Sunday, Sunday . . .

Good Morning All,

It is strange that the mornings up here are getting darker. Guess strange isn't really the correct word, but this far north I am use to the the sun coming up around 5 am. That has changed dramamtically over the last couple of weeks. It is now dark when I awaken signalling, as mentioned in the last blog, that autumn is on it's way.

I spent Thursday night and day in Yellowstone again. After a circuitous route my "stimulus" check from "the Pres" finally made it here, so I decided after paying off one of my credit cards, that I would spend another night up there. I got a cabin at Canyon; have never stayed there (in the cabins that is). It was a another interesting trip in that the wind was so strong that it blew down some trees and caused a power outage in the whole Canyon Village. That morning I went up by way of "Old Faithful" and walked the almost 3 miles around the Geyser Basin. Having earned my lunch, I had a good one at the Lodge Cafeteria there. It turned out to be a good thing as I was unable to get dinner later because of the power outage.


Yellowstone is a great place. This was my 8th trip up there this season. It has so many things to offer. Some have asked me why I do not apply to work there. I have, and turned down a couple of offers over the years. Why is that so? My main reason has been the same as for Glacier Park and the Grand Canyon. Working in a place seems to take a little of the shine off of it for me. I still love Grand Teton Park, and it will always have a strong pull for me, but having worked in the government "infrastructure" here has dulled that glow somewhat.


One month left for me here with the annual pilgrimage to Glacier with Bob coming up in a little over a week. That trip is what has gotten both of us through our last weeks here each season when we are both "chomping at the bit" to get home. This year it is even more the case for me with the coming nuptials of my youngest offspring so soon after I return.


Movie review: This week "Brideshead Revisited" came to Jackson, WY. Although no where near as good as the 1980s mini-series with Jeremy Irons, it was done well and the acting was good. I have to admit that i am a sucker for this genre of Brit films so that colors my review. For many who enjoy the vapid summer barrage of innane comedies and action "flicks," this will be a slow moving and boring film. It is not for everyone. Remember Elaine of the old "Sienfeld" TV shows comments on "The English Patient?" She was bored. If you cannot sit through a movie where there is character development and a real story then this will not be your "cup of tea."

Its been a while

Hey All, or Whomever,

Sometimes when you begin something like this blog it becomes a burden to come up with something to say. I know it has not really been one of much substance, just my own musings. There are many more out there that purport to give you all kinds of "news, " philosophical renderings, and just pure nonsense. For me, this has been more a diary than a journalistic endeavor.

Marc & Me @ Taggart Lake Trailhead

For the past couple of weeks my focus has been on work, and four days off spent partially with a visiting friend (Marc) from AZ, and the rest travelling in Yellowstone and to Bozeman, Montana with other close friends (Bob & Cindy Henry). It was good to get away from the park for a while. Even though this is a beautiful place, we rangers get pretty "burned out" by August.

Double rainbow in Bozeman

The park has been experiencing its usual influx of the rude and "driven" August visitors. We are hoping that in the next week the tide will change and and the numbers will go down with school starting in many places. The real change comes after Labor Day. At that point there are fewer children (except "homeschoolers") and more mellow, mature visitors. Plus, there is the added bonus of the fall colors beginning.

The weather in the last few days has changed from very hot (in 80s) to a bit cooler days and chilly nights in the 30s. I think we are beginning to feel a tinge of fall approaching. No sign yet of the aforementioned colors though. That will be a couple of weeks down the road.

This time of my season here makes me antsy to get back to Flagstaff. I have one more big activity to look forward to before I depart; and that is my annual trip to Glacier National Park with Ranger Bob, the elder. Since this may be the last one for us it becomes more important to me. I love that park and it will be my 8th trip there, once with my youngest daughter, once with a woman no longer around and the balance with Bob. We both look forward to seeing old Ranger Doug there. He is in his early 80s and still doing programs.

Me, Ranger Doug, & Bob

Movie reviews: It has been a tradition that when Marc visits me here we go to a really bad film and that has been upheld with the movie Pineapple Express. Even though many critics gave it decent reviews my opinion is that it is disjoined "crap" made for 15 year old males. Although I laughed in parts, it is not something worth spending the money. The other film was Tropic Thunder. Once again proving to me that Ben Stiller, like Will Ferrell is a "one trick pony." It is better than the first film but not by much. Again, I cannot wait until this long summer of forgettable films is over. Those of note were far between and few; The Visitor, The Counterfeiters, The Dark Knight, and maybe, Iron Man.

Good Morning All, or at least those few who read these words I put out every once in a while.


Haven't really had much to say for a while, and cannot say that I do today either. But, thought that my paltry "audience" would be wondering where I was . . .


As with most of you, I have just been going to work everyday, albeit in a beautiful place. August is an exhausting time for us in many respects. Firstly, we begin to lose some of our seasonal rangers to school and teaching. What that means is that we will have to do the same number of programs through Labor Day with fewer folks to cover them, especially tough is the last couple of weeks of this month. Once Labor day has passed we do fewer programs so that the "heat" is off of us. Secondly, the type of visitors we get to the park changes during this month. A lot of folks have waited to cram in their vacation and are hot, tired and impatient. Many are overly demanding and downright rude. This is a time when rangers are becoming a bit "burned out" as well, so we have to be careful to not be come too "short" with them.


Once we hit September things change here. The type of visitors to the park are quite different. The kids are back in school, except for a few that are "home-schooled." Most folks are older who come later in the season. In addition, they seem more relaxed and interested as well as knowledgable.


The fall colors are the real bonus as we hit September and we even get a bit of snow from time to time, not as much as when I got here in May, but some. The nights become crisper, which I like very much. But, for now, we are still dealing with the heat. The fire danger has gone up to "Very High," and there have been fires in Yellowstone, one near Cody and one not far from Red Lodge, MT. All are not too far from here so we are watching carefully.

Movie Review:

It has been a poor summer for films with a couple of noted exceptions. Will Ferrell keeps cranking out really bad and sophmorphic films. I did get out to view Kevin Costner's new film, "Swing Vote." I can not say that it was a great film, but was somewhat entertaining. The young girl who plays his daughter is the best actor and real "star" in the film. It has some potential but suffered from poor editing which caused it to drag in the middle. There were some good messages about our voting and election system but they never really took a stand either way. Dennis Hopper was poorly cast and Kelsey Grammar did a passable job as the incumbent President. If you do not have anything else to do and your choice is between this and "Step Brothers," go see "Swing Vote," or better still, save your money.