Heaven Is A Place On Earth

            Well, it’s been a very simple, relaxing, and enjoyable day off. I first got up at a little after six and met Nate and Elliot at the EDR for breakfast. When they went in to work I came back to the dorm and relaxed there for most of the morning. I read out on the back porch, walked over to the employee village office to do some laundry, and enjoyed having some time to myself. Cristina and Tanner are still up in Yellowstone; I’m not sure if they’ll be back tonight or spend another night with her brother up there before returning. Jesse’s been spending the past couple of days out with his girlfriend who came to visit, so it was really quiet around the dorm today. Of course, I absolutely love Cristina, Tanner, and Jesse, but it was still kind of nice to have some time and space to myself today.

            After going back to the EDR for lunch I decided to go to the pool to cool off. It’s finally starting to feel like summer here, getting into the eighties in the middle of the day. I know my friends in San Antonio will hate me for that sentence, but those are the warmest temperatures I’ve felt in the time I’ve been here. The cool water of the pool felt great, as it always does. That was a great place to spend my afternoon.

            When I was walking back to my dorm from having dinner, at about 6:30, I decided to go grab my camera and hike back up to Lunch Tree Hill. It’s a really short, easy hike and it doesn’t get dark here until about ten, so I still had plenty of time. I came home, switched into hiking shoes, grabbed my camera, and took off on the path that started right behind the Whistle Pig.

            The view from Lunch Tree Hill is very similar to the view from the upper lobby of the lodge, since they’re like right next to each other. But I don’t think I’ll ever get over the breathtaking beauty and vastness of that view. Before I came here, several people told me that this is the most beautiful place in the country. Standing up on that hill looking out at Jackson Lake, the Teton Range, and the moose and elk grazing in the Willow Flats, that statement is very easy to believe. Another thing I was told by someone I met when I first got here is that these mountains really get in your blood. Those words came to mind as I was standing in the hill this evening; they’re so true.

            I work the later shift tomorrow, then have Wednesday and Thursday off again. Maybe I’ll go over to the Whistle Pig later tonight; Cristina, Tanner, and Jesse won’t be there, but Nate and Elliot might. Either way, it’s been a really awesome day off.