The End

When I last wrote, it was late last Wednesday night. Now, over a week later, I am sitting at home in Omaha. I can't believe I am already here and that my summer in Yellowstone will quickly fade into memory. I am going to attempt to write out the events of the last week and a half. Hopefully I can do it justice!
Thursday was a pretty fun day at work. I rode with my coworker Matt (not roommate) down to Old Faithful and we met up with Doug to do the Wildlife Olympics. It was a really fun day and we had a lot of fun with the families. Afterwords, I met up with Devaney. We ran into Gardiner to meet up with the YCC crew. They had a night off so they wanted to hang out. We met them at the K-Bar for some DELICIOUS pizza. After socializing for some time we went to the Boiling River. This is in the park between Mammoth and Gardiner. It is where a thermal feature drains into the Gardiner River. So you can get in and enjoy the warmth. It was really fun. Afterwords, we went back to Mammoth, enjoyed an Eric Ackley bonfire and then finished the night playing a game of Settlers of Catan with Lloyd and Amanda. A true adventure!
Friday was a pretty chill day at work. I spent the majority of the day coming up with really fun lesson plans to bring back to my school. I have some really fun games and interactive activities that I'm really excited to test out! It should be fun!
After work, Devaney and I had to run into Gardiner to grab some groceries for my final potluck. The theme: 'Thanksgiving Dinner.' Spontaneously, I decided to purchase a $30 ham and ingredients for a delectable mixed berry glaze/sauce. Oh, it was so good! Devaney made a mixed/grilled veggies/brussel sprout dish will balsamic vinaigrette. So yummy!
When we all got together, we had the most elaborate spread imaginable. Udeitha made a wonderful roasted chicken dish with grilled veggies. Christina made a sweet potato casserole, corn casserole and homemade apple pie. Amanda made several pumpkin pies. Luke and Chris made stuffing. Eric made a green bean casserole. And Lloyd brought salad. When all said and done, it was elaborate and wonderful! After dinner, we ran into Gardiner to play some pool. Eventually, we came back and hit the hay. We had a big day ahead: Targhee Bluegrass Festival!!
We woke up early the next morning, packed Udeitha and Matt's cars and hit the road for the Targhee music festival. It is a Bluegrass Festival on the Targhee mountain resort near Alta Wyoming. But we had to travel through Idaho to get there. We stopped at a delicious sandwich shop in West Yellowstone, geared up and continued the three hour drive. When we finally arrived, we snagged a camping spot and set up tents. Then we got our stuff together and headed over to the festival. It was AMAZING! The lineup included: Railroad Earth, Black Joe and the Honeybears, Garbage, Lucinda Williams, Joe Pug and many many more! We had so much fun listening to the wonderful live music (outside, of course), eating good food and dancing around! A truly great night!
The next morning, we wanted to throw our stuff into the car and run to the nearby town for some food. We were ravenous. Udeitha unlocked her car...but we soon discovered that Matt's keys were nowhere to be found. We began a frantic search. We all remembered giving Devaney the keys to get something else. I vaguely remembered asking Devaney if she gave the keys to Christina. Both girls claimed they did not have the keys. The hunt was on. But, after several minutes and exhausting all options, the keys were pronounced lost. Matt and Udeitha wanted to call AAA. All of our phones were locked in the car, except Udeitha's. But, when she got her phone out, it was drenched in dew and was completely shot. Strike two. 
Eric decided to take matters into his own hands. He quickly acquired a hanger and a multi-tool. Using these devices, Eric began a process that would take 45 minutes, but would end in successfully breaking into Matt's car. When he finally managed to get the door open, we were ecstatic. We quickly went to work finding the keys inside. But, as several moments passed, we began to realize the keys were NOT in the car. Panic started to seep in. What would we do? Where were the keys? Where could they have gone? At this time, Eric decided to start throwing things in the tent into the car. As he grabbed Devaney's sleeping mat, he noticed something underneath. The car keys. 
The day was saved. I commented "Well, the only thing that can go wrong now is if the cars don't start!" I received a few choice glances before we hoped in the cars ready to go. Matt's car reved to life. Udeitha's car, as predicted, failed to start. At this moment I received a few upset comments about my prediction/curse as we went to lift Udeitha's hood. Matt pulled his car around front as Eric tried to open the car hood. And tried. And tried. And tried again. And again. And kept on failing. Over and over. THE HOOD WOULD'T OPEN! Strike four. 
As it appeared Eric would start ripping the hood off the car, Udeitha grabbed the user's manual to try and calm the situation. As they searched, Devaney announced that she had to redeem herself. Stepping forward, she tried the one thing we hadn't: pushing the hood knob UP instead of down. The hood popped open. We all cheered. Until Eric looked around and announced quizzically: "Uh, Udeitha, where is your battery?" We referred to the manual to discover that the battery was, in fact, in the trunk. 
Strike five.
Finally, after about two hours, we packed into our fully functioning vehicles and made our way into town. It was here that we ate the most scrumptious and satisfying brunch food before journeying back to Yellowstone. Upon our arrival, Devaney and I immediately jumped into her car and began driving to Bozeman. Devaney really wanted to adopt a puppy from an animal shelter there, but we only had until 5:30 to make it happen. We ended up arriving around 5:00pm, which only gave Devaney enough to look at some of the dogs and fill out an adoption application. Devaney would proceed to return to Bozeman the next three days until she was finally able to take Hobbes home on Tuesday. He is an adorable puppy and I can't wait to spend time with him in South Dakota!
After leaving the shelter, we ate a scrumptious dinner at Johnny Carino's before heading back to Gardiner. We stopped and played some pool before heading back into Mammoth and going to sleep.  
Monday was a fun day at work. Alexis and I spent most of the day making a second set of animal tracks. This was the set that I get to bring with me to South Dakota and use with my classroom. We made twelve animal tracks total. I am really excited to do track making with my students! It will be such a great experience! At lunchtime, the office (sans Trudy) took me to the Raven for a scrumptious farewell. It was really sad! After work, Devaney and I decided to go to the Two Bit for some delicious foods (Rueben sandwich) and then played pool until we joined Lloyd and Amanda for our final round of Settlers of Catan. And it was here that I had to say goodbye to Lloyd. This was the beginning of the end. 
Tuesday was another great day at work. Devaney stopped by the Wildlife Olympics to say goodbye. She was on her way to pick up her puppy and would not be returning. It was sad to say goodbye, but I look forward to seeing her soon in SoDak! At the end of the work day, I had to say goodbye to my coworker Matt, since I would not see him the next two days! After work, Amanda and I did a hike around Mammoth Hot Springs area. First, we walked around Joffee Lake at the bass of Bunson Peak and then wandered the Upper Terraces of Mammoth Hot Springs. I had not yet been to the Upper Terraces, so it was great to walk around. Unfortunately, at the end of this hike, I had to say farewell to Amanda. I miss her already! I also had to say goodbye to my roommate Matt because he needed to head back to Bozeman for work. 
Wednesday was an all around epic day! Work was particularly great. Trudy (longtime education team member), Beth (my boss), Alexis and I ran errands in the morning. At lunch, we once again went to the Raven because Trudy had not been there on Monday. After lunch, I asked Beth if I could take my extra uniform attire to the Canyon stash personally instead of sending it through the carrier. And, if I could travel to Mud Volcano after since I had not yet been there. She agreed without hesitating. So Alexis and I jumped in the Prius, drove the beautiful hour drive to Canyon, dropped off the goods and travelled the extra half hour to Mud Volcano. What an amazing location. Mud Volcano is known for its Mud Pots. Which, to me, are some of the coolest thermal features in the park. The way the muddy, boiling water bubbles and belches is just SO COOL! Once finished, we drove back to Mammoth. It was so nice to get to drive so much of the park one last time. I really enjoyed the drive itself. Once back at Mammoth, I had to say goodbye to Trudy since she would not be there the next day. So many farewells! But they had only just begun.
After work, I drove up to the YCC and picked up Millie and Ben for a hike. We decided to stay in the Mammoth area and hiked an ice loop using mostly the Snow Pass trail and Howard Eaton. We found this AMAZING stair-step terrace BEHIND the main terraces. What a hidden gem!
After our hike, we picked up my roommate Eric and headed down to Gardiner for my last supper at the Iron Horse. When we walked in, we bumped into Alicia and Tasha from YCC. After they left, Maureen, Daniel and Sarah from YCC arrived. Soon, the business interns Chris and Luke arrived. There were so many wonderful fun-ins. And soon, our table was brimming with people. By the end of the night, Eric and I ended up in my car alone after I had goodbye to everyone, except Millie, for the last time. Too many goodbyes!
Back in Mammoth, Christina and Udeitha met Eric and I at my house. They had just returned from Bozeman were they spent the day defending the Yellowstone Winter Use Plan they wrote against angry Environmentalists. We had a lovely time chatting until no one could stay up any longer. Then, it was time to say goodbye. This was one of the hardest goodbyes, but I know I will see both girls again. Udeitha may visit South Dakota later in August and I intend to travel to Missoula and see Christina at some point. So, it was more of a 'see you later' than goodbye.
Thursday was my last day. When I arrived at work, Alexis surprised me with coffee and homemade brownies! What a sweetheart! We soon had to depart for Old Faithful and my last Wildlife Olympics. Millie was coming with us for the first time, so we had to pick her up at the YCC. And, I must tell you, we made a wonderful three-some for the Wildlife Olympics. I don't know if I have ever had so much fun before! I just LOVED working with the families and kids. It was a really bitter-sweet day and I had a really hard time packing up and leaving when we were all finished. But, once back in Mammoth, I had to say goodbye to my wonderful supervisor, Beth. I really hope I get to work with her again next summer! 
Millie and Alexis offered to come help me pack up the car after work. They are such dears! With their help, we were able to pack the car in no time at all. Once most of the car was finished, Alexis had to leave and we said our farewells. I will really miss my partner-in-crime and I sure hope I get to see her again! Millie helped me with a few more things until she realized that she was late for work. We said our goodbyes, but we are hoping Millie will apply for TFA South Dakota. If that happens, I will get to see a LOT of Millie in the not-so-distant future! 
Once I packed up Nessa and completely finished packing and vacuuming, I had to say goodbye to my wonderful roommate Eric. I had such a wonderful time living with and hanging out with Eric, it was hard to say goodbye. But, we hope to see each other soon. And, if I return next year, we will hope to recreate our wonderful housing/rooming setup again. But, until then, I will sure miss him and the rest of my Yellowstone crew. 
As far as next year goes, there is a really strong possibility that I could return as an Interpretive Ranger or as a Teacher-Ranger-Teacher again. But, until that time, thank you for the memories, Yellowstone. And thank YOU for reading.
Operation Yellowstone Ranger,
OUT.

Sunset at the Boiling River

Thanksgiving for Dinner

My ham

My mixed berry sauce

The tent at Targhee!

We were so pumped! We were also uncertain as to where Matt and Christina went...

Targhee!

The stage!

The next morning, during our series of unfortunate events. This is when Eric realized Udeitha's car did not have the battery under the hood.

The backside of the Tetons

Making animal tracks

Mountain Lion

Playing pool!

Devaney stopped by the Mammoth Wildlife Olympics to say goodbye. What a great gal!

Joffee Lake at the base of Bunson Peak

Goodbye Amanda!

Final lunch at the Raven!

Goodbye Trudy!

Mud Volcano: SO COOL!

The beautiful view on Dunraven Pass

Hiking Snow Pass with Ben and Millie!

Pretty!

The hidden Terrace on Howard Eaton Trail!

Goodbye Beth! It was wonderful working for you!

I loved working with the kids!

Millie was a pro!

My partner in crime!

Demonstrating the snowshoe hare long-jump! Station one of the Wildlife Olympics! "A snowshoe hare cane jump 10 feet forward from a stand-still position! How far forward can you jump? Can you compete with the hare?"

Posing in front of Old Faithful

Thank you ladies for coming to help move me out! I miss you already!

Goodbye Eric!

THE END

Livingston Farmer's Market, I presume?

Monday was a day. I didn't have anything planned, so it was an office day. And it was the most intense office day I've had here in Yellowstone. My boss indicated at some point that she would like to send some Tribal specific information about the Expedition Yellowstone program we do here in Yellowstone during the school year. Since that is something I'm passionate about (awesome opportunities for youth on reservations), I took it upon myself to find the contact information for all schools of the 26 associated tribes of Yellowstone National Park. I started contacting people last week and began compiling all the responses on Monday. I finished putting all but 8 reservations in a Word document around 9:30am. When I showed this to my supervisor, she requested I put them into an Excel document. That way she could print mailing labels. That totally makes sense. And it ensures that this mailing list will be used long into the future. But, what it also meant was a massive project that lasted until 4:45pm. By the time I was finished, my eyes were hay-wire.  I quickly gathered my things and left for the day. A job well done, if I say so myself. 118 contacts and over 160 schools. Oh yeah!
From there, I met up with my wonderful friend Millie. We gathered our things and traveled out to the far corner of Lamar Valley. There we hiked a few miles of Pebble Creek. I didn't think Lamar Valley could get any more beautiful...and then I went to Pebble Creek. Absolutely stunning. We had a wonderful hike and chat. But, by the time we got back to the car, we were more than ready for food. We quickly made our way to Gardiner and straight to K-Bar. This is a restaurant/bar that makes DELICIOUS pizza. Unfortunately, the waiter COMPLETELY ignored us. After ten minutes of attempting to get his attention and being completely rebuffed, we headed over to the classic Two Bit. So delicious. Their delectable greasy food never fails to deliver after a good hike. As I took Millie home, all was right with the world.
The next day was a pretty good day at work. We had the Wildlife Olympics at Old Faithful, so that meant we only had about an hour at the office before we had to head out. I did a few little odd jobs before Matt and I headed out. Alexis was at CPR/First Aid training, so she was gone. And no one else from the office could go. So Matt and I went down and met up with a Wildlife Ranger named Doug. Thus, we only had three to manage the massive influx of Old Faithful. I was a tad bit worried, but it all worked out swimmingly. Matt is a really awesome worker and is super great with the kids. Doug is full of wonderful information about the wildlife in the park. And when it comes to working with kids, that is the best information. Mix that with the Grandfather-esque demeanor he exudes, and he makes the perfect Wildlife Olympics cohort. I really enjoyed our time and thought we delivered a positive experience for all 321 people we encountered during the day.
On the way back from Old Faithful, Matt and I got into a wildlife jam at Golden Gate. Golden Gate is the tremendous downhill road you must take through the mountain to get to Mammoth using the Norris road. When I looked up to see what everyone was staring at, I saw two Mountain Goats. It is a rarity anymore that I see large mammals that I haven't seen in the park yet. And yet, here was one more check on my wildlife checklist. I have not yet seen a Mountain Goat in the park, so I was super pumped to see them so clearly! I did not get a photo since I was driving a government vehicle, but I had to mention it in my post!
Once I got back to Mammoth, it was time to vacate work. It was time to deal with something I had been putting off for some time: Laundry. But, I had a wonderful new development. Udeitha, Christina and Amanda had informed me that I couldn't spend money on our quarter fed washer and dryer anymore. Their washer and dryer are free, so they invited me to come over and use it whenever I wanted. I took them up on that offer on Tuesday. I took my stuff over, washed my laundry and wrote the epic blog post previous to the current post you are reading. It was great. Furthermore, Udeitha, being the wonderful human being she is, took it upon herself to concoct a delightful Lasagna dinner that she then shared with me. It was SO DELICIOUS! Laundry and blogging were elevated by wonderful company, delicious food and eventually a movie. It was a really chill and refreshing night. I went to bed with a great blog post, full belly, clean laundry and wonderful friends.
Today was an extraordinary day for work. I got up early and ran into work to meet up with the Vegetation specialists here in Yellowstone. The crew consisted of Heidi (the long-time expert), Andy (the first-year botanist) and the GPS specialist girl (I forget her name). They were a fun crew, and I really enjoyed working with them. We went around Mammoth, locating Wetlands near the roadsides. There are future plans for road extension or road reroutings, so it is their job to locate, map and identify all wetlands near the road. If there are substantial wetlands, the construction projects MUST move around them. They are a very important part of the overall ecosystem of Yellowstone. I didn't realize it, but Mammoth has a TON of small Wetland patches. When we found the Wetlands, we took a three step process to identify and documenting. First, we would dig a hole about 14 inches into the ground to identify the different soil layers and composition. From there, we would map the entirety of the Wetlands using a GPS system that communicates to 6-11 satellites. The final step was traversing the entire Wetland, identifying and documenting all rare and unusual species. We also spent much time pulling invasive species up by the roots.
My favorite part was definitely the GPS mapping. At the third Wetland we surveyed, I was able to do the entire mapping by myself. I took the pole that transmitted the satellite signals from the GPS and followed the flag patterns that Heidi sent out. (Heidi took colored flags and outlined the perimeter of the Wetland). I would stop at each flag, correlate the GPS, and document the vertex. When I finished each point, I would synthesize them together to create an entire perimeter map. It was so cool! That will be used for all future Wetland references during construction. I left a fingerprint!
After we finished documenting the Wetlands, they took me down to Gardiner to check out the Herbarium at the HRC (Historical Reference Center). It was so cool to see the process where they dry and mount vegetation samples. There were cabinets upon cabinets of samples. I was so overwhelmed and completely lacking in knowledge about plants that I didn't know what to do about myself. That is why I didn't particularly enjoy the plant identification process: I had NO IDEA what they were talking about when they were breaking down the scientific names of plants and arguing over the different specifications. It was just too over my head and I couldn't involve myself. But, I plan to start studying. Maybe next year it will make more sense to me!
Once we were done at the Herbarium, I dashed back to Mammoth to get ready for my next adventure. Alexis and I were heading out to Livingston to setup the Wildlife Olympics at the Farmer's Market. It was Kid's Day at the Farmer's Market, and we thought that would be the perfect venue for Wildlife Olympics. I was actually very proud because I setup this outreach day all by my lonesome. So I was determined to make it successful!
Anyway, I arrived back in Mammoth around 1:45 and we needed to be in Livingston by 3:00pm. It takes over an hour to travel to Livingston, so I was nervous about us being late. Luckily, we arrived in Livingston right at 3:00pm. Setup was painless and we were ready to go way before the event was scheduled to begin (4:30pm). We ended up taking down the tent because a storm began to move in. We were afraid that the tent was going to be ripped up, so we took it down. Fortunately, the front passed without a drop and the evening became bright and beautiful soon after. 
We were beginning to feel a little uncomfortable when we realized we had brought the wolf pelt. We were wondering why people seemed to be avoiding coming over to talk to us...and we started to wonder if it was because of the wolves. The wolf reintroduction of 1995 is very controversial, especially in ranching country, due to the perceived threat of wolves on livestock. We began to wonder if people thought we were there for an agenda. But, once it reached 4:30pm and families began to arrive, all doubt went out the window. The Livingston Farmer's Market was definitely the most fun I have ever had doing the Wildlife Olympics. The kids REALLY enjoyed the activities, family involvement was fantastic, and the venue was chill enough to allow for personal connections with all the visitors. It was very ideal. Not to mention the fact that we were surrounded by delicious foods. Throughout the night, I purchased a fresh-made stir-fry, sugarless/butter-less cookies (delicious) and fresh-squeezed lemonade with mint. I made out like a bandit!
When we began to pack up, I was really sad. I did not want to leave! But, alas, all good things must come to an end. Alexis and I packed up and jetted for home. By the time I dropped off Alexis in Gardiner, the government vehicle at our office and reached home, it was passed nine. Udeitha and Eric were home, so we spent the rest of the evening chilling out, doing not much of anything and listening to stand up comedians. Now I am sitting on my computer, typing, long after they went to bed. I really need to do the same, but I wanted to make sure I generated a slightly entertaining post. I hope I delivered! Night all! Enjoy the photos!

 

Pebble Creek Trailhead

 

Millie and me!

 

Beautiful view from the trail.

 

Checking the soil-sample depth.

 

Analyzing some plants

 

Finding the specific species via a step-by-step vegetation identification book

 

The expert

 

A big, watery hole amidst the wetland! It had a vent in it!

 

This was the first wetland.

Houndstooth. A velcro-like invasive species.

 

An invasive species of daisy

 

Identifying soils

 

Mapping the Wetland with the GPS and satellite coordinates

 

I gave it a whirl.

 

The plant flax seed comes from

 

Pretty

 

Petal-less flower.

 

Cool bee/beetle insect

 

Bell flower

 

Geranium

 

Pretty yellow Wetland flower

 

Bugs!

 

The Herbarium!

 

Each file is stuffed with a sample

 

Samples drying and then to be filed

A recently mounted sample

The Wildlife Olympics in Livingston! 

 

The other vendors

 

They even had a climbing wall! Awesome!