Tetons . . .

Greetings from the Tetons,


I am on my last day here in Grand Teton Park. It has been a nice but relatively sleepless trip. At the moment I am sitting in the Jackson Lake Lodge where the signal on my Verizon broadband is strong. When I worked at Colter Bay we had a pretty strong signal there, not now.


The trip up through Colorado last week was a good one. I got to some places I'd never been and revisited some that it had been years since my last stop there. In the latter category were Durango, Silverton and Ouray. The campgrond outside of Durango where I resided for night was right next to the tracks of the Durango/Silverton Narrow Gauge Railway. Last time I was in this area was many years ago with daughter Natasha on one of our annual summer adventures.


As for new places, the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park was a longtime desired destination and it was not a disappointment. I love these "big holes" in the ground. There were so many great views to take in there. That night I camped a couple of miles outside of the town of Gunnison. After establishing my camp I headed up to another first, the town of Crested Butte, which is a lovely little Mountain ski resort that use to be an old mining town. I had dinner there at The Last Steep, a bar and grill. The wake-up at the Gunnison camp was pretty cool, about 40 degrees. I got up and rapidly took down the tent and went to town for a breakfast burrito and coffee.

Littleton, CO to visit my niece was my next sojourn. That drive from Gunnison was beautiful, especially going over Monarch Pass at over 11,ooo feet. My sister Norma flew in the night I got their and her daughter Kimby and I drove out to the Denver Airport to get her. The airport is so far out it felt like it was in Kansas. At any rate the visit with Norma, Kimby, her husband Dennis and my great niece and nephew, Melissa and Kyle was a lot of fun. Even sitting through Melissa's dance recital which had about 64 dance pieces 8 of which she was a participant was an interesting experience. Littleton was another new destination for me. Kyle, Kimby, Melissa and Me

This posting is getting pretty long, and boring but I shall continue. From Colorado I headed up to Lander, WY to see my friends Ron and Brooke. The drive from Littleton to Lander was in continuous rain all the way. The most "white knucle" portion of it was on Interstate 80 between Rawlins and Laramie. Those big semi-trucks give off so much spray from their wheels that they are a hazzard to cars and there are hundreds of them on that major east/west corridor. I was so glad to get off the Interstate at Laramie. The rest of the drive was relatively uneventful except for a little snow before dropping down into Lander.


The visit with Ron was a good one except that it rained continously in Lander until the day I left. We did not get to do our annual hike up Sinks Canyon because of rain and flooding of the Popo Agie River. However we did drive to Termopolis, WY and sit in the natural hot springs there. This was another first for me. Brooke made two excellent dinners while I was there.


I left Lander on Monday and arrived midmorning at Colter Bay in the Tetons. When my friend Ranger Bob (the elder) got off work we headed up to Yellowstone to spend the night at one of my favorite places, Roosevelt Lodge. We got to sit in the rocking chairs on the porch of the lodge in the evening and the morning. After breakfast in the lodge we headed out pretty early for Cody, WY and the Buffalo Bill Historical Center. We spent about 3 hours going through 3 of the 5 museums. We got back to the Tetons in time to go to dinner and Margaritas at Signal Mt. Lodge with Bob's son Ben who is a ranger here, his daughter Katy, who is also a ranger here, and her husband Jamie and their kids.
Ranger Bob and Me, Yellowstone

Bob and I headed back up to Yellowstone the next morning to the"Old Faithful" area. The first thing we did upon arrival was to "pig-out" at the breakfast buffet in the Old Faithful Inn. We walked off our rather large meal around the Geyser Basin and looked at the outside of the new visitor center (due to open in August). In addition, we were able to visit with Tom and Linda who are rangers there. They worked several years with us in the Tetons. It was good to see them and the new VC. New "Old Faithful" Visitor Center Opens August 25th


Tonight, my last here, we are going to Leeks Marina Restaurant for Pizza. This is another tradition from when I was working here as a ranger. It was usually a bi-weekly treat, most often after payday. Bob and I will meet Darlene and Mike, more friends who are back working here seasonally. That will wrap up this visit. Tomorrow it will be a motel somewhere in Utah and then on to Flagstaff on "Father's Day."


It has been a very good trip. Because of weather I did not get the hiking in that I would have liked, but getting to see everyone and have them genuinely glad to see me was gratifying. However, I have no movies to report!


Catch you all from Flagstaff next time.

Early Hot in Flag!

Mornin' Folks,


The last couple of days have been hotter than is seasonal here in Flagstaff. It was 88 yesterday and supposed to be 90 today. I hate this kind of weather. Warm is OK, but Hot is not my thing. I am not ready for full blown summer yet! Oh, to be in the Tetons where it has been rainy and cool.


Speaking of which, I am heading out on what will probably be my longest trip of the "summer" (granted it is still technically Spring) on Tuesday. I plan to camp the first two days in Colorado, somewhere around Mesa Verde the first day and near Gunnison the second. In looking at the forecast it seems it will be hot in both areas. Am not looking forward to that but I'll be "on the road" again and am looking forward to that!


I woke up in the middle of the night again and began, for some reason, thinking about my name, Evan. Now, when I was a child I hated it because I was the only one around with that moniker. I longed to be Jim, Johnny, Billy, or Bob. As I got older more appreciation for a different name became my reality. I was glad to have it because it was "special," and unique. People remembered my name when they met me. But a few years ago something curious happened, people began naming their boys Evan. I remember my confusion the first time I heard "Evan" called out in a grocery store. I turned to see who was calling me. But alas, it was not me but some little "rug rat" who was the referent. These days my name has become more and more common. I see characters on TV and in movies with it. Guess my days of being "special," at least by name, are over. And so it goes . . .


Today is the fourth anniversary of my mother's death. As it recedes further into the past the pain of her loss still lives with we her children. To this day I have a difficult time dealing with her not being in our world. Everyday I think of her and wish that I could call her and talk as we always did . . . I will miss her to the end of my days.


As I prepare to hit the road next Tuesday, I am bit melancholy about my time in the Tetons. I miss my friends there and the times I had as a Ranger there. Granted I will see some of them this trip but others, I will not. But all things come to an end and I had a good 10 year run up there in the job. It will be nice to see Bob, Laine, and maybe, Elizabeth again. This will be my 20th year going up to Grand Teton NP, first as a visitor then a ranger, and now a visitor again. It has come full circle. I need to treasure this visit because it may be my last. Not that I think my time in this life is closing but who knows where I will be next year.


Movies: The only film I've seen in the last couple of weeks is Get Him to the Greek which I found funny and on par with last years Hang Over. I would say that this one appeals to the younger "gross-out" crowd more than others, and maybe, young males are it's most likely target audience. Again, I probably would not have gone if the reviews by Ebert and others had not been good for this one. Besides, there is not much out there here in Flag. The summer is here and the cinema worth seeing, in my opinion, drops off severely. Of course I hear there are some good children's animated films out but they are not my taste, unless I am going to the movies with my gransons.


Cheers!