I am currently writing to you from my living room...the hospital library. Yes, you read that correctly. I have spent the last two months living in a 5x10 storage unit. Mainly I just sleep or relax there from around 10pm - 8am. It's a seven block commute to the hospital where I work. At the hospital I have access to my personal training center... a full gym complete with enclosed hot showers and changing rooms. Also 24 hour access via my personal security code. Nearby, I have access to my personal bike locker and storage area. Inside the hospital is my grand living room complete with fireplace, a large volume of medical and scientific journals, and wi-fi internet access. One block from my unit is my limo and driver...the public train. I get a free anual pass to all public transit with my job. Also, I have access to a full size dining area complete with a chef. So, yes...I'm living the high life.

But it's time to give it all up! I decided to work for the National Park Service for the next five months. I signed a contract to work in Yellowstone from May 14 - October 14. The job: Fee Collector. The place: East entrance near Cody, Wyoming. The hours: Four 10 hour days (I'm a little nervous about working this much) I don't really know a whole lot else about the job and that part of the park. I lived in Yellowstone in 1999 for five months. I worked for a grocery store near Old Faithful. So this will be my second time living in the park. However, the park is very large...the biggest in the lower 48...so working at the East entrance vs. working at Old Faithful is like working in Portland vs. working in Seattle. I will write more about the park after I arrive.

My last day at Providence Hospital is next Friday, the 27th. I will fly to Florida for a week, return to Portland and then drive my truck to Yellowstone.

Yes, my truck. I bought an 8,500 pound, 1993, 3/4 ton Dodge pickup truck with a 6 cylinder Cummins diesel engine. It has the full size 8 foot bed with an extended cab...so you can imagine it's huge! The gas mileage must be terrible you say. Not too bad. First, it gets about 20 mpg on the highway and 17 in the city. Second, I can run it on Biodiesel...a mix of ethanol, lye, and mostly vegetable oil.

So once I get to Yellowstone, where will I live? I'm not sure. I am planning on turning the bed of my pickup into a covered wagon. Building a simple frame over the bed and using canvas as a roof skin. Not sure really how any of this will work out. Do grizzly bears like simple minded campers who live in the back of their truck covered with canvas? I guess I'll find out.