From Yellowstone to Navajo country

A tear comes to our eye each time we pass a wayward bison on our southward journey from Yellowstone National Park after an awesome summer. Our plans are to return as we have been given indications that we are rehire-eligible. This is the first I have worked for anyone but myself since retireing from the USAF in 1997 and I had no idea that returning to employment could be so enjoyable. We had an unblievably exceptional group of co-workers this summer. Over half the team were seasoned rangers with skills and depth-of-knowledge that I can only hope to acquire after more years of experience.
Before leaving Yellowstone we made a quick stop at Grant to visit with a ranger friend, Marilyn Darling, whom we had met in Mexico several years ago. After a quick lunch and some good-bys we continued on.

We headed south into the Grand Tetons and were fortunate to meet up with Jack and Chris, Chapter-8, Mexican Connection, Escapee friends whom we travelled with through Mexico last year. The boat ride across Jenny Lake and the hike to Hidden Falls was a needed outing. We managed to see numerous bull elk, antelope, bison, and finally an impressive bull moose at the lodge. The trip from the campground at Coulter Bay to the one at Gros Ventre was a short ride, leaving enough time to go to Jackson Hole for some touring, gallery cruising (couldn’t afford anything we liked), some icecream, and a visit to the chamber for some recommendations for evening activities. We decided on the Bar-J Chuckwagon and had a great evening of steak, chuckwagon beans and cowboy music. We’ll go there again.

The next day was for relaxation but we still managed to get out for some more wildlife viewing. More bison, pronghorn, two bull moose, and lastly a chorus of bugling bull elk.

We drove onward to Hill Air Force Base in Ogden Utah and had a most interesting drive. The scenery was beyond description. From the Tetons refleciting the morning sun to the Wasatch mountains and the broad hay fields and grazing lands between, the views were breathtaking. A few days at Hill allowed for some grocery shopping, a hair appointment for Sandi and, for me, a much needed round of golf (46/42), my first in about 6 months.

From Hill we headed to Moab Utah for a visit to the Arches and Canyonland National Parks and also the Dead Horse State Park. We stayed in a BLM campground right on the Colorado River. The morning and evening sun on the canyon walls defy description. This is in the “Dinosaur Diamond” so we had to go out and see some real dinosaur bones/fossils. A ranger led hike through the Firey Furnace, and ranger talks added to the experience and gave us a much greater appreciation of the natural stone sculptures and the magnificent canyons.

From Canyonlands we headed to the North Rim of the grand canyon. Passing through Monument Valley and the Navaho Reservation, we had to stop and see Navaho crafts that are available in open air stands along the highway. We stayed in a National Forest Campground and went to a several-hour-long talk on the Navaho and their crafts – primarily the woven blankets. They use no patterns, just make the pattern as they go. Since the length of the finished product is determined with the set of the first threads, the symetry of the blankets is almost beyond belief.