The Boys Of Summer

            Okay, I think a lot of you knew that this post, or something like it, was coming. When I told people back home my plans to come here for the summer, one of the most common responses I heard was “you’re going to meet someone and fall in love while you’re there!”. Well, first off let me just say that the falling in love part has NOT happened, but I have met a lot of really great people in the months that I’ve been here. There are mainly three guys that I’ve met here that I’ve loved knowing most of all. I’ve wanted to make a post that mainly highlights them, and since there’s not a lot of news to share about today, I figured now’s as good a time as any to do just that. Here goes (and I’m going to write these as if I’m talking to the people mentioned):

            Tanner- I guess it’s appropriate to start with you since you were the first person I met when I came here. When you helped me carry my bags from the car into my dorm room on the day I moved in, I assumed you were a nice guy, but I’ll admit I didn’t expect that you’d become one of my best friends here. When we went on the Inspiration Point hike, you were the comic relief that kept me going. I love your lack of inhibitions, our games of rock-paper-scissors across the lobby on slow days, your willingness to sing “Man, I Feel Like A Woman” at karaoke, and the fact that it’s rare for a day here to go by without you giving me a high five. You’re a genuine sweetheart and an awesome neighbor.

            Jesse- Wow, there’s so much I can say about you. Not long after we met, you told me that you have a habit of taking on a big brother role for your friends, especially your female friends. Well, you were right. The more we’ve hung out this season, the more I’ve started to see you in a big brother kind of way. Thank you for dragging me along on the Inspiration Point hike with Tanner and Kelsey even though I originally said I didn’t want to go, making coffee for us in the mornings, loaning us your tent to go camping, driving me into town when I needed to pick up some things, and grilling awesome food on the back porch when we got tired of the EDR. You’re probably the main reason that I’ve loved having a back door. Cristina and I got very lucky getting the room next to you.

            And Nate- The first thing I remember learning about you is that you previously spent time working in Australia, so I’m not going to lie, I kind of hated you to begin with. As we talked more, though, that quickly changed. I’m still pretty jealous, I admit, but it’s been awesome knowing you this summer. I loved taking my first hike of the season with you, quizzing you and David on animal facts when the desk was slow, and creating phrases about you that sounded like Chuck Norris jokes (as Tanner said, if God came down to earth and saw Nate, he’d be like, ‘my work here is done!’). One of my favorite memories of this summer was posting those first few pictures of you on facebook, followed by a bunch of friends from back home contacting me demanding to “hear more about that Nate guy”. I also just have to add that, for the rest of my life, whenever I hear “Paradise By The Dashboard Light”, I’ll think of you.

            Well, there you have it. I’ve met other cool people this summer, of course, but those are some of the main ones. Not much news here other than that. Tomorrow afternoon, it’s back into work! 

Might As Well Swim

            So far it’s been a really nice day off. But let’s start with yesterday’s news, right where the last post left off. Last night, after another easy shift, Nate and I went over to the Whistle Pig, meeting up with Elliot and some other friends. We ended up hanging out in there until it closed at midnight, then talking with everybody right outside the Whistle Pig for at least another half hour, until the cold got the better of us. It’s so weird to me that, no matter how warm it gets during the day, the temperature drops a huge amount once the sun goes down!

            Since I was out so late last night, I didn’t get up early for breakfast this morning. When I got up I decided to go back up to Lunch Tree Hill to just sit and enjoy the incredible view, as I like to do some mornings. That spot really seems to have one of the best views in the entire park, and to think that it’s only about fifteen minutes from my dorm is pretty spectacular.

            I went and sat up on the hill for a while, taking in the beauty of the scene that never fails to amaze me. I saw a few moose out in the willow flats beneath me, along with some elk and a variety of cool birds. The ravens that live around here are getting absolutely huge, and their call is one of the creepiest sounds I’ve ever heard. They’re probably the smartest of the native species here as well. Fun fact- ravens are one of very few animals that can recognize their reflection in a mirror (as opposed to seeing it and thinking it’s another animal).

            Soon after returning to my dorm from Lunch Tree Hill, I headed to the EDR for lunch with Jesse, Maggie and Nate. Nate’s working the later shift today, and Maggie’s off. Walking back after lunch, I decided to go to the pool to enjoy the beautiful, sunny day. The pool will close in early September, so I definitely want to use it as much as I can before that. Surprisingly, it really wasn’t very crowded. I spent quite a while in the fairly warm water, then some more time relaxing on one of the chairs around the pool. It was sunny but also fairly windy, making the water feel warmer than the air.

            After coming back to my dorm from the pool, I showered and relaxed out on the back porch until heading to dinner with Jesse. Cristina and Tanner were both working the earlier shifts at the desks, but I think they went into town together after getting off. We saw Nate in the EDR and the three of us ate together.

            I have the day off tomorrow as well. My only commitment is the employee safety meeting at one o’clock. Rob said that it was up to me if I wanted to go to the meeting or not, but seeing as how it’ll basically be getting paid to sit around and listen to other people from the company talk about safety, it won’t be a big deal. I’m hoping that I can go back to the pool after it, too. 

Don't Want To Miss A Thing

            I got up this morning early enough to go to breakfast with Cristina before she went in to work. It’s weird how empty the EDR seems at breakfast as opposed to other meals. They only serve breakfast until 8:30, so a lot of people that aren’t working early just sleep through it. Most employees have said that they’d prefer to be charged for every time they swipe their employee ID in the EDR, instead of automatically charged for three meals a day, but whatever. After breakfast I walked back through the lodge and to my room, where I slept a little longer, then sat out on the back porch and enjoyed the cool morning air until lunchtime.

            I just got back to my room after having lunch in the EDR with Jesse and Nate. Nate goes into work with me at three again today, as does David. Jesse has the day off. His department’s schedule is really weird. Sometimes he has three or four days off in a row, or even more. On the other hand, there are times where he’ll work seven days in a row, or more. It just depends on what conferences, weddings, or other events are going on in the lodge at the time.

            After today I’ll have Sunday and Monday off. August’s safety meeting is Monday at one, and I told Rob that I’d still go, even though I’m supposed to be off that day. It’s not a big deal; I’m basically getting paid to sit around, eat snacks, and listen to other people talk. Doesn’t sound like a bad deal to me. I’ll probably also go to the pool at least one of those days, maybe both. The pool closes in early September, so I want to use it as much as possible before that. I haven’t planned anything else to do on those days, but I’ll think of something. Hopefully I can go on another morning hike or something like that. I’m then off again on Wednesday and Thursday. I have another activity planned out for Thursday, but nothing yet for Wednesday. Maybe I’ll find a way to get up to Colter Bay and go kayaking again, or plan something else around Jackson Lake or the Snake River. I love being out on the water in this place. All of the lakes, rivers and streams are so beautiful and peaceful, and they’re some of the best spots to view wildlife, from moose to bears to bald eagles.

            We’re probably sold out again tonight, but Jen, David, Nate and I should be able to handle it. They’re some of my favorite people to work with too, so it should be a pretty easy shift. 

Coworkers, Cool Places, and Crazy Weather

            Last night’s shift was actually pretty fun. It had a few busy, hectic times to it, but overall it was still an easy shift. A lot of it just consisted of joking around with Nate, David, and Jen, who are actually the same people that I’ll be working with tomorrow evening. It actually seemed to pass by pretty quickly since we were always either working with guests or entertaining each other.

            I got up this morning early and went to breakfast with Cristina and Nate before they went in for their morning shift. After that, instead of going on the employee hike that Shane had set up, I went and did some hiking of my own (don’t worry- I had my bear spray and stayed on the trail!). I hiked out to a beautiful area called Oxbow Bend. The trailhead for that one is right behind the corrals right here on the lodge’s property. Oxbow Bend is, I think, one of the most beautiful areas in the park. On calm days like today, the mountains reflect in the Snake River perfectly, making for a really amazing scene. The hike out to it is about two miles, and once I got there I just sat and enjoyed the view for a while. Then I continued hiking, looping back around a different way than I’d come, passing another beautiful spot called Christian Pond. The hike was a total of about five miles, and I arrived back at the lodge just in time for lunch.

            I’d been considering going to the pool after lunch, but it started to get really cloudy and dark not long after I left the EDR. I swear, the weather in this place really can turn on a dime. The wind also kicked up quite a bit, so I nixed the pool and came back to dorm to relax after that hike. It started to rain a little after Cristina got off work at three, and we both hung out in our room with the back door standing open. There’s an overhang outside our door, so the rain doesn’t come in the door if we leave it open. All that was let in was the great smell of the rain and the cozy sound of it coming down outside.

            By about 5:30 the rain had stopped and Cristina, Jesse and I headed to the EDR for dinner together. After eating we walked back through the lodge and stopped at the activities desk, where Tanner was working. We talked with him for a while, and I scheduled an activity for me to do with one of my days off this coming week (more on that to come).  My schedule this week is very open. I only work tomorrow, Tuesday and Wednesday. Sounds like a great time to get out into this park and have some fun.

            As I mentioned earlier, I work at three again tomorrow with David, Nate, and Jen. I’ll probably get up early for breakfast again. I like joining Cristina before she goes in, and I feel like I’m getting charged for three meals a day no matter what, so I might as well use all three as often as possible. 

I'm Gonna Make This Place Your Home

            I just got back from having lunch at the EDR with a few of the lodge’s bellmen. They said it’s been pretty slow and easy so far. I start work at three today, along with David and Nate. We’re probably at full capacity again, or at least will be by the end of the night. Having last night off to hang out with Cristina, Tanner and Jesse was really nice; I haven’t seen any of them so far today. Cristina and Tanner are both at their desks right now, and I guess Jesse’s probably working too.

            It would be nice to have today off, like I was originally scheduled for, but at least I still have tomorrow. Shane, the employee recreation director, scheduled an employee hike tomorrow around a place called Hanging Canyon, not far from Jenny Lake. I think I may sign up for that one. It’s about a six mile hike and is in a really beautiful area.

            It kind of seems like the busy season is nearing its end. Rob gave most of the people at the desk at least three days off next week. I’m only scheduled to work Saturday, Tuesday and Wednesday. I definitely want to make the most of those days off. I’ll probably do some more hiking and maybe plan a trip up to Yellowstone. I also want to go kayaking on Jackson Lake again soon; that was absolutely amazing.

            Looking at the date, I just realized that exactly three months ago was the day I moved into the employee dorms here. May 14: the day I met Tanner, Cristina, Elliot, and Jesse (in that order). Tanner was the first person I really met when I came here; he helped carry my bags from the car into my dorm room. At that time I figured he was a nice guy but I really didn’t expect for him to become one of my best friends here. I met Cristina not long after that, in our room, then Elliot in the EDR at dinner. Last but not least, I met Jesse out on our back porch later that evening. The next day I met Nate, my other coworkers, and my supervisors. In these three short months, this place has come to really feel like home. I know the area really well, have become friends with most of the other employees, and have just gotten to feel really comfortable and safe here. Now, with less than two months until the lodge closes, it’s beginning to feel like the end is near. Several friends that I made here have already left to go back to school, and a few are going to be leaving in the next week or so. Even those of us that are staying until the end are already talking a lot about what their plans are for the winter season. In October I’ll be happy to go back home to San Antonio, but I’ll also really miss this beautiful place and these awesome people. 

            For my last bit of news, I’ll say that this is my 100^th post on this blog. After making a post every day straight for over two months, that doesn’t really surprise me. It’s still cool to see the number of posts go into triple digits, though. I’ll miss updating this blog when the season ends and my life returns to “normal”. This has been an awesome way to not only keep up with people back home, but to remember my awesome experiences just so I can look back on them. I’ve gone over and reread many of these posts, and it’s great to have this as a kind of journal. It’s interesting to see which posts are the longest, which ones have the most views, and which ones seem to stand out in other ways. 

Life At The Desk

            Well, the last two shifts at work have been easy, though kind of slow. Yesterday I was working with David and Rebecca. Emily was the supervisor for the first portion of the shift, then Rob came in at around dinner time and stayed for the rest of it, while Emily went home. Thankfully we didn’t have any guest issues and by about 9:30 we only had seven more check-ins left, so the rest of the shift was very easy. Basically it was just all of us hanging out on our computers and joking with each other.

            Since it’d been so slow, we were all able to get off work at pretty much eleven o’clock exactly and head home. I got back to our room and immediately went to bed, since I had to be back at work at seven this morning. I’ve had only later shifts this week, so hearing my alarm go off at 5:45 this morning wasn’t particularly pleasant. I knew, though, that in terms of the actual amount of work we have to do, the morning shift is always easier, so it wouldn’t be a bad day.

            Cristina and Rebecca were both also working this morning, as was Rob. It was a really easy shift; check-outs are just so much simpler to do in our system that even if we have a lot of them, mornings are always so much easier. The only thing people don’t really like about the morning shift is the fact that we almost always take in cash on that shift, and pretty much never do that on the later shift. Doing cash drops at the end of the shift is just such a long, complicated process, and we have to go through the whole thing no matter how little cash we took in; I once had to do one because a guest gave me 83 cents.

            After the shift ended Cristina and I came back to our room and relaxed until nearly six, when we went to dinner with Tanner and Jesse. I normally would have tomorrow off, but since I switched with Rebecca I go to work at three. I’ll be working with Nate, David and Jen, then I have Friday off. When I checked today I saw that we have about 180 check-ins tomorrow, but it shouldn’t be a bad shift. I really like working with all of them; maybe I’ll quiz Nate and David on some more animal facts when it gets slow, like I did last time we were working together. Right now I don’t have any plans for Friday, but I’m sure I’ll get out and find something to do. 

Night Of The Wolf

            Well, there’s not much news to report since my last post. Last night I went to the Whistle Pig for a little while to hang out with Elliot, Devin, John from security, and a few other people. It wasn’t very full in there, which was fine with me. We talked about how work was going for all of us, and if we had plans for the winter season. The job fair for Vail Resorts is coming up. I’m not sure exactly what day it will be, but within the next couple of weeks. I’ve heard it’ll be on one of the lodge’s conference rooms and will go on all day. I’m sure I’ll go at some point to just look around, even though I’m sure I’ll just go back home when this season’s over.

Cristina, Tanner, Jesse, and Nate just went out to go hiking around for the day, since they all have off. Sadie, who works in the Blue Heron upstairs in the lodge, went with them. She’s leaving very soon to go back to school. I just got back from having lunch in the EDR.I go into work at three again today, working with David and Rebecca, with Emily as the supervisor. It shouldn’t be a bad shift at all; I like working with all of them. Then I go into work at seven on Wednesday, working with Cristina and Rebecca again. I haven’t had to do the “flip flop shifts” in a couple of weeks, so I hope I’ll be able to leave right at eleven tonight to get as much sleep as possible. It shouldn’t be too bad though, since the morning shift is so easy. Maybe tomorrow after work I’ll go back to the pool to hang out; the water felt absolutely great yesterday!

Other news, that I surprisingly haven’t mentioned yet, is that on Sunday evening I saw my first wolf. After getting off work a little early, instead of walking straight back to my dorm I decided to walk out to the lodge’s back patio to enjoy the mountains for a few minutes, and I’m very glad I did. Looking out at the Teton Range and the willow flats in front of them, I saw a group of elk in one of the meadow clearings, grazing. It’s not at all unusual to see elk out there, especially in late evening, so I wasn’t surprised at that. Then, however, I saw two gray wolves in another clearing eating something that looked like a deer carcass. I’d heard that wolves were much more plentiful in Yellowstone than here in this park, so I could hardly believe it. These were definitely much bigger than coyotes, though; even from the distance, I could clearly tell that they were wolves. I’d heard wolves howling at night several times before here, so I knew that they were around somewhere, but I honestly didn’t expect to see them. It was a really cool experience.

Well, like I said, there’s not much other news to report for today, so I’ll just check back in after work tomorrow.