Checklist

A week from today I will have left this natural theme park they call Yellowstone. I'm a little sad about it. There's so much left for me to do here: climb Electric Peak, backpack to "Mr. Bubble," hike to Osprey Falls, see the Grand Prismatic spring, go on the cookout ride that Roosevelt is famous for. Oh--go to Glacier National Park! Eight hours away, but so out of the way from everything else, you practically have to go through Yellowstone to see it. And it sounds so pristine. People love it even more than here. But Monday I got to check off a lot of things from my "to-do list" here! My friend Rick, who cooks and serves with me (and has ridden a bike across the country, been a school bus driver, and a white water rafting guide--he's done a lot) took me white water kayaking in the morning. He first taught me how to get out of a kayak if it flips: tap your helmet twice (just to calm yourself down), pull your skirt, then push yourself out of the kayak while holding onto you paddle the whole time. He flipped me once and made me practice, then I flipped myself the second time. It was kind of scary, but I survived that part. Then he took me down the Yellowstone River--which has some pretty sweet rapids! You have to watch out for "holes" in the river, where you can get sucked in and flipped over pretty easily. I didn't flip the whole time. Oh--and it started hailing as we kayaked down the river (about five miles). Rick said I was good for a first-timer (thanks to practicing kayaking at Robin Buiter's lake house!), and the course we ran was fairly challenging. We went to Helen's for lunch--it's this burger shack in Gardener. Having a 1/2 lb. burger there is a must for Yellowstone employees! I had an elk burger but took a bite of Rick's bison and bacon burger. Good stuff! Then we soaked our weary limbs in the Boiling River--probably one of my new favorite spots in the world! Hot waterfalls flow into the river and you can sit and relax there for hours. It was pretty crowded, but so nice. We both worked dinner shift that night. I'd call it a pretty productive day! I will try to post pictures soon! The Wi-fi in Mammoth is pretty slow, so every time I try to post one, it takes about 15 minutes. But I'll try again soon! :) I miss everyone and am excited to be back home soon.

The Latest

I can't believe my summer in Yellowstone is coming to a close in less than two weeks! Working here has been a surreal experience. I think I'll look back on this summer as being pretty magical--though, I'll admit, there have been times I've wanted to pull my hair out from the stress of work. Ah--the Beartooths, geysers, and hikes made the triple shifts worth the stress!

Saturday night Julie (from Wisconsin), Jean (from France) (who's teaching me French!) and I went to the rodeo in Cody--my second time, and Jean's first-ever rodeo. Julie and I had to take Jean to Dairy Queen afterwards for a real American experience--the blizzard! Delicious :). Yesterday I worked pretty much all afternoon and evening, with a small break in between lunch and dinner--just long enough to call my friend John Barnett, who's maybe visiting my last five days here... should be pretty awesome!

People around here are starting to leave. Tonight there's a going away party for Lisa, one of the hostesses at the restaurant. And tomorrow is August first--so strange how quickly and slowly time passes.

Two days ago my friends Karin and Simeon were married. I wished I were in Sweden :). The same day my friend Jillian, who I also met in South Africa, got married in WV. Congrats to both couples!

Thanks, everyone, for your kind cards and gifts and care packages with peanut butter products, etc. I love them!

Beartooths

So, I managed to finagle SIX WHOLE DAYS OFF last week, four of which were spent backpacking in the Beartooth Mountains (Northeast of the park) with my good friends Emily, Lindsay, and our new friend Pete. Honestly, I felt guilty taking six days off (!!), but I think taking the trip was the best decision I've made here thus far. The Beartooths are absolutely gorgeous! We camped at Fox Lake the first night, only about a two-hour hike in from the trailhead. I just got my new hiking boots from Sierra Trading Post and hadn't worn them in at all, so my feet were getting blisters. Emily, our fearless leader (who is also trained in LNT--"leave no trace" backpacking, where you pack in and pack out almost everything), bandaged them up with Duct tape. Day two we hiked eight hours to the beautiful Dewey Lake. We were amazed as each hill we crested revealed a more beautiful panorama than the last. On the way we sledded down a snow-covered hill with the spare trash bags we had! Such fun. Day three we read, relaxed, and took a day hike to Impasse Falls--a toweringly gorgeous waterfall. We cooled off with a dip in the freezing lake by our amazing campsite (overlooked by a breathtaking glacier--beautiful!!) Day four we hiked back in eight hours. We took a dip in Russell Lake, where we enjoyed peanut butter and jelly and/or salami tortillas on the rocks. Excellent. What great fellowship throughout the trip! I'm so glad I did it, though I'm paying for my six days off by taking triple shifts these days... all worth it!

Highlights of the week

First of all, to my Aunt Tricia and Uncle Doug: thank you for the AMAZING care package/"survival kit"! I've never received a package so grandiose as that! My friends have enjoyed sharing in the spoils of chocolate truffles. I can't wait for an opportunity to wear the "angel hair wig." The slippers have come in handy already, and I'm wearing my new Red Sox hat as I write this! You guys are such incredible gift-givers.

I received a letter from Aunt Kate the very day my package arrived (double-whammy! yes!) with the advice to visit Chico Hot Springs. Well, last night I finally made it to Chico! It was really cool, and pretty tourist-y :). It's looks like a big swimming pool but it's fed by a natural hot spring. Swimming in it was SO relaxing, hot, and needed after a long week of work!

After swimming, my friends and I went to Livingston for "Pirates of the Caribbean." We got there late so the girls at the ticket booth let us in free! Livingston people are pretty cool about that, apparently! It was an okay movie (not as good as the first one); it was just nice to go to a movie theater for the first time in a long time.

What else exciting happened this week? I've felt a bit overworked, honestly. Roosevelt has been bringing in people from Canyon to help us out since we're so understaffed. Here's the problem: we don't have enough people but we also don't have enough housing to bring in new staff. And people become so frustrated from being overworked that they leave early, which places even more of the work burden on those of us who are left here. It's a vicious cycle! The days off exploring are worth it all, though. As are the amazing, God-willing lifelong friendships I've made here.

Oh! As a result of some good advice from a friend, I'm learning to play the guitar here! It's fun! My friend Emily is teaching me what she knows... And by the time I get back I'll be ready to start my girl band. Anyone want to join? :)

Sad Day

Yesterday was a somber one. My best friend here Joy said goodbye to me while I was working the breakfast shift. I started crying on the job. She was supposed to leave tomorrow--early enough to prepare for her move in to U Penn for dental school and to spend time with her new fiancee. She and Nathan were engaged the week before she came here. (Yeah, I'd be leaving early, too!) She decided to leave two days early - yesterday - because Nathan has been diagnosed with a serious heart condition. The night before last was spent in tears and prayers with Emily and Lindsay, the two ministering angels who have taken Joy and I in while their other roommate has been away. We've become like sisters here. I already miss Joy.

And what a stark contrast to that day she found out about Nathan. We had a shopping spree at Sierra Trading Post with Joy's parents and a Chinese girl named Melissa. I invested in a pair of hiking boots and Joy in a tent and some North Face jackets. That night we decided "investments" in camping gear don't matter. Winning arguments doesn't matter. People do.

Engagement, tourists, and the fourth of July

Hey guess what! My sister Leah's engaged! Congratulations to Leah and Reagan. They got engaged downtown Greenville by the Reedy River in the place where they had their first kiss--aawww :). They've been dating since her sophomore year of high school and his senior year. Yay! The fourth of July is one of their special holidays... How romantic.

I've been entertained by American tourists here in Yellowstone. What an average American looks like, I don't know--I've seen people wearing t-shirts with a graphic of their state on them. Is that normal? Where does the average American shop for clothes? My sister Anna and I decided it was Wal-Mart and Old Navy. I think that's about right... But Old Navy, even though it's not super-nice, seems a lot cooler than the styles most people here wear. The average American is overweight and loud. I remember coming back from South Africa on the plane and it was so LOUD. Americans want things their way, and they want them now. We're a consumer culture and an instant-gratification society, which can make things hard on your server :).

July 4th was a beautiful day to go to the Livingston Rodeo! I went with a group: Justin and Adam (the security guards), Lisa, Celia, Janel and Cory. This 4th of July was Livingston's record-high in rodeo attendance--about 5,000 people were there. Our group got to the rodeo late and they were actually already sold out. But we waited by the gate long enough that the bouncer just let us all in for free! The fireworks after the rodeo were pretty nice. Watching fireworks is just always mesmirizing/hyptnotizing, like watching any kind of fire.





Us at the rodeo.

Long-awaited pictures!