Exiled in Paradise

  I've had Yellowstone on my mind lately.  Probably because I am going to be in a different National Park for the summer months.  It is kinda a surreal feeling knowing that I might be over Yellowstone.  I have no desire to go back except maybe for a visit.  Sure I miss my Yellowstone peeps and I don't have the same circle of people here in Minnesota... (I am working on that slowly).  But sometimes you just have to move on.  So I figured with it on my mind, knowing how beautiful the spring in Yellowstone is, I'd give The Park some attention.




So as I mentioned I spent the majority of my Yellowstone life at Lake, but I did one summer in exile (as I sometimes grudgingly refer to it) at Old Faithful.  I had to work at Old Faithful, I needed to put the demons of my previous summer to rest.  My previous summer was very odd, it was both wonderful and horrible.  I was supposed to be back at lake, but I honestly couldn't do it, I was filled with dread just thinking of it.  I had managed the year before, and that summer would have been going back as a cook (which is always a little strange).  I pre-seasoned at the Old Faithful Lodge and I honestly really liked it.  And they needed cafe cooks, and I didn't want to go to lake, so I burned a bridge and stayed.  And thus became an exile (self imposed, but still exiled)




I had an awesome roommate, Amanda, she was the EDR cook and a loud Texan.  And she put up with me for several months, it was tense at times, but that friendship is pretty damn strong still.  We did a lot together, I dragged her many places.  I spent a lot of time with another friend (at the time anyways) we both were in "exile".  We'd visit lake a lot, having many friends there.  I was up at lake every weekend.  It was, if you will, a great place to visit.  The nice thing was, you knew everyone and everything, but were completely removed from the drama... and if there is one thing lake knows it is drama!


But anyways, I loved my Old Faithful Exile Summer.  It was funny seeing how it changed over the season.  Having wintered there, it was covered in snow.  Then the pre-season it wasn't.  It was a little disorenting, but you firgue it out.  The funny thing was, you still kinda think that your Snow Lodge people are there, but the summer crew is so different that it kinda shocks you.  But you get used to it, you get used to the crowds, you the noise, the sulfer, and you learn tricks.  And you find yourself waiting hours for a geyser.  You almost become an old faithful person, but deep down you still belong to lake.  And it was that exile that led me back to lake for the last summer.




This post wasn't as fun as I was hoping--- but I guess it had to be written.  So I promise the next one will have more pictures and a good chance for some geyser action!  Hmm boy!