Carcass

One thing we have to do as rangers is keep animal carcasses away from the road because they attract aggressive bears. If you don't already know, aggressive bears and visitors are a bad combination. Above is a picture of Ron and I after we just hauled a carcass up a hill. We took it to a place called Gut Road where we dump carcasses so the animals can still eat them, but away from humans so no one gets hurt.

Jackson and the Tetons

One of my weekends off I took a trip down to Jackson. It was one of the most fun adventures I have had here this summer. I started my 3.5 hour long drive down to Jackson right after work. I reached Grand Teton National park two hours later. When first arriving in the park, not far from the gate, I encountered a growing forest fire just 300 yards off the road with the Teton Fire crews trying to control it. I parked by the side of the road for only a couple minutes, but got to see a helicopter with fire retardant hanging from it take off to the fire. I then rounded a bend which allowed me to look out over Jackson Lake and see my first view of the Tetons.

Hobo Party

We had our second annual Hobo party in which we dress up as hobos and have a potluck dinner. The reigning champion of the king of the Hobos prize (Amanda) took the crown again. You can see her outfit (which included the dog and the sign) above.
Towards the end of the party Brady (above) and a few of the other musicians and I jammed. Jim, our volunteer, it was his last night, and he made up a song to which his cousin (an excellent guitarist) and I accompanied him.

Fires and Training

While I haven't been able to do any official fire training this summer, Colette managed to get in a small unofficial training session so I could learn a little bit about our engine and how to work the hydrants/hoses. I got to shoot the hose off a few times, open and close the fire hydrant, and learn a tinsy bit about the pressure system in the engine. Earlier that day the other rangers and I were called to a fire alarm at Roosevelt lodge (turned out to be a faulty heater which smoked just a little bit, no harm). I was called to bring the Ambulance and treat the other rangers/firefighters if there was any problem.

Getting Chilly

It's August. All of us here can feel the end of the season creeping up on us. One of our rangers and one of our volunteers have already left us. The nights are starting to get below freezing again, and the bears are becoming more and more scarce. Not necessarily because its close to winter, but because their food source is now in the higher forested elevation, so there are less bears being seen by the road and by people. Therefore, with less bear jams, I must find other things to do with my time on the job.

Rodeo

Not only are there fun things to do in the park, but there are also fun things to do outside of the park. Recently, four of the other rangers and I went to the Livingston Professional Bull Riding Rodeo. At the beginning of the rodeo, the riders all came in with their chaps and cowboy hats and lined up. Then there was a helicopter that flew in some of the more famous bull riders and landed in the middle of the arena, and the bull riding began. So the basic rules of bull riding are as follows:

Slough Creek Carry-Out

I have gotten a bit behind on my blogs, so I am going to try to catch up with a few posts today.
More often than not, we have people who injure themselves in the backcountry. About a three weeks ago, we got a call that somone had cut their foot at Slough Creek, so a bunch of us went in with the wheeled litter and carried him out. We met a black bear just as we were coming out of the trail head. Pictures above.

Striping Ranger Dooley's Truck

Last Friday, Ranger Dooley and I were able to stripe his truck. What I mean by that is Law enforcement Ranger vehicles have to be marked with a green stripe as well as U.S. Park Ranger on the sides and back of the vehicle. We call this striping a vehicle. Dooley's truck had not been striped yet so with the right materials we were able to do it. We had to wash the car first before putting on the adhesive green stripes and lettering. It took almost a total of 4-5 hours, but the end result looked pretty good for non-professional stripers.
There is a new album posted below of Dooley's Truck Striping.

Fairy Falls

So I forgot to mention in the last post: when I was hazing the bear with Brady and Amy, I tripped over a rock and broke my camera. Luckily I still have my camera phone, but real pictures might not be up for a while.

On my day off last Thursday, I took a hike in the backcountry to Fairy Falls.

This was a gorgeous fall near the Midway geyser basin about 2.8 miles into the backcountry. (picture above) The falls are 197 ft in height, and halfway down the fall, the water hits a rock that causes it to cascade into a small pool enclosed by rock. The water then drains as Fairy Creek. Fairy falls is now a "must see" on my list if you are going to Yellowstone.

Bear Hazing at Slough

Here in the park, we have a plethora of bears. The bears do many things: graze, run, stand by the side of the road, and come into developed areas. When they do come into developed areas, the park has policies of hazing the bears out. Now the hazing occurs for a few reasons. First is visitor safety. Bears can be unpredictable, and the rangers try to decrease that risk to visitors by keeping bears out of the campgrounds and the lodging. Second is for the bears' safety. There are always people who are going to speed in parking lots or driveways, and cars do hit bears in the park. Also, when a bear comes into a developed area, sometimes the visitors can get a bit over-enthusiastic and crowd the bear. This causes stress for the animal, which can cause it to act in adverse ways.
So yesterday morning, I am on my way back to the station from two bear jams in Lamar Valley, when I head into Slough Creek to check if the campground is full. Suddenly on the radio, dispatch calls about an injured bear in the Slough Creek campground. So I head in to make sure the campers are safe and all the food is put away. I get there and there is a bear about 5 yards from a campsite with an obvious injury to his right front leg. The bear had been scared off by the people in the site and he headed down towards the Creek and out of sight. This is about the time when Brady got there. He and I hiked down the trail at the creek, trying to find if the bear was coming back or if he was still headed downstream, but we didn't see anything so we turned around.
A bear management ranger named Amy came to investigate the situation. By that time, the bear had come back. Amy shot 4 cracker rounds (exploding noisemakers) in the bear's direction, and it took off.
Hopefully this bear won't cause any problems in the future.

Here's a picture of me

So I kinda broke my camera recently while hazing a bear. And i hadn't gotten pictures of myself in my uniform yet. But yesterday we took staff photos, so ill post one of those on this post.

Another day off

On Thursday, I had a great day off. Brady, Amanda, Arlo, Tango, and I went on a hike up Pine Creek Trail in the Gallatin Natl Forest. The first part of it was kinda hard. It was all uphill, so there was basically no warm-up for the hike. It was a pretty hike, not really one of my favorites though that I've been on. Unfortunately once we got to the second creek crossing, I had a huge blister on the back of my right heel. Which forced us to turn back. I feel really bad about that part.
We then went down to bear creek and let Arlo, (and Brady), get their feet wet for a while. After that we had a lunch of ice cream and nectarines in Gardiner. We then headed down to Arch Park next to the Roosevelt Arch in Gardiner. We all lay down in the freshly cut grass for a couple hours, the dogs playing once and a while.
For dinner, John M joined us at the Raven grill. The Raven is the best place to eat in Gardiner. The steak there is to die for and they've got some other pretty good meat dishes as well. This dinner was treated to us by Gil and Sharon who were campground hosts at the Tower Falls campground until during one big thunderstorm, their camper was crushed by two fallen trees. So thanks to them for the great meal.

More Busy and a Helicopter

I guess saying in my last post that everything has died down here was speaking too soon. Last night I was called out on another medical. We were called to Yancy's hole, a backcountry BBQ area, for someone who had been thrown from a horse with reported respiratory arrest. Usually with respiratory arrest, after a few minutes of it, the heart stops as well. So Colette put me in charge of the Automated External Defibrillator(AED) and CPR compressions if they were needed. Luckily they weren't needed because the patient had regained consciousness. On the way to the scene, Brady did some awesome driving and fast technical maneuvering of the ambulance. During the transport, I was in the back with two park medics, Colette and a paramedic from Canyon named Amy. It was interesting to watch them put in the IVs and pain medications. Amy had this fancy machine which measured pulse, did an EKG, Blood pressure, respirations, and SpO2 all at the same time! We transported to Mammoth where we met the trauma helicopter. By the time this was almost done and the patient was loaded in the helicopter, it was already dark out.
One of the rangers from Mammoth was there as well. She was the one who had directed the helicopter in. Someone brought up about how the pilot would have to use night vision goggles. I mentioned how that sounded cool because I had always wanted to try night vision goggles. So without me asking or anything, she reached into her rig and pulled out a pair and said I would be able to use them to watch the helicopter take off. Which was awesome by the way. Those night vision goggles really do work well!
As the helicopter started taking off about 30 feet from me, the wind from it really started picking up. It got really strong, probably around 40mph! I watched it take off into the pitch black of night....well, not pitch black for me, I had night vision goggles.
Really exciting night overall. Brady and I got back to the station and we both found tacos made for us in our fridges by Amanda, which was really cool of her because we were hungry!

Somewhat of an update

Well, I knew this would happen eventually. The activities are really picking up here. We've had numerous emergencies over the past week and a half, which means lots of overtime for me. I just got a call from my dad, and both he and my mom have been wondering what's going on because I haven't called them in a while.
I've certainly been getting my fair share of EMT experience. We've had head trauma, acute abdomen pain, motorcycle accidents. It's crazy. Word to the wise. If you get carsick easily, becoming an EMT might not be for you. Those ambulances really rock on these curvy roads.
So for the past 3 days or so, there has been this carcass on the side of the Lamar river in Lamar Valley. At the peak of the carcass, there were 3 grizzly bears, four wolves, and thirty ravens all trying to get a bit. It's been our biggest jam around this area for a while. Last night I was on the jam. The three grizzlies were there, with the biggest one on the carcass and the two smaller ones hanging around and hoping for a turn. Also the Alpha female of the Silver pack was there as well. And boy was she gorgeous! I think that was the closest I'd seen a wolf my whole time here. She was also quite fat. It seems she had been eating pretty well the last few days.
Fourth of July was fun. The northeast entrance rangers had their annual 4th of July potluck. I brought soybean and chicken salad. But some of the other dishes there were amazing. If everyone here wasn't a ranger, they would probably be great chefs. After dinner we all headed out to Cooke City to watch the fireworks. The fireworks that the city put on were pretty cool, but so were the ones being shot off in the street. And in the backyards of two different houses. And only a couple fireworks shot off sideways and exploded near cars. So I suppose you could call it a pretty successful 4th of July since no one got hurt.
Afterwards a bunch of us went to the Miner, a bar in Cooke City. Being the only one under 21, I got to be the designated driver, but before we drove back at midnight, some of the folks played pool.
We have a rocky mountain bluebird nesting above our ambulance bay.
That's mostly it. My days off haven't been too exciting because I've been working and getting overtime during them.
My hat came in last week! Like most things, I haven't had time to take pictures yet, but I should get some time tomorrow afternoon and maybe I can get one of the rangers to get a few shots of me.

People I'm Working With

So here's a review of some of the people I'm working with again, and a couple new people here at Tower. First there is Colette, my boss. She's the head ranger at Tower and Law Enforcement as well. It's thanks to Colette that I got the job here because she helped me through the hiring process this past school year, (if you've ever tried to work for the government, you know how difficult the hiring process is.) John K works bears with me. He also started out as an SCA, and he is really good at handling crowds at the bear jams. Ranger Dooley is the backcountry ranger here at Tower. If you had to show the meaning of 'ranger' to someone, it would be Ranger Dooley. He can hike for miles without breaking a sweat and no one would dare to contradict him in the front country. But despite all his Ranger-ness, he's actually a really funny and nice guy. Eric is a permanent LE here at Tower, and he's really knowledgeable about everything that goes on here. He's always working to enforce the law and make the Tower area a safer place. John M is also law enforcement (LE) and always has an opinion that's interesting to listen to. I could probably talk for hours with him, but I would never want to get into a debate with him. Amanda (LE) is one of the coolest rangers here. She's about 6 inches shorter than me, but she would definitely be able to beat me up if she wanted to. Brady (LE) is one of the nicest guys you'll ever meet. He has a bit of a warped sense of humor sometimes, but then again, I was told I do as well, which may be why I enjoy hanging out with him. There's a new law enforcement ranger here at Tower. His name is Howie, and he's a pretty awesome guy to hang out with. He's also REALLY good at bear jams. He'll swoop in, give a lecture to people chasing after bears, and then turn around and smile at the rest of the visitors. Ron (LE) is really awesome. He's always really calm, but has this look about him like he knows what's going on. Sara was a volunteer here last year, and now she is a ranger, with basically the same job as myself. Sara is really fun to hang out with and always has new information to tell me about something
We have a new SCA here, (my old job), his name is Brian and he seems to be catching on to everything here pretty well. Brian brought one of his friends here when he drove out, and now that friend, Jim, is a volunteer for Tower Ranger Station. He'll mostly be working the bear jams.
There are a few other rangers at the Northeast entrance who stop by once and a while, such as Scott, Ryan, Sally, Gabe, Mike, and Brian C, so you might hear me mention them a few times.
Well that's about it. My hat should be in tomorrow. I am really looking forward to it.

Moose

There's been a moose hanging around Floating Island Lake, about 5 miles west of the station. This is a gorgeous looking moose with a nice set of antlers growing. Its rare to see moose in the park, (my brother can attest to this), and many people spend weeks or so searching for one without any luck, so it's pretty cool to see a bull moose this many times.
I just love living in the mountains. We can get really warm temperatures during the day, but as soon as 6:00pm hits, the temp drops at least 20 degrees. It always gets down to about 31 degrees at night, so it is like free air conditioning. It is also really nice to wake up to a backdrop of mountains every morning. Just taking a look around at the scenery as I walk up to the office is so amazing.
Also, thanks to all those who've commented so far. I may not be responding to all of them, but I am definitely reading them!

Kersey Lake

I had my first real day off a while back and it was AMAZING! John M, Brady, Amanda, and I and their two dogs Tango and Arlo all went for a hike in the National Forest just outside the Northeast entrance. We left early in the morning, because Brady had to work later that day, and headed to Kersey Lake in the Gallatin Natl Forest.
We started up along a trail that had a bunch of forks off it and it seems as if we tried every one until we reached the main trail that led into the backcounty. One of the forks led to a waterfall. It was nothing big, maybe about 20 ft tall but boy was it loud! And fast! I would not like to boat down that thing in a boat. John M, who used to be a rafting guide showed me the course I would want to take if I was put in a boat and forced to go over the waterfall. There were two parts: one current that went right over the edge, and one current that was made into a jump by a rock. Now you would think that taking the jump would not be the better idea, but John explained that if you took the jump, the boat/raft would land flat and there would be a better chance of the nose of the boat being up. If the other route was taken, the nose would land at the bottom of the waterfall face down, and the chances for flipping the boat would be much higher.
Another fork of the trail led to an abandoned power plant that used the current produced by the waterfall to make energy. I guessed there was a fire, because it seemed that the building was gone, and only the foundation remained. But apparently whatever remained was protected by some historical artifact act made by the government, so the cement and iron ruining the landscape that was left behind will remain there indefinitely.
We crossed a bridge going over the river and headed up the trail. Arlo, (Amanda and Brady's dog) got to see his first batch of snow. He also loves to play with balls, so when I made a snowball and threw it to him he caught it in his mouth, but to his disappointment it got crushed when he bit down.
We hiked some more, through lots more snow, until we reached a creek crossing. Luckily, there were some fallen trees so none of us had to get wet. No one really had trouble crossing except for myself and Arlo. He seemed a bit scared of both swimming across and crossing on the log. I just seemed to have bad balance, so I sat on the log and scooted myself over the creek.
For a while we climbed a mountain through a lodgepole pine new growth forest. On the other side of the mountain going downhill, the trail was covered in snow and the snowmelt. So it made for a very muddy and we downhill climb. At this point, I was very grateful for my new hiking boots which my mom bought me before I left. Not only did they feel wonderful, but they also kept my feet dry, which is a wonderful thing in this cold mountain climate.
We reached a lake and hung out there for a while. There was a rock cliff that if you yelled at it, a pretty cool echo was produced. Both Amanda and I experimented with our new discovery. There seemed to be a forest ranger outpost across the lake, but due to our lack of time, we decided to check it out on another day.
We headed the same way back, going up the muddy trail and scooting across the creek. For lunch, we stopped at the beartooth cafe in Cooke City just outside of the Northeast gate. If you are ever in this area, this place is a must! Not only does it have amazing food, but it also has 130 types of beer from around the world that you can order. Now since I am underage, I ordered just an ice water. But the Bison burger that I ordered was delicious.
After that, it was back to the park. The second half of my day wasn't as enjoyable as the first half. I spent about 4 and a half hours cleaning my trailer. But since it was a thorough cleaning, hopefully from now on, if I tidy up once a week, a large cleaning isn't going to be necessary again.
Well that's all for now. I still haven't gotten my ranger hat in. Believe me, if I do, there will be pictures right away.
Photos of the Kersey Lake hike are posted at the bottom.

First Day Back

I just recently received a picture from John K, one of the bear rangers here, of me on my first day of work. I'm in plain clothes because my uniform hadn't come in yet. Colette was having an EMS review on the scoop stretcher and I was chosen by the rangers to be the patient. So they poked and prodded me onto the scoop stretcher for about two hours. But its OK because the same thing happened during my EMT class a while back, so I was used to it.

The standard

One thing I've been wanting to do for a while is learn how to drive a standard or a stick-shift car, and two days ago I finally got the chance. Brady taught me in his truck. I have no idea why he wanted to do this, because I assumed since I know nothing of standard cars that I would accidentally break the transmission or something. Despite my warnings, he was still willing to teach me which was extremely awesome of him. So we get in the car, and before I can move 1 foot, I stall it. After, I think, two more stalls, I manage to get out of the parking space. But then it takes another two stalls to get moving forward in first gear. We head down the Tower driveway and do a U-turn near the backcountry office. I somehow manage to shift into second gear on the way back without stalling. We are then about to go up the small hill towards the upper office. I downshift to first gear and get to that and around a dirt road fine.
Then, Brady seemed to think I was ready to go on the real road. So I tried and then shifted all the way up to 3rd gear! We were going 30 mph! It was so scary. We then pulled into Roosevelt lodge to turn around, which I do fine. But as soon as we get to the turn back onto the regular road, I stop. Now getting going again in first gear is still really hard. I think I stall about 4 times before I get back on the main road.
We get back to Tower okay, and I manage to stall the car one final time about 2 feet away from the car being parked. Overall, I would say it was a success because I didn't break his car. But it is very exciting to "know" how to drive a standard car. Thanks again to Brady!

So much water, but so little water

So for the past three weeks or so, Yellowstone has been getting drenched with rain showers and snow(in some places). The rivers and creeks are pretty high this year. Yet in all of this abundance of liquid, the water to my trailer has been shut off. Apparently, the water pipe leading directly to my trailer and Sara and Ron's RV had a leak in it that was making Amanda and Brady's place sink into the ground. And I mean LITERALLY sink into the ground. It looks like the foundation sunk about one foot so far, but they turned off the water to my place so they could dig and fix the leak. Brady and Amanda were so kind to let me crash in their extra bedroom for a few days or until the pipeline gets fixed. But there has been no set date for it, so I have no Idea when that will be.

Got back onto the bear jams a couple days ago. For those of you who are just tuning in, bear jams are traffic jams caused by bears when they are visible from the road. And just like last year, there are a handful of visitors who park their giant RV in the middle of the one laned road, jump out, and run to the bear to take pictures.
Yes, I did say run to the bear.
When I first came here last year, my instinct was to run AWAY from the bears. I still have no idea to this day why someone would want to run towards a wild animal that can tear your face off with a swipe of the paw.
But despite all of my fears of getting my face swiped off, I somehow ended up about 10 ft from a bear when I helped it cross the road yesterday. Thank goodness there was a car to put between myself and the bear.

My ranger uniform is still looking awesome. I would love to put pictures up, but I would rather wait until my re-sized ranger hat comes in. No ranger uniform is complete without the hat.

Uniform

Now that I am working for the National Park Service(NPS), I get to wear the NPS uniform. Now if you are one of the many people who've heard me say "I'm very excited to get my ranger hat," you might be able to understand my disappointment with the next sentence. My hat came in, but it was a size too big, and I had to send it back for a different size. So now I have to wait another week and a half probably to get it. Not fun.
The sizing of the clothes is very confusing as well. Not only did I have to send back my had but also my sweater, windbreaker, hat band, and my pants (which were about 4 sizes too big...how did that happen!?)
Apart from the frustrating ordering online, the uniform looks good. My long sleeve shirt requires a tie, so that can be annoying at times....but it still looks good and that's what matters!
Having a badge is awesome too. It doesn't really do anything except sit on you and be shiny.
As usual, I have my bear spray and my radio. No change there. And for the time being, while I'm waiting for my Ranger hat to come in, I get to wear an NPS ball cap if I so choose.

Same old, some new.

Well, here we go again. I begin my stay at Tower with a bison grazing on the dandilions not five feet away from my trailer. I wish the weed control in Massachusetts was that good.
I have been worried for the past few days because my background check hadn't cleared, (all federal employees must go through one) but yesterday I got news that it cleared, just in time for me to start working. Hooray!
Only a few things have changed here. Brady and Amanda, (two Law-Enforcement Rangers who worked with me last year as well) have a new dog named Arlo. He is very sweet and fluffy. But of course, along with the fluffyness comes shedding.
I'm in a different trailer, but still near the creek so I'll be able to hear it at night. One thing that definately hasn't changed is the bears. they are as active as usual. On monday afternoon, a bear came in to the Ranger station area. He wandered around and into the horse corals until John M. and Eric chased him back to the woods. With all the vehicle traffic at the station, it's not safe for a bear to wander around. This is why it is a nessisity to push it back into its natural habitat.
So tomorrow I'll try to make a post about the people I'm working with again. I know I made one in my last blog, but refreshers are always nice.
Until next time!

Arrived in Yellowstone!

We have arrived! And for the past two days I have been taking Yvette around some of the great places in Yellowstone for her to see. We've been to Canyon, Lake, West Thumb Geyser Basin, Old Faithful, Norris, and Mammoth Hot springs. She seems quite enamored by the thermal features. But unfortunately tomorrow her flight leaves out of Bozeman. She said that she had a great trip and hopes to come back sometime though.

Tower and everyone are awesome as usual, and I can't wait to start work!

Iowa and South Dakota

So I posted some photos at the bottom of the page. The past few days have been quite eventful. On our second day of Ann Arbor, one of my mother's friends from grad school, Marijim, and her husband Jess took us to a delicious breakfast and then to the farmers market of Ann Arbor called Kerrytown. All of the vegetables looked so delicious that I wished I wasn't on a road trip so I could buy them.
We left Ann Arbor and Headed to Iowa. After an 8 hour drive, we arrived just in time for supper. My cousin Yvette got to meet my grandparents and my other cousin Brian that night and the next day she met my Aunt and Uncle and my other cousins Dana and Alex. (Lots of cousins!)
We had a good day off in Iowa, visiting with family, playing with the new baby kittens, checking the car, and visiting the pigs of course. Unfortunately we had to get a move on the next morning and move on to South Dakota. That day, (our fifth day) was our longest day of driving. I think the total was around 10 hours! But we did take a break from the open highway by stopping at the Mitchell Corn Palace. The outside of this extravagant structure was covered in beautiful art pieces of corn. (Pictures at the bottom)
We arrived at this little mom and pop inn called Dakota Inn in Kadoka, South Dakota. The most amusing thing about this inn was the pool. It was one you would not want to take a dip in. It was about two feet deep, and a nice emerald green......with algae. :P Yuck~
Today we did a small geology walk in the Badlands National Park. Now if you haven't ever been to the Badlands, I highly recommend at least taking a drive through the upper loop. Hiking through the eroded rocks is also quite fun because there is never a set path; you have to make your own. After the Badlands it was to Wall Drug. Wall drug was a small Drug store struggling to survive in the early 1930's. The original owner compelled people to stray off of Highway 90 by offering free ice water. The current owner still offers that.....along with tourist items, a cafe, a small mall, western wear, an arcade, and a giant t-rex. Very fun.
Then we saw Mount Rushmore. It was pretty cool, and thats the end of today. Tomorrow we arrive in Yellowstone. For that I am very excited. I cannot wait to see all the rangers again!

End of day two

Well here it is: the end of day two, but still the beginning of a summer. While I have enjoyed these past few days of travel, I still find myself looking forward at the days to come.
After only two days of driving for long spans of time, I am beginning to find it easier to spend long periods of time in the car. I did not realize it would be this easy to get used to. Our (Yvette and I) first day of travel mostly consisted of driving through Massachusetts and across upstate New York. It really isn't that different from any of the other highways in Massachusetts, so there wasn't much to say about it. However, when we reached the Niagara Falls area, we had to cross two bridges to get to the motel, and might I add, these were very large bridges! The size of them might have even frightened me at first, but they were quite comfortable to drive across. Yvette said she was able to see the mist of the falls atop one of them while we were driving.
This morning we went to the falls themselves. For a large tourist attraction, it was quite empty, I thought. Perhaps because it was earlier in the morning, but it was nice to have room to walk and breathe. There were two views were we saw the falls. We first stood near the brink of the southern most falls. and then we walked across a few bridges and came to the brink of another part of the falls closer to Canada. The second lookout we went to got us about 10 feet from the brink of one of the falls. Talk about vertigo! The view was amazing, and the feeling of the mist even better.
We then headed out of New York state and into the top left corner of Pennsylvania where, apparently, they have vineyards! After resisting the urge to stop at a winery, we passed into Ohio and drove along the border of Lake Erie. We were able to get one small glimpse of the lake, and boy! Was it big! I couldn't see the other side!
Then it was off to Ann Arbor Michigan where Jim and Maryanne, friends of my parents, graciously welcomed us into their home.
So that is the end of the first two days. I'm very excited for tomorrow, I will be arriving in Iowa and get to see my family!

Day One

Well day one is almost complete. Yvette and I plan to visit the falls tonight. But let me say this: Driving across the country is not as glamorous as it seems if you are the one driving. I am exhausted! And this isn't even our busiest day! But maybe it will get better as time goes along.

The Adventure Begins

Well, here it is. The beginning of a new summer. Right now, I am still ecstatic of what luck has brought me. But I would also like to begin this blog by thanking my dad. He pushed me to do my internship last summer, (of which I was unsure of because it was three months away from home), and thus he instigated the path of me applying to this job. Last summer was one of the best summers of my life, with many new experiences and adventures, and I am looking forward to this coming one.
I have been getting many questions of when my flight leaves. However, this year I am driving out to Tower Ranger station in Yellowstone. My parents have permitted me to the use of one of their cars for the summer, (can I call it my car yet?). Last year at Tower, I found myself begging for rides and felt that I was somewhat isolated, which is why I asked to take the car.
But I will not be alone in driving across this great country. My cousin, Yvette, is coming with me. We plan to stop at places such as: Niagara, Ann Arbor, Iowa, Mitchell Corn Palace, Badlands, Mt. Rushmore, Wall Drug, and the battlefield of Custer's last stand. The conclusion of the trip will be two days of sightseeing in Yellowstone, with a personal tour guide of 'moi' (Me).
So stay tuned!