Just Another Day In Paradise...Or Several - Summer 2012 in Review

With the computer out of commission and my patience entirely too small to blog via iPhone, I hadn't realized how long it has been since I've written anything!

It was another interesting summer, as usual, with crazy things happening in the Park, in town and in general. But thankfully the priority to make sure there is time for fun has still been given it's proper space, in part due to the fact that I seem to have forgotten that I had not used a good majority of my vacation time, which resets for the year on the anniversary date of when I started working full time, which is the end of August. Thus, I ended up with many long weekends in July and August. In fact, I'm pretty sure I didn't work a full week from mid-July until Labor Day weekend, darn it!. I suggested that this had worked out very well and that I might just plan on using my vacation days this way next summer, but that idea was quickly shot down by everyone else in the office who have been answering my phone during my seemingly endless string of long weekends. Oh well, it was nice while it lasted!

Here's a quick photo summary so far, with a little commentary thrown in for good measure.......

It was ENTIRELY too hot last summer! While it definitely can get a little toasty in Gardiner and Mammoth during the summer, this picture can explain the difference this year as it was taken on June 23. On that same date last year, we were cheering because summer had finally shown up at all and the high was about 80......

 Sunset over central Yellowstone, near Gibbon Falls

 

Gibbon Falls sunset looking the other direction 

Bannack ghost town in SW Montana - it was the first territorial capitol of MT and has been preserved 

and restored as a State Park.

 

Ibex cabin in somewhat south central Montana - a great weekend with 4 people, 2 hyper dogs and a whole lot of board and lawn games, aka the "Ibex Olympics"

 

 

View towards Yankee Jim Canyon from Old Yellowstone Trail north of Gardiner, MT

 

The Art of Travel

"Mastering the art of travel is not accomplished with practice or talent. No school will give you a bachelors degree in not getting shot while backpacking through eastern Africa. Or in avoiding Montezuma's revenge on your trek through Mexico. It's a way of life. Unknown to the majority, it's almost impossible to convey to your friends back home over the course of a single conversation. It's more of a feeling, it's the excitement I experience the night before a trip. The high that comes with booking a one-way train ticket to a place I've never heard of. It's the little things that so often go unnoticed. I used to think back to my wedding day and I wonder, how did I get here? Why me? And then I remember all that I've seen and done, the friends I've made, the countries I've called home, and all the bugs I've eaten by accident." Conner Layne - The Art of Travel


For the past couple of years I have been slowly changing (and recognizing the change) from the me who was wild, spontaneous and wanted to be responsibility free into the me that likes coming home to the same place, plopping down on the couch with a book or a crochet project and sleeping in my own bed at night, with a little adventuring and exploring thrown in during the normal and abysmally small amount of vacation time allotted to the average American.

Last night, however, I plopped onto my well worn and molded spot on my couch with a blanket and the latest crochet project and turned on The Art of Travel, a 2008 film about a recent high school grad who ditches his wedding, finds himself the next day in Managua, Nicaragua and follows him through his change from a naive youngster to well seasoned backpacker and world traveller. While the movie itself was of course both over dramatized a bit (Nicaragua is portrayed a bit more harshly than it is, from what I've learned from friends who have traveled there) and glamorized a bit (how the heck does he do all of this without every needing to stop and make a little money?!), it does the trick on inspiring the inner traveler that so many of us suppress in the name of "growing up" and doing what society has instilled in so many of us the path to adulthood and thus happiness. But is it really? And how is one to know without trying?

I know I have done far more than many of those I grew up with - moving to a National Park when I was 20, moving to Colorado when I was 23, the larger part of my 20's interspersed with adventures back and forth across the country, Mexico and Canada both alone and with friends. But will I wake up one day, pick out what to where from the closet in a nice clean house in a suburban neighborhood with views of landscaped yards and picket and wish I'd seen more? Or will I wake up one day, dig some wrinkled clothes out of a backpack in a tent sitting at the base of the Andes and wish I'd stayed closer to home and settled a little more? Will it be high heels and cocktail dresses, or hiking boots and tank tops that will deliver the most happiness? A lot of questions, but no magic 8-ball to provide the answers.

The best answer of all really isn't an answer at all - do what feels right and make the best of it, and never, ever, have any regrets. Yes, the choice for each road means sacrifices of the other. But the choice for each road also leads to endless possibilities.....

The Great To-Do List - REVISED and Soon to be Updated!

In the name of lists and challenges, I thought it would be fun to revisit my very first "To-Do" List - and make a few notes and adjustments. The original list (Black type) is what I posted on MySpace (whoa!) on May 5, 2006. Green highlights are things I have completed since then. Red are things that, after careful thought and consideration by an older and more experienced mind, am choosing to cancel from the list from here on out. Last but not least, Blue is just extra notes, and things that may be "half-way done" or done with any sort of special consideration or adjustment :)


Current mood:ecstatic

Things to Do Before I Die...a few more

So, the amazing Miss Abbie did this and it inspired me to think about my own to-do list. First, it's a work in progress and, rightfully so, always will be. It's all things, in no particular order, big and small that may bring happiness, realization, truth, faith, insight, outsight, or might just need to be done.


1. Find my bliss, so that I can follow it!

2. Eat fondue that is not cheese or chocolate - Beef, at Cafe Diva in Steamboat

3. Go to Fairyland

4. Learn to roll sushi - For Bryan's birthday in 2010 (repeated successfully for Karen's in 2011 as well!)

5. Learn an instrument

6. Go to Alaska

7. Climb a big wall that requires spending the night on the wall(if Jack Osbourne can do it so 

can I) - In all honesty, as much as I hate to admit it, I am NEVER going to do this....

8. Adopt a dog - I don't actually have my own, but I have helped several friends with the selection of their furry friends, as well as adopting my kitty cat, Harlo (aka Muffin!)

9. Finish college

10. Decide what to go to college for(since I'm in college you'd have thought I did this  - already....) - Hospitality Management....thought it did not assist in completion of #9.

11. Backpack in Europe

12. Learn how to fix my own car - I can't say it was with flying colors, but in the past year I have: replaced sway bar links, struts, strut mounts, changed oil and assisted in a full tire removal/change/mount/balance!

13. Knit socks - this has been attempted on several levels, thought completion still eludes me

14. Own a home

15. Read as many books as possible by the following authors: Tom Robbins, Paulo Coehlo, Hunter S Thompson, Edward Abbey, Ernest Hemingway, and many more

16. Take a summer long climbing/music trip all over the U.S.

17. Climb in another country

18. Give up television

19. Make the perfect margarita - I hate toot my own horn, but I am calling this one good because I am told how great they are every time I make them!

20. Speak a second language

21. Go to the Iowa state fair

22. Get married and have a family(no "settling down" though)

23. See a ghost

24. Put some pretty colored tape on all my climbing gear so Galo stops asking "is this mine or yours?" - Seeing as I don't have much climbing gear anymore, nor do I ever see/climb with Galo since we live 900 miles apart, this one might be a moot point.

25. Spend a summer in the southern hemisphere(so it snows in July!)

26. Do karaoke...sober. - "Don't Stop Believin', at Jade Summit In Steamboat 

27. Find my birth mother(maybe....) - Found, but not contacted

28. Hitchhike, and Yellowstone doesn't count.

29. Stand on top of Grand Teton

30. Learn to telemark ski

31. Name a waterfall

32. Start a journal and actually keep writing in it for more than a few days

33. Crochet a hat - I didn't say anything about it actually fitting properly.....And I did make Jayne a balaclava that actually fit quite well.

34. Drive a UHaul - I was reminded last year that I had actually driven a UHaul when I was 19, so this was actually completed several years before this list was made....

35. Figure out what is so fun about disc golf

36. Soak in Mr Bubbles

37. Winter camp - Grand Canyon, November 2010

38. Run a marathon

39. Make my own clothes

40. Ice skate in Central Park

41. Join a polar bear club

42. Go to a Buddhist retreat - I didn't actually get to attend a "retreat" but I did get to visit and spend a day at the Rocky Mountain Shambala Center in Red Feather Lakes, CO

43. Protest something - SAVE OUTDOOR SCHOOL!! Many, many letters were sent to the Portland Public School Board.

44. Publish an article in a newspaper - I can't decide if my High School paper counts...if so then this one is just like the UHaul....

45. Read some poetry(other than good song lyrics!)

46. See as many live shows as I possibly can, even when I'm a senior citizen

47. Teach my niece and  nephew something they will never forget

 
48. Be a bridesmaid - Ali & Nate's Wedding, June 2008

49. Learn to skateboard

50. Plant a flower garden and keep it alive

51. Become a good cook(good is a relative term) - By NO means complete, but definitely in progress

52. Celebrate the 4th of July on the wrong day

53. Deep fry a TurDuckIn

54. Touch a snake

55. Climb in Yosemite

56. Be the first one at a party/bar to start dancing

57. Beat Dirk at Tri Towers - Sadly this one involves 1) Living somewhere that I can even find TriTowers and 2) Living in the same place as Dirk so I can play him. Neither is true, so 

another moot point.

58. Balance my checkbook - This is by no means done on a regular basis, but has been done to entirety at least once

59. Get a massage on a Caribbean beach

60. Wear my 1970s Broncos tee shirt to a Bronco game

61. Go to Africa

62. Go to as many different types of churches as possible, to learn firsthand what they're all about

63. Take my mom camping

64. Fly in a sea plane

65. Wear a coconut bra

66. Win a medal in the Rainer Olympics

67. Sail

68. Read neighbor Lori's books about past lives - Neighbor Lori is now 900 miles away too, so.....

69. Run the Race for the Cure, in memory of Adam's mom.

70. Live in the same city as Jayne for at least a season - We actually got 3! Winter 2006-07, Summer 2007 and Winter 2007-08 in Steamboat

71. Lead climb

72. Go on jungle expedition in Latin America

73. Stop biting my nails - Vast improvements, but no complete success as yet.

74. See the sunrise from the top of a fourteener

75. Go to lots more Panic shows, among others, because I'm finally understanding how it can be so amazing and addicting to so many of the people I love. I'm hooked.


To be continued...... 

 A few additions - May 12, 2006

76. Wear fancy going clubbing clothes to the local bar in Steamboat or Boulder with Abbie - This has been done on my own many times in Steamboat and Gardiner, MT - unfortunately though, never with Abbie Lane :(

77. Go surfing

78. Have a pen pal - 2 actually, both from my online book groups!

79. Take a NOLS class

80. Ski in south America

81. Ride the subway all over NYC for a day exploring without looking at the subway map

May 15, 2006

82. Read the holy books of the great religions

83. Learn about meteorology

84. Volunteer for Habitat for Humanity - the only drawback here was that while I did volunteer, I never got to do any actual work because they always worked on days I was at my actual job.

America's Best Idea - The Tauck Winter in Yellowstone Event

No, of course Tauck's "Winter in Yellowstone" Event was not America's best idea, but it was set around the idea of what was.....America's National Parks, as showcased by the 2009 Ken Burns/Dayton Duncan documentary "The National Parks: America's Best Idea".

 As a Group Sales Rep for Xanterra, the lodging concessionaire for Yellowstone National Park, my job primarily revolves around a lot of data entry and answering questions - taking requests, building bookings, entering rooming lists and helping tour operators understand the complexities of working with not just a National Park, but a pretty large and varied one. While I definitely have the freedom to explore and expand within those confines, there are always exactly that: confines. It has been quite an experience in learning and growing up to be able to realize what is my job and when to do it, and what is not my job and when to shut up and leave it to those actually responsible for that task or area. Well, this winter I've had the opportunity to do something different...of course still within my realm of responsibility but with quite a bit more variety than I usually see.

 About 2 years ago, Tauck (one of the largest and best known tour companies in the US) partnered with Ken Burns and Dayton Duncan to launch a series of new tours based around some of their best known documentaries (The National Parks, The Civil War, Jazz etc..) and each new tour series was to include a "Hosted by Ken Burns" Event to kick of the series. Well, "Winter in Yellowstone" was a top priority for Mr Burns and Mr Duncan, so Winter in Yellowstone it was to be. While putting this together definitely included all of the normal aspects of my job, it also allowed me the opportunity to think outside the box, work with other departments, actually assist in the execution of the plans rather than just making them and hoping for the best. It was the perfect blend of event planning and group management, probably a taste of what would be my ideal job.

 That said, don't think that it was all work and no play! The cornerstone of the event, which took place Jan 7-14, was the series of tours in the park with both our guides and the Yellowstone Association as well as the presentations by various guests speakers on the parks geology, history, wildlife etc. The event also included a keynote address by Dayton Duncan (originally planned to be Ken Burns but he was unable to attend due to medical issues). Other speakers included wildlife cinematographer Bob Landis, animal behavior and tracking expert Jim Halfpenny, and Gerard Baker, the first Native American National Park Service Superintendent (Mt Rushmore). I am so thankful to have had the opportunity to visit Old Faithful for the keynote event and dinner. This special and private event filled the Old Faithful Snow Lodge for a night, as well as allowed for us to enjoy the keynote by Mr Duncan in the auditorium of the Old Faithful Visitor Education Center - something the National Park Service had not previously allowed for anyone else to do. While of course there was a hint of disappointment in the air over Mr Burns being unable to attend, I personally felt thrilled to have the opportunity to hear Mr Duncan speak. He was the driving force behind The National Parks having been the one to suggest the idea in the first place, as well as being a strong voice in the inclusion of Winter in Yellowstone into the new Ken Burns American Journey's programs with Tauck. He spoke so passionately about the motivation for both his love of the National Parks and his desire to create these films with Ken that it seemed as though he was truly the most fitting presenter for the evening. Through his sincere storytelling and raw emotion (he noted that Ken compares him to Yellowstone: waterworks), he brought tears to my eyes on several occasions as the realization set in and dug a bit deeper each time that he was speaking about not only the amazing idea that is the National Parks, but also of the location that begin it all and that I have the enormous pleasure of calling my home.

 Amazingly though, the evening did not end there. Following the presentation and a wonderful dinner filled with exceptional company and good spirit, Dayton invited us (the Tauck staff, myself and any guests wishing to make the venture) to join him and Gerard for a moonlit viewing of Old Faithful....if we were lucky enough with timing, that is! With the VC being closed for the evening, they had done the "rough math" of when we "may" expect the next eruption and we settled on a meeting time in the hotel lobby of 9:50pm. As went the rest of the evening, time was on our side. Our group of approximately 20-25 people was taking the last few steps along the stretch of boardwalk separating the VC from the geyser when Old Faithful began it's show. Granted, I lived at Old Faithful for 5 seasons and have seen it many times, but this was different. It was the night after a full moon, crystal clear and amazingly cold (about -10 when we left the hotel....I was in a full snowmobile suit plus a down coat!) and I was surrounded by a group who 90% of them had never had anything close to this experience before. That can make even a veteran feel renewed in their surroundings. After the eruption, we took a few minutes to do what Gerard spoke of so often - be quite and enjoy the silence. Once we had settled into our enjoyment of our surroundings, he graced us with the telling of the stories behind the constellations we could see, a Native American prayer and a song for those who not be with us that night. To top of an already beautiful experience, he then circled us up for the "friendship dance" - a bit of easier two step while holding hands and moving to the beat of his songs. This was not all seriousness though, he definitely had us in stitches with a few outlandishly funny verses here and there! And that set us up for our grand finale - some hilarious attempts at ice skating on the neon blue ringed "pond" that is the Old Faithful ice skating rink. We definitely ended the night with laughter, camaraderie, insight and an overwhelming awe and thankfulness for where we were and who we were with.

 Even after all of the years I have lived here, I am so thankful to know that I can still feel as though I am seeing it for the first time.