Life at the Gate
Things are settling in at work. For the first few weeks I was wondering what I had gotten myself into. I work 4-10 hours days each week and get 3 days off. We spend a lot of time in the booth each day greeting visitors so there isn't a lot of time for social interaction between co-workers.
Actually I have plenty of social interaction each day. This is a typical morning at the West Yellowstone gate. Around 9:00 each morning we have total gridlock at the gate because of the vast amount of visitors who come to the park. You can check out the webcam here to view the current conditions at the gate.
We've started having a few cookouts after work. For this one I brought chicken enchiladas and wine. There are always a couple people who can't come to the cookouts because the gate is open until 10:00 p.m. Our supervisors are good at letting them come over for a plate of food during their shift.
Here I am in my ranger uniform. Do you know how many times a day people ask if they can buy my ranger hat? I usually wear my jacket all day long because it has been so cold and rainy. The booths have all kinds of heat in them, but the windows are always open so a jacket is a necessity. Some days it's my heavy winter coat and some days I can wear a lighter jacket.
The morning hours in the booth can be a little stressful. We have to work as quickly as possible to keep the traffic moving so that it doesn't back up into the town of West Yellowstone. 99.9% of people are so happy to be there and they're very pleasant. A few arrive grumpy.
Then there's the tourons. On a rainy day earlier this week I had a guy through who asked me if Old Faithful inside. I didn't quite understand what he meant so I asked "Do you mean is Old Faithful inside the park?". He said, no, is it inside a building?
Enough said.
Actually I have plenty of social interaction each day. This is a typical morning at the West Yellowstone gate. Around 9:00 each morning we have total gridlock at the gate because of the vast amount of visitors who come to the park. You can check out the webcam here to view the current conditions at the gate.
We've started having a few cookouts after work. For this one I brought chicken enchiladas and wine. There are always a couple people who can't come to the cookouts because the gate is open until 10:00 p.m. Our supervisors are good at letting them come over for a plate of food during their shift.
Here's Nolen starting her first ever campfire. She's become my buddy even though she's only 25. On our day off this week her and I went to the Old Faithful Inn for lunch. She's an Air Force brat who really has her stuff together. A fine example of a millennial.
Here's a couple other co-workers. We come from all over this country with vast backgrounds and ages.
One thing we all have in common is the love of Yellowstone and the desire to protect it.
I love campfires. Next time I'm bringing stuff to make s'mores.
We not only hang out with other gate workers, but also law enforcement, back country office, maintenance guys, visitor center, etc.
One thing for sure is that someone in this group is bound to have an ax. I think I even have an ax underneath my trailer.
The guys seems to like taking turns splitting the logs.
Here I am in my ranger uniform. Do you know how many times a day people ask if they can buy my ranger hat? I usually wear my jacket all day long because it has been so cold and rainy. The booths have all kinds of heat in them, but the windows are always open so a jacket is a necessity. Some days it's my heavy winter coat and some days I can wear a lighter jacket.
The morning hours in the booth can be a little stressful. We have to work as quickly as possible to keep the traffic moving so that it doesn't back up into the town of West Yellowstone. 99.9% of people are so happy to be there and they're very pleasant. A few arrive grumpy.
Then there's the tourons. On a rainy day earlier this week I had a guy through who asked me if Old Faithful inside. I didn't quite understand what he meant so I asked "Do you mean is Old Faithful inside the park?". He said, no, is it inside a building?
Enough said.
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