Mid-July Update

Grand Teton Natl Park file photo

We're fine.  We're told that Yellowstone and Grand Teton are more visited than last year (but less than 2021).  Being our first season volunteering in Grand Teton, we don't know - but it's BUSY!

Volunteering at the Laurance S. Rockefeller Preserve is busy, but satisfying. We're out in the woods more. It gets hot at the parking lot. Jump Rock is jumping with people. Bugs are out in full force in the woods. Moose are around.  We've seen elk along Gros Ventre road just east of the Gros Ventre intersection. Bears are active. Bison are out. People still stop in the middle of US89, get out of their vehicles, and take pictures of the bison. (Apparently, pulling completely off the road to take pictures is a foreign concept to many visitors.) People still don't take protecting their food seriously. One young bear has already had to be euthanized because it began to approach and swat at people for food. Wildfire smoke has arrived diminishing the view of the tetons. Wildland fire danger is high. Finally got to see pine martens. Visited Leeks Marina several times so far for pizza & breadsticks. We can still find a parking space and picnic table for lunch at Colter Bay. All the campgrounds are full, yet we still receive daily phone calls to the park (we rotate answering the main park phone line between the various visitor centers each day) trying to find a campsite. And despite being in this area for five summers, I'm still amazed at how little I really know about the park.  

That gets you up to date.  We're here to mid-September. Thanks for dropping by and checking in on us.  David

Jenny Lake visitor center - this is the bear that was fed and had to be euthanized.

Mid-June Update

Lake Creek Trail, LSR Preserve, GRTE

We're more or less getting into the swing of things. Lots to remember, but we're getting there.  Getting use to working the parking lot. Of the three days per week we volunteer, I tend to be roving on two of them.  That keeps you real active when you rove and work the parking lot on the same day!

Been hot for this time of year - high 70s/low 80s.  Aspen are leafed out. Pines and firs are in full pollen mode.  You can see the pollen as it blows across the trails, roads - even when in the forest. It's all a pretty landscape, though. Strange as it sounds, we'll drop below freezing Monday night. Maybe even Tuesday night.  We're told we'll be back to normal by late next week.

For those of you that haven't heard, the Teton Pass had a big collapse Friday night, the 7th of June. the road had started to develop major cracks a couple of days earlier and was temporarily closed to fix those. A day or so later, a mudslide closed the pass. The full collapse came a day later. After a late snow event the last part of May, the hot temps created a rapid snow melt that took out the pass. The biggest impact is the extra long commute it created for a lot of Jackson workers who commute from western Idaho. A temp road is expected over the next few weeks with a full repair late this year.

In other news, as I've mentioned in previous posts our truck likes to throw the check engine light almost every year we arrive in Jackson Hole. Turns out this one was persistent. Turns out that the mass air sensor was out of tolerance. A reprogram of the PCM seems to be the solution.  Check engine light hasn't returned since, and it's had plenty of time to do so. We think it'll hold.

Anyway, that catches you up with us.  Thanks for dropping by and checking on us. We'll post more later, David

June Update

Grand Cathedral as seen from the Teton Science Center, Kelly, WY

I always thought the four letter acronym for Grand Teton National Park was GTNP.  Turns out it's GRTE.  Who knew? (OK, besides people who work here!)

Newbie training is over. Now we really learn about the park (or backstage magic as I like to call it). Big park. Huge staff - though I'm confident they could use more. Probably close to 400 people when you include volunteer staff. (We were told, but I didn't write it down.) Then there's the concessionaires. The employee loop in Gros Ventre Campground isn't full at this time, but we're told it'll be full by July. Thankfully, everyone wears name tags so I can remember people's' names!

We've gotten snowed on twice since arriving with the last one requiring some time to clean it all off the truck. Morning low temps are now trending above freezing each morning. Idaho Falls weather staff indicate our highs may reach the high 70s later this week. 

Aspen are leafing out. Cottonwoods are leafing out. I expect the cottonwood "snow" at any time. We haven't seen any large wildlife, yet.  It's gotta be around here as each morning we leave there's several wildlife tours parked along the road with field telescopes and binoculars all in use.

Interesting how things work.  With the exception of 2023, during every season we've spent in Jackson Hole our truck has presented a check engine light in May after our arrival. Usually it goes out in a week or so.  This year it held true to form.  Arrive May 17th, truck presents the checking light on the way home on May 20th. During the week it cleared once and return about 5 minutes later.  Yesterday, June 1st - as if on queue - the light goes out and stayed out the whole day. We'll see what today brings!

That brings you up to date on us.  Thanks for dropping by and checking up on us! Hopefully, we'll have something exciting to post about next time, David

Arrived Grand Teton Natl Park

Grand Teton Cathedral Group

We arrived Friday (May 17th) safe & sound. We, more or less, blew in with the winds coming in via Idaho Falls, ID and Alpine, WY to avoid Teton Pass. 

We're located in the Gros Ventre Campground - employee loop - and we're just off the Gros Ventre River near Kelly, WY.  We checked in Friday afternoon. Training starts tomorrow (Monday).  We'll be volunteers at the Laurance S Rockefeller (LSR) Preserve.  It's the old Rockefeller Ranch or may better be known as the JY Ranch. It's the last private land to become Grand Teton National Monument and eventually join Grand Teton National Park (1950, I believe). It's the quiet side of Grand Teton. 

Jackson seems busy but not crowded.  This weekend was a Pow Wow and elk antler auction. We've had a nice weekend weather wise, but this coming week is predicted to be cold with rain/snow depending on where you're located.  Lows will be below freezing most nights. 

It's sure to be an exciting summer for us.  Thanks for dropping by and checking in on us.  David

Death Canyon as seen from the Albright Pull-out

View from the Gros Ventre Group Camping Loop.  The south end of Black Butte is to the right in the picture.

Early May 2024 Update

Three Patriarchs at the entrance to Zion Canyon, UT

We're out of the internet-cellphone desert and spending the night in Richfield, UT before heading to Hill AFB (Salt lake City) to ride out the next round of winter weather. We had a great four-week stay in the Hurricane, UT area.  We were able to meet and spend a day with Calvin and Jonathan & Alician. We enjoyed a great ATV ride by Calvin through the canyons south of Zion Natl Park near Mt Carmel, UT.

Mt Carmel, UT Canyons

We ended up having made five trips into Zion Natl Park: Two to Kolob Canyons area and three into Zion Canyon. We didn't drive to the east entrance of Zion.  

We also made a day trip to Bryce Canyon Natl Park.  Like Zion Canyon area, the shuttle buses are the way to go.  While we didn't find Bryce as crowded as Zion, it was busy by early afternoon. We decided to hike the Navajo Trail from Sunset Point down to the bottom of the amphitheater area and return via the Queens Garden Trail to Sunrise Point. 

After a nice lunch at the lodge, we toured the visitor center and rode the shuttle bus to most of the busy overlooks - walking the rim between two of them before leaving for the day.

Back to our stay in Hurricane, we were able to accomplish our dental visits during our stay.  While I got off easy, Donna seemed to spend most of her time in dental chairs either in Hurricane or in St George. She's finished - at least until the next dental visits.

As for plans, we intend to stay at Hill AFB about 10 days. We then move to Idaho Falls, ID for a few days before moving to Grand Teton Natl Park for this summer's volunteer season. That's the plan.

You're all caught up with us, now.  Thanks for dropping by and checking up on us.  More later, David

 

April 2024 Update

We're fine.  After a week's visit in Las Vegas we traveled up to near Hurricane, UT for a month.  We've been here a week, and we're here getting our semi-annual dental check ups plus visits to Zion and Bryce Natl Parks.  The picture above is from our RV site, and we're looking across I-15 into the Red Cliffs Recreation Area.

Kolob Canyon, Zion Natl Park

First up was an afternoon visit to Kolob Canyon (Zion) where we began to gather info for our visit to Zion.  This section of Zion is about 20 minutes north of us.

Red Cliffs Recreation Area

Next up were two hikes into the Red Cliffs Recreation Area - convenient for us as we can walk to it from the RV park. This works well for us as were working these hikes in between what seems to be almost daily dental appointments.  Afternoon dental appointment - walk Red Cliffs in the morning.  Morning dental appointment - afternoon hike into Red Cliffs. Area is great for walking, mountain biking and horseback riding. There's a campground, old movie set, archeological dig, and dinosaur tracks. The valley that Red Cliffs sits in (and I-15 follows) is a fault area where the area appears to be pulling apart. Red Cliffs is on the western side of the fault, Kolob Canyon (Zion) is in the eastern side.

Zion Canyon, Zion Natl Park

We made to the Zion Canyon area of Zion Natl Park once so far. We're here at a busy time for Zion, but while hiking Red Cliffs we met some volunteers for Zion that gave us invaluable info. We were told to arrive before 8 AM (preferably 7 AM) for max potential parking and ride the shuttle through the Zion Canyon section.  We got there last Monday right at 7 AM, and it worked like a charm. Plenty of parking and the shuttles weren't crowded. 

Zion Lodge area

While not knowing what we were doing, we hopped a shuttle thinking we'd ride it to the Riverwalk shuttle stop and walk some there. Instead we got off at the lodge, ate breakfast at the lodges' breakfast buffet, got back on the shuttle and continued to Riverwalk. That got us to the trail to the Narrows area (Narrows currently closed due to high & fast water). We walked Riverwalk and rode the shuttle back to the visitor center where we ate lunch and spent the rest of the afternoon walking around there.

Entrance to the Narrows, Zion Natl Park

Consequently, we're having a great time - as long as we're out of the dentist chair!  We still plan to visit Bryce Canyon as well as do more hikes in the Zolob & Zion Canyons of Zion Natl Park.  We'll see how it goes.

Thanks for dropping by! David

March 2024 Update

Catalina State Park, Oro Valley, AZ

A little late with this update, but not too late.  We're fine.  We're near Picacho, AZ (Casa Grande, AZ) for a few weeks.  We moved over from Yuma, AZ on March 7th.  We traveled to & set up in the rain - as usual (not "always", just "usual").  Lost the water heater door on the way over - always something.  When we set off on this "Great Adventure" this is not what I had in mind.  Over time I've had to accept that "adventure" does not include "enjoyable" as a descriptive characteristic.

Anyway, Doug & Stephanie made it out here arriving on the 9th. We got in some great visiting time and saw a few sights.  We made it to Picacho Peak State Park, Saguaro NP West Unit, Sabino Canyon (we're addicted), Casa Grande Ruins Nat'l Monument, and Catalina State Park while they were here. They left on the 15th and made it home just fine.

Still a week or so to go here in Picacho before we move up to Lake Mead Nat'l Recreation Area for a week.  We plan to be in Hurricane, UT (near Zion & Bryce Canyon NPs) for the month of April.  Date to arrive at Grand Tetons is May 17th if we can get the security background website (NBIS) to cooperate. So far I've been locked out using the ID and temporary password that NBIS gave me, and Donna just gets the current version of the ol' Microsoft Windows hourglass spinning around after entering her NBIS ID.  (Folks, the "fun" just never stops!)  I think I now know why immigrants just break through the border wall and enter undocumented.  IT'S EASIER!  I'll bet that entering legally is a paperwork/IT nightmare that never ends! No wonder these people just walk through a hole in the wall... Yep, the "adventure" continues.

Ok, venting over.  Below are some of the pictures we've taken since arriving.  Thanks for dropping by and checking up on us. David

Saguaro Natl Park - West, Tucson, AZ

Picacho Peak State Park, Picacho, AZ

Sabino Canyon Recreation Area, Tucson, AZ

Casa Grande Ruins Natl Monument, Coolidge, AZ

Catalina State Park, Oro Valley, AZ

Catalina State Park, Oro Valley, AZ