Rainy Lake Update

North Birch-bark Canoe; typically 22-25 ft long (corrected 5-19-2012)

Just an update as we work to get settled into the visitors center.  We're finding that International Falls is just a short ride away, but everything we're interested in is on the far side (west side of town) from us.  Nice little town.  We'll get pics later.  Like Priest Lake in Idaho, best restaurants are at the resorts on the lake.  So far our wild life sightings are of deer & beaver.

Staff here is great! We're still learning our way around the visitors center.  Lots to know.  It's been quiet with short bursts of activity here & there.  Seems everyone comes in at once.  Everything is written down for us.  Pamphlets everywhere and procedures are well documented.  But let someone pop in and ask for something, and I can't find it.  Usually the ranger finds it for me and, you guessed it, it's right in front of me.  Then there's that "I know it's here somewhere 'cause I saw it" moments, too.  The cash register gets less intimidating each day.  And we've got a good one - the credit card scanner actually works.  You know how many places we visit that that little credit card scanner is a problem child?  Anyway, we must be doing OK on most things.  Staff hasn't told us to leave, yet!

Our training continues next week.  We visit park HQ on Monday for a full day of training with the rangers.  Tuesday & Wednesday is our trip & team training plus an overnight stay at the Kettle Falls Hotel.  It's a boat ride in and a boat ride back (remember, it's a boat to get anywhere here).  Probably a trip we wouldn't have done if we hadn't been working here, but it's one of those bucket lists items of many, many people in this area.  Think of it as their version of the Durango-to-Silverton Narrow Gauge Train Ride.  All of this is done to ensure we can work at any visitors center and assist the park rangers as necessary in their interpretations.  Believe me, there's no way we'd learned this much about this park if we weren't working here.

We're still excited that we came!  Later, David