Oi.

Seasonal life strikes again :( As I said in my last post, things have been a little crazy, though not blog appropriate subjects(I'm sorry!)

These times are never fun, but they are usually survived via the support and companionship of friends and significant others. Unless, of course, you live and work in a place where almost all of your friends are seasonal employees. Seasonal means anywhere from 1-8 weeks of built in vacation between each season. Paid. Well, somewhat(thank you State of WY fun-employment fund!). While it can have it's negative moments(occasional boredom, lack of funds) it is typically a great benefit to seasonal jobs. And one that I do miss...a lot sometimes! But what I miss more is my friends.

Of my best friends(well, local best friends...the #1 is I. CO), one is in the valley, one is in Bozeman, and one is in Oregon. While the valley isn't honestly far away...I'm talking basically the 50 mile stretch North of Gardiner, it's still an 80 mile round trip to see my dear Laney. Lisa, in Bozeman and just home from a winter in AZ, is a 150 mile round trip. With today's gas prices(a whole other animal to be discussed....) it's a tough deal compared to having them within a mile of home.

So what does a girl with he blues do when blues? Go to the Blue Goose and have a shot, of course :) I think tonight may call for a good old Saturday night filled with irresponsibility and mini-Irish car bombs...bottoms up!

Sent from my iPhone while driving, applying make up, changing the radio and drinking a cup of coffee...have a great day!

For 'Tis Life - Shiny Happy Photos

As happens in life, just by nature of it being the unpredictable, uncontrollable, baffling roller coaster that it is, I've been feeling a little funky lately. For the entirely self serving purpose of having to look at them and hopefully brighten my world for a fleeting moment, it's about time to impart some happy-thought inspiring photos out to the rest of the world....

March 2011 - Funny, I know. But my car's back door hasn't opened in over a year, and I fixed it myself the other day....quite a happy moment!

May 2007 - My best friend's dog, Arthur, making himself comfy in the back of my car during his very first Yellowstone visit. Other than a brief stop to try and lick some sticky gunk off the Gardiner bridge, he was very well behaved for a puppy on a road trip!

Winter 2010/11 - Photo courtesy of Beth Pratt - Mama Bison and a late-born baby(aka lil red dog...we don't usually see lil guys this red when the snow is around!)

September 2002 - Iris and Colonnade Falls in the Bechler region of the Yellowstone backcountry. My first backpacking trip, almost 10 years ago.

December 2010 - My best friend in world, Jayne Rockford Pond, with her husband Alex and their one year old daughter Reesa. Family ski day in Steamboat Springs! I miss that girl an awful lot....

July 2010 - One of my nearest and dearest, Laney, fishing on Yellowstone Lake on her wedding day

May 2007 - Me on the widow's walk of the Old Faithful Inn...one of my favorite places in the world

May 2004 - My mom and me at an overlook for the Lower Falls of the Yellowstone River. Mom's first trip to Yellowstone, back when I was 21 years old.

November 2008 - My little brother and me(yes, I'm happier than I look....Dad has such great timing for catching terrible faces with the camera!). This was my brother's first visit to Colorado, and the first time I'd seen him in almost 5 years. 

November 2010 - The epic snowstorm that hit Gardiner, MT. This is only a happy picture because it looks pretty, and I got to drive away and leave on vacation about 2 hours later.

November 2010 - Balanced Rock in Arches National Park. Not only is this just cool to look at, but Arches is also one of my favorite National Parks. I also get warm fuzzies because Edward Abbey's trailer house was near here during the time he wrote of in Desert Solitaire, one of my all time favorite books

November 2010 - The wonderful man I love, playing in slot canyons in Arches National Park

October 2008 - My Dad and me on the Fish Creek Falls bridge, Steamboat Springs, Colorado

May 2007 - Arthur and me at the South Entrance to Yellowstone. I have a thing for signs when I visit places, and this is by far my favorite and most photographed....I have no idea why :o)

Summer 2010 - Me, Laney and Tyrene, another of my nearest and dearest. I have known Ty almost my entire duration of time in Yellowstone, and she is a wonderful, kindred, native Oregonian, Portlandian and Oregon Ducks football fan to have around. Plus, she's the reason I even know Laney. I love these girls!

A Girl, a Boy, a Windy Day and No Fish!

Just to the bottom right of this is one of my favorite little fishing pockets...just have to get there!

Most of last week and this weekend, we were graced with sunny skies and temps in the 40s-low 50s(or cursed, considering it's just a tease before the next big, inevitable, snowstorm) and yesterday was the most exciting of all: first day of fishing for 2011. I must add the disclaimer, though, that first day doesn't mean the season started yesterday because you can fish in Montana year-round. I'm just enough of a wimp that I don't go stick my hands in rivers of mountain run off in the winter...my hands get cold enough as is, why on earth would I want to make it worse?

So, after a good sleep-in(daylight savings is wonderful...guilt free sleeping into the late morning because "honey, it's really only 10am...". Gotta love it.) and a bit too much lounging, we decided to head out fishing since it was such a beautiful day. Beautiful does not, however, mean dry. Or clean. Or not windy.

This is Vegas(I'm not one for naming cars, but my friend Sarah is....my car is Vegas because inside is where whatever we say can stay there!). She took us fishing yesterday.

Vegas got to play in the mud....

Section of the Old Yellowstone Trail, looking North

Terrible picture, I know(dirty-rotten-no good-good for nothing Blackberry....) but I imagine you get the idea. Lots and lots of mud. Yellowstone is still closed for fishing until Memorial Day weekend, so our adventure took us up a long, windy and sometimes treacherous road called Old Yellowstone Trail, which runs between Gardiner and Paradise Valley for about 20 or so miles, following the old stagecoach route into Gardiner. It's one of my favorite places to go fishing because of it's relative solitude(you can still see/hear the highway most of the time, but your across the river so it has a semblance of peace and quiet) and it's convenient access to home. Not the mention the incredibly fun puddles and mud bogs you can drive a 4WD through this time of year.

It also has a lot of very interesting history to be seen all along the route. There are several areas where you can distinctly see where the stage road went a slightly different course than the current road, a very fun area of hoodoos to explore, and even old "signs" from the stage days(they used flat rocks and paint to make the original roadside "billboards").

Part of the old "Yankee Jim" Stagecoach Toll Road....no, you don't have to drive on this anymore!

That said, it is also a pretty crummy place to be when it's muddy AND windy. Which it was. Which it OFTEN is. Because we may have a shortage of some things around here...fast internet, movie theaters, summer. But wind is definitely not one of them. I started out the day a bit behind, as I forgot to check my leader on my fly rod until we were there, and discovered way too late that I had about 8 inches of it left. Oops! Bryan on the other hand, was plenty stocked up with everything....including the knot after knot that ended up in his leader from the wind deciding it did not want to listen to wear he was telling it to send his line.


All in all, we caught about 4 sticks, a few snowbanks, slide down the muddy canyon hillside and fell in the river(well, that was just me....but it makes me feel much better to say we!), saw a group of bighorn sheep, including a beautifully full curled ram, and caught zero fish. Guess I have some catching up to do next weekend. Happy Spring in Montana!

The "Where to Live Dilemma"

Unfortunately I'm not talking about the fun and exciting "where to go?!" sort of dilemma. Rather, the one we face around is more like "Ok I'm here. Now where do I sleep?".

Having an economy based primarily(if not almost entirely....) on tourism, Gardiner has fallen into the same rut as other like places of seeing our housing options dwindle at an alarming rate. Just like everywhere else this has occurred, the 2 common culprits are increased demand and demand's(sometimes) evil counterpart, increase in price since the supply hasn't kept up. While of course there are always more intricacies involved in these matters than we see up front, I see a few big culprits. A few different categories, but similar result nonetheless:

1. There are fewer and fewer "old timers" - retired and/or elderly residents who have either lived here their entire lives, or at least a significant chunk of it. This population has decreased(2000 census notes 7.4% of our population as over 65, compared to the national average of over 12%) by their passing, moving in with their children or other family members, moving to assisted living, etc. When they do so, their homes and property often go to their children, who very often do not live here, nor do they want to. So, they decide to sell or rent.  If they opt to rent, they will inevitably learn about and consider the large sum of money to be had by not renting for a measly $500-$1000 a month when they can get that in a week from tourists. End Result: Vacation Rental
2.  If their option is to sell and their house is pretty much anything worth living in, it will more than likely be priced out of reach of many, many local residents(our median household income data was about $31,000 compared to the national average of just under $42,000 in 1999). End Result: Vacation/2nd Home
3. It's a small town, and as with many small towns, kids finish school and get the heck outta dodge. See #1. End Result: Parents house eventually becomes Vacation Rental or Vacation/2nd Home.

Granted, there are many more factors that come into play, but much of it is means to the same end. Areas like this are based on tourism because there is something that draws people here(proven by the fact that most of us are not from here!). With overall populations increasing**, that often means more people coming, which means a larger need for places for them to stay. No argument from me there(I wouldn't have a job without them!). But, the job doesn't do me much good if I don't have anywhere to live. Ironically, a good portion of my reason for moving back here was I was just plain sick and tired of needing 2 jobs just to get by in Steamboat Springs. **Note: Everywhere but here that is...my vacation rental takeover argument is firmly based in the fact that the residential population of our census block actually decreased from 1990-2000, with little change projected for 2010(per U.S. Census Bureau)

This growth phenomenon in towns like this can have some great benefits. An out of town investor has purchased 3 run-down local bars/restaurants in the last 2 years and done some wonderful things to renovate  and rejuvenate them. The out of town children of another property owner partnered with their dad to build a wonderful roof top patio bar that is great new place to hang out in the sun with a cold drink and amazing view. Another out of town couple tore out a long-vacant gas station and put in a little BBQ joint(with wonderful hash brown casserole at breakfast, I'm told!). These are great improvements, but they come with a price - the investor who purchased and renovated the 3 bars/restaurants also just purchased his 3rd house in the area, just before the sellers were about to rent it to a local family(with a clause to honor their lease if the house should sell). I have also seen friends need to leave their jobs because their landlords chose not the renew their lease to turn their property into a weekly rental. I have seen friends purchase mobile homes and trailers(often all one can afford to start off with), only to have the land they pay lot rent for sold off and built on. Most recently, an 8-unit apartment building was sold,and plans made known immediately via 30-day eviction notices that the building will be torn down. This last event leaves 8 individuals and families all looking for somewhere to live at the same time, a time which conveniently lines up with the spring influx of summer seasonal works also looking for a place to live. I by no means intend for this to be a slam to these investors/purchasers, as it's a great area to invest in and it's not for me to judge what people do with their resources(because I might do exactly the same thing if I had them!). It is, however, always sad to see another of the already limited residential properties go by the wayside, adding another tic to the growing number of vacation properties.

This is the point where I should not break the big rule of "No Bitch with No Fix"(or at least suggestion of fix!), but this one truly puts me at a loss....we are too small for a legitimate affordable housing program, we are too dependent upon the tourist industry to not provide for their demand, and the cost to purchase is quickly out-pacing income. Oh magic 8-ball, what do thee say?

A Small Old Building Full of People Eating Chili

"To all chili contestants you have a little over one week to come up with a chili recipe that
will beat mine! Lots of luck!! Then when it’s all over you’ll know not to mess with the best".—MAX

"To all you Chili Contest Contestants, there will be a second place prize. The prize will be the privilege of having the taste of my 1st place Chili! If you think I have an ego...YOUR RIGHT! Just try taking this award away from me. Bring it on!!!" - MAX

"For all you wanna be cooks I will not give up my best Chili Title to no one! I would like
to personally challenge– Kelly McAdams, Coby Dawson, Phil Currie, Donald Knight, Maria
Beers, Wade Laubach, Bob Evanoff and anyone else who is up for the CHALLENGE" - MAX

As you can probably tell, MAX is the defending champion of the annual Gardiner Chili Cook-Off. These are just a sampling of the recent notices he's posted in the closest thing we have to a newspaper, the weekly Gardiner Newsletter (which we all look forward to and snatch up every Wednesday morning, even though it usually says pretty close to the same thing each week...). And yes, he does make some pretty darn good chili.

Well, after all the much talked about hype (yes, we actually talk about this...just today in the office, Renae and I actually discussed Max's challenges....), tomorrow is the big day. Round about 5:30pm, the festivities will begin at the Gardiner Community Center. The CC is the historic Eagles Hall, and is the only real option for community gatherings(besides the school gym!) when the weather is still finicky and being outside would be a guarantee of snow, rain, slush, mud, or all of the above. While having a good bit of historic charm and very conveniently located on Main Street, it does lack a few important things: space, modern ventilation, air circulation, and well, space. This can make things quite interesting when you line the walls with countless varieties of chili, a bar full of beer, and some bluegrass trying to make it's way from the stage to the dancefloor(oh, another. It doesn't just lack good acoustics, I'm pretty sure it lacks them altogether!).

Now don't get me wrong, I love our Community Center. I have yogied there, danced there, sang there, learned there, eating a countless variety of food there, and consumed entirely too much alcohol there. It's a great place. I just don't plan on spending too much time there once the chili, beer, music and Montana mountain men mincing words gets up a little momentum.

I'll let you know if I make it out unscathed

Gunga-Ga-Lunga!!

Photo Courtesy of Scott Hanley

Enter, the Snow Lodge Winter Olympics(aka Yellowstone Olympics, Rainier Olympics, Beer Games, etc).

Living at Old Faithful in the winter is an experience, to say the very least. There is one hotel open, the Old Faithful Snow Lodge(SLodge), operated by 125-150 employees who are basically snowed in for the winter because all of the interior park roads are closed to wheeled vehicles(aka cars) from December-April. So, you park your car 50 miles north in Mammoth Hot Springs, hop on a snowcoach and head in for the winter. Kind of like The Shining, just a bit more fun. In short, the perfect recipe for cabin fever run amok.

Sometime in the history of Snow Lodge(opened for the winter in the early 70s) someone came up with the idea of breaking everyone out of the funk with the Snow Lodge Olympics. The games, once "sponsored" by Rainier beer, are 10 days of ridiculous contests and antics, ending with the closing ceremonies on Yellowstone's birthday, March 1(Today! Happy Birthday Yellowstone!). It starts with the Opening Ceremonies....a hilarious parade complete with the Yellowstone Birkebeiners(Birkenbeiner History), funky music, and the baby Bombardier(a miniature version of a classic snowcoach used in Yellowstone) carrying the queen, usually clad in an outfit completely unsuitable for the weather(example...Virgia's coconut bra of 2004!). This used to take place in front of the hotel, but unfortunately the idea of discretion in antics and public drinking led management and the National Park Service to move the ceremonies to the dorm parking lot, located in a Government area 1/2 mile from the hotel(and well out of guest sight...). There are various games each day, culminating in the Closing Ceremonies and Medal Presentation....did I mention that the medals for the winners of each game are Rainier beer cans, full ones, painted Gold, Silver and Bronze?

The Olympics at a glance. Click on an activity to see a description and pictures, courtesy of Scott Hanley - a wonderful past SLodge employee, co-worker and friend who made this amazing website full of memories!


Opening Ceremonies
Rainier Cup
100-yard Dash
Beverage Ball
Buffalo Chip Toss
Chair Pull
Dart Biathlon
Disc Golf
Drag Race
Fern Appreciation
Football
Kick'n'Glide Classic
Luge
No-Talent Show
Obstacle Course
Pub Games
Pub-Pizza-Pub
Pub-Ol'Pubtender-Pub
Ski Jump
Slalom / Giant Slalom
Snow Pole Toss
Snowshoe Long Jump
Snowshoe Race
Snowshoe/Ski Race
Tandumb Ski
Three-Legged Race
Tug-O-War
Piñata!

View full site at: Yellowstone Winter Olympics

My Snow Lodge days are a thing of the past, let slip away by the need to grow up and have a big kid job(pish posh, I say!), but that doesn't stop my annual trek to one of my favorite events of the season, the No-Talent show. It's about 4 hours and 50 miles each way on a very bumpy old coach called the Prinoth, that always ends up causing a sore neck after the round trip, but worth every second to enjoy the night. While the skits and characters change every season, there are few things you can have every bit of faith in occurring...there will be men in dresses, something on someone will get shaved, sarcasm will run wild, against both the concessionaire(our employer) and the National Park Service, often with the subject of the commentary in the audience. Regardless of the specifics, it's always a good time. This year had a different kind of highlight as well. A longtime park employee, area resident and well-known local photographer, Jeff Henry, was recently diagnosed with bone cancer, and friends have planned a benefit for him this coming Friday in West Yellowstone, MT. In honor of this, the SLodge crew put together a great auction, raising over $3000 in just under 3 hours(complete with auctioning off the opportunity to shave the head and beard of our friend Patty, a man who has not seen his chin in about 10 years!). A personification of the family that becomes SLodge every season. I love you guys!

And now that I think about it, it's been quite some time since I donned anything from the costume box for the Olympics....guess it's time to start planning for next year.

Who has more fun than we do?? NOBODY!!

PS - I have no idea why Gunga Ga Lunga is the motto of the SLodge Olympics...maybe the answer to my question of when the Olympics started is sometime around the time "Caddyshack" met the world??