.....cloudy......low chance of rain (less than 20%)....forecast high for Gardiner, MT today is 40º and 39º F in Mammoth Hot Springs, WY.....WOW, where did that come from?   Woke up to the news that some lunatic male opened fire from a room in a high rise hotel in Las Vegas last evening on a crowd watching a Country Music concert.......50+ killed, and over 200 hundred wounded....makes me glad I spend most of my time in rural America.  My heart goes out to those families who needlessly lost loved ones, and to those who were wounded, or trampled in the madness that ensued.  A good friend, and her daughter managed to escape, but suffered injuries when they fell and were trampled.....fortunately no serious injuries for them......just scrapes and bruises.

What a ride this summer has been!  Friendships continue to deepen as the season winds down.  It's time for another round of 'until next times' replete with long hugs and promises to remain in touch, and to somehow reconnect in the future. These are not hollow promises.....they are heart felt, and I know we will see each other again......

Last 'usie' with Dodge & Christina at the Mammoth Hot Springs General Store.....left to right: Moi, Christina, TLE and Dodge (Kristen)

.......if it is possible, and it certainly is, Sunday seemed to be the slowest day, I believe, at the General Store since we arrived.....painfully slow.  I'm almost positive the clock was running backwards at times.  There was about an hour of pretty steady activity, but that was pretty much it.  One of our fellow employees injured her back slipping and falling on a patch of ice in the employee parking lot on her way into work.  She attempted to man her post as a cashier, but by noon she was sent home in pain.  As a result I was asked to move my cash drawer over to the retail desk for the rest of the afternoon where I once again got to work alongside TLE.  I've enjoyed the change of pace the past two days as it is a little bit busier at the retail desk than at the 'Fountain'.

We closed the store at 6 pm, and were on our way down the Gardiner River Gorge once again......this time headed for the Rusty Rail to have a few drinks with Dodge (floor supervisor) and Christina (stocker)........we laughed and did some crying....this will be our last time at the Rusty Rail this summer, and we will miss these folks terribly......

Last 'usie' with our good buddy Dodge (Kristen) at the Rusty Rail....."Love you, mean it!"

.......by 8:30 we hugged some more, then slobbered a little more, then went home.......just two more times up and down the Gardiner River Gorge before we roll our wheels!

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Three more times.......

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5:52 am - Sunday - October 1st - 29º F, humidity 83%, wind 5 mph out of the west by northwest.......partly cloudy......forecast high for today in Gardiner, MT is 44º F, and 42º F in Mammoth Hot Springs, WY.....rain, maybe, this afternoon.

I know, the title was sort of predictable if you know me a little, but I like countdowns.....just three more times driving up the Gardiner River Gorge road to Mammoth Hot Springs to work, and the same number driving back down to our home.  The days are going by quickly as the General Store is staying comfortably busy during the day......

......once again I was paired with Addie and Jonah.  Under the new schedule (9 am to 6 pm) we begin our workday at 8:45 am in order to get the fountain area ready for business by 9 am.  It takes just about 15 minutes to get the hot dogs on the rollers, the chili heating up, the pretzels cooked and on display, and pull the lids off the ice cream tubs in the freezer.  Then we stand around for about 2 hours before things begin to get even a little busy.  Most of our early sales are coffee, hot chocolate and hot cider.....we may even sell a few soft pretzels.  Between 11 am and noon we usually get a small rush of folks dropping in for an early lunch at which time our hot dog and bratwurst sales accelerate, and we even begin to dish out a few scoops of ice cream.  Then there is a lull for about 45 minutes to an hour, but by 2 pm things pick up and stay comfortably busy for the rest of the shift.

The makeup of the post Labor Day tourists is completely different from that of July and August.  The people we are seeing now in YNP seem much more courteous in many ways.  We actually see folks pulling into the 'PULL OUTS' to let faster traffic pass them......we rarely, if ever saw this in June, July, or August.  Rarely do you see people just stop in the middle of the road to take pictures of a bison some 100 yards off the road......instead they find a place to pull over, and then stop to take their pictures...what a novel concept!  Those coming into the store seem much more aware of their surroundings, and rarely have to ask what a particular ice cream's ingredients might be, or where the nearest public restroom might be.....they actually either figure it out on their own, or actually read the numerous signs we have on display to explain the various flavors of ice cream we serve, and where the public restroom is.  For the most part the mix of folks, as one of our supervisors related, is made up of 'newlyweds, and the nearly dead'.....in other words......20 somethings and older retired folk.....very few young children.

As I was nearing the end of my shift in the 'Fountain' our floor supervisor (Dodge) asked if I would move my cash drawer over the retail desk at 5:30 as one of the cashiers went home ill (Thomas).....of course, I said yes.  Actually, we were done cleaning the fountain by 5:20 so I moved my drawer then, and spent the last 40 minutes working beside The Lovely Elaine.  We closed the doors at 6 pm, and then counted down our drawers......we were on our way down the Gardiner River Gorge by 6:15 pm.....the end of 'another day in paradise'.

Just three more work days until we roll our wheels......time is short, and another wave of 'until next times' is just around the corner.

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Four more times.....

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5:43 am - Saturday - September 30th - 39º F, humidity 84%, wind 5 mph out of the southwest......cloudy with rain on the way this afternoon.....forecast high for Gardiner, MT is 56º, and 54º F in Mammoth Hot Springs, WY.  Tomorrow is a new month.....October here we come!

So, Friday has come and gone......just 'another day in paradise' as my good friend Roscoe would say.  For the second day in a row the weather was idyllic......low 60's, no wind, mostly clear skies.....we even opened all the entrance doors for the second day in a row.  The day began slowly, but ramped up to a moderately busy day.....I'm guessing we did over $10,000 again.

I spent the day in the 'Fountain' running the register about 98% of the time while Addie and Jonah scooped ice cream, which was what I expected.  They prefer not to be attached to the register, and that is fine with me.  By 5 pm, closing time for the 'Fountain', the customers had all but disappeared.  

Jonah, Addie and I had the 'Fountain' cleaned and ready for Saturday's business by 5:20 at which time I pulled my cash drawer to count it down for another day.  I'll do that 4 more times, and that is what it has come down to for me......4 more times driving up the Gardiner River Gorge......4 more times driving down.....4 more days working in the Mammoth Hot Springs General Store.....4 more days with our YNP friends......4 more days living in Gardiner, MT.  When we began our sojourn in YNP in mid June the days seemed 'unlimited', but now they have become quite finite.  Soon we will be changing our view without going through escrow.  We will simply drop the trailer on the hitch of the Newell and roll our 10 wheels once again.

With the end of our time in YNP my mind begins to think about what comes next......a round trip flight to SoCal for our son, Tim's wedding, our trip south to the Grand Canyon.....where will we stop along the way.....what will we see that is new.....what new friendships await us.  The future is not yet written, but thinking about the possibilities makes me happy.

We were home by 6:20 at which time I quickly changed clothes and began straightening up the interior of the trailer so TLE and I could drag the artificial turf inside before the rain comes.  It took me less than an hour to clear the rear of the trailer and then it was time for TLE to help me fold up the turf, and then drag it over to the trailer.  In just over an hour from start to finish I was once again locking the rear ramp door, and the turf was inside.  All the bikes are stowed for travel.....there is a little left to do, but that will all be inside the trailer, so the rain/snow will not be a factor.

In the middle of getting the trailer organized I noticed we were the beneficiaries of another wonderful Montana sunset......

.....the end of the season is upon us......Yellowstone RV Park will be closing for the winter in four weeks.....one of the two camp hosts has already departed.  Time is moving forward, life is good and I am content.

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9 to 6.....

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(CLICK ON PICTURES TO ENLARGE)

5:40 am - Friday - September 29th - 33º F, humidity 79%, wind 4 mph out of the south by southwest....should be sunny when the sun comes over the eastern horizon.....forecast high for Gardiner, MT today is 62º F, and 60º F for Mammoth Hot Springs, WY.  Beginning Saturday we are forecast to have 4 straight days of rain/snow.

Those overnight temps are getting consistently into the 20's and just over the next two weeks (if we were still going to be here) they will be dipping consistently into the teens.  When I get up in the morning (I'm first up about 99% of the time) I turn on two heaters to take the chill off the coach.  You're thinking.....".....he turns ON the heaters?  Why aren't they ON all night?"....I know, right?  Well, we both like it to be cool at night as we sleep better.  Plus the dry heat coming from any running heater (electric or gas) dries out our collective sinuses/throats......not good, or pleasant.  Anyway, no heaters on at night works for us.....at least for now.

So, we were on our way driving up to Mammoth Hot Springs by 8:15 am.....that's a mostly new experience for us.....we did two 'OPEN' shifts way back in mid June just after we arrived, but for the most part we have been departing for work at 9 am (only a couple of times), or later as we have had only 'MID' and 'CLOSE' shifts since then.  Having to be ready to go to work by 8:15 am means I once again must get up when it is still dark, and means I must go to bed much earlier than the 11, or 11:30 pm I have been used to all summer.  Oh well, it's only for a few more days.

Upon our arrival at work I felt compelled to go outside and take a video of the steam coming off the Mammoth Hot Springs Terraces.....the colder it is the more noticeable the steam is.......

.......by 8:45 am we were both at our stations ready for another day in the General Store.  Micheal and I were manning the 'Fountain', and TLE along with Thomas was at main desk cashiering away.  I also put a cash drawer in as I would be relieving Michael for his breaks and lunch.  On Friday I will be the main cashier guy in the 'Fountain'.  Business was slow at first, but gradually gained steam and we finished the day with over $11,000 in sales.....much higher than the $6-8,000 we had done over each of the previous three days.  That is just busy enough to keep the time moving along.  5 pm (the new closing time for the 'Fountain) came quickly and it was time for us to clean it in preparation for Friday.  The store itself stays open until 6 pm, so I had to wait about 45 minutes for TLE to finish her shift and count down her drawer.  Under the new 9 am to 6 pm hours I work about 8 hours and 15 minutes.....TLE's works about 9 hours.....I like my shorter hours, except for the waiting part.

As we were exiting the door to the employee parking lot we were stopped in our tracks by the presence of two bull elk........

......my picture only shows one, but there were actually two two bull elk kind of sparring over one cow.....so we were stuck for a few minutes until they took their festivities elsewhere.  As we waited we could hear bull elk bugling in the distance.....these two were not bugling, but just glaring at each other.

Finally we were able to safely get to our car and begin the drive home.  As we passed the USPS we saw another bull elk chasing a car about 200 feet in front of us.....yup, it is the rutting season!  We were home by 6:30 where we changed our clothes and went outside to begin drying out our artificial turf by turning it over, and did the same to the awning mat I had in front of the trailer entrance.  They will get sun on them Friday, and then when we get home Friday we'll fold them up and put them in the trailer.  All I will have left to do is to organize the trailer just enough to pull it up to Livingston Wednesday....we will not be inserting the VW for the 52 mile drive.

Our last work schedules were posted Thursday and have us working Thursday through Sunday for the current pay period (all pay periods end each Sunday), and then Monday and Tuesday in our final pay period......we leave on Wednesday.  So, we will work 6 straight days to finish out our season here in Yellowstone National Park.

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