Summer Reflections

So, I’ve been back in Nebraska for about three months now, and I have yet to write a concluding post to my summer blog. Sorry about that, but at least I’ve had plenty of time to reflect on my experience up “where the buffalo roam.”

My first blog post highlighted my summer expectations, now I’m going to tell you which of those expectations became actualities.

This summer was certainly an enjoyable experience. I truly had a great time meeting new people from all over the world in one of the world’s most beautiful places.

My expectations for my cabin itself were pretty accurate. My door didn’t face the south, but rather the east, but the overall living experience was not far from what I expected. I couldn’t see the sunrise from my front door, but I could see the stars from my bedroom window above me every night as I went to bed….a fair trade-off as far as I’m considered. I was surprised to find that the area around the campground was not as isolated as I anticipated. The drive to West Yellowstone was a short one with several businesses and homes visible along the way. A trip into town always proved to be a nice break. I was impressed with how well I refrained from eating at McDonald’s…I only ate there three times all summer, however, I ate at Arby’s fairly frequently.

The campground was nice, as I anticipated. I enjoyed the pool and spa regularly and the café was a good place to get a good meal at a good price. We were also “fortunate” enough to get regular bear visits within the campground. This lead to late night “bear hunts” as Jacob and I desperately hoped to catch a glimpse of one of these beasts. It was probably dumb, dangerous and irresponsible of us, but it was fun.

As predicted, I worked with a wide variety of people at the KOA. As the summer progressed I got closer to my fellow employees. People like Ketanya, Jacob, Kim, Teaan, Lindsay, Ben, Karen, Arlene, John, Mike, Nate (of course) and Charlotte AKA “C-Bass” will not soon be forgotten. I truly enjoyed working with such a diverse group of people. In those few summer months we managed to share many stories and memories with one another.

I also took advantage of my close proximity to the park itself. I tried to visit it at least once per week, but it was usually more often than that. By the end of the summer I had visited almost all the major attractions, seen plenty of wildlife, and lots of beautiful scenery. I even got to see Old Faithful erupt in the middle of the night. My favorite places to visit were Firehole Canyon in Yellowstone and Mormon Row in the Grand Tetons. How could someone not love working in a place with so many breathtaking sites?

Most importantly, this experience gave me the opportunity to fulfill a dream I’ve had for a long time -- to work at Yellowstone. I’m happy I finally chose to do this. It was something I will always look back at and be relieved I did. I believe you should do those things you’ve always wanted to do, go those places you’ve always wanted to go, become what you’ve always wanted to become. Nobody can make your dreams come true, but you.

Meeting Mr. President

Sorry I've left you all hanging. Things have been pretty busy and all...you know: with seeing the president, leaving Montana, Amy and Matt's wedding, moving to my new apartment, preparing for my graduate assistantship, and finally starting grad classes. It's been a crazy and slightly stressful week.

Well, I'm going to primarily devote this post to the town hall meeting I attended in Belgrade, Montana where President Obama spoke on August 14th. In my previous blog I wrote about the great lengths I went to to get the tickets. Well, it all paid off on Friday.

Jacob and I arrived at the Gallatin Airfield in Belgrade around 10:30 am Friday morning. Doors to the event opened at 10:45, but there was quite a bit of traffic congestion getting to the hanger. While waiting in line we jammed out to some old rap music Jacob had in his car. The lyrics were ridiculous which made it even more awesome as we drove past protesters and camera crews with our windows down, music turned up, singing to "It Feels Good to be a Gangsta."

By the time we actually got in line we were pretty excited. There were police officers and secret service everywhere. We also watched as several helicopters with armed marines landed right by the building. After going through security we finally made it inside. There was a stage at the front of the building with seats situated in a semi-circle around it. Behind the stage was a huge American flag.

Our time waiting inside seemed to go by pretty fast and before you knew it the meeting was starting. First a pastor gave an invocation in which he asked for "God's protection over everyone in attendance...including the elderly." The way he said it made it sound like the elderly wouldn't normally be included in the collective term "everyone." Jacob nearly burst out laughing mid-prayer when he heard this...I almost did to. The Governor and Senators from Montana then got up and spoke for awhile.

Around 12:47 a member of the secret service came out and placed a plaque with the presidential seal on it on the front podium. This meant Obama was in the building. You could just feel the energy and excitement in the room when this happened.

Finally, around 1 pm a woman facing health care issues shared her personal story of suffering and then introduced President Obama. It was a pretty surreal experience. It's hard convincing yourself that what you're seeing is actually true. We were literally a few feet away from the most powerful man in the world. Our seats were pretty good too...we were in the 10th row, dead center.

President Obama then spoke for the next hour to hour and a half about health care. He was certainly a very motivated and passionate speaker that was fun to listen to. I know he's a politician and he knows how to put a good spin on things, but what he said actually made a lot of sense. He said he wanted to make it illegal for insurance companies to drop your coverage because of a health issue, he wanted to make it illegal for insurance companies to raise the cost of your insurance because of an illness, and he wanted affordable health insurance for all citizens. He made sure to specify that he does not want socialized health care.

Anyways, he then fielded questions from the audience. I had one prepared, but he actually already answered mine during his speech. Most of the questions were friendly, but there were a few people who had some differing views. For instance, Obama kept saying that insurance companies are making too much money while the consumers are going broke. A man who sells insurance then asked a question and said it didn't seem fair that Obama was villianizing health insurance companies.

After he got done answering questions he made a concluding remark and then came down from the stage and began shaking people's hands. There was a barrier dividing the crowd from him and I made my way up to that barrier and managed to shake his hand. As I did so I simply said, "Hello Mr. President." He responded "How's everyone doing?" So it wasn't exactly a personal response, but it was good enough. I couldn't believe I actually got to shake his hand (In the picture shown above it is my hand Obama is actually shaking).

Following the meeting we went outside and took pictures of Air Force One which was parked behind the hanger. It was a lot bigger than I imagined it would be.

We left the town hall meeting feeling much more knowledgeable on the issue of health care reform as well as feeling very privileged that we were able to see President Obama speak in person. Years from now I will tell my grandchildren about the day when I got to shake the president's hand. This experience was an unexpected one, but it proved to be a great way to end my summer in Montana.

Obama Mania

On Sunday I found out something that completely changed my plans for the week: Barack Obama, you know...the 44th President of the United States of America, was planning a visit to Montana and Yellowstone. I-was-psyched.

All I have been able to think about the last few days is getting to see him. Now, I admit, I'm not exactly an Obama fanatic, but I am a fan of America and it's presidents. I respect Obama as well as all the other men that have risen to that distinguished office.

Every day this week I've been reading the papers and searching online for more details about his visit and every day a little more information was released. This is what it boils down to. President Obama will arive in Belgrade, Montana (right next to Bozeman) early Friday afternoon and will speak at a town-hall meeting about the proposed health care reform. He held a similar meeting in New Hampshire earlier this week. After speaking, Obama and the entire first family will travel down to Yellowstone to do some sightseeing. It is suspected that he will travel by helicopter from Belgrade to the park. His visit in the park is meant to boost interest in travel to the national parks. Following his time here, he will go to Colorado and then the Grand Canyon.

Tuesday night I found out details about how to actually get into the meeting. All available tickets were split between two distribution centers: the Belgrade City Hall and the Bozeman City Hall. Tickets were available for distribution beginning at 9 am this morning. When I first found this out I thought I would try to drive there in the middle of the night and get in line for tickets around 5 or 6 am.

Then yesterday afternoon I realized that if I really wanted these tickets I would really have to fight for them. After all, only 300-500 tickets were going to be available for the general public. So, I left West Yellowstone around 6 pm yesterday and arrived in Belgrade around 8 pm to sit in line. I decided to go to the Belgrade City Hall since it is a much smaller city than Bozeman and I figured I would have a better chance at getting tickets.

At 8:30, after stocking up on snacks and with McDonald's in hand, I got in line for tickets. I had a long wait in store, but I figured it was worth it. When I got there I was the 15th person in line which was a relief, because I knew I was definitely in the running for the tickets unless if a ton of people would cut in line.

While waiting I chatted with a man named Kevin who was in front of me and a man named LaVon who was in line behind me. There were other fun people there that made the time pass by fast. There were also some loudmouths who thought they knew everything...and nobody wanted to hear it.

The time did really go by fast...I took a ton of stuff to do and hardly got any of it done. Around 10:50 there was the first argument about people "cutting" in line. Around 11:30 a man told me I looked "cool" with my headlamp on...I couldn't tell if hew as serious or being sarcastic. Around 11:53 a lady freaked out when she thought her dog ran away...he ended up being under her chair. At midnight I laid down in my sleeping bag on the moist ground wrapped up in numerous sweatshirts and blankets. I fell asleep watching the stars...I actually saw 7 shooting stars! At 5:30 am I woke up to people whispering about people cutting in line while everyone was asleep. At 6:45 LaVon jokingly shouted at me "Hey Nebraska! Are you going to lay in that sleeping bag until 8:45...right before they hand out them tickets?" I said, "Yes, what of it!?" Around 7 am I was up and all packed. When I went to bed there had been about 50 people in line, when I woke up there were a couple hundred. I passed by the last hour by reading an issue of TIME magazine all about the health care reform so I could be more knowledgeable on the topic.

To our surprise, at 8:15 the line started moving....they decided to start passing out the tickets 45 minutes early. So by 8:20 I had two tickets to see Obama in hand. I was so excited! Then I was just worried that I would be jumped and robbed on my way back to my car! I kind of felt bad for all the people who didn't get tickets...they just didn't get there early enough I guess. One lady who had been near the front of the line went to the bathroom and ended up not getting tickets. I witnessed her breakdown...not a pretty sight.

Anyways, tomorrow is the big day. Since I got two tickets Jacob is going to go with me (Nate left early this morning to head back to Nebraska). The gates open at 10:45 so I want to get there by 10 am. Obama won't speak until 12:55 pm and I suspect he'll speak for about an hour. Afterward, I'm flooring-it to Colorado for Amy and Matt's wedding. Now, I just need to think of a legitimate question to ask Obama...something that won't make me look dumb. If I get to ask him a question I'm totally going to put that on my resume: "I have interviewed the President of the United States." Even if it's only one question it still counts.

Regardless, just being there is going to be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity...something I will share with my children and even grandchildren some day. I still can't believe that I'm getting the chance to see him. Go figure, I go out to the middle of nowhere for the summer and end of meeting the most powerful man in the world. I don't know about you, but I think that's pretty cool.

Those Crazy West Yellowstone Nights

West Yellowstone isn't exactly New York City in terms of nightlife, but we've been managing to keep ourselves amused out here. Over the last week we've had several late night excursions that have proven you can have fun once the sun goes down, despite being out in the middle of nowhere.

Last Thursday the Jamaican workers invited us to a Jamaican Independence Day party. We went to Kim's apartment for awhile and then to Wild West Pizza and Bar. We played some pool and the girls took lots of pictures. They also convinced me that as a skinny white boy from Nebraska with no rhythm, I was never destined to be a dancer.

On Saturday, Nate and I went over to Island Park to meet Hailey Jo who was there camping with her family. We spent a few hours there in the afternoon which included skipping stones on the lake (which I'm horrible at) and then Hailey making us bagel sandwiches (thanks Hailey). Well, we decided those few hours weren't enough so after I got off work at 9 I drove back to Island Park, picked up Hailey, and then brought her back to KOA. She got to meet a lot of my co-workers and got to see how quaint little cabin.

THEN we drove into the park in the middle of the night to see Old Faithful erupt in the dark. It's something I've wanted to do all summer and haven't made time to do yet. Well I can check that off my to-do list. We got out to the boardwalks that wrap around the geyser just after midnight. It was pretty much perfect timing because Old Faithful began erupting at 12:15 and surprisingly we could see it pretty well thanks to the stars and moon. We also had flashlights and I wore my headlight...so I looked extra cool. It was a good time and fortunately we didn't hit a bison in the dark.

Sunday night the KOA employees got together for ED-fest...named after Ed, the head of maintenance here. We pretty much just sat around a fire out in the woods, ate some food, and I played with a Siberian Husky that was there. Sweet life, I know.

Monday night involved Jacob and I having dinner at the patio BBQ here and then going to town to see Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. I had already seen it, but the tickets were free so I couldn't pass that up. Afterward, we went and chilled with Kim for awhile.

Tonight is my last night in West Yellowstone so I better make it a good one...so far I've cleaned my cabin and played an online game with Tim. I definitely know how to have a good time. But heck, the night is still young, who knows what kind of mischief I'll get into...

Natalia's Day Out

About a week ago Natalia (AKA the pregnant Moldovan girl) asked if she could go into Yellowstone with me some time. She's worked here all summer and had yet to experience the park. I agreed and promised that I would take her with me some time when I go.

I feel really bad for her because she is 1 1/2 weeks shy of being six months pregnant and she's stranded in the U.S. She no longer has the energy to clean daily here at the KOA and her husband back in Moldova wants her to come home. She was originally scheduled to leave here in September, but wants to get her tickets changed to some time here in August. Unfortunately, she has been unable to do so. She's been trying for weeks to get them moved up, but no luck.

Natalia is no longer working because as a rapidly expanding pregnant woman, she is in no condition to be doing so. She actually passed out the other night while at the patio BBQ...she kept insisting that she was fine, but I don't think she's eating right or drinking enough fluids. Whatever the case, it's bad news. So she just sits in her cabin all day doing practically nothing. Fortunately, Luda has a laptop with internet so that helps her pass the time.

The second reason I feel bad for her is that this past Tuesday Nate and I went into the park and I didn't invite her. It wasn't that we didn't want her to go with it's just that we were going to be gone ALL day and wanted to do some hiking and we figured it would be too strenuous for her. We actually spent the entire day in the park and did both loops...so it would have been too much for her. Well, she found out that we went into the park (thanks to Jacob) so I felt really bad. I explained that we knew it was going to be a full day and that's why we didn't ask her to go with. She gave me a hard time, but said she understood.

Anyways, yesterday I finally took Natalia into the park for the afternoon. It turned out being a really fun afternoon. She was so excited to see everything. It was like I was a dad going into the park with his kid, she was so excited to see all the sites. Before we left I stopped and bought snacks and drinks and then I took her photo in front of the entrance sign to commemorate her first trip. I felt like a dad taking his kids to a ball game for the first time, it was a special day for her.

This summer I have found out that if there is one thing foreign girls know how to do, it's how to strike a pose for a picture. Natalia was a picture-taking maniac. She didn't necessarily take a lot of photos of the landscape, but rather had me take a ton of pictures of her posing in front of the landscapes. I felt like a photographer taking senior portraits. One awesome side note for all you movie fans: Natalia wore a shirt that is almost identical to one Juno wears in the movie "Juno" (the movie about the pregnant teen). So I felt like I was traveling with Juno all afternoon!

We ended up mostly driving through the geyser basins. We went down Firehole Drive, saw Old Faithful, the paint pots, and several other hot springs. She seemed to have a great time, but I could tell by the end that she was getting tired so it was a good thing she didn't got with us on Tuesday.

We also had to head back because a storm was moving in. I was personally a little nervous because the night before I had a dream that I was struck by lightning. In my dream I was walking across a parking lot when I saw a bright flash, a ripping noise, and then the next thing I knew I was laying on the pavement, unable to move. It was like a movie camera that had been dropped...that's how I remember it. So you can understand why I was a little skittish when Natalia and I made a dash for my car when the storm came in. It was like deja vu: I was walking across a parking lot, just like in my dream and I saw lightning flash out of the corner of my eye just like in my dream. I thought, "Oh crap, I'm going to die here in a parking lot with a pregnant girl who can barely speak English....great."

Fortunately, I made it back to the car safely, Natalia didn't pass out AND she didn't go into labor under my watch....whew.

A "Local's" Perspective on Tourists

I know I've only been here a couple of months myself, and I still do plenty of sight-seeing on my days off, but I consider myself a temporary local of West Yellowstone...NOT a tourist.

However, I actually feel that I've come to know the tourist scene pretty well. Afterall, I work at a campground full of tourists and frequently visit the park where I am surrounded by hundreds of tourists.

I've come to notice several patterns and behaviors exhibited by nearly every family that vacations here. Some of these are obvious, I know, but I still don't understand why almost all tourists share these same traits.

First of all, the appearances of all tourists are nearly the same. The "dad" type where flat-billed hats, sunglasses, khaki shorts, black socks half-way up their calves, and some variation of a striped polo shirt. Mom's are decked out in some sort of visor/wide-brimmed hat, "mom jeans", a satchel slung across her body, and occasionally the infamous fanny pack (actually, a fanny pack can be worn by sexes, either way they're totally awesome). And, of course, every tourist must always have a camera hanging from their neck or firmly held in hand. The hard-core tourists walk around with tripods...I always stare at them and think, "really?" I don't understand why tourists always look so out-of-the-ordinary. I'm sure these people typically look perfectly fashionable back home, but the second they go on vacation everybody turns into a giant nerd. Nobody ever looks "cool" while traveling.

When traveling, people always try to dress comfortably...I've come to this one conclusion: YOU ARE NEVER COMFORTABLE WHILE TRAVELING. A combination of heat, crowds, continuous walking, repeatedly getting in and out of the car, and grouchy travel companions can quickly make one VERY uncomfortable. One thing that personally always makes me uncomfortable is when my pockets become full of "essential" stuff such as: my wallet, sunglasses, keys, camera, coins, pamphlets, and anything else I might pick up along the way. It makes walking very uncomfortable when the camera in my side pocket keeps banging against my kneecap. I'd rather just leave everything back in the car.

It's also interesting to eves-drop on family's conversations. Outwardly, the family may look perfectly happy, but it seems like there is always tension while traveling. Someone's always complaining about something: someone's always hungry, someone always has to pee, someone's always pouting, and someone's always tired of walking. I always think, "Well, what did you expect to do? Of course you have to walk on vacation!" It seems like the "happy family vacation" is usually anything but. I've witnessed so many stressed out family's I can't imagine any of them are having a good time.

I believe that when people go on vacation they're always looking for something...and I don't mean the next bathroom or a place to get lunch. Especially here in Yellowstone, people are looking to be inspired. People expect to "become one with nature" here. It seems like people get their hopes up so high that they are just setting themselves up for disappointment when the perfect get-away turns into a family cat-fight. They have an idealized image of what Yellowstone should be like, but for many that image never really comes true. I think that to truly enjoy what Yellowstone and every tourist destination has to offer people need to talk less and just take it all in. They should sit down silently and observe the beauty all around them without worrying about the trivial things of life.

When on vacation: we need to quit complaining, stop worrying, look around, and thank God for all the wonderful things we have been surrounded with. I believe these are the ingredients for a great vacation and a more fulfilling life in general. Oh yeah, and one more important ingredient: please don't dress like a nerd, unfortunately this means leaving the fanny pack at home.

Wolf T-Shirts Are AWESOME!

So I've come to the conclusion over the last few days that wolf t-shirts are AMAZING. In order to fit in here at Montana I need to buy one. You guys all know the type of shirts I'm talking about. They usually feature one or more wolves (or wolfs) on the front of a t-shirt sometimes running, sometimes howling at the moon, sometimes snarling and always looking totally 100% awesome.

We are lucky enough to have some of these wolf t-shirts at our KOA gift store. But they aren't your average, ordinary wolf shirts...these shirts are two-toned and feature several wolves on the front, but offer a special challenge....there are 9 hidden wolves somewhere on shirt.Who could resist a shirt like that?

Yesterday a lady came into the store and freaked out when she saw our wolf shirts..."Oh...my...gosh....I HAVE TO HAVE THIS SHIRT....JUST LOOK AT THIS SHIRT" she exclaimed. She then made me hide the wolf shirt until she came back with more money. Simply stated, she flipped out. With good reason, they ARE awesome...I spent the afternoon today in town looking for a sweet wolf t-shirt to buy for myself. I think I found a winner. I'm going to look GOOD in this shirt.

Emily was kind enough to send me a link to this amazing wolf t-shirt website...check it out!

http://www.guidespot.com/guides/wolf_shirt_facts_amazon

Being Sick is Zero Fun

What? What's this? Another post on the same day...gee Carson must really be motivated...or really bored. Well this isn't going to be a very cheery post, I'm sorry. It's all about me being sick. It's a rant...so prepare yourself. But on the bright side: check out the sweet "sore throat" clipart I found online!

Being sick is no fun. What started as a mild throat irritation last Sunday has turned into a full blown cold. I know, I know..."a cold?"...big deal...but I am a guy and traditionally guys tend to overreact when they come down with a cold...so I'm just fitting into the stereotype, that's all.

I'm hot...then cold, I'm sweaty, I'm exhausted, I'm coughing, I'm sneezing, frankly...I'm unattractive.

The other night I woke up coughing uncontrollably so I took a cough drop thinking it would help. It didn't. I actually started choking on the cough drop and finally swallowed it whole. The whole time I was just thinking...I could choke to death here in my cabin in the middle of the night and nobody would be able to help me. This bites.

Friends have called and written me this last week, but I have barely enough energy to drag myself back through the cabin door every night, let alone to carry on a conversation with someone.

Work has been miserable since it involves quite a bit of verbal communication. Fortunately, I've gotten to work outside on bike rentals the last few nights which isn't quite so bad. I actually like doing it since it makes me feel like a carnie (carnival person). I sit there in my little wooden hut with a sign hanging in front of me that reads "Bike Rentals: Single Seaters- $7 for 1/2 hour, Multi Seaters- $10 for 1/2 hour." It's great. I just sit there and stare as people walk on by and take their money when they want to go for a ride.

I know my sore throat has affected my speech...I can tell by the way customers stare at me. They're thinking, "What's wrong with this guy's voice?!" I mutter my usual mantra: "This rental is just for 1/2 hour, here's a flag, have fun, and please don't get hit by a car" (when there are accidents that tends to reflect poorly on myself). I then push their bike out onto the road. After a few wobbly pedals they're on their way. What's even worse than my speech is when I try to swallow mid-sentence. I watch as the children's eyes widen in horror as they watch me try to swallow my own saliva which I imagine looks more like I'm trying to swallow a jagged little pill (yes, I did just reference an Alanis Morissette album, deal with it).

I'm surviving on a steady diet of DayQuil and Cool Ranch Doritos. Okay, actually I've tried to overload on Vitamin C by eating plenty of fruit and chugging down the Sunny D. So far, I've gone through two boxes of cold medicine and have finished off a bottle of Nyquil with no signs of improvement. The labels on the medicine say that if the symptoms continue for over 7 days you should consult a physician.

I'm fairly certain that some sort of antibiotic would successfully kill whatever has set-up camp in my throat. So, if my throat isn't feeling better by tomorrow I'm going to the clinic in town. I'm worried it might be strep throat again...I tend to get it fairly frequently...then again, maybe it's swine flu...I just heard that they have confirmed cases of it in Montana now. I know, I know, I'm over-reacting....I'm just thinking over all the possibilities. Whatever this is that has infected my body, and made me sound like a fool...I just hope it's gone soon.

Family Funfest

Once again, I apologize for the week long absence. This past week has been pretty busy: my family visited, I've been struggling through work while sick, and to top it off, the internet here has been on the fritz. So I've finally mustered up enough strength and ambition to write this post.

The fun began last Saturday when part of my family (Mom; two of my sisters, Cameo and Carly; and my nephew, Parker) arrived here at the campground. They got to see everything notable there is to see here: my boss, my coworkers, the bike rental hut, the pool, the Koffee Kabin, me serving-up fudge, and the pregnant girl. Yep, it was an exciting couple of days for them.

On Sunday, we went into town. I showed them where I attend church as well as various other "hot spots" around town. We ate lunch at a cafe and then went to the IMAX movie theater to see a showing of the film "Yellowstone," which coincidently was all about Yellowstone. We then did the whole tourist scene and shopped the stores in downtown West Yellowstone or "West" as the locals call it. I had to leave early to get back to work, but they stayed behind for awhile. Sunday night we had a campfire which included roasted weenies and smores. Teaan and Nate also joined in the family festivities.

On Monday, we went into the park and hiked a trail at the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone down to the brink of the lower falls. Parker proved to be a good little hiker...as did Mom, who I must admit wasn't even breathing hard despite the sharp incline. We also went to Mammoth Hot Springs before returning to the KOA where we enjoyed another night of smores.

Tuesday, was a busy day. My family packed up there things and we headed to the lower loop of Yellowstone. We saw: Firehole Canyon, Paint Pots, Old Faithful, and the Grand Tetons. We drove through most of the Tetons and I took them to some of my favorite places like Jenny Lake and Mormon Row. The scenery there is so amazing, I was glad to share it with them.

We then continued on south to Jackson Hole, Wyoming where we parted ways after supper. They stayed there for the night and headed on back to Nebraska the next day. It was sad to see them go since I had such a good time with them here. Parker is hilarious. I was really glad they found the time to come visit. Not only was it a mini-vacation for them, but for me as well. The same monotonous schedule day after day can take a toll after awhile so a break was in order.

I won't be seeing them again until August 15th at Amy Sandefur and Matt Baller's wedding...AKA "The Wedding of the Century." Not to oversell it or anything, but it's going to be a rockin' awesome time. I can't wait to get my groove-thing on while at the reception. Oh yeah, prepare yourselves people.

Still want more...I'm about to do another post...hip-hip-hooray! The second post will actually probably appear above this one, so you've probably already read it...so in that case, you're all done, congratulations!

West Yelowstone Police Report:

So here are some of the highlights from this week's Police Report from the West Yellowstone newspaper. Apparently, there's not much serious crime that happens out here...

"7/8/09: Fire alarm at local motel. - No fire, guest had burned waffle breakfast"

"7/8/09: Truck vs. tree crash on Madison Arm Rd. Tree okay, truck will not start. - Gallatin County Sheriff office notified"

"7/10/09: Report of suspicious vehicle at Chamber of Commerce. Officer reported everything okay with vehicle, door just left open"

"7/10/09: Report of two motorcycles on HWY 20 heading to West Yellowstone. Reporting Party believes "they are going to kill someone". - Gallatin County Sheriff's office was notified. Suspects were gone on arrival of officer"

"7/12/09: Request for officer to come over right away an individual was "freaking out" and being violent. - Officer removed suspect and a no trespass order was issued"

AND MY FAVORITE...

"7/9/09: Man with truck that had North Dakota plates was giving himself sponge bath at Old Airport. Reporting party was concerned about "who knows what kind of mess" would be left and individual was showing way too much "crack". - When officer arrived at scene there was no alleged crack, gone on arrival"

They're Here....

So I found out today that the first bear sightings within the campground happened earlier this week. Yep, the bears are officially here. Apparently they have gotten into the dumpster here a couple of times and security had to chase them off. The dumpster they have been meddling in is exactly 62.5 steps away from our cabin's front door. A camper who was staying in a tent was even awoken by the noise the bear was making. I guess the maintenance crew was actually called out to clean up bear "scat" (AKA poop) the other day.

This news is both exciting and a little unnerving. Part of me wants to lure the bear right to my front window by leaving a steak on the sidewalk in front of the cabin. I really want to see one up close...as long as there is something between me and the bear that will keep me safe. The other part of me is terrified to step outside after dark now. I'll just have to be on my toes.

Coincidently, I just booked a tent site for my family to stay in while visiting me...the site is in the exact location the bear walked through. Go figure, the week my family comes is the same week the bears decide to infiltrate the campground. I'm thinking they might have an interesting visit.

My Tuesday in the Tetons

I woke up a little disappointed this morning because the sky was overcast and a chill was present in the air. Nate and I had reservations to go white water rafting today, but because of the weather we decided to reschedule. So I had to settle for my second choice for my day's activity...the Grand Tetons.

Grand Teton National Park is located directly south of Yellowstone. I knew that it would be an entire day excursion since it takes quite a while to drive through the park to get to the south entrance. I probably would have gotten to the Tetons faster than I did if there wasn't a major delay between West Yellowstone and Madison Junction. I don't know what really happened but it took me nearly an hour to drive 14 miles. There was a park ranger stationed near the bald eagle protected area...maybe some negligent tourist wasn't paying attention to the road while trying to get a picture of one of the birds and crashed his car? I don't know...just a theory.

I always thought of the Tetons as a D-list national park...that it was just a lame version of Yellowstone. Boy was I wrong. I was stunned at how majestic the Tetons actually were. I spent most of the afternoon driving from location to location in the park. Each scenic overlook more impressive than the previous. In many locations the mountains' pristine reflection could be seen in the lake that rests at their base. At Jenny Lake I leapt out onto a large rock near the shore. It was so peaceful having water completely surround me as I gazed out at the amazing scenery before me. It was also a good day for wildlife sighting; I saw several herds of bison, many elk, and TWO coyotes (each in different locations). I also hit a little ground squirrel with my car...that doesn't really count, but it's still technically wildlife.

I then worked my way down to Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Jackson is a fun, busy little city best known for it's elk antler arches in it's city square. While there I went to a few gift shops where I bought some souvenirs and a couple different t-shirts. I now have a shirt from Yellowstone, the Tetons, and Jackson Hole; as I bought my third one I realized that all three of them have a moose logo on them...woops. Oh well, I like moose...and so did the clerk at the gift shop (she helped me decide which one to get).

Okay, I have a confession. One of the gift shops I went to was run by a Native American and it mostly just sold hand crafted souvenirs. That's not the confession part. This is: this gift shop was going out of business so everything was discounted. Somehow they only charged me for about half of my stuff. I realized after I left that they mischarged me. I guess it's just another case of a white man ripping off the Indians...except it was their fault this time!

While in Jackson I also witnessed a reenactment of an old fashioned cowboy shoot-out. It was pretty fun to watch...they had everything that made the West great: gun shots (blanks), fighting, square dancing, and swooning women in long dresses. It was fun to drive around the town...about 14 years ago Carly and I stayed in a motel in Jackson with Grandma and Grandpa. I remember, that is where we saw "Three's Company" for the first time...we fell in love with it immediately. Good times.

This evening I made my way back through the Tetons. I took a different route where I saw old buildings from the homesteading days. One place I visited was a country chapel...the sign out front said "Come on in and pray." So I did. As I walked in, I realized that there were an unusual amount of people there for being such a remote place. I didn't think much of it and I continued to look around inside the church. I then noticed that there were a bunch of photos of the same lady on the table and walls in the entryway. Then I saw a stack of programs that said "In Loving Memory of Patricia L. Miles." I had accidently attented a memorial service. I was embarrassed...everyone there was probably wondering why some kid wearing jeans, a t-shirt, sunglasses, and a backwards hat was hanging out at a memorial service for someone he didn't even know. My bad.

Anyways, many of the other historic buildings were located down an isolated dirt road called Mormon Row. Now I don't want to oversell it, but in my 22.5 short years of life I don't know if I've ever seen anything quite as beautiful as the view from Mormon Row. Imagine an open meadow of wildflowers, prairie plants, and unspoiled earth nestled in the shadow of the majestic Tetons. There was even a small creek gently flowing nearby. The sun was setting just over the mountain line as I stood there on the dirt road, with nobody around me, simply listening to the purity of nature around me. It was a good day, a good day indeed.

The Indian Doll Search

I'm going to be honest with you. When working hours-upon-hours in the same space things can sometimes get a little boring. To keep ourselves amused, some of the other employees and I have created a few games to keep us entertained.

For example, the other day while cleaning cabins, Rose, the girl from Bosnia, and I created a game in which we would try to be the first one to identify the odor present in the cabin. One cabin reeked of alcohol, another smelled strongly of coffee, another had the choking odor of pepper, and the worst one had the lingering scent of urine. To really challenge ourselves we tried to figure out if it was human or dog urine scent...gross I know. We get THAT bored sometimes.

Today, in the office, we created a new game. One of the workers would hide a creepy, little, porcelain, Indian doll somewhere in the store. When the clock struck 5 pm all the other clerks would try to find the hidden doll (of course, we would have to help customers first if need be). The person who finds the doll gets to work the bike stand that night as a reward. Guess who the lucky winner was? Yep, Carson. The creepy hidden doll was hidden in a basket in the RV equipment section of the store.

I guess they did something similar last summer. One employee would take five items from the store and go put them in the wrong place somewhere. The rest of the clerks would then try to find the misplaced items and put them in their proper places...thus giving the clerks something to do. These types of games remind me of the episode of The Office called "Office Olympics" where they spend an entire day playing games instead of working.

So as the winner I got to work bikes tonight. I passed time outside by people watching. I saw a lady with a she-mullet and a kid with the same t-shirt as Audrey Haynes (the one with the chimp wearing 3-D glasses). I also witnessed a bike wreck and a dad lecturing his son on why it's perfectly okay to cut someone off because "that's how the pros do it." I also enjoyed getting to pet all the dogs that walked by. There was a shih tzu named Gidget, a Scottish terrier named Murphy, a golden retriever named Nana, and best of all...a blind weiner dog named Pokey.

To challenge/amuse myself tomorrow while working in the Koffee Kabin I'm going to try to sell at least 45 cups of coffee. Wish me luck.

Bozeman or Bust

Yesterday on my afternoon off I road-tripped up to Bozeman, Montana to get some supplies. The real reason I went is because Kim and her friend Chanele were completely out of food and needed to do some major shopping. Once again, Carson's Taxi Service was at work, but this time I actually got paid. Kim paid for all my gas there and back and even gave me a few extra bucks for my time.

It turned out to be a really fun day. It's always nice to escape to reality for awhile. One of the highlights happened on the way up to Bozeman: we saw a grizzly bear! It was just walking along the tree line a little ways off the side of the road. I screamed with glee and slammed on the breaks to get a better look while the car behind me slammed on the horn...I'm the kind of tourist the locals here hate.

The drive took a little over an hour and a half to get to Bozeman. It was an amazing hour and a half. Once again, the scenery here was breathtaking. I have come to realize that I thoroughly enjoy exploring new places: new buildings, new towns, new cities, new cultures, new countries. Anyways, when we got there we first went to Ross, a clothing store that Kim LOVES. She has been talking about shopping at Ross all summer! I have never seen her so happy. It was well worth the drive to see her kissing a pair of black high heels that she described as "oh so hot." She then spent over $300 on groceries at Wal-Mart...I spent $20.

I am also excited to read a couple of new books I bought: "Tuesdays with Morrie" and "Marley and Me." Both of them are inspirational bestsellers that could probably be considered tear-jerkers. I wanted to tell the cashier at the bookstore that I wasn't just buying them because I needed a good cry. I was a little bummed though because I asked the associate if they had "Tuesdays with Morrie" and she said, "Yes, it's in the DEATH & DYING section." Gee, I wonder how that book ends.

While eating supper Kim and Chenele told me more about Jamaican culture. I found out that what they actually speak is of English origin, but they talk so fast that it is hard to understand sometimes. It's like listening to someone speak in English only in fast-forward. Jamaican Patois, known locally as Patois (Patwa) or simply Jamaican, is an English–African creole language...pretty interesting.

They taught me some expressions and phrases too. My favorite was "pull up" which is usually shouted at clubs when people want the DJ to repeat a song. For example: if I'm getting my groove on at a Jamaican club and want the DJ to play "Aaron's Party" again I simply scream "PULL UP" and the DJ will play it again. I practiced several times...I'm pretty sure I would definitely fit in at a Jamaican club now....if you just ignore the fact that I have no rhythm.

Okay, I know I'm drilling it in the ground, but the scenery on the way home was awesome. I thought the drive back would be dark and boring. How wrong I was. The canyon was illuminated by the full moon (or at least nearly full moon) that hovered just over the pines on the mountains outline. The moon's glowing reflection could be seen in the rippling river that ran parallel to the road. The stars shone so bright in the dark blue sky and Kim confessed that she had never seen the Big Dipper before. It was all so picture-perfect. It looked like a scene straight from a movie...all that was missing was the wolf howling on the hillside.

Unfortunately, the beauty of my surroundings was interrupted when I had to slam on my breaks to avoid hitting a buck that was standing in the road. I nearly soiled myself. Kim screamed "What the heck is that!" Luckily, I'm a slow driver...and I discovered that it's not too hard to maneuver around a deer when you're only driving 25 mph on the highway. Drive 25: keep wildlife alive! That's my motto.

My Life This Week

MONDAY- During my afternoon off Nate and I went into town to play tennis. It was a good time except I lost big time. I guess I need to take a few more lessons from Jonny. I then stopped by the post office and picked up mail I got from friends and family. On Monday night, I worked the Lionshead RV camp all by myself...fortunately nothing bad happened.

TUESDAY- Tuesday is supposed to be my day off, but for some reason I got scheduled for the morning shift. Nate and I then road-tripped to Idaho Falls which was about two hours west, into Idaho from here. Along the way there was beautiful scenery and a great view of the Teton Mountains. Driving with the windows down is probably my favorite thing to do out here. It's so relaxing and freeing and gives me time to think.

While in Idaho Falls we went and saw Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen which was pretty sweet. Equally as exciting were the previews before the movie...I'm especially excited about "The Last Airbender", the movie based on the Avatar cartoon series...the film is being directed my M. Night Shyamalan. It's gonna be sweet!

We then went to Best Buy and Wal-Mart. It was nice shopping at familiar stores where prices weren't outrageous. We stocked up on food (I've been craving pickles for weeks!) I also bought a few movies and Nate bought a few CDs (woot woot for Brad Paisley's new album).

Finally, the highlight of the day was getting to see my dear friend Hailey Jo who is living in Idaho Falls for the summer. We went to her house and met her dad and step-mom who were pretty cool cats. Hailey's basement is pretty much awesome...they have it decked out like a bar and have even got a pole installed for "dancing." We were also given the privilege of getting to write a message on the walls of the bathroom in the basement. We had a good time rocking out on Rock Band...I, of course, was the glue that held our band together. Nate and Hailey are a bunch of amateurs....really guys, you need to step it up a notch. Nevertheless, a good time was had by all.

WEDNESDAY- Wednesdays are no fun. I work from 9-12 at KOA; then 12:30-4:30 at Super 8; then 5-10 at KOA again. It's just go, go, go. Oh well. While at Super 8 a man had a heart attack at Lionshead next door. I watched as the ambulance pulled up and took away the man on a stretcher who apparently was minutes from dieing....I never heard if he made it...scary stuff.

THURSDAY- Thursday afternoon Nate and I went to Canyon Village in the park. We made the short hike to the rim of the lower falls where you get to overlook the river just as it plunges downward. I found myself mesmerized by the endless sea of emerald-colored water as it fell further and further down the falls. In a way the water falling reminded me of Humpty-Dumpty (ask Nate about that one). There's something about water that is so therapeutic...I could have stood there for hours. Unfortunately we couldn't stay long because we had to get back for work. I'd like to go back and hike some of the longer trails during one of my days off.

FRIDAY- I didn't have to work at Super 8 Friday morning so I got to sleep in actually. It was nice. I then did some laundry and chilled in the hot tub for awhile. On Friday night we went into town and hung out for awhile with some friends.

So that's that. You've read this all-to-lengthy post and are a bit disappointed. You're thinking, "That's it?" Perhaps you feel like you've been cheated, like you've wasted the last few minutes of your life. Sorry, my life was not more exciting this week. I will try to liven things up next week. Perhaps I'll communicate with customers using only Pig Latin next week...maybe that will make things a little more interesting.....or it might result in me getting fired for being an idiot. I'll let you know what happens.

Bear Sighting In Ohio

So Emily sent me this video...it's pretty much amazing. I just hope I'm a better reporter than this guy some day. (Just copy and paste this address in your browser...sorry the link function isn't working).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y5C2gihnEkE

A Daily Dose of Culture

As I've mentioned before, this summer has been quite a multicultural experience for me. I've met Jamaicans, Moldovans, Ghanans (?), and a South African. Well add another to the list: meet Kathy, a new worker from Beijing, China. Kathy is one of the most friendly girls here. She is always smiling and always waving. She actually reminds me a lot of Kathy Raphelt from back at school.

While cleaning Saturday afternoon I got the opportunity to have a nice convo with Kathy about life in China. She had plenty to say. For starters, she worked at the 2008 Beijing Olympics as a translator. She worked directly with athletes making sure they got to where they were supposed to be. She said she primarily worked with triathlon athletes. She made sure to tell me that there weren't many Americans in that event because "they no good at triathlon", as she put it. Please, don't sugarcoat it for my sake Kathy. She also told me that 5,000 people volunteered to help with the opening ceremony, which required over two years of rehearsal...that's quite a commitment. Most of you probably remember it...it was a pretty impressive opening.

Interestingly enough, another worker here has ties to the Olympics. Katanya has a friend named Rosemarie White who competed in the 2008 Olympics on the Jamaican team in the 100m dash...or some type of sprinting event. Katanya said she was actually competing at a some sort of time trial meet this weekend.

Anyways, back to China. Kathy also made sure to tell me just how much China hates Japan. She kept rattling off names of battles between the two nations and even had the death tolls memorized. Then she asked me if Americans were still mad at Japan over Pearl Harbor. When I told her that relations had been repaired she seemed appalled and disappointed. Lesson learned...if I want to make a good impression with Kathy I should simply make an anti-Japanese joke to win her over.

She also told me about the one child law in China. Kathy is an only child like most people in China. She said that if a couple has more than one child they must pay a fine to the government because of the overpopulation there. She said that in farming communities if a couple has a girl they will often throw the baby away or abort the fetus. They want to have a boy so he can take over the farm. It made me kind of sad. I guess I've heard about all this before, but just hearing about it from someone who actually lives in that type of culture makes it all the more real.

Anyways, it's nice having Kathy's smiling face here. She's a nice addition to the KOA family.

Oh, one last little bit of culture. I met a girl named Megan from Alaska at church yesterday. She lives in Dutch Harbor which is a fishing community on one of the Alaskan islands. She actually knows the captains from the Discovery Channel show "Deadliest Catch" and has appeared in the background in one of the episodes. She said that wages are much higher in Alaska, but so is the cost of living. She's just working in West Yellowstone for the summer like me.

More good news...I found out last night that Mom, Carly, and Cameo are coming to visit me in a few weeks. I can't wait!

Grieving...Check Back Later

I, like most of you, am still too overwhelmed with grief over the passing of Michael Jackson. No post today.

Carson's Taxi Service

So I think I'm a sucker. The international workers here have found out that if they need to go into town for grocery shopping then I'm the guy to go to. I really don't mind it because I need to go into town pretty often anyways...plus I just see it as me doing my good deed for the day.

I've taken Kim and Katanya several times. I took Natalia last time...remember, she's the girl who sniffed the hotdogs. Then when she asked how much she owed me for gas, but I thought she was asking how much I spent on my car so I told her $5700...she didn't expect my fare to be quite that steep. Well yesterday Gloria, the new girl from Ghana Africa (hey Carly, what does Gloria remind you of.... that crazy guy from Full House maybe?), asked if I could take her into town because she didn't have any food in her room...I didn't want her to starve so I did it.

Every time I take one of these international workers to the super market it usually consumes a good chunk of time because they go up and down every aisle and end up retracing their steps several times because they don't know where anything is.

She asked me where a lot of stuff was and I could help her out for the most part. Then she asked me where she could find "oats." I thought...um, maybe a farm supply store. She also wanted hair oil...when I took Kim she asked for the same thing...must be a black girl thing.

Gloria said she doesn't really like Montana because there are no black people here. I have also found out something else interesting about black girl hair...most of it's usually fake. Seriously. Katanya, Kim, and Gloria all have fake hair extensions. Who would have thought that Montana would be such an international cultural experience for me.

Anyways, I passed the time there by checking out the hilarious greeting cards they sell...they all have wildlife and/or cowboys and/or Indians on them. They are awesome. After browsing the cards I went to find Gloria. I found her crouched down comparing two different items. I walked up and said "What are you looking for, maybe I can help?" I then looked at what she had in her hands and saw she was holding feminine products. I thought "Um, I can see I'm going to be no help here." So I just kept walking.

Gloria had also asked me earlier in the day if I could help her learn how to drive, but after seeing how she steered that shopping cart I'm not going to let her anywhere near the steering wheel of my car! I think she hit two adults and one little girl.

Also, while at the grocery store Gloria met a guy named Fred who she went to school with in Ghana. What the heck? I live two states away and I haven't even met anybody from Nebraska yet and she's come from halfway around the world and meets an old classmate...whatever.

Another fun sidenote...one of the cashiers at the store looks and acts like Rizzo from Grease.

I also took Gloria to an outlet store here so she could buy a sweatshirt and some socks because she doesn't have any...I guess Africa is warmer than Montana.

So I've taken yet another international into town. Gloria offered to make a traditional Ghana dinner for me to repay me...I'll take that. Luda asked me if I could take her to town and today I met the new Chinese girl named Cassie...or maybe Kathy...we couldn't really understand what she said because of her accent. I might as well give her my number right now because I'm sure I'll be driving her somewhere sooner or later.

Working Overtime

As of yesterday, I am currently employed at three different locations in the West Yellowstone area. As you know, I have been working at the West Yellowstone KOA for the last two weeks. Things have been going good and I'm actually scheduled for 41 hours this week (that's one hour of overtime...woot woot). Even though that is full time employment I still felt like I had too much free time. I'm used to the busy college life...I'm used to leaving my room at 8:00 am and returning after 10 pm. So working only 41 hours was leaving me with too much free time.

So, I decided to get an extra part-time job(s) just down the road, about 2 minutes away at the Super 8 Motel and Lionshead RV Resort. The KOA, Super 8, and Lionshead are all owned by the same family so it was really easy for me to get the extra jobs...I didn't even have to fill out an application. Now I am scheduled for 64 hours between the three places...that's more like it. Plus, the pay is pretty good so I'm excited about getting so many hours. I will work for six days and then have Tuesdays off.

Yesterday I worked at the Lionshead resort for the first time. It went really well since it is basically the same thing as the KOA only Lionshead is much smaller. There are fewer campsites and way fewer employees. It's also nice because they use the same computer program as the KOA so I'm practically already trained for everything there. I felt like I actually knew what was going on...within my first few hours there. They had me answering phones within my first few minutes.

The people there were really friendly too. I met my boss, Michael Jackson (unfortunate name, I know); Arlene, a lady from Florida; Bill, a really old/funny maintenance man; Dave; and Roy. It was such a laid back work environment there...it was great. I also helped one of the campers change a tire on his RV. He was a Harley Davidson mechanic so he taught me a few things....like what a tork wrench is. After helping him out he offered me a beer as payment.

Today I started working at the Super 8. Since I'm only working there a few hours a week they aren't going to teach me everything, but I did learn how to make a bed all fancy...like the pros. This skill is going to come in handy when I get back home...my bed will always look like a maid made it now! While there I met: Gloria, a new girl from Ghana Africa (that's where Danny has been the last three weeks!); Francisco; Geraldo; Carlene, and Darlene. It's awesome...in the last 24 hours I've met an Arlene, a Carlene, and a Darlene! It sounds like they could be the names of three characters in an SNL sketch. I did a few other odds and ends jobs there...it was actually pretty enjoyable...good life experience.

So I'm pretty happy about my current employment situation. I'm getting plenty of hours. I like the work...especially working in the Coffee Cabin here at the KOA. I'm learning all the different tricks of preparing coffee. By the end of the summer I should be fully qualified to work at Starbucks. I also like that job because I get tips there...which is always a nice perk. I still have one day off so I can go sightseeing and rest. After all, that is why I am here...to enjoy Yellowstone. I always know that if all this work gets to be too exhausting I can just ask Michael Jackson(hehe) to cut back on my hours at Super 8 and Lionshead.

But wait! There's more exciting news: my friend Nate is coming up here to work for the summer. KOA was a little shorthanded and so I suggested they contact him...they did, he got the job, and now he's on his way up here...as I type this very sentence he's somewhere in Wyoming. It's just going to make this experience all the more enjoyable having someone I know to go sightseeing with. Most of my coworkers have different days off than me so its hard to plan day trips, but if two friends are working here they usually try to give you the same days off. AND I just found out that my boss is going to let Nate and I have our own cabin. So it looks like tomorrow I'm going to be moving my stuff to the vacant cabin right next to my current one. I'll still be close to Jacob, Christian, Natalia, and Luda so we can all still hang out...we're just going to have more space. I'm excited because now I'll have an open space to put my Simpsons puzzle together :)

Later friends!

Chaos at the Campground

Dear readers, I apologize for my nearly week long absence. I've been working late every night so it's been hard for me to find time to hike/drive (I know, I'm lazy) up the hill to where this computer resides.

So...quite a bit has happened this last week. Sadly, some of it is not very good news. Kim, one of the girls from Jamaica quit on Thursday. Her hours were being cut and she was told her behavior and attitude were not very cooperative...so she quit....after telling off our boss and calling him "gay." She definitely went out with a bang. It's what everyone was talking about for about two days: "Do you think Kim's going to get fired?", "Did you hear about Kim", "Did you hear what Kim said."...on and on. Anyways, she got kicked out of her cabin and is now living and working in West Yellowstone. And it's really too bad because despite her negative attitude towards working she was fun to hang out with. Most nights Jacob, Katanya, Natalia, Kim and I would hang out in her cabin...now she's gone :(

The other little controversy revolves around Natalia, the mother-to-be from Moldova. Yes, you read correctly...she's pregnant...three months to be exact. Nobody knew it. Someone spilled the beans and the bosses found out and they weren't too thrilled. Supposedly, they are afraid she came to the U.S. to have her baby so it would be a U.S. citizen. But the math doesn't really add up...she's three months pregnant and she's only going to be here for two/three more months...so unless this baby is a major preemie I don't think they have anything to worry about. Another theory is that they are worried about her traveling while pregnant so they are going to send her home early. I'm not really sure what they are doing about her situation...nobody really does...it's all speculation, and since she doesn't understand English nobody can ask her. I guess we'll figure it out if she disappears...or if somebody learns Moldovan/Romanian/Russian...or they simply have Luda, the other Moldovan, translate for us.

Oh...and the birds here have been really bad lately...I saw bout five pairs of birds fighting yesterday and I've seen three campers get ambushed by them...maybe it's mating season?

I guess even out in the middle of nowhere you can't get away from drama.

Monday & Tuesday: My Weekend

Monday and Tuesday are my two days off this week, which I think is a pretty great way to start the week.

Yesterday, I went into the park for the second day. Kim decided to go with me because she hates sitting around in her cabin. She's funny...she says I speak so "properly"...I'm guessing just because I don't use slang on a regular basis. That means I need to start talking in jive 24/7...word. So we headed to Mammoth Springs located in the northwest part of the park. First we went to the visitor center where we saw lots of cool stuffed animals, I got to hold a set of moose antlers, and then we watched a video about Yellowstone. It had some sweet clips of animals charging at cars...I just hope they stay away from my new Honda! We then saw some beautiful stone terraces created by the hot springs (I'll post some new pictures tomorrow). We also drove up to the north entrance to the park and stood under the Roosevelt Tower which is a stone archway over the entrance of the park that Teddy Roosevelt dedicated himself. I got to touch the cornerstone of the tower which he placed himself...I've been where Teddy has been! The scenery up north, like everywhere in the park, is amazing. We even saw some mountain goats and calves standing up on one of the rock ledges.

Monday evening I took Natalia, the girl from Moldova into town to get groceries. I feel so bad for her since she can hardly speak English and she was completely out of food...she was probably starving. It was funny to watch her shop: she walked slowly up and down every aisle examining all the different products. I remember what it's like shopping for food in a foreign country...she must have been a little overwhelmed. She kept holding up different types of food asking me if "it taste good?" She also smelled almost everything...including her package of jumbo franks.

Today Kim and I went into West Yellowstone. She went to visit a friend that lives there and I went to the National Park Ranger Station and talked to someone about jobs with the NPS. I would love to be a park ranger for a summer...those wide-brimmed hats and green pants would look GOOD on me. I then went to the library and finished writing all of my graduation thank you's. That was a relief. I was a little bummed though when the library Nazi there refused to let me sign up for a short-term library card because I do not have a permanent post office box. Now where am I going to rent movies from for free?

This afternoon I soaked in the hot tub and then went out into the horse pasture next to my cabin and read for awhile while overlooking the mountains to the west of us. I then came back to my cabin and took a nice nap. I also went and introduced myself to the new girl from Moldova...I'm happy for Natalia now that she has someone she can talk to...and this new girl speaks better English so she will be able to translate for Natalia. Anyways, I've really enjoyed by first "weekend" here...it's been a relaxing last couple of days.

Learning Jamaican in a Foreign Environment

As I mentioned before, two of my coworkers Kim and Katanya are originally from Jamaica. Well, over the last few days I've had some really interesting conversations with them discussing the Jamaican way of life. They have such fascinating stories to tell, but they think nothing of it. For starters, the family systems in Jamaica are completely different than they are in the U.S. For instance, it is completely common for men to have multiple illegitimate children from multiple women. Both Kim and Katanya told me some disheartening stories about this. Another cool/scary thing about them is that they have both been robbed at gunpoint! How many people can say that?

Nevertheless, these girls are so funny together. Natalia, the girl from Moldova (near Russia) is even beginning to speak a little more and loosen up. These girls have been teaching me and the guys certain Jamaican and Moldovan/Russian words and Katanya and I even have a handshake. She has a strong Christian faith and knows exactly how she wants to live her life. Tomorrow we're going to church together in town.

I hope by the end of the summer we can convince some of our non-Christian co-workers to come with us. I know it sounds weird, but I think that could be one reason God has led me here. Maybe I'm supposed to have some impact on these people's lives...maybe I'm supposed to help open their eyes to things they have neglected to see in the past...maybe I'm supposed to learn something from them about the "real world's" attitudes toward faith. Coming here has really been surprising in that aspect. Back at Concordia it seems like everybody you meet has some type of faith life, but I'd say about 75% of the people I've met here don't. This is definitely a foreign experience for me, but I hope that something changes in them this summer...and I hope I change for the better too. We'll just have to wait and see what happens.

Bears are the Scariest Creatures on Earth

As promised, this entry is all about bears....I know you're all excited. Well good, I'm glad someone is excited because I'm peeing my pants right now.

Our campsight is located in the heart of grizzly bear country. There are between 400 and 600 grizzly bears in the Yellowstone region which means odds are that I will probably be dead by the end of the summer.

One of my supervisors told me the other day that bears have 100 times better senses of smell than bloodhounds! She also informed me that there have been bear attacks in our campsite and that bears are often attracted to our dumpsters located on site. Well great.

I also did some reading in one of my coworker's hiking book and found out that 68% of bear attacks are surprise attacks...which means you're walking along singing zippiddy-do-da when a bear paw smashes you on the side of the face.

When you encounter a bear you really have three options (running is absolutely the last thing you are supposed to do): A- stand there and try to appear big...unfortunately I'm a pretty skinny guy. B- use a high powered pepper spray called Bear Spray to deter the bear by spraying the chemical in its face. The only problem with this option is that the bear spray cost $40...I'm not going to pay that much for something that "might" save my life. C- the last option is to lie on the ground face down and "play dead"...um hello, that sounds like giving up to me. I might as well just throw myself in front of the bear and say "chow down!" That's not an option for me...actually neither are the other two. So, in summary, I'm screwed.

What makes matters worse is that two nights ago a camper was attacked by a grizzly bear less than five miles away from where we are staying...FIVE MILES! Bears can run 30 miles per hour which means that bear could get to the front door of my cabin in about ten minutes.

As a result, I am afraid of the dark in Montana. Last night I stayed up too late working on the computer and had to walk across the campsite in the dark to get to my cabin. I was SO freakin' scared! Now, I'm making the same mistake....as I speak it's getting darker and darker. I really don't know what I'm going to do if I encounter a bear on my way back to the cabin. This could be my last post. If none of you here from me in a few days start sending my family sympathy cards because I'm a goner.

Oh, and to answer your question Carly...yes there is free camping for employee's guests; however, the free camping is located at the campsite where the man was savagely ripped apart by the bear the other night...so good luck with that one.

My First Few Days

So...I've been here a few days and have failed to blog about what exactly I've been doing with my time here, so here it goes...sorry it's so long.

MONDAY: I got the day off on Monday which was nice because it gave me a chance to unpack and get situated. I'm staying in a cabin with two other guys, Jacob and Christian or "Tian" as we call him. They went to school together up in Minnesota and share a room here so I have a room to myself. Our cabin is pretty tiny, but comfortable enough. By Monday afternoon I had my clothes put away, my Office calendar hanging up, and my Bart Simpson doll on my shelf...it felt like home. It's crazy how I've only been here a few days, but my cabin already seems like a home. I'm relieved to go back to my cabin and relax every evening. I got caught up on journaling Monday afternoon and made a trip into West Yellowstone with a few of my coworkers. I ate supper at the cafe here at the campsite...all of our meals are half off so it's a good deal. Plus, Ruby the cook has really pretty eyes. I hope she doesn't read this blog.

Oh yeah, WORST PART OF MY DAY: My hatred for birds was reinforced when I was once again ATTACKED by a bird. This time it was a black bird with yellow eyes. I was walking down one of the roads in the campsite and this bird just started diving at me. I noticed it had been making quite a bit of noise, but didn't think much of it...when he started coming at me I thought "ah hell nah!" What made matters worse was that a SUV with a family inside was driving past as it happened and just laughed at me...jerks.

TUESDAY: Today was my first day of work. I cleaned all day. Apparently everybody starts out cleaning before being trained for other stuff...it wasn't bad though. Lindsay is the cleaning shift manager...she is really friendly and looks just like Amy Poehler! One of the other new girls who was working with me is a girl named Natalia from Europe...she knows hardly any English. I feel really bad for her...she just cried her first day here. I also felt bad for her because I think I gave her whiplash while reversing the golf cart we were riding in this morning...I taught her how to say "hold on!" She'll be ready for my driving tomorrow. This afternoon a girl from Jamaica worked with us...her name is Katanya and she LOVES to sing. Most of the time I can't understand what she's singing, but one time I recognized the melody of a Whitney Houston song...sweet. I also was excited when she started singing "Jesus, You Are My All in All." I actually knew that song so I sang a few verses with her...she has a much better voice than me. I think we are going to be church buddies this summer.

Also, this afternoon I went swimming at the indoor pool/spa we have here at camp. It felt so good. I had fun talking with some of the campers here. For example, I met one gentleman who is bicycling all the way across the country. He's ridden 1500 miles so far; biking about 30 miles a day. He expects the entire trip, from California to Main, to take around three months. He's doing it to raise money to help find a cure for cancer. He was a pretty cool old dude. I also saw an older couple who were there watching their grandkids swim. It made me kind of sad because it reminded me of when my grandparents used to take Carly and I on trips. Those trips were always so fun; we had such a great time together...I wish I could go back to that time and place and savor every moment of it.

WEDNESDAY: Today I got trained to do office work. It was a lot to take in, but I'm sure I will get it all down soon enough. I hope I get to start working in the office full time soon, but cleaning is nice because it's less stressful and you don't have to deal with any customers.

This afternoon, after getting off work, I went for a little drive. I drove about six miles west of the KOA and crossed into Idaho. It was my first time ever being there so I took a picture. I then drove six miles east of the park into the town of West Yellowstone. I took some time to explore the little tourist town. I visited the chamber of commerce, the post office, the IMAX theater, the regular movie theater, several gift shops, the grocery stores, two churches, and then ate supper at Arby's. It's crazy how expensive this McDonalds is...Arby's is actually cheaper here...I guess I'm going to be eating a lot of curly fries this summer. It seems like a really nice little town. I'm excited because I think I found a church to attend this summer in town...the DCE offerred to take me out to lunch this Sunday after church...I think I might accept the offer. I'm pretty sure that Carly and I stayed in West Yellowstone when we came to Yellowstone back when we were little...the town looked very familiar....crazy that all these years later I would be back here.

Also, I'm finding things I can do to keep entertained on my time off: first of all, I can explore the park...there's tons to do there. Also, there is a rodeo just across the highway from our campsite. They have rodeos three nights a week...I'm going to have to break out the Wranglers and cowboy hat! Also, there is a playhouse in town that is having performances of Footloose, Guys and Dolls, and the Secret Garden...I'll probably go to a couple of those performances.

Anyways, I'm definitely getting used to the area and am looking forward to a fun and eventful summer. Be sure to check back tomorrow for my newest post where my topic will be BEARS...

Road Log: Sunday, June 7

Part II of my driving adventure:

-Left the Cheyenne Motel 6 at 9:50 am
-At 10:04 I passed a sign that read "Portland- 1216 miles" and thought of the Haynes
-10:07- rain
-10:09- hail
-Passed three pronghorn antelope at 10:18
-Stopped at the Summit Rest Area where it was cold and windy! This rest stop is the highest point on I-80 in the country. They also had a memorial to President Lincoln there...it was a huge bust of Abe's head. Found out here that it's only 400 miles to Yellowstone!
-The scenery at mile marker 251 is beautiful...I felt like crying, but didn't b/c I'm macho.
-Crossed the North Platte River at 12:05...something actually sounded familiar.
-Got gas at Rawlins
-While eating lunch at McDonalds, I saw four men in cowboy hats walk in as well as one woman who looked like she just got in from wrangling some cows. I'm definitely in cowboy country out here.
-Crossed the Continental Divide at 1 pm
-Passed the town of Sinclair...I'm thinking in might be the home of Sinclair gas stations since pretty much the only thing in the town was an oil refinery.
-Somehow crossed the Continental Divide again at 1:24
-Passed several taxadermy shops in Lander...I guess hunting is pretty hip out here.
-See a giant stuffed jackalope in a gas station at Lander...you could ride it for $1, but I was bummed to find out he didn't move at all...the ride consisted of you sitting motionless on his back....what a jip.
-2:19- fog
-2:30- rain
-Listened to the Pocahontas soundtrack while driving through the Wind River Indian Reservation.
-I considered stopping at one of the Indian casinos...if only I could win back that money I lost in Vegas...
-4:46- snow
-Cross the continental divide again at 4:57
-5:06- the road condition is horrible!
-See a fox at 5:07
-Cross Continental Divide at 6:55...wtf
-See a moose within minutes of entering the park!
-See elk at 6:58
-Cross Continental Divide again at 7:05...and 7:13...must have been a winding road
-See first herd of buffalo at 7:40.
-As I drive through the Tetons and Yellowstone I see hot springs, snow on the ground, fat middle-aged men fly fishing, and an abundance of beautiful scenery!
-Drive through the town of West Yellowstone...it's a pretty cool little town...they have a movie theater and McDonalds...that's all I need.
-8:30- Arrive at the KOA Campsite (I mean Kampsite...everything here is spelled with "K"s...stupid if you ask me).

TOTAL JOURNEY= About 15 1/2 hours!

Road Log: Saturday, June 6

Here are the highlights of the first part of my fifteen and half hour road trip from Seward to West Yellowstone so you can all feel like you were right there with me.

-I leave Seward at 3:30 p.m. after an emotional send off....jk, the g'rents were happy to see me go.
-I leave Exeter at 5:00 after saying goodbye to Cantrell and my niece Cammie and nephew Devin.
-As I approach York I call the Sun Theater as I consider stopping to see "The Hangover"...I decided against it.
-As I pass Giltner, NE I think of Carly since she will be judging cheerleader tryouts there in a couple of days.
-As a personal dare, I sit Indian style while driving with the car on cruise control...don't worry, I only did it for a few seconds.
-At 8:40 time magically jumps back to 7:40 as I cross into the Mountain Time Zone. It happens while I'm on the phone with Cameo. Coincidently, at the moment I hit the time change the call was lost...weird.
-As I fuel up at North Platt I consider buying a jackalope piggy bank for Danny since he thought they were real animals up to about a couple years ago.
-I try to get a new Nebraska road map at three different rest stops, but at each one the dispenser for the maps is empty.
-The song "Harmless" comes on the radio which reminds me of the Lincoln Saltdog game last week where the only people in the stands were little kids. When this song came over the loud speakers all the kids started singing it in unison...it was kinda creepy.
-I briefly consider detouring up to Chimney Rock, but change my mind.
-Drive through rain and lighting between Ogallala and Sidney.
-At 9:45 I cross into Wyoming. I want to stop and take a picture of the welcome sign, but am scared away by a van full of people already stopped there.
-At mile marker 399 I accidently honk my horn, consequently simultaneously scaring and embarrassing myself.
-I begin to worry about deer after seeing numerous corpses line the side of the road.
-Around 10:30 I arrive in Cheyenne and check into a Motel 6
-As I unload my car a car full of thugs drive by and scream "Hey cuz!" I cry and run back to my room.
-I sleep.

Summer Expectations

Under the advisement of my dear friend Alicia, I've decided to record my expectations for my summer up at Yellowstone. Although this is being posted after my arrival at Yellowstone, these are thoughts I had while back in Nebraska...I promise.

This is what I imagine it will be like:
This is going to be as summer of self-discovery, adventure, fun, and absolutely no cares. This is going to be a chance for me to get away from everything before I begin the next chapter of my life, graduate school. This is a freeing experience for me.

I imagine my cabin will be small, but comfortable. I imagine it has a door that opens up to the south where I will be able to catch an amazing front door view of the rising sun over the mountains every morning. Based on the images I've seen on the KOA website, I think the campground will kind of be in the middle-of-nowhere. I anticipate many trips into West Yellowstone which is only about six miles to the east...they have a McDonalds, Arby's, Subway, Dairy Queen, and KFC so at least I won't starve!

I imagine the camp itself will be pretty nice. It will have fairly modern facilities and an indoor pool/spa. It won the award for best KOA campground a few years back so I'm guessing it can't be too bad.

I think my boss will be friendly and will genuinely care about the well being of the staff. Based on the emails I've received from him he seems like a nice guy. I think the staff size will be relatively small. I hope I meet a cute, sweet girl there. It would be great to return home at the end of the summer with a girlfriend. I predict my roommates will be a little weird, but we'll get along well. In my mind, I will be the coolest one there. I think we'll have lots of free time so we'll probably just hang out in the cabin quite a bit. I expect it to be like the movie "Adventureland" where a group of misfits work together for a summer and have a great time...I can only hope.

I want to take advantage of my close proximity to Yellowstone park itself. I want to see lots of wildlife. I want to see buffalo, elk, bear, and moose. Moose are my favorite animals; I'd really like to see a male moose with a full set of antlers...it might be the wrong season for that though. I also think it would be cool to see a mountain lion and wolf as long as I'm safely within the confines of a car. I also would like to make a point of seeing the geyser Old Faithful erupt at least once a week. Hopefully it's not too far from the campsite. I want to go sight-seeing and hiking on my days off. It would be nice if I made friends so I don't have to do everything alone. I hope I'm not lonely this summer, but whatever happens I'll make the most of it. I can't wait to see what happens!