Hey Boo Boo!

It's been quite nice to be able to share my day off with people.  My last couple of days off i was able to share it with Angelique.  We decided to go to Yellowstone and see its bountiful beauty.  My main reason in going was to see the "Grand Canyon" of Yellowstone.  Early in the season a quest was showing me their pictures and it was glorious!  So i decided i had to go.  We got up super early and drove to the Park.  For us to get there we have to drive through Teton National Park, so we got some great pictures and more spectacular views of the Tetons.

We kept driving for about 2 hours and finally made our way into the park.  We passed Yellowstone lake and some small hot spots.  We were really just stoked for the canyon.  And when we got there, wow.  Its spectacular.  There are a number of different look out places that the park has created for the tourists to use.  We actually hopped a fence and just wandered out on a ledge.  I wouldn't recommend it, but it was nice to have a moment to ourselves without any other tourists around us.  

And wow.  So beautiful.

 You could hike down to the falls, where the water jumps of the cliff to its death.  Being here makes one feel quite small and insignificant.  

We drove to a couple different spots to view the abyss.  Everywhere we went it was just as magnificent as before.  There was one part where we walked out on to a small piece of land extending over the sand stone mountain. 

After visiting the abyss we kept driving to find a place to put up our hammocks and have a picnic.  We drove for about an hour before really finding a good spot.  We first saw a petrified tree and then noticed there was a hiking trail by this tree.  The trail went through a small canyon colored by green grasses and  wild flowers.  It was quite magical walking through here.  We walked while being on the look out for bears.  We didn't run into a bear but a badger.  I was walking minding my own business and then i see this clump of dirt growing.  I stop abruptly, not know what it about to pop out of the ground.  And then i see the dirt fly and a big furry head pop out!  Im still stopped.  THe badger is staring at me.  Meanwhile Angelique is on the lookout for bears and didn't notice that i stopped.  So she ran right into to me.  THen the badger crawled out of his hole and scampered away from us.  It was the first time i have ever seen a badger and boy are they fat.  They are a lot bigger than i thought they were.  Big and fluffy, and a little haphazard.  

After giggling about that for a while we made our way into a meadow and found Lost Lake.  It was beautiful and serene.  We put up our hammocks, had a picnic and then a nap.  

After our cat nap we decided to keep driving, and continue forth to the geysers.   Sometimes it takes awhile to get anywhere in Yellowstone because of these guys:

THey cause the most amount of traffic jams here.  They hardly move and just sit in the middle of the road.  

Afterwards we made our way to Mammoth Hot Springs.  Its a huge area of mineral deposits and sulfur water. 

After Mammoth we visited the Artist Paint pots.  I didn't find them very amazing.  I once saw Yellowstone in the winter and i think that its more impressive during that time.  There is more water in the winter than the summer, so it was just kinda amazing.  Still cool to see and weird to think of how this earth is a living thing.  How is the core of our earth still hot?  What keeps it going?

The day was overall amazing, glorious and exhausting.  We probably drove a total of 400 miles  from the ranch, through Yellowstone and back.  But totally worth it.  If you ever have a chance to visit Yellowstone, do it.  Don't hesitate.

Wind River Range

A couple weeks ago Angelique and I got up way too early and drove to Pinedale.  We went to go find the Wind River range.  Its about a 2 hour drive and you drive through a whole lot of nothing and then up to through trees and above some lakes.  Overall it was quite beautiful and pictures do no do this mountain range justice.  When you stand in front of the mountain range you either hear a huge waterfall or the wind blowing through the range.  Hence the name.  We could have probably sat here all day listening to the wind sing.

I forget the name of this lake, but it was on the way.

Wind River Range

We met some little friends, he almost jumped in my hand. 

The bar and the male specimen

So far i have wooed you with photos of the adventurous lifestyle i get to live here in the beautiful West.  Well, today you finally get to here more about my job: I am a bartender.  Thankfully, its not a full bar, only wine and beer and its only our guests.  Not just anyone can walk up and order a drink.  So yes, its a little cushy compared to others who work until 3am dealing with the worst of kinds.  However, similar things happen, like being hit on.  Usually, this doesn't happen a whole lot (like ever), so when it does its rather startling.  Like last week: on Monday (our guests stay from Sunday to Sunday) one 40-50 year old man who has a large belly and big beady eyes is very nice and tells my i have beautiful eyes before dinner.  He came here with only his  8 year old son and friends.  After dinner he sees me and asks me to walk outside with him.   Then he proceeds to hit on me and make me feel awfully uncomfortable.  Asking me if i wanted to stay up late with him.  I stood there.  Like an idiot.  I don't even think i said much.  I was more confused with how to respond while still having to serve him all week.  I know what i would say if this was just a man coming up to me on the street or in a real bar, but i had to see him again, and again.  It was a pretty painfully and uncomfortable week.  If it weren't for Mr. McCreeperson, it would have been an excellent week of guests.  I am relieved to have hime gone.

This week we have a handful of people from CITCO.  They have been wonderful and are good at drinking.  One man asked me why i came out here and i said, "To have a good time."  And he asked/told me i came out here for my boyfriend.  I told him, there is no boyfriend. And he didn't believe me.  I told him I've traveled all over the world, and never once was it for a guy."  He stared blankly at me.  I shattered his world.  I think he still doesn't believe me.  Then about an hour or so later, another man comes in and asks me about how i got to Baltimore:

School, Sir
Oh, you mean you didn't follow your boyfriend?
What?! No. I went to school.
But you're from CA.
And?

I was a little more polite in speaking to him, but you get the point.

Now, i don't know what these men are thinking, maybe its just a different culture.  But no i have never followed anyone anywhere.  I've gone because I felt thats what i am supposed to do.  Why would you even think that?  And why can't women blaze their own trail?  I don't understand why that is so hard to comprehend or even accept.

I have no words of wisdom or insight in how to close these stories.  Just thought i would share with you a small window of the random conversations and happenings i get to experience.  Let's just say there are new experiences everyday and i am learning more and more about the human population as a whole and as individuals.

Hidden Inspiration

 A couple weeks ago some friends and I ventured into Teton National Park.  Usually its rare to share the same day off with anyone around here, but luckily all the the people across the street that i have made friends with had the same day off as me.   So we gathered up and went to the forest.  We hiked by Jenny Lake, back to Hidden Falls and up to Inspiration Point.

 Jenny Lake

Fisherman and Jenny Lake

 Friends, Jenny Lake, Tetons

Near Hidden Falls

The Tetons

Hidden Falls

Hidden Falls

Hidden Falls

 The ascent to Inspiration Point

The view from Inspiration point of Jenny Lake

We made it to a little before Inspiration Point and had a picnic.  It was fun to people watch as fellow travelers, hikers and non hikers came up the mountain.  After we made it to the top, we went back down to our cars and drove out of the park and away to another area to find a cliff we could jump off of.  We ran into some buffalos and some abandoned cabins that faced the Tetons.  Then we found our spot.  We hiked up the small hill to the "unloading zone."  One by one each of us jumped off.  Onbe of the girls was a little scared, so i said i'd go with her.  I got her all pumped to go and then we counted down to go, "1, 2, 3, go!" Jump.  I faked it.  She jumped and i didn't.  She looked around form me in the water and then looked up and i waved.  She wasn't super happy bout that, but hey, she wouldn't have gone any other way.  So i followed in and jammed after her.  ;)

I was stupid and didn't wear shoes, so when i tried to stand up on the algae covered rocks i couldn't. The current was rather strong, so i struggled for a bit.  I looked pretty darn stupid, but it was totally worth it.   I eventually made it out safely.  

Dream Land

Most of June has been hot.  Like in the 90s, dry and hot.  This is not particularly fun when most of your job is manual labor.  You have to drive less than 5 mph to not create a cloud of dust when driving out on our dirt road.

Thankfully we have gotten a little bit of a break in July.  We have had some beautiful thunder storms roll through.  The rain storms make these mountains even more dreamy than they already are.  It does not make me want to work hard, it makes me want to curl up by the fire and read a good book.  But alas, all i could really do was document its beauty.

The storms roll through quickly but not quietly.  And after its over you sometimes get to see this:

 This went over our entire ranch.   You could see both ends of the rainbows. 

Double exposure fun with double rainbows

 Beaver Mountain