End of August Update

I have four weeks left working for the Park Service. My contract ends September 29th. It has been an interesting summer. We shut down the East Gate several times this year. Twice for mud slides and twice for forest fires that threatened to burn across the East road. Our biggest fire is over 18,000 acres and is only a short distance from where I live. Rangers here were on standby to evacuate for a week. It seemed certain the fire was going to push us out and right then (a couple weeks ago) unusual August weather rolled in with lots of rain and cool overcast weather. This helped to calm the fires down considerably. Now we wait to see if any of them flare back up. With windy, dry weather over the past several days, some fires are starting to become more active. Time will tell.

I have not enjoyed living with my roommate, however he leaves around the 7th of September. This will reduce some stress in my life. Our road has been under construction all summer. This will be finished by the end of September...another stress reduced. The crowds have thinned considerably over the past week. As a VUA-Ranger, we could easily average 250 cars or more in our lane in a four hour period. We collect $4,500 or more in four hours...Keep in mind this is just one lane out of three! The road into Yellowstone often looked like a freeway toll booth area...hardly the remote experience you would think of out here. September will be a much slower month. Now, I might average 80 cars and $1,400 in four hours...with only 2 lanes open. I am thinking of September as the true "payoff" month.

I have seen some amazing and beautiful sights this summer. Countless Grizzly Bears, Moose, Elk, Bison, Mule deer, Black Bears, Fox...the list could go on for a while. I will share photos and video with you when I see you.

I have decided to sell my truck and go back to owning just a motorcycle for now. This will help to save some money. I have my eye on a motorcycle called the Buell Blast. It gets around 70 miles per gallon! I will be traveling to Asheville, NC in the beginning of October. I intend to stay there for 3 months. I will look for a seasonal part-time job for November and December. January until March I plan to spend in Florida with family and friends. I intend to work for the park service again next summer. I will try for a smaller park closer to the West Coast either in California, Oregon, or Washington.