Living the Dream in Yellowstone

I arrived in Gardiner, Montana on Monday, May 23rd . . . checking in with my employer Yellowstone Park Service Stations (YPSS) the following morning.  This was the first photo I took later that day . . . the first of over 3,300 that made the cut and came home with me from my summer of living, working & playing in Yellowstone.  For those who followed along on Facebook, you probably saw this and others I've also shared here on my blog.  I've tried to share my experiences more real-time on Facebook, while also wanting to document more for the long term through this blog.  I sincerely appreciate folks following and commenting both publicly and privately.

One of the most frequent questions I got was some variation of "So, how was it?  And was it all you thought it would be?" And the pretty obvious "Would you do it again?"  I'll get to those "inquiring minds" questions shortly.

First, how about the wonky statistics and numbers?  I was gone 20 weeks from my family and home in Wisconsin.  Ironically, this is the same number of weeks I worked for my now former employer Bowling Centers Association of Wisconsin (BCAW).  I mention that because while it's the same amount of time, I can tell you the 20 weeks in Montana seemed to go much faster than the first 20 weeks of the year.  I'm not going to make comment on "better or worse" but rather say it was truly a tale of two phases in my life and my personal growth as I transition towards a full and hopefully rewarding retirement from work and Wisconsin.

From start to finish, I put over 17,000 miles (and lots of palindromes) on my Hyundai Santa Fe this summer.  Other than the right front wheel bearing going a month into the trip, it did fabulously!  Gas mileage was roughly 28-29 mpg locally and in the park; while it took a beating on the highway miles (at 75-85 mph) . . . just 22-23 mpg.  For the entire summer, door to door, I spent $2,000 in gas and another $300 in routine maintenance (not including the $600 to replace the aforementioned wheel bearing).

I visited a lot of really cool places too . . .
. . . 9 National Park Service sites
. . . 4 State Parks in MT, WY and ID
. . . I even got to the gate of Waterton-Glacier International Park at the border heading into Canada!

The western United States is rich with history, and there are wonderful museums and public access areas to experience what it might have been like as this region of the country was being explored and settled.  Some of the places I visited and thoroughly enjoyed in Montana were Virginia City and Nevada City. Livingston, Earthquake Lake, Deer Lodge and Three Forks.  The Wyoming towns of Cody, Meeteetse, Thermopolis and Rawlins were all interesting and were well worth to time to explore and learn.  I also made it as far away as Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, which was beautiful!

If this is the first blog post you're reading here, I encourage you to scroll through and read more about each of these interesting places. (There are also lots of photos shared to help tell the stories of these places.)

This summer, I remembered how much I do enjoy reading.  I bought a Kindle reader probably five or six years ago, but had lost interest when seemingly I had no time to sit and read.  Prior to leaving for Yellowstone, David loaded a bunch of books for me . . . plus I had several paperbacks I had never made it through.  In total, I read a very eclectic seven books!  Thank you's go out to my friends Gail Drake and Barb Conradt for providing some reading material they both knew was going to be of interest to me.

I expected to make some new friends this summer.  Through working at YPSS, there are several people who I would like to keep in contact with beyond this season.

It was especially nice to reconnect with some friends from other points in my life . . . especially Deb from Billings, Sandy & Doug from NoVA and Patty & Rodney in Rawlins.

It is my belief there are no strangers, only friends we've yet to make, and on this trip this was especially true.  Carma & John were my hosts at their quaint bed & breakfast in Virginia City . . . and Wendy & Mohammad were visitors from the Madison (WI) area.  And to my "egg lady" Peggy, thank you so much for teaching me about chickens through your small family farm.  I sincerely hope to continue friendships with these newly found friends!

So back to "So, how was it?  And was it all you thought it would be?" . . . and "Would you do it again?"

The short and easy answer first . . . I would do it again and in fact hope to in 2023!  There are some lingering concerns, like "Will my car at 200,000 miles be able to go another long summer with lots of rough miles?" along with "Wonder where we'll be living next summer?"  But for now, I'm saying I think it will be a 80/20 probability I'll return to Gardiner to live, work and play in Yellowstone in 2023.

As for how was it, etc. I will say when less than a month into it, you experience epic floods that destroyed local community economies and hindered visitation to one of the most iconic national parks in the world, not much is going to be "what you expected" going into it.

In addition to the obvious issue of access to get into the park, in Gardiner we also endured an extended order to boil water for consumption and food preparation.

And while there was loss of property and belongings suffered by many, there was no loss of life reported as a result of the flood of June 13th.  That was indeed, the good news, no doubt!

Because of the significant drop in visitation in Yellowstone National Park, YPSS suffered significantly in terms of business and revenue.  To their credit, the owners of YPSS (an official concessionaire of the National Park Service) did amazing things to assure their summer seasonal staff were taken care of in terms of employment and personal income.  The owners Hal & Jeff were very generous and demonstrated great concern for their staff of roughly 60-70 seasonal workers.

On the other side, as an employee, the work itself was at times slow and tedious but I always kept perspective that I was hired as an accounting clerk and by the general nature of that type of work . . . it was going to be a lot of data entry and tedious at times.  And I left there after my summer, with new skills, a more in-depth understanding of QuickBooks and a deeper appreciation for accounting type people.

I enjoyed working the phones when guests and future visitors would call our office.  Often our phone number was the only one they would call and actually get a human voice on the other end.  Calls ranged from people in need of automotive and/or towing services (which our company provided) to others who just wanted to know what the best restaurants are in any one of the gateway communities of Yellowstone National Park.  Getting to share my firsthand experiences and knowledge of the park and surrounding areas, was very rewarding.

Perhaps the biggest personal sacrifice I had to make was the very way I chose to recreate there.  Ordinarily, I enjoy the park at daybreak and the evening prior to nightfall.  Mornings and evenings are very special if you're interested in wildlife and photography.  With employee access restricted from Gardiner to specific "convoy times" being in the park was now on a timetable, that wasn't always conducive to what I wanted to do in the park.  I was eternally grateful when we got access starting the July 4th weekend after not having it for nearly three weeks.  It was just not very convenient.

I decided about a month into it, I would go into the park on Saturday night after work on the 5:30p convoy and camp in the park at one of the many wonderful campgrounds . . . most of which I had camped in on previous summer vacations to Yellowstone.  This afforded me the ability to not only be in the park at dusk, but also first thing in the morning at sunrise.  It was an added expense since I was already paying rent for my employee housing in Gardiner, but it was well worth it to be able to extend my time in the park without having to take the long way home out the West Entrance in West Yellowstone. (The long way "home" was about an extra two hours and 120 miles!)

Speaking of the financial side of living & working as a seasonal employee . . . people generally do not work in Yellowstone, or any of the national parks for that matter . . . for the  money.  It is really an experiential thing.  Many if not most of the people I met working there were either young people right out of high school or college . . . or older adults nearing or in retirement.  It was my interaction with these sorts of people over my past several years of summer vacations in Yellowstone, that led to my wanting to have this experience too.

David & I discussed the financial aspects, whether I had been able to do this back in 2020 while on an unpaid sabbatical from BCAW . . . or once departed from their employment altogether.  We felt that if we planned well and saved money, so long as I at least made enough money to cover my living and vacation expenses for the summer, we'd be fine.

The wages being $15/hour isn't a lot to live on, but fortunately all of the park concessionaires have affordable housing options for their employees.  In fact this past summer Xanterra (operators of the hotels, most campgrounds and some of the restaurants) waived housing expenses for their summer employees.  My housing worked out to $150/two week pay period.  Check out the great view from the living room and balcony of my apartment!

As I wrapped up my final week last week, and having kept financial records throughout the summer (May 22nd - October 8th), I was happy to let David know I got to live and play in Yellowstone . . . and travel throughout the region during my weekends off (Sundays & Mondays) . . . and STILL banked close to $2,000 for the summer.


As far as I'm concerned, I made $2,000 ON VACATION this summer!  Who wouldn't like that gig?  So would I do it again?  YOU BETCHA!

Gardiner, Montana: Home Sweet Home (for nearly 5 months)

In spite of the epic floods of June 13th, there was so much good about living just outside of Yellowstone National Park.  This was the view for much of the summer, as Yellowstone celebrated the people native to this region long before there was a national park.

Gardiner is an interesting town, with a few hundred year-round residents . . . people who like the owners of YPSS, came to work seasonally and came back to live permanently or perhaps, just never returned to their home towns/states.

I can see the allure of living in what is essentially a valley encased by mountains on all sides.  I loved the views, and mostly the weather too (spring, summer and fall).  Winter, on the other hand would most likely be a deal breaker for David & me in terms of our final retirement relocation.

The climate was dry, which if you're unprepared, can cause some issues like nose bleeds and dry, cracking skin.  In the summer, I was surprised at the long stretch of high 80's and into the 90's temperatures.  But you know, it was a dry heat, so not really unbearable at any time.  Our apartment did have central air conditioning so that was helpful on hot nights.

With the floods washing out the North Entrance Road into Yellowstone National Park and the subsequent limitations with convoy access via the Old Gardiner Road, the town essentially became a dead end from the north, thereby cutting off most tourism through our town.  This adversely impacted the lodging and food outlets, as well as the operators of tourist related services.  It was a very unfortunate situation given the past couple of years coming through the COVID pandemic and all the disruptions that created.

Many have called Gardiner "the favorite gateway community of the wildlife" because of the variety of animals that can be seen throughout the year right in town!  From my window at work, I frequently saw elk, deer and pronghorn.

Late in the summer, bears appeared in town, creating concern and controversy.  To be honest, I didn't really understand why this became such a polarizing issue.  People living in Montana, and part of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, KNOW they are living in bear country.  "BE BEAR AWARE" signs are throughout the areas, in local and state parks as well as the National Forests.  Why people living in Gardiner were not securing trash and other attractants, known to bring bears into areas where humans live, was unfathomable to me.  And if the presence of bears freaks you out . . . you probably shouldn't be living in bear country.

Being a remote and rural town, everything was a little more expensive, especially essentials like groceries and gasoline.  I did most of my food shopping in town, only buying when things I needed/wanted were on sale.  For some items, I shopped at the Albertsons in Livingston (about an hour north) or even WalMart in Bozeman (about 90-100 minutes away) when in those areas.

I did dine out in town a few times, wanting to support local business owners hard-hit due to the loss of tourists.  I will not mention names here, out of my desire to not create more financial adversity for them . . . but cannot help but to say that my experiences were less than what I expect when spending my hard earned money in restaurants or bars. (Again prices were very high . . . think $12-$15 for a burger with a side of fries!)  While the food was good to excellent, the service was lackluster and inattentive as a general rule.  When I'm eating out, and have to leave my table to go to the bar or service counter to get another beverage, that's a problem in my opinion.

All in all, I did enjoy living in Gardiner and having it as my home this past summer.

Livingston, Montana: The Gateway To Yellowstone

While the movie "A River Runs Through It" took place in Missoula, the actual filming was here in Livingston and on the Yellowstone River that literally does "run through it."

Livingston is about 50 miles (and less than an hour) away from where I'm living in Gardiner.  It became my equivalent of Andy Griffith's trip to Mount Pilot from Mayberry during my summer working in Yellowstone.  If I needed a larger grocery store, a movie theater or more dining options, Livingston was close enough to spend an evening or perhaps a weekend day off.

The Empire Twin Theaters was a cozy small town place, where I saw first run movies Top Gun:  Maverick and Elvis for about $7 in prime time.

I also enjoyed several wonderful meals here, including Chinese at The Wok.  There is something about small town America that just draws me in.  I love old "Main Street USA" type places, and Livingston with their shops, restaurants and "ghost signs" feels historic and contemporary at the same time.

This past weekend, I spent some time at the Yellowstone Gateway Museum, which I cannot recommend more highly.  I've visited a lot of small community museums, and this was one of the best I've seen for telling the story of a town that truly was the gateway to Yellowstone National Park before there was a highway system to facilitate guests coming to witness our first national park.

Of particular interest was their current temporary exhibit entitled "Pull Up a Chair:  Tales from the Seats of History."  Such a creative way to depict the life and times in Livingston.  In additional to the display and story boards for 30+ chairs, they provided a more in-depth narration about each chair and the family (or business) it was used by.

I also enjoyed their Native Cultures Room, which has many artifacts of tribes that have made Montana and Yellowstone their home for generations.

Like so much of the westward expansion of the United States, the railroad system provided early access to Yellowstone National Park.  The Transportation Room has several authentic pieces to help tell the story of the Northern Pacific Railway and how guests rode the train in the early years from Livingston to Gardiner, which today many consider the real gateway to Yellowstone . . . that is until the epic floods earlier this summer cut off most tourist access back in June.

There is so much more to learn about at this museum so check out their website or better yet . . . pay them a visit!

The Montana Grizzly Encounter is located about 15-20 minutes west of Livingston.  For anyone interested in seeing bears up close in a safe and protected environment, it is worth a visit as well.  Brutus the Bear was beloved by the locals, and after his death in 2021, was memorialized with this pretty mural in downtown Livingston.

Here is one of the resident bears currently living at this sanctuary.

I hope folks visiting Yellowstone, or traveling across I90 between Billings and Bozeman will stop and explore Livingston.  It has so much to offer, whether you have a couple of hours or a couple of days!

The Last Big Weekend in Montana (and Idaho)

It was just six weeks ago when I spent my weekend off in Virginia City.  I had booked a room at Just An Experience B&B.  When I left that morning after breakfast I told proprietors Carma & John, that it wasn't "good bye" but rather, "see you later."  Later came soon, as I thought their location was perfect for the start of a long weekend after work on Saturday.

Their home was built in 1864 during the local gold rush, and they've done a beautiful job adding space in the main lodge for guests with two bedrooms on the main floor.  Additionally, they have a couple of cabins available for those who want a different experience or perhaps more space.

I consider myself very lucky to have met and become friends with them.  They are a wealth of local information and history, as well as suggestions for wonderful stops on roads less traveled.  It was great to have their input on my trip since I only really "knew" I wanted to visit the Big Hole National Battlefield and perhaps make my way up to Coeur d'Alene, Idaho.  The wonderful weekend that I had, as largely thanks to them.

Bannack State Park (Montana)
My first side trip was to visit yet another ghost town from Montana's gold mining era.  (See my blog post from 8/19/22 to read more about Virginia City and Nevada City.)  While not particularly well preserved, the town has a lot to offer in terms of a look back into 19th and early 20th century life in Montana.  Many of the buildings are open to visitors, left largely as they were when the town was abandoned in the 1970's.  The state has purchased many of the buildings including businesses and home, so as to provide an opportunity for visitors to experience what it might have been like some hundred years ago.

A couple of personal observations . . . first was that while many of the walls, ceilings and floors were in serious deterioration, it was very interesting to see the ornate wallpaper and floor coverings especially in the homes.  In the businesses and other public buildings, you could feel and breathe the history . . . imagining being in church, going to school or have a beer at the saloon.

Some of the tourists I cross paths with were disappointed in the sad state of some of these historical relics from America's past.  For me, while I thought it might be nice to see some philanthropic money come in to renovate the Town of Bannack, I was mostly happy to not have to experience it like say Colonial Williamsburg, Virginia where it was Rockefeller money that initially restored that sleepy little town and created what is largely a big tourism machine today.

Bannack is totally walkable in about 90 minutes.  I took my time, and enjoyed nearly two hours there on an early Sunday morning.

Note there is a nominal admission fee.  As a non-resident, it was $8 which is assessed by "vehicle" whether one, four or however many people in your car.  For Montana residents, they do something pretty cool with their vehicle registration. Montana residents who pay the $9 state parks fee with their annual vehicle registration have no daily entrance fees to state parks.  SWEET!

Big Hole National Battlefield (a U.S. NPS site - Montana)

This was initially recommended to me by one of my Timeshare Users Group friends.  I'm so glad she has been following along my summer's journey and reached out to me about this remote National Park Service location.

I have to say, the more I learn about the way America's Native Americans have been treated by our government and military, the more I dislike how our country was expanded and settled.  Starting with in the east and the Trail of Tears, to how those of the great plains and west were bargained with, lied to and betrayed . . . it's embarrassing to know just how unjust we were in our dealings.

The story of the Nez Perce is especially gut wrenching as they were continually pushed from their homelands and forced to try to make due with what "the white man" provided (which wasn't much).  The loss of lives in the ambush of the peaceful tribe while most were still asleep was nothing short of barbaric.  Again, these were peaceful people.  Eventually they moved east and north, first to what is now Yellowstone, and later northward to the Canadian border.  More information about their Flight of 1877 may be found here.

Coeur d'Alene's Old Mission State Park (Cataldo, Idaho)
Another suggestion from Carma at the B&B in Virginia City . . . also a wonderful history lesson from the 1800's.  The oldest standing building in Idaho is the Mission of the Sacred Heart, built in the 1850's 

The story of how the Nez Perce & Flathead tribes sought out and worked with the Jesuits to bring Christianity to their settlement in Idaho, is told in a short (about 25 minutes) video shown in the visitor center.

Tribal leaders believed there to be special powers through "the black robes" (priests) and the teachings of the bible, so they went to St. Louis where they met with missionaries who agreed to come and help build the mission.  They worked side by side, learning the native language and contributing to a thriving community.

Today the parish house and mission buildings are open to the public.   Here are few photos that I took during my visit.

Like other state parks, there is an admission fee.  It was $7, which was also for all passengers arriving in the same car.  There was an additional fee for the tribal museum.  With limited time, I took a pass on the museum. 

WYOMING: So Much History (Part 2 of 2)

 

There is so much amazing beauty in Wyoming, not the least of which . . . Grand Teton National Park.  And while Yellowstone National Park spreads through three states, the majority of the park is in Wyoming as well.  (The other two states are Montana and Idaho).

Where you have mountains and rivers, you will also find canyons.  When driving through the Rocky Mountain region, you cannot help but to be impressed with your surroundings. 

And the wildlife . . . truly "home on the range" moments as you wiz by fields of elk, pronghorn (antelope) and deer.  If you're really lucky, you may also stumble upon bears (black or brown/grizzly), moose or big horn sheep.

My drives through Wyoming never disappoint me, so with my three day weekend, and roughly eight hours in each direction (to Rawlins and home from Evanston) I was able to take a more scenic routes not taken before.

Sightseeing highlights from my Wyoming adventure were Legend Rock State Park (petroglyphs), Thermopolis (hot springs), Meeteetse (old western frontier town), Fossil Butte National Monument (ancient fossil lake) and Rawlins itself.  Most of these places have been on my list to visit, but I just never seemed to have the time or be going in the right direction.  I will admit, I didn't know Fossil Butt NM existed until doing a NPS search for Wyoming.  I'm so glad I was able to make all of them this trip.

Legend Rock State Park
Legend Rock is a world-renowned petroglyph site. It has been a sacred site for Native Americans of this region for thousands of years.  Located near Thermopolis, I have known about these petroglyphs for years!  Due to its remote location and required walking, it hasn't been someplace I felt comfortable trying to explore alone in previous years.  When I arrived, I guess I expected a bit more for a state park.  But being a weekday (Friday) after the summer season, I should have realized I might be in for a more remote experience.  Add to it the on and off rain showers since roughly Cody, I wasn't sure what more to plan for.

The walk along the loop viewing pathway, was less than a half-mile. It started at panel 1 of 15, each numbered so you could follow along on their Interpretative Trail map/brochure (available in a waterproof box near the visitor center).  As you walk along the path, going right to left, there is a slight incline which also requires some minor climbing over rocks.  At the end of the trail, you can either turn and go back the way you came . . . or "walk down" several stone steps to the main gravel pathway below.  While I was initially concerned (mostly because it was pouring rain and the rocks and path were slippery), I made it without incident.  Good thing, because I didn't see another human there during my hour walk.

I have so many photos of these beautiful artifacts, so here are just a sampling of these historic works of art.  This panel features some of the oldest petroglyphs at this site . . . believed to be over 11,000 years old.

There are other that are more clearly defined and recognized in terms of the human and animal figures depicted. Check out the panel below.

As much as the cloudy rain was a disappointment, I was really happy that the weather helped to "bring out" the images carved in the rocks.

Fossil Butte National Monument
I'm really glad I found out about this place Saturday night through a GOOGLE search of National Park Service sites in Wyoming.  Fossil Lake was one of three "great lakes" that covered areas of what are now Wyoming, Utah and Colorado.  The fossil beds in this region have been excavated for nearly 200 years.  The layers of rock have preserved thousands of plant and animal life from an estimated 52 million years ago.

While there are no easily accessible trails to view fossil beds here, they have done a remarkable job of providing visitors with exhibits of actual fossils including trees, birds, fish and other animal species.

Again, I took a lot of photos so I'm only sharing a few that I think are most interesting in terms of the life shown through the layers of limestone, volcanic ash and mudstone.

Rawlins, WY
I had couple of hours after breakfast with Patty & Rodney, so I paid a visit to the Carbon County Museum and the Wyoming Frontier Prison.  They are conveniently located within blocks of each other, so it was a nice opportunity to take in some local history.

The Wyoming Frontier Prison might have been "frontier" given it housed its first inmates in 1901 . . . but it remained an active prison until 1981!  The prison had a death row, with hanging being the initial means of execution, until in 1936 a gas chamber method was implemented.  In total, 14 death sentences were carried out here (nine by hanging and five by hydrocyanic acid gas).  There is a small museum open and free to the public.  One-hour guided tours are also provided based on seasonal hours ($10-$12/person).  I highly recommend the walking tour.

I suppose after a prison tour, the historical society's museum may seem tame . . . but it is also worth a mention and visit (and it's free).

Besides . . . who doesn't want to take a selfie with the Sinclair Dinosaur? 

Meeteetse, WY
My timing wasn't great given it was a Friday morning, a couple of weeks after Labor Day . . . but I still enjoyed a short impromptu stop here.  Initially it was more of a "stretch my legs" potty stop, but I was glad I took the opportunity to walk the small frontier town's wooden sidewalks to peer inside some of the many main street shops and museums.

The main Meeteetse Museum was open to the public and had several very interesting exhibits, including a ranger station and the "Wild Sheep of North America."  I'll admit to feeling sad for Big Joe, a 600+ lb grizzy bear that had become a nuisance to local ranchers and was euthanized in 2018.

Ranger's cabin as it would have appeared in the 19th and early 20th century

Big Joe is on display, in his taxidermy state.  He was an amazingly beautiful animal, that just got into trouble on the local ranchers' land.

Peering in through the front window of the old garage

 

 

 

 

 

Thermopolis, WY
This town is perhaps best known for the local hot springs turned tourist/resort stop.  Today, there is a state park that includes the thermal features which are beautiful. More than 8,000 gallons of water a day pour over the terraces which are easily accessible for viewing and photography.  There are several commercial hot springs pools in this area, for day use and overnight visitors.

Here is a video of one of the terraces . . . turn up the volume to hear the hot mineral water flow.

This is also where I stopped for dinner Friday night.  Missing a "Friday Fish Fry" for months . . . I enjoyed the fish dinner at One Eyed Buffalo in town before heading on to Rawlins for the night.

 

The sun setting on another fabulous day!