Settling in

"Well, it says here Yellowstone... but Yellowstone is the size of several East coast states put together!"- Moving truck driver


Needless to say the moving company was not used to delivering to Yellowstone! I tried as best I could to explain to the driver that passing through the steep escarpments of the East Entrance in Yellowstone was gonna take some time with a semi. But by the time he found our little housing area in Grant Village he still looked a little shell shocked!



"I would've got here sooner but there were some Buffalo in the road!"



I chuckled and nodded my head. Our truck driver had NEVER been to Yellowstone and now here he was traveling through the park with a semi, delivering goods to two park rangers! As if the Bison were not enough Yellowstone decided to show the driver how weather patterns can change in an instant. While unloading the truck it rained, sleeted and yes, even snowed. Then the sun came out as if pretending as though nothing had happened!

But Alas, all of our belongings arrived in relatively good condition and within 3 days Shane and I had unpacked everything except a couple boxes of books. Buying furniture for a house you have been seen before is quite a challenge and by about the tenth time of me saying "how about if we put this here" I thought Shane was gonna freak out! However that tenth time was the perfect one! Everything fits quite nicely. Shane had shipped some poplar which he made a coffee table and book shelves with.

We are living in a nice 4 bedroom split level house tucked away in the government housing area about 1/4 mile from Grant Village Visitor Center. In the little time we have been here the bugling Elk and yipping Coyotes already graced us in our new home. We have met most of our neighbors and all are very nice. In about 2 weeks, as summer draws to an end, our neighborhood will go from a population of 40 down to 10-12 individuals. The 10-12 hardy who will bare the winter in the interior of Yellowstone. Oh and let's not forget the 5 dogs who will also stick around- Alice (our dog) being the smallest.

I am not the least bit worried about the winter. In fact I have taken great comfort in knowing that I am living in a National Park surrounded by 2.2 million acres of protected land. This park, that can see up to 3 million visitors a year, is my home; my backyard. And while others only get to see it for a week, maybe two, I have been given the chance to experience Yellowstone year round. A chance to see the snow fall, the elk rut, the wolves hunt, the bison plow through snow covered fields and the first spring flower bloom.

Welcome Home...

It was a warm sunny day when we packed up our belongings from our little round house in Flat Rock, NC and started driving West. Instead of being excited I found myself nervous and questioning our decision. It is amazing how you begin to see things in a different light when you know you are leaving. Everything seems more beauitful as fear tries to take over your good judgement. As we crossed the Great Smoky Mountains they seemed grandeur than ever before- lush, green and seemingly untouched. I had crossed these mountains a dozen times in the last eighteen months but this time the view of these impressive mountains was burned into my photographic memory- never to be forgotten. We drove almost 2600 miles to reach our new home and it wasn't until we reached the Rocky Mountains that fear finally lost the battle. There is nothing like the rawness of massive granite mountains to overcome your fear and remind you of why you left. As I rolled down the windows I got a fresh breath of cold, clean air scented with the sweet smell of pines and firs. Shane and I looked at eachother and both of us had that spark in our eye- the spark you get when you know something big and exciting is about to happen! Even our dog Alice, had her head out the window, glued on the views of the massive Rockies. As we veered north and passed the big cowboy Wyoming sign all I could say is "We're Home!"

Wyoming- canyons, plateaus, buttes, mountains, never ending blue skies and yes, even true Wyoming cowboys. I was instantly comforted at the thought of being surrounded by the true beauty of this land- the beauty that the Plains Indians, early homesteaders, fur trappers and mountain men once fell in love with just as I had. No Macy's, TJ Max, or Bloomingdales for miles! No distractions, no competition, no diversions. At that very moment as we drove closer to our new Yellowstone home all that existed was one girl, making her way in a world so different from her roots.
As we entered the entrance of Yellowstone National Park I proudly handed the Park Ranger my acceptance/welcome letter and clearly stated "I am a new, well actually a returning employee to Yellowstone". She read the letter and excitedly said "Well, welcome back and congratulations on you new position". And there I was- back to the place I called home 2 years prior: YELLOWSTONE.