Journey to Season’s End: 8/1 - 9/30

Since we had been at Snake River Park since the first of May, August found us in working at a comfortable stride. After all, this was our third season as KOA Work Kampers and we should have a grip on things though each manager, from park to park, is different. We continued with regular days off and regular hours of working. We had two days working the late shift, one day on the middle shift, and two days doing the early shift. Our schedule was balanced with the other five couples in that we operated in a rotational manner. That meant we had the evening security detail one or two nights and the others took their turns the other nights.

We could generally see a moose in the marshes around Jackson or Teton Village.

Of course, we continued to meet a variety of people. We noticed that earlier in the season many of our visitors came from Holland, Belgium, or Germany. In the middle of the summer many came from England and France. By September it seems that visitors from Asian countries and western Canada were more prevalent. Of course, we always had visitors from a wide variety of states in the USA. Many campers actually flew into Jackson Hole or Salt Lake City and rented motorhomes before coming to the campground. Some flew into the area, purchased tents and other items, and stayed in the tent areas along Horse Creek or Snake River. Still, others just got here and rented one of the many camping cabins for a few days.

The big thing for all of us at the campground was getting through the solar eclipse. We had been booked since before May. Martha and the others in the office seemed to spend half their time answering the phone and then telling people that we had no space. For some reason, people were always surprised that others had planned so far in advance. And, not only was the campground booked but every hotel and motel in town was booked for the event. As mentioned in the previous post, Grand Teton National Park and the Jackson Hole area was in the path of the total eclipse. The town of Jackson planned for 100 thousand for that weekend. Though there wasn’t an accurate count of those who came, Grand Teton National Park had about 20% more visitors than normal. The Park, of course, was prepared with extra portable toilets as well as additional police from other areas of Wyoming.

View of some of the cabins just before the totality of the eclipse.

Note the color of the sky.

During the totality phase the lights around the campground came on.

Not the color of the sky; things had a gray tone to them and

the temperature dropped. Since we had no crickets, we couldn’t

hear them though other areas of the country certainly did.

Of the many trips we made on our days off, on two occasions we drove to Jenny Lake in GTNP. The first “concession” in the Park at Jenny Lake was the boat ride across the lake to Inspiration Point. Once at the Point, there are trails up the canyon from which waterfalls are the main feature. As a friend pointed out, who visited the area for his first time, everywhere you point a camera there is a beautiful photo to be taken.

Just one of the many cascading falls looking up the canyon from Inspiration Point.

Many people like to fish the rivers and lakes in western Wyoming. There are cutthroat trout and other fish to be caught later in the summer. It was not unusual to see two or three people in a drift boat fishing the Snake River by the campground. A drift boat is designed for doing just that, drifting on the river where the water is fast and the elevation change is anticipated. The boats are pointed at either end and have a deeper draft in the center. That’s so it is possible to negotiate the subtle rapids that may be on the path. By the way, you have to have a plan for being let off from one spot and picked up at another since all traffic on a falling river goes one direction.

A drift boat with three fishermen floats past the point where

Horse Creek meets the Snake River. Children who visited the campground

moved some of the rock to build a dam at the edge of the creek and

then erected a monument as a crowning point of their achievement.

Near the end of our stay we decided to make our trip to Yellowstone to see some of our favorite areas. That involved a drive of a little over an hour to reach the south entrance of Yellowstone. We took the eastern roads to Mammoth Hot Springs. We returned via the same route all in a matter of a little less than ten hours. It was what a first-time visitor would call a “whirlwind” trip. Since we had been to Yellowstone before, we didn’t need to stop for every thing.

 

From the South Entrance, we traveled through West Thumb Junction, Fishing Bridge,

Canyon Village, and Tower-Roosevelt to Mammoth Hot Springs where

one can always see elk around the historic buildings of the fort and resort hotels.

While going over the mountain toward Tower-Roosevelt we

encountered snow and this buffalo bull along the roadside.

On the grounds of the historic fort at Mammoth Hot Springs it is

always possible to see elk wandering free on the always green landscape.

Snow in the upper elevations, about 8,000 feet and above, signals

the beginning of fall in Jackson Hole. This is a view of the ranch on the

southern edge of Jackson. The rows of tall, yellow grass mark

the water channels that wind throughout the fields. The green is the

growth that shows through after the cutting of hay.

Imagine the surprise when we awoke late in September to be

greeted by snow on the care and the roofing of the cabins. This was

an indication that it was getting time to leave southwest Wyoming.

Our last day in the Jackson Hole area was a Sunday. Therefore, it was

appropriate that we take a photo of the church we attended

each Sunday, Presbyterian Church of Jackson Hole.

On Interstate 25 north of Idaho Falls one can view the Grand Tetons

with the foothills of the western slopes. There are no foothills

on the eastern portions in Wyoming.

Experiencing High Country Wyoming: 6/2 - 8/1

Byron’s rendering of one of the license plates used in Wyoming.
The rider on the bronc is a rather common symbol as is
the view of the Grand Tetons over the Snake River.

We have now been in Wyoming at Snake River Park KOA for a full month. One of the main reasons for being in this beautiful area of the USA is to support our joy of exploring the region. Though we’ve been to Wyoming before, we have enjoyed returning and seeing things we hadn’t in our other two trips.

The month of May is the month the snow in the mountains begins melting. With about 50% more snow this past winter than normal, that meant dealing with high water, rapid currents, and some flooding. At the campground we weren’t able to open the nine tent sites along Horse Creek (south boundary) or the eight sites along the Snake River (west boundary) until June. Once the waters began to recede the sites were opened one or two at a time. The last sites to open were those that were totally covered by water along the Snake.

Due to the abnormal amount of snow runoff, the Snake River grew

to invade the tent sites along the river. In this photo the water

is covering the roadway that goes past the sites. Near the top

of the photo it is possible to see where the beach connects

to the roadway. Once the water receded sand replaced

the chipped wood that formerly surfaced the sites.

Since we’re past Memorial Day, the unofficial first weekend for camping and RVing, our work schedule has become fixed. We work Tuesday and Wednesday from Noon to 8 PM. Having the “late” shift means that we are also responsible for providing after-hour assistance and security for the campground. On Thursday we have the mid-day shift and are at work from 10 AM to 6 PM. The final two days of our work week involve Friday and Saturday hours starting at 7 AM and getting off at 3 PM. The schedule allows us to have an extended “weekend” if desired. Typically we go out for an early dinner with another work kamper couple and then ride around the area by going somewhere we haven’t been before.

Our first evening out was at Bar-J Chuckwagon Dinner at Show.

Bar-J has been in operation for 40 years. The meal is served

chuckwagon style (glorified cafeteria) with meat, beans, slaw,

cake, and drink. The show, with a western theme, features

five excellent musicians though only four of the performers

actually sing and speak. The fifth guy just picks whatever it is

he’s playing from steel guitar to dobro. Pictured with us are

the work kamping couple mentioned above, Russell and Sherry.

The next two weekends we spent on horseback on separate trail rides.

The first ride was up about 500 feet to a plateau toward some open

land operated by Wyoming Fish and Wildlife. The second ride

was at Mill Iron Ranch where we ascended 2,000 feet above

the level of the campground into some higher ground. Though we

briefly encountered some rain and clouds, we could still see over

the neighboring buttes and peaks to see the Grand Tetons 30 miles away.

At the end of our ride we enjoyed the best steak dinner

we have had in several years.

Then came our whitewater trip down Snake River Canyon. We were

the first to get on the raft so we worked our way to the rear. As it turned

out, this was the place where we could see the action in the front

as well as the waves as we encountered the several sets of rapids.

Between rapids it was a nice float trip with wet suits and protective gear.

When we went, the flow rate and the river were still high. Since we

traveled with seven other rafts, we felt safe.

On two evening we drove up Moose-Wilson Road to different destinations.

Both times we were fortunate to see a moose that tends to feed in the

marshy area near Teton Village which is at the base of the Teton range

on the south boundary of Grand Teton National Park.

One of our evening trips was through Kelly past the Moulton Barn

on what is called Mormon Row. If you’ll look back in the previous blog,

you’ll see a photo of the same barn with more snow on the mountains.

Though the details of the old barn aren’t visible, the tallest of the

Grand Tetons is just to the right of center with the rays of the sun

being visible in the early evening haze.

On another evening, we took the Gondola to a restaurant 3,000 feet above

the valley floor. From that height it is easier to see the Hole of Jackson Hole.

Teton Village may be viewed at the base of the mountain. Jackson, the town,

is beyond the butte in the center of the photo. The Village is one of

two ski areas in Jackson Hole. The other is Snow King which is

immediately south of downtown Jackson.

To the south and east is an area called Granite Hot Springs. It is in the

Gros Ventre range which is older than the Teton range. One of the features

is this gigantic cathedral tower near the peak of the range. At it’s base

is a 50-foot waterfall that is a part of Granite Creek.

Above the falls (pictured above) is a lengthy, cascading portion of

Granite Creek. The creek is near the Spring which feeds

Granite Hot Springs Pool, which was built by the Civilian

Conservation Corps in 1933. The elevation of the pool is

6,987 feet above sea level. The average snowfal in the area

is 400 inches annually. In the summer the water temperature

in the pool averages 93° but in the winter it is 112°. The reason

for the difference is that the snow melt comingles in the stream

from the Spring and, thus, lowers the water temparature.

Grand Teton National Park is in the path of the solar eclipse. The campground

has been booked since early spring. The town of Jackson is expecting about

100,000 thousand to be present that weekend. For only three ways in or out,

traffic will be heavy and facilities in short supply.

In June we had visitors from Central Illinois; Larry and Peggy Stahl and Peg’s sister, Shirley. It was their first trip to the area and, of course, they got to see some of the wonders of the Teton’s before making their way back home through Yellowstone.

Martha works in the store/office at the campground. Her duties involve handling reservations by phone, welcoming and registering guests, helping stock store products, selling rafting trips (for company owned by the campground owner), and fitting people in wet suits for the whitewater trips. It provides a busy day for her even though there may be one to three co-workers in the facility.

Byron works outside with the other maintenance members. At times he is the only person though, on average, there are three. The duties of the maintenance team are escorting RVers to their sites, picking up trash and debris, collecting the linens from the cabins for the laundry, making routine repairs, and troubleshooting problems.

We’ve signed a contract for next year’s engagement. We’ll return to New York to work near a small town called Copake which is near the Connecticut border. Copake is about a two-hour drive from Boston.

Until next time, we’ll say “good-bye from Jackson, Wyoming.”

To Wyoming via Louisville: 3/27 - 6/1

Our travel back to the Louisville area, our home base, took us through Florida, Georgia, and Tennessee on I-75. We had scheduled our annual maintenance for the motorhome at Buddy Gregg Motorhomes near Knoxville. From there we headed westward spending a night at the Bowling Green KOA before heading into the Louisville area. While in Bowling Green we visited with friends from nearby Scottsville while eating at Cracker Barrel. Another friend, Pat Stewart of Bowling Green, visited us at the KOA.

Since the tolls were in place on the bridges crossing the Ohio River (the new Lincoln Bridge as well as the Kennedy Bridge), we decided to cross into Clarksville by way of the I-64 bridge (Sherman-Minton). Since this was to be our fifth time to stay at Add-More Campground in Clarksville it sure felt like we were “coming home.” The difference is that we were a couple of weeks ahead of other schedules in returning from Kissimmee. Still, it felt good to be back in Kentuckiana where things were starting to bloom and the trees starting to leaf out.

Springtime in Kentucky. For us, it offers more beauty than can

be seen any spring in Florida because dogwoods and redbud

trees don’t exist there in addition to the expanse of grassy areas.

While in Louisville we visited with Candice and Jeremy and Jody as well as spent time with a few other friends. On Sundays we attended our home church, St. Matthews Baptist, and Highland Baptist (known as Louisville’s liturgical Baptist church) where we were married 13 years ago by Joe Phelps, the church’s pastor. We also had medical appointments and took care of other business. One of the appointments was to the veterinarian to have Redford, our male English cocker, checked. We had him to the vet four times fighting some type of infection. As it turned out, the infection led to the determination that he was dealing with a cancerous growth as well as prostate cancer, which is really rare for a neutered dog. We decided to give him some medication to keep the cancer at a distance so we could enjoy our summer commitment. He has tolerated it well and seems to act like normal.

<-- This is Redford sitting proudly

in the captain’s chair on the driver side

of the motorhome. He’s showing off

the new seat pads made by Martha

coordinating with the seat pad

for our couch and new,

rocking recliner we got before

leaving Kissimmee.

We headed for Jackson, Wyoming at the end of April so we could be in the Jackson Hole area by the first of May ready to start our summer engagement at the Snake River Park KOA. Our plan was to drive it in six days and visit with our son-in-law’s parents in Jefferson City, Missouri. While we did make it to Jefferson City but the plan changed two days later because of the weather in the Jackson area. We wanted to beat the predicted snow and icy roads on one of the passes through which we’d have to drive between I-80 and Jackson.

  --> While traveling on I-80 east through southern
Wyoming we were quite surprised to find
this monument of Abraham Lincoln at
Summit Pass. The monument sits at
an elevation of 8,640 feet in the
Laramie Range between Cheyenne
and Laramie, Wyoming.

You can imagine our surprise at finding anything related to Lincoln in this part of the USA. Following is the reason why. In 1912, construction began on the Lincoln Highway, the first transcontinental highway. Since Lincoln was engaged in the effort to build a transcontinental railroad, it only made sense to name the highway in honor of Abraham Lincoln. Long stretches of the highway ran alongside the first transcontinental railroad route and which was later designated as US Highway 30.

In 1958, philanthropist Dr. Charles E. Jeffrey sponsored a project to erect a Lincoln memorial on top of Sherman Hill – the highest point of the highway. It was for the 150th anniversary of Lincoln’s birth. The 13 1/2 foot bronze bust was designed and created by Robert I. Russin of the University of Wyoming.

By the way, it isn’t unusual to view long trains passing in opposing directions on the rail line in this part of Wyoming or western Nebraska. By “view,” one can see either end of the trains in the distance. That is a sight the can’t be seen in any other section of the country through which we have traveled.

Snake River Park KOA is 12 miles south of Jackson on the Snake River. It is at the northern end of the Snake River Canyon that cuts between the Gros Ventre and the Snake River ranges. The owner of the campground also owns a company that offers whitewater rafting through the canyon. The campground, itself, is a bit different than the typical KOA in that this one has many more cabins than it does RV sites. In fact, there are 53 cabins and only 18 RV sites in addition to the five sites for workers. The campground also has 10 tent sites along Horse Creek on the southern edge of the property and eight tent sites along the Snake on the western border.

Tent sites along Horse Creek which flows from the Gros Ventre

range into the Snake River by the campground.

In preparation for opening the campground we worked on cleaning

the recreation room. This photo was taken when we had completed

cleaning the hanging lights, dusting the timbers, cleaning the floors,

and arranging the furniture. The room is in traditional mountain design.

When we arrived the runoff from the snow melt was just beginning though the flow was yet to reach the peak stage. Evidence of how much there was to go could be seen anywhere along the Teton, Snake River or Gros Ventre ranges. Seeing all the snow became typical as we made our first trips on our days off.

In early May we journeyed through Jackson Hole to Jackson Lake, the man-made reservoir that is the first in line on the Snake River. This photo was taken from the dam on the southeastern edge of the lake with Mount Moran to the fight of center (it's peak almost touches the clouds) and the highest peak of the Grand Tetons on the left side (it’s peak is covered by clouds). As can be seen, snow exists from nearly the base of the mountains (valley floor) all the way to the peaks.

The same afternoon we drove around to Jenny Lake which is fed

by one of the glaciers. Jenny is always so peaceful looking. This is looking

northwest from the southeastern shore nearest the observation deck.

There is a new deck and walkway being constructed so getting

to this point meant going around a temporary path that

had hardly been used. That changed in a month when

foot traffic picked up along with park attendance.

One of the most photographed barns in America is the Moulton Barn

in Jackson Hole. What make it so photogenic is that the Grand Tetons

are the backdrop as witnessed in this photo. The eastern side of the

Tetons have no foothills. This is why they seem so majestic since the

rise more than 6,000 feet from the median elevation of the Hole

(the valley between Jackson and the south entrance of Yellowstone).

Each year the elk, mule deer, and moose loose their antlers (horns are

permanent, antlers grow new each year). Jackson Hole houses

the National Elk Refuge where thousands of elk spend the winter.

In the spring, Boy Scouts in the area gather the shed antlers

and make them available for sale at the annual Antler Festival.

Antlers are sold by the pound, in general, except for the very fine sets that match well. Elk antlers and moose paddles may bring as much as $3,000 if they match well. An attached skull can even add to the value. Of course, a skull with antlers means an elk perished some time during the winter. By the way, did you know that elk have canine teeth? They do. They, like elephants tusks, are of ivory, are extracted and sold separately. The more than one-half of the proceeds the Boy Scouts receive go to some designated charities in the region. The remaining funds are retained for use by the Scouts.

This blog covers nearly nine weeks of activity on our part. The next report will cover a six-week period so be sure and check back.

Winter Solstice: 11/6 through 3/26

A barn, live oak tree, and Spanish moss are sure signs you’re

somewhere in Florida. As a matter of fact, this is a common

sight in rural Oseola County of which Kissimmee is the county seat.

With the passing of many more days than intended, it’s time to do another update to the blog. So, here goes.

The entrance to Great Oak RV Resort — our third season to be here.

Arriving at Great Oak RV Resort in Kissimmee for our third season felt a lot like coming back home. Traveling in for the last few miles involved looking around the Kissimmee area to see what had changed over the summer and what was the same. As to the park itself, little has changed. We were just among the early ones to return. Many other snowbirds don’t come in until after Thanksgiving. Most of the Canadians, of course, plan to be here no longer than five months but the do come to avoid the chance of snow.

We allowed ourselves a few days of being here before returning to our previous positions. The crew at Chick-fil-A was thrilled to see Martha return. Some fellow cast members at Walt Disney World were glad to see Byron return as well, some are also seasonal and a few year-round. For sure, it didn’t take long to get back into the routine. We were also welcomed back to our Sunday School class at First United Methodist in Kissimmee. In fact, Byron started teaching the third week after arriving. He continued to teach until the last Sunday on March 26.

Inside Casey’s Corner — lined up placing orders.

Thanksgiving and Christmas at the RV park means gathering for a group meal in the club house. Those are the opportunities that about one-half of those present get together in one place. Some who live in the park year round tend to stay away.

Martha worked between four and five days per week each week that we were in Kissimmee. Byron, as a seasonal cast member, gets to set his availability which was Monday and Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. To maintain employment he must complete 150 hours in a calendar year. For 2016 he ended up with 328 hours. Before leaving at the end of March he had already logged 162 hours. Of course, we set aside some time off to go to Westin where Ashley, Michael and grandchildren live. After Christmas Candice came for a week.

Our new “tradition” is attending a performance of the

Candlelight Processional with several performances

annually at EPCOT. It involves a guest narrator,

a core choir and orchestra, and choirs from

area high schools and colleges.

When Candice was with us after Christmas, Ashley and the

grandchildren came to Kissimmee so we could go to

Magic Kingdom together. Here we are with “Boss Mickey.”

Another tradition we’ve developed is taking visitors to WDW to ride the monorail. We stop at the three resorts on the route (Contemporary, Grand Floridian, and Polynesian) or drive to the Wilderness Lodge (built like the Old Faithful Lodge in Yellowstone) to see the Christmas decorations.

Annually a crew at the Grand Floridian builds this

large gingerbread house.

This is the interior of Wilderness Lodge decorated for

the Christmas season.

In January we went to Legoland Florida, which is on the property of the old Cypress Gardens that was founded in the 1930’s. It is in Winter Haven. This was our first time to Legoland and were impressed by all the colorful sculptures made with Legos. The kids, of course, enjoyed the rides. We all had a good day together though it was a bit cool with a high of 62 under partly cloudy skies.

Our gift to Michael, Ashley and family was a trip to

Legoland Florida. Here they are at the entrance.

It was cool when we visited.

We both made some new friends at our respective places of work. Martha took to a couple from Venezuela. They left their home country because the danger and corruption feeling their children deserved better. He is a software engineer and she is a food scientist. They are getting their start in the USA by working at Chick-fil-A while looking for better opportunities where they can put their university degrees to work. Elvis, the name of the woman, and Martha worked on learning about each other’s languages. Byron struck up a conversation at work with an International student from Australia. She was born in Thailand and left there with her mother when she was 13. Riya said she wanted to taste some Mexican food. We arranged to meet her one Sunday, took her to church and then a local Mexican restaurant. A few weeks later we went to Cracker Barrel for breakfast.

The young girl in the photo is Pariya Singhanatnitirak, our new

friend who enjoyed a Mexican meal with us at Chevy’s.

We tend to participate in two activities at our RV resort: Hand and Foot card game and karaoke. For karaoke Byron sings and Martha listens. For Hand and Foot we both win some and lose some but do enjoy playing with others from the park.

The primary perk of working at Chick-fil-A (for Martha) is getting to food at a 50% discount. If it has been an especially productive week, she may get a meal at no cost. The perks of working at Disney World (for Byron) is getting dining discounts at many of the restaurants at the various lodges. The discounts are from 25% to 40% off. We take advantage of these when we can. This year we went to the luau at Polynesian Resort and to Sanaa in the Disney Vacation Club lodge at Animal Kingdom.

Our karaoke friends from Great Oak went with us to the

Polynesian Resort for the luau and program.

 Like the men, the female dancers at the luau were amazing.


The view outside the window of the lodges around
Animal Kingdom allows visitors to see the zebras, giraffes
wildebeasts, antelopes, and other animals grazing
in the early evening.

We took a day to go to Magic Kingdom by ourselves enjoying

things as adults and grandparents – there is a difference.

We got to even see the fireworks as guests. Byron usually works the

Fireworks Dessert Party at Tomorrowland Terrace and

doesn’t get to see the whole show. It is an amazing

program of fireworks and music.