Last words from Yellowstone

Last Words from Yellowstone

September 15, 2017

WOW…… its sure is hard to believe that a few short months ago Paula and I began this amazing adventure we call the Ramblin Ruis. It seems like just yesterday that we were making our final preparations to hit the road as full time RVers.  Up to this point we could not have asked for more out of our adventure which has included, living in one of the most beautiful places in the world, daily interaction with nature, meeting and making new friends, and rediscovering who we are as a married couple. All has not been perfect but we have been truly blessed to have seen and done all we have this first season as full timers. As we prepare to leave here it is bitter sweet as we will be leaving behind what has been our home for the past 5 months and new-found friends, but at the same time as the snow falls outside our window today, winter has begun and we know we must move on. We also look forward to seeing our family and friends back on the east coast as we pass through on our way south for our winter snow birding.

Chief Joseph Highway

Big Horn Sheep at paly on Cody Road

Bull Moose

September has been a busy month just like the previous ones here at Fishing Bridge RV.  It began with a busy Labor Day weekend in which Paula and I had a picnic lunch on one of our days off along Yellowstone Lake at a place called Sedge Bay.  We packed sandwiches, chips, drinks and maybe a cookie or two. We choose an isolated table right on the shore of the lake. The day was a clear day and warm for the first of September in Yellowstone. As we sat down Paula choose the side of the table facing the lake and I sat on the opposite side of the table with my back to the lake. As I sat down Paula asked “why are you sitting on that side you can’t see the lake from there”. I laughed and told her I was gonna watch for wild life across the road.  As we began to eat our lunch and talk I noticed something across the road that caught my eye. At first glimpse, it looked like an elk grazing. As I brought it to Paula’s attention and she turned to look it swished its long tail and she said that’s no elk that’s a horse. Sure, enough right before our eyes slap dab in the middle of prime grizzly territory was a horse grazing all by its lonesome. No rider, No saddle…… As we sat in amazement at what we saw we discussed how and why a horse was all alone way out here. Now  keep in mind that a short distance from Sedge bay is a staging area for horseback guided tours into the back country. We thought he may have gotten loose from this area. So as Paula walked back to the truck to get her phone to call the Rangers it just so happened a truck load of Rangers was coming down the road. We flagged them down and asked if they knew anything about a missing horse. One Ranger exclaimed a horse, it’s been missing for a week and we are gonna give you a reward. As the Rangers went up and got the horse we finished our picnic and watched as they led the horse back to their truck and waited on a horse trailer to arrive. After eating I had to stick my feet in the lake which averages 51 degrees in the summer as I had been dying to do this all summer. It was cold and I only went in to my knees.  As we got ready to leave our picnic location the Rangers were still waiting on a trailer to arrive so being curious as to where the horse came from we rode to their location to inquire. It was at this time we found out that the horse had gone missing 7 days earlier from a trail ride 25 miles deep in the back country. Now it is truly amazing that this horse spent 7 days alone in the back country dragging a lead rope in the middle of grizzly country and survived this journey. I didn’t find out the horse’s name but whatever it was he needs to change it to LUCKY.

Bear Tooth Highway

West Thumb Hot Springs

On Labor Day Monday, we had a staff cookout with barbequed chicken on the grill and sides galore.  Jim and I cooked the chicken as the others gave pointers and critics of our barbeque skills. One thing for sure there hasn’t been a shortage of food among the Fishing Bridge RV staff this year. We have had delicious meals at each holiday gathering during the summer.

On Tuesday September 5, we headed over to Cody after work for dinner with HF and JoAnne Whitlow. They were passing through on a trip out west and called to let us know they were in the neighborhood. We went to dinner at Irma’s restaurant which is located in the old hotel which was owned by Buffalo Bill Cody when he founded the town. It was a very nice meal and visit with the Whitlow’s and we even had Buffalo Bill stop by our table and say hello. It is always good to see friendly faces from Ringgold.

With our last full moon being September 6^th, we decided to go and watch the full moon rise over an eruption of the Old Faithful geyser. So, when Paula and I got off work we packed a picnic dinner and drove to meet Ed and Judy, our co-workers who are retired professors from Boise State University, for a hike to the Grand Prismatic overlook for an afternoon view of this most impressive and colorful hot spring. Then after the hike we went back to the Old Faithful area where we had our picnic and were met by a number of our other co-workers for the full moon viewing over Old Faithful. We meet around 730pm and the first eruption after dark was not until around 920pm so we hung out at the Old Faithful Inn socializing and telling tells and having a good laugh with each other. Because of all of the wild fires in the west we had a thick haze of smoke hanging over the sky and I was afraid that the moon would be blocked by the smoky haze since it was my idea to come see this. By at about 850 pm a bright orange moon appeared through the smoke and we had a wonderful viewing of the Old Faithful eruption with the full moon in the back ground.

Corn Moon

Full Moon Over Old Faithful Geyser

This past Tuesday night we went out to star gaze with Ed and Judy to the Mary Bay area of lake Yellowstone. This was something we had been trying to do all year. It was truly amazing the Milky Way galaxy was so bright it was reflecting off the lake.  Millions and Millions of stars just a shining in the night darkness. We did see a few shooting stars as well one was so bright and lasted so long you almost would have thought it was an airplane. To top the night off as we sat there along the lake watching the stars the elk were bugling in the valley behind us.

As the circle of life rotates in Yellowstone September is the “rut” for the elk. The bull Elk bugle to try and lure the cows in for the mating season. The bulls strut around with the huge racks as if they own the world, and the bugling is one of the most unique sounds you will ever hear.

Big Boys On The Prowl

Last night we rode out to the Hayden Valley for one last chance at seeing a wolf or a bear before we leave this magical place.  As we rode north I spotted something on a ridge just across the Yellowstone river. We pulled into a pull out and grabbed our binoculars. To our amazement it was a pack of wolves. Black wolves, Gray Wolves, A White Wolf, and a least 6 newborn pups.  For the next hour, we sat and watched the wolves play, wrestle and chase each other in the meadow on the ridge without a care in the world.  While we sat there we heard the bugle of the elk across the river. As we looked across the river with in a half a mile stretch of meadow along the river there was a heard of elk, a bull bison grazing and a pack of wolves that numbered at least 18 strong coexisting in nature as God has created them to do. This was truly icing on the cake for us and our wild life viewing this season in Yellowstone.

Wapiti Wolf PAck

Our season ends here on September 17^th as the campground closes for the season. We will check out our last guests and pack up our office supplies to save for the next season. We will have a hamburger/hot dog cookout for the staff Sunday night. Then on Monday the 18^th Xanterra treats us to breakfast at the Lake Hotel and we will check out with the Personal office and we will all head our separate ways.

Last Day at the Check in Desk

As we pull up stakes here Paula and I will head to Bozeman Mt for a couple of days and then we will go to Banff Alberta Canada for a weekend getaway. After returning from Banff we will head to Salt Lake City, Utah where on October 1^st we will meet Ashley and Tristan who will be flying in from Alaska.  For the first two weeks of October we will visit 5 national parks in Utah and then the Balloon Festival in Albuquerque New Mexico and White Sand Dunes National Park in Colorado. Around October 13 we will head east and should arrive back in Ringgold by the end of October. We will be in Ringgold until December 1^st or so and then we will head to SC for the month of December where we will be volunteering in a state park campground. Then January 1 we will head back to Florida for a little R&R.

February and March are still yet to be determined and then we will plan on a return trip for a second season in Yellowstone in April 2018.

As we leave here we are very thankful to the good Lord above for the opportunity to be able to live out our dream. We are thankful for the new friendships that we have developed. We are also very thankful for the opportunity to wake up in this beautiful place every day for the last 5 months.

Looking around this old world today it makes you realize how short life is and fragile it can be. So as the Saturday morning show Rock the Park says; Get out and enjoy a park and if we can do it you can do it to…..

Until Next Time

The Ramblin Ruis

Allen and Paula

August 26, 2017

Changing Seasons

As we near the end of August we have 24 days left in Yellowstone. The seasons change very quickly here as we are now beginning to see signs of fall. The wild flowers are disappearing, the “red Dawgs” have started to grow up, the temperatures are beginning to cool and Christmas in August has come and gone. The change in seasons here reminds us how quickly our lives pass by and how we need to enjoy life and live it to the fullest every day. The sheer power and beauty of nature that we have experienced this year in Yellowstone has truly been a blessing for the two of us and helps remind us how small we really are in God’s creation.

Grand Prismatic Hot Spring 

No Longer a Red Dawg

August began with the Bison in “rut” which is mother nature’s way of ensuring the Bison herd continues here in Yellowstone. This is a really active time in the herd as the bull bison rejoin the herd in an attempt to court a young cow. It is truly amazing to watch these two thousand-pound mammals running at full speed 5 or 6 at a time chasing one cow trying to win her affection. These guys then without notice will stop on a dime and ram head first into each other with the goal of trying to eliminating any competition. This can go on for days as small little chases break out throughout the herd. These big bulls will also try another trick to show their strength and vigor which is they will lay down on their side and roll around in a dirt mound hoping to catch the eye on a young lady. All of the courting ritual is quite comical to watch but it also unfortunately is part of the circle of live. There have been several bison that have died as a result of injuries sustained in these dating conflicts.  This has led to increased bear and wolf activity in the valley’s as these predators have moved into to take advantage of the pre-winter meals.

Rush Hour In Yellowstone

Unfortunately, not all of the bison deaths have been to natural causes we have had several that have died as a result of impatient humans diving to fast on these narrow roads, epically I the dark. You see bison eyes don’t reflect in car head lights as those of deer and elk do. So these normally slow moving creatures with very dark coats and eyes that don’t reflect are sometimes hit and killed by cars. Most of these are from people in a hurry trying to do “Yellowstone in an hour” and driving way to fast.

August also brought a little excitement as I had a kidney stone that decided to join the adventure. This one was 14 millimeters long and would not pass. Now it is a state secret as to how long this stone had been developing (for most of the summer) but final on August the 8^th I paid a visit to the Northern Wyoming Surgical Center where Doctor Gregory Stewart and staff crushed the stone.  This was an outpatient procedure and was a successful procedure. We stayed in Cody for two nights just in case there were in complications as it is an hour and a half from the park.  My nurse took good care of me and made sure I followed Doctors orders to the letter.  After a week of passing remnants of the stone all is well again.

August 21 brought the great American Eclipse to us here in North Western Wyoming. Here in the park we were at 98% totality with Casper and Jackson Hole being at 100%. Paula and I got our glasses and went out to the area of Sedge Bay along the Yellowstone lake to watch this rare event in nature. We had a great view with not a lot of people around.  We were very intrigued by the animal reactions at the eclipse began to take place.  The birds got quite the animals started to bed down and the temperature really cooled. I was stuck by the hazy look the lighting had when we were at the height of the eclipse but also how much light was still present with 98% of the sun block. It shows how powerful and bright the sun really is.

Yellow-bellied Marmots Watching the Eclipse With Us

There were three major viewpoints around us that had 100% totality for the eclipse that is Jackson Hole, Casper and Rexburg Idaho. Now guess where all those people wanted to go after the eclipse. Yep you guessed it YELLOWSTONE.  The night after the eclipse traffic was so bad leaving these areas there were backups as long as 17 miles on mostly 2 lane roads trying to get to the park. That night we had 25 campers that couldn’t even make it to the campground.  The day after was even crazier as the traffic around the park was so busy that they had to close the parking areas at Old Faithful and West Thumb thermal area. The National Parks Service had to call in extra Rangers to handle the traffic issues. Now I have worked my share of full moon Friday and Saturday nights over the past 30 years but they didn’t compare with the day of and day after the eclipse. Wow there were some strange people who traveled from all over the world to see this eclipse and some even without reservations for camping. They could just not believe that there was no camping available in the park.

A tradition stated years ago here in Yellowstone to celebrate Christmas in August. Now the exact origin of this tradition is open for debate one such story is that a major snow storm hit in August and everyone was snowed in so they decided to celebrated Christmas. Another is that an employee day celebration took palace in July called savage day, but this celebration got out of hand as the “savages” (the employee’s) were to rowdy and the guest complained so savage day was change to Christmas in August.  Regardless of which story you chose to believe we decorated the office for Christmas and we had a large Christmas dinner for our staff on August 25 complete with turkey and ham and all the fixens. MMMM, MMMM, good…………We also had a gift exchange and Christmas music for the celebration.

As the season winds, down we sadly have made some last trips for the season. We made out last trip to Cowboys a local restaurant in Gardiner with BBQ and southern cooked food. We made our last trip to the Lamar Valley area where we saw two more grizzly bears.  We will soon make one more trip to Cody and a trip to Old Faithful during a full moon night the week of September 6. Three more weeks to work and only six more days off. We have done and seen a lot but we are already working on our list for next year for thing to do that we didn’t get done this year.

It’s almost time for the Ramblin Ruis to pack up and start Ranblin again…….Our next blog will lay out our next destinations.

On the top of the Roosevelt Arch at the north entrance is this saying, ” For the benefit and enjoyment of the people”

Thankful there were people that had the foresight to save and preserve this place called Yellowstone because it truly is for the benefit and enjoyment of the people.

Until Next Time

The Ramblin Ruis

Allen and Paula

Time Is Zipping On By

Time Is Zipping On By

August 4, 2017

As the calendar has changed from July to August our time in Yellowstone is growing short.  July was the first month that we did not get any snow. Our temperatures have been in the mid-seventies and lows around forty at night which has made for some very pleasant weather for us. With the warmer temperatures, the west has started to dry out and at last count there were 287 wildfires. Fortunately, we have had some good rain fall along the way and the closest fire was about 25 miles east of the park but rain and cooler temperatures helped put this fire out. The National Forest services had about 275 firefighters set up in a camp for about two weeks on the road to Cody to help fight and control this fire. They also brought it a special plane to help fight the fire. We spent a Saturday afternoon along with a couple of co-workers sitting on Yellowstone lake watching and waiting for the plane to fly over and suck up water from the lake. But after about 3hours the rangers advised us that because of the improvement in the weather condition that the plane was not going to be used. Wild fires are part of life living in the west as most are started by lightning and some by careless humans.

July 13 brought my loving wife’s 56 birthday. For her birthday, I led our guests in singing happy birthday that morning at work and then again, a second time when our second shift came in to relieve us. Then  that night we went to the Old Faithful Inn and had dinner in the Inn. The Old Faithful Inn was built in !903 and is a beautifully designed building with a lobby which is 76 ½ feet tall. Again, I had the wait staff sing a very nice version of happy birthday to her again.  After dinner, we drove up to Belgrade Montana where we spent the night. The next morning, we got up and met my cousin Darcy and her friend for a kayaking trip down the Madison River. This was about an 8-mile trip and took us about 3 hours. The river and valley were beautiful and the river dropped through a rock canyon and wound down to a valley to the pickup zone.  Darcy and her friend were in tubes and Paula and I were in our kayaks.  I made one mistake as I put our cooler with lunch on Paula’s kayak and when she hit the river she took off and left the rest of us. Finally, she tried to wait for us so she tried to slow down but ended up running head on into a large rock. Thankfully she did not damage her boat but I was able to catch up and get my lunch. The day was beautiful with clear blue skies, temps in high 80’s and a light breeze which made it a very comfortable day on the river.  We spent Friday night in Belgrade and then got up Saturday morning and did our shopping and returned to the park. This marked the first two nights we had not been in the camper since March.

On July 22 Paula and I went back to the Old Faithful Inn where we went on top of the Inn and raised the flags on top of the Inn. This was a neat experience as we got to go into the crow’s nest in the upper reaches of the hotel lobby and then out onto the roof. I raised the Wyoming State flag and while we were up there the Bee Hive Geyser went off.  We left the Fishing Bridge area at 430 am to get there in time and it was neat being on the road at this time of the morning as no one else was on the roads. After raising the flags, we had breakfast in the dining room. Once we had breakfast we went to the Midway Geyser Basin where we saw the Grand Prismatic hot spring and then we hiked up to the new overlook that was just opened which allows an elevated look of the spring where you can really see the different colors in the hot spring.

Firehole River

After spending the morning hiking we headed off to Grant Village where we were to meet friends for lunch. On the way we picked up our second set of Harmless Park Employees who were hitchhiking to the Grant Village area. This couple had just arrived from Ecuador and were both working in the Old Faithful Snow Lodge. They spoke very good English and quizzed us on things that they should do and see while they were here. Once dropping them off we met up with Chris Eastwood and his family who were passing through on vacation. We had a very nice lunch with Chris, Jennifer and Emmie at the Grant Village lodge. Was so nice to see friends and catch up on Ringgold.  

On the weekend of July 28 & July 29 we traveled back to Belgrade to meet up with Darcy and her family and my Aunt Marcia who I had not seen in about 14 years.

On the way, up to Belgrade we took a detour and visited Quake Lake Mt. This is the location of one of the largest Earthquakes recorded in US history.  In 1959 a 7.5 quake hit the Hebgen valley and lake area of Montana.  In a matter of seconds, the side of a mountain came down and blocked the Madison river. This instantly created a new lake which is now referred to as Quake Lake. Unfortunately, 29 people were killed in the flooding and rock slides created by the quake.  It was amazing to see the force of nature and the amount of rock that came off the mountain is such a short period of time.  The next morning Paula and I got up to meet Darcy and her family for breakfast and spent an hour and a half visiting and catching up.  After breakfast, we headed off to the Hylite Canyon area  of the Gallatin National Forest where Marica, Darcy, Maranda (Darcy’s daughter) Paula and I hiked up to a beautiful waterfall called Palisade Falls. Then after the hike we stopped back along the river and had a snack. This was a great visit and time to catch up with family.

July also included an employee appreciation dinner which was given to us by Xanterra.  The meal was very nice and included a steak dinner in which our managers and supervisors served us our meal. 

We also spent our down time looking for wildlife as we have done for most of our down time here in the park. We spent several evenings out watching a grizzly and her white 3yr old cub. These two are real celebrities as they have spent a lot of time along the road from Fishing Bridge to the East entrance. The rangers have had their hands full trying to manage the excited visitors and keeping the bears and visitors safe during these up-close viewing opportunities.

As August rolls in we now have 45 days left here for the season. We have been blessed with our new friends which feel like new family members.  We had an office pizza party last night it was nice to be able to hang out with our coworkers in a social environment.

August is our last full month in the park and will be gone probably before we make our next post. We are starting to make plans for the upcoming months. We know you will find it shocking but it does look like we will be making a return trip for a second season in Yellowstone.

Hope all is well where ever you are and whatever you are doing.

Until next time

Ramblin Ruis

Allen and Paula

Halfway Point

Halfway Point

As the calendar has rolled from June to July we have reached the halfway point in our summer. It’s hard to believe that we have been on the road now for 4 months and been in Yellowstone for over two months. June was a very busy month for us and very eventful one as well. Work has been going well as Paula and I have settled in and both have been asked to assist with booking activities for our guest. This is in addition to checking our guest into the campground. This gives us a little more interaction with the guest as we have had to learn about each available activity and then share with the guest what they will be doing on each activity. These activities include horseback rides, bus tours of the park, guided fishing tours, a scenic boat cruise and a chuck wagon old west cookout. 

Wagon Train

On June 9^th, I got to go on the old west cookout as a new guest services agent which served as a “shakedown” for the old west cookout crew before they had to serve real guest. Unfortunately, Paula was unable to go because of her allergies to horses so I got put on the wagon with the extra crew members since I was by myself. We were on the wagons for a 30-minute ride into the back county being pulled by Belgian draft horses. Once we arrived at the cookout location we were served a steak dinner with 5 sides and apple crisp for desert all cooked cowboy style.  Then after some stories around the campfire we loaded back up and made the return trip to the corral. Now don’t feel too bad for Paula cause she was out chasing wolves in the Lamar Valley area on my truck. (yiks)

Xanterra hires roughly 3500 employees each summer to work in the campgrounds, hotels, retail locations and food services. Most of these are college age kids and a lot are foreign students who come and work just so they can experience Yellowstone and have a place to live. Most don’t have cars especially the foreign students. So, it is common practice for those without cars to make a sign that says, “Harmless Park Employee need a ride to Canyon Village” and they hitchhike around the park in this manner. It is considered a fairly safe practice but is not condoned by Xanterra or the National Parks Service. It is even such a common practice it was documented in a recently written book called the People of Yellowstone.   I had been reading a few stories from this book and had just learned about the hitchhiking practice from one of the stories. A night or two after reading about the hitchhiking Paula and I had finished doing laundry and we decided to ride out just before dark into the Haden Valley to see how high the Yellowstone river had risen from the snow melt.  As we approached the road junction to turn right toward the Haden Valley we saw two young girls standing on the side of the road with a sign “Harmless Employee need ride to Canyon Village”. Now by this time it was almost dark and it was 16 miles to Canyon Village which would require you to travel through the Haden Valley which has wolves, bison, grizzly bear, elk and coyote just mention a few animals roaming freely. So, I decided to pull over and give these girls a ride. My loving wife said we would take them halfway which would have meant dropping them off in the middle of the valley in pitch dark.  Then realizing what she had said she quickly recanted and agreed with me that we would carry them all the way. The two turned out to be Xanterra employees from a city near Bangkok Thailand. Come to find out they had missed the employee shuttle bus to Cody and so they decided with the help of another American employee to make a sign and hitchhike to Cody WY so they could see cowboys. Which they did 80 miles there and back but they did not see cowboys and were disappointed. They were very nice and asked a lot of questions in broken English they were 18 and 20 years old and had not a clue about how dangerous what they had done was.  When we dropped them safely off at Canyon Village where they both gave Paula a hug and traditional Thailand bow. 

During the month, we continued to explore different parts of the park and find new areas and back roads that the general public doesn’t usually travel. We have seen a total of 52 bears now both black and grizzly, 7 wolves and bison jams galore.

Then in the last week of June we got a pleasant surprise as Ashley came to visit for five days. She has been struggling this summer with laryngitis so the doctor took her out of work for a week as most of her job entails talking to people about wildlife. I think she left the doctor, took her sick slip to work and booked a flight to Yellowstone in about 3 hours’ time. It was great to see her and we spent almost all of her time here covering the park from the geyser basins to wildlife watching we covered every road in the park in two days. And she was able to limit her talking which helped her voice come back. And she got to see 9 bears while in Yellowstone.

Always looking for wildlife

Grand Canyon of Yellowstone

The wildflowers are out in full bloom and this place just gets more beautiful with each passing day. The landscape has changed from snowy to lush green with flowers and animals everywhere.  The Bison have shed their winter coats and the  Bull Elks antlers are growing an inch a day making them quite a sight with their huge racks. It still amazes us how many people do not heed the NPS warning to stay 25 yards from Elk and Bison and 100 yards from Bear and Wolves. We are forever seeing people 10 feet away from a big male Bison trying to get a selfie with him. We haven’t seen anybody gored yet but fear we will before the summer is over.  

With July 4^th, we had a steak dinner for our staff with pot luck sides which was very good food and a good time to visit with our coworkers. We also had a pool on when a large bank of snow that was across from our campsites would melt. We could pick up to five days per person and put 1 dollars in the pool for each day you chose. The pot was 48 dollars and the official date of melting was declared by our judge to be July 4th.  3 other guys on our crew and I had picked July 4^th so we each took home a whopping 12 dollars.

As we celebrated July 4^th we are very thankful for our freedom in this county that has led to the creation of places such as Yellowstone. Our freedom has also allowed to be able to choose our new lifestyle and be able to work here in Yellowstone. I know this country is far from perfect but even on a bad day it’s better to be an American than anyone else in the world. You even see the excitement in the faces of the foreigners we see on a daily basis as to how happy they are to be in America to visit and how lucky we are to live here.

Til next time

Ramblin Ruis

Allen and Paula