Sorry I haven't posted in a long time.  I will catch you up soon.  I just wanted to post a link to my finished Masters paper.




Marking Time: Calendars of the Ancestral Puebloan People at Bandelier National Monument

https://1drv.ms/b/s!AuAfEHbQjxpDin5DJmP-BkKjhe8-

After my first full week

I'm exhausted.  Not really mentally but physically.  I remember feeling this way at the beginning of last summer.  I felt old.  I felt out of shape.  I was wondering what the hell I was doing here.
Last night I left Easter dinner a little earlier than the rest because I had worked all day.  It was my first full week back in the Visitors Center and I also gave a private walk up the hot spring terraces on Friday.  It felt like normal.  It felt great.  Today I feel like I have been hit by a train.  I feel old.  I feel out of shape.  But I know why I'm here.  Oh, and the family loved my terrace walk!  Yay!
My mind is racing...it's telling me to go take the garbage out, wash the dishes, take a shower, read for my summer programs, go take a hike, etc...  And all I can muster is to lay in bed, drink my coffee, and listen to this bird singing outside my window.  I've even been wondering why my wrists hurt.  It's not like I've been typing a lot or anything...and it finally dawned on me.  I have put up and taken down the flag probably every day this week.  I like doing it.  I don't mind at all.  But apparently the hoisting up and down of a flag is serious business.  There is a webcam set up on the area too so I have to make sure I'm very professional and respectful while doing so.  http://yellowstone.net/webcams/mammoth-hot-springs/  The flag usually goes up between 845am and 9am Mountain time.  It gets taken down between 450pm and 515pm Mountain time.  At least until the Visitors Center hours change.  There are other webcams where you can see the Mammoth Hot Springs are but you are less likely to see any ranger activity unless we make a point of getting in front of it.  https://www.yellowstoneassociation.org/webcam  (just click on the area you want to look at)
So, the interesting thing for this week is that it is suppose to snow....all week.  Nothing too crazy, just flurries. Continuous flurries.  I really should have ordered more warm ranger clothes when I finally figured out my password to order more uniform pieces.  It's ok though.  I will manage.  I just wish that I would have brought better lotion with me.  My skin feels like it is about to flake off due to the dry and cold.  Maybe if it doesn't snow too bad I will try getting up to Livingston for a massage.  That would be good and would probably solve more than one of my current issues.
I have also been thinking long and hard about my programs this summer.  Of course my terrace walk and talk are about the same.  The places they are to be given are different this year.  That will be a little adjustment.  Gotta study up more on the fort.  I love history so that shouldn't be a problem.  Keeping my snake program but I think I am going to create an owl program too.  And then  I'm switching up my night program to talk about how the local Native Americans utilized the Yellowstone area before contact and right around the time of contact.  Probably will focus more on the Sheepeaters but the whole Shoshone people fascinate me.  Well, I am off to concur my dishes and garbage.  I will leave you with more photos from the week.

Getting back into the swing of things

I finally cleared my background check and have been on the job for a few days.  It's pretty slow around here in the winter but with a few nice days more and more people have been coming in.  I've been giving myself some leeway to get back into the thick of things.  Besides that, It's been kind of a weird start getting myself situated.  But that will come in time. 
The few things that did come naturally is remembering which key fit the back door.  Thank you long term memory.  Nothing worse than standing outside when it's freezing and a herd of elk are trying to get the drop on you.  Also, the putting up and taking down of the flag.  Very important.  And last but not least, the log book.  Since the log book is one of our most important communication devises, I will share what has been "logged" the last few days. 
Friday, March 27, 2015
There was a fresh elk kill this morning by Buffalo Creek off of Slough Creek Campground.  You can't drive into Slough Creek campground yet because the road is closed but you can see people with scopes up on one of the hills.  The kill was made by Lamar Pack Alpha female  #926.  Her mate was killed a few weeks ago by the Prospect Peak pack.  Since then a few of the younger males from Prospect Peak have been hanging out with her trying to become her new "man."  Scientist are watching what will happen because she still has 10 month old pups from her dead mate and she is also currently pregnant with a litter of pups from her dead mate.  (Wolf Drama!)
 There is also a winter kill of a bison by the picnic area where the Yellowstone and Lamar rivers meet.  (the bison probably fell through the ice and drown)  Today the Junction Butte pack and 2 grizzly bears were hanging out by the carcass
Saturday, March 28, 2015
Today the Junction Butte pack and the Mollie's pack were seen hanging out where the Lamar River and Soda Butte creek meet.  (apparently the Junction Butte pack likes to party and they don't really care who they party with)
There were 4 moose spotted in the park NE of Soda Butte creek by the picnic area.  (at the base of The Thunderer area) 
Hot Spring Update:  The Palette area is really flowing with some major changes to water flow.  The travertine lip got top heavy over the winter and broke off.  The water is currently flowing over it and through it.  Opal Spring is pooling.  Roadside spring has stopped.  Minerva is pooling again and the side of Mound Spring is flowing like crazy. 

So that's pretty much it.  Tomorrow I plan on picking up my radio and calling to get home wireless service.  Then I plan on heading out to Tower-Roosevelt and Lamar Valley to try and see some of this wolf drama that is unfolding.  Hopefully I will get some pictures.  Until then, I hope these hold you over.

Planning a trip to Yellowstone

Over the last few months I have been getting a few texts and emails about visiting Yellowstone National Park...and other parks too.  Which I love for a few reasons.  #1  It gets me in the swing of thinking like a ranger again and #2 forces me to reconnect with knowledge I may have lost over the winter.  So, if you are thinking about planning a trip to Yellowstone, here are some of my suggestions to take into consideration.  When is your trip?  Very important if you want to see something in particular.
April-June  Baby Animals...but with babies running around remember that the mothers are highly agitated.  Keep your distance.  Bison are on the move throughout the park.  They have the right of way on roads.  Do Not tailgate or honk at a Bison.  You will regret it.  Wild flowers.  Possible snow on the ground in higher elevations.  Some trails may not be open.  Rivers are running high due to snow melt.  You will get a big fat ticket if you try to go into Boiling River before it is posted as open.
July-August  Highest tourist visitation.  Think driving in the city...during rush hour...and then there is limited parking spaces.  Don't park on the side of the road.  You will get a ticket.  Our law enforcement rangers are Federal Police Officers and have ever right to give you a ticket.  Animals may not be as visible. Bears are starting to go to higher ground for food. Trails are usually all open at this time.
September-October  You will probably not see a bear.  The elk are starting the rut.  Do not wash your vehicle before you enter the park or a bull elk will ram it.  They see their reflection and think it is a challenging bull elk  Do not stop your vehicle anywhere near a bull elk or he will ram it.  Some bull elk are just jerks and want to hit anything.  The best thing to do during the rut is to park your car somewhere safe and walk to a building and watch through the window.  They look all nice and innocent but really, they will turn on you faster than a possessed clown doll.  Visitation is lower but it is a high retiree time.  The Bison are on the move again.  Possible snow.  The leaves are changing colors. Everything starts shutting down.  Fewer ranger programs.

Ok, so that pretty much covers the highlights.  You can pretty much see the thermal features anytime you want.  They don't go anywhere and they just keep doing what they do. Norris is cool.  Don't miss it.  However, there is a lot of walking involved. Old Faithful goes off every 90 minutes or so day and night and the time does vary.  It's not an exact science.  If it went off at 10:31am, you can estimate it will go off about 90 minutes later.  However, sometimes it goes off 60 minutes later, or 78 minutes later, or 111 minutes later.  You get my drift?  The best way to enjoy the geyser area is to just relax, see all the springs and bubbling mud.  When you get to Old Faithful, go into the visitors center and find the next estimated time.  If you just missed it, go have lunch, or an ice cream, or a cocktail.  You can also check out the cool hotel or hit a gift shop or the museum.

The lake area is very relaxing.  It's like a visual chill pill.

Canyon...who doesn't like a huge waterfall?  Just keep everyone in your party on the trail...especially children.  I could tell you a story from last year but it still breaks my heart.  Oh, and if you see something that looks like an off leash dog coming towards you on the trail...just move aside (about 10 to 20 meters) and let it pass.  Then get back on the trail.  I have heard that the wolf pack in this area uses the trail system down there to get around easier.

Wolves...if you want to see one, plan to get up an hour before dawn and go to Lamar or Hayden Valley.  Also try an hour or so before dusk.  If you see anyone with a scope or one of those cameras with a lens the size of a 6 year old child...stop.  They have found something.  I lovingly call these people the wildlife paparazzi.  You can really find them anywhere cool wildlife can be seen.

Bears can usually be found around Tower Roosevelt.

Coyotes, foxes and bison could be anywhere at any time.  They just pop up when they want to,

Sheep...try the cliff in between Mammoth and Gardiner Mt.  Also, over by Tower Roosevelt.

Moose...try Grand Teton National Park.

Wildlife Safety!  Stay 100 yards (an American football field) away from wolves and bears.  Stay 25 yards (2 nose to nose school buses) away from every other animal.   I advise carrying bear spray.  It is basically police strength pepper spray and it's not just for bears anymore.  I keep it in my car within easy reach in case of emergency.

Hotels and Camping...book early.  Make a realistic plan of attack and stick with it.  Rooms and campsites go super fast.  If you wait too long you may end up staying and hour and a half away from the park and commuting in each day.   www.YellowstoneNationalParkLodges.com  or Reserve_YNP@Xanterra.com  866-439-7375  You can try outlining areas like Gardiner Mt, West Yellowstone Mt, Cody Wy, etc... There are hotels and campsites within those vicinities.  For those of you who are camping...always extinguish your fires.  Something tells me it's going to be a dry one this year.  Also, never have food or anything smelly in your tent.  You may even want to change clothes out of what you cooked in before you hit the hay.  Give a bear no reason to come sniffing around.  Store food items inside your car whenever you are not using them.

The only thing I think that is left to tell you is make sure you read the material they give you at the gate.  It has loads of great info and times and places of ranger programs.  And have fun!  It really is the chance of a lifetime to come to the park.  Be patient.  Relax.  Remember...you're on vacation.

Please feel free to ask me any additional questions you may have or stop in to one of our visitor centers once you are there.

The month before my return to Yellowstone

Yes.  It's been a year.  I know...  I am a completely lame blogger.  But, I plan on changing this.  Here is my plan.  I have come to realize that I have a lot of people that follow me on Facebook.  Especially when I am out in the world working in the National Parks or doing whatever it is that I do.  Well, I don't like posting so much on Facebook but I do like writing letters.  Someone at some point suggested a journal but I lost interested in doing that for myself when I had to start doing it for my job/work/school.  (think scientific observations)  I don't do it so much anymore since I switched to Resource Education aka Interpretation but I still haven't brought myself to log in a journal everyday.  So...my plan is to log in this blog.  Hopefully once a week once I am in the park.  Just to keep my friends and family informed on what my general life is and what is happening where I'm at.

I don't plan on going through each post and being a grammar nerd.  This isn't a book or a thesis.  This is information.  This is entertainment...especially for those who know weird stuff happens to me all the time.  I walk outside and crazy happens.  Not everyday but enough to make my life interesting. This is something you can do while you're waiting for your doctor to call you into the back room or read on the bus during your commute.  It will give you a taste of what my mind, thoughts, and cares are.  And for that I apologize.  And it will probably not be on topic all the time.  My brain seems to jump from topic to topic but I will do my best to stay focused.

As of the middle of February I was rehired on at Yellowstone National Park.  This will be my second summer season there and I am more than excited.  I would love to do a happy dance up and down the street but I'm sure someone would call the cops.  Last year I adored my Yellowstone experience.  Every last person I worked with were the best.  I have never had the privilege to work with such an intelligent, welcoming and patient crew.  I say patient because I had never worked as an interpretive ranger before and I had loads of questions.  Also, I had never been to Yellowstone before.  Yes, that's right.  Never.  And within two weeks of getting there I had to give my first programs.  When I had driven into Mammoth Hot Springs last summer the only things I knew about Yellowstone was Old Faithful and grizzly bears.   I spent my first days learning general information, working the front desk in the visitors center and taking home books to read.  At one point I had a two foot stack of books and reading materials to go through and take notes on.  It was like 15 credits of graduate school crammed into a two to three week period.  I'm not joking. My typical day consisted of crawling out to my coffee maker, watching the sunrise, heading into work, observing at the desk and shadowing programs to get familiar with what was expected of me.  After an eight hour shift I went to my housing to eat, read for a couple of hours and fall asleep to a documentary on Yellowstone  (go to youtube and search for Yellowstone documentaries...I have probably seen all of them)  I had never felt so much stress and satisfaction as everything eventually came together. Unfortunately, most of those fellow comrades aren't coming back this summer.  They have found other positions in other parks or are spreading their wings into other ventures.  I will miss every single one of them.  But there will be a few familiar faces in which I am so thankful.  This summer we will be the ones to have the initial get together parties and be the park's welcome wagon.

Since my start date is a bit earlier this Spring/Summer I have been making lists.  What to get out of storage and what to leave behind.  So far I have already gone through everything I currently have with me.  Somethings are already packed and just sit at the base of my bed waiting to be packed in the car.  I have gotten most things on the list done except for actually vacuuming out my vehicle.  At some point over the next week or two I plan on hitting storage to do the big exchange of items.  Besides that I have started reading some books that I bought before my departure.  My goal is to have my new night program in the works so I can write up an outline and set up a power point.  I think I might keep my snake program in play but eventually work in a new Wonders of Yellowstone program.  I also have been revisiting some of those wonderful documentaries that lulled me to sleep those first few weeks.  The count down for my departure is at hand and I cannot wait.  I really hope there is no delay in my background check like last year.

The slow winter months

Oh, I can't even tell you how refreshing it is to have an expiration date.  And I don't mean and end date like I am dying, but a end of shelf date.  It's been a difficult winter.  No real job prospects to speak of and there was a second there when I thought my prospects for a summer job would be the same.  Cue one of my ":people" and I am off to Yellowstone National Park to be a Park Ranger Interpreter for the summer.  (expiration date May 11)  I haven't been a park ranger before so this is exciting and terrifying all at the same time.  Exciting for the reasons anyone would be excited.  Terrifying because I am so scared I am going to let my "person" down.  I love my "people".  They bail me out every time I need them.  I hope I always return the favor.
It will be hard to pack up from home and head off again but it will also be a relief.  At home I feel on guard all the time.  It's stressful to feel like you have to be a certain way.  It's hard to explain but maybe I can put it more plainly at another time.  Aahhh  In 6 weeks I pack up the car again to start off on another adventure....

Wow, it's been a while

Ya...I'm back. Well, I never said I was a consistent blogger.  
Anyway, on to my thoughts.  You know how you ask people what's new in their life and they say, "Not much"?  And you look at them knowing there is some serious stuff going down but they are not quite ready to talk about it with you.  So you let the subject slide by and continue with comments about the weather and how the family is doing.  Well, the weather here is typical for the state of Washington and the family is doing fine...although we did lose my uncle last month.  (A year and a day after my aunt)  And you are wondering what else is new in my life?  Not much....