First Wyoming Outdoor Ascent!..6/11/08

After a long and tiring week of cleaning rooms from 9-5 each day, Cam and I finally have a couple days off–and spent all day having a bit of fun! We bang our morning by rummaging through the Hostel’s basement, and ran across two adjustable link hiking poles, and a miniature ping-pong table..for obvious use in the staff kitchen. We then took a drive into town–in hopes of finding cheap sweatshirts while thrifting, but unfortunately had no such luck.

On our way back home to Teton Village, we were pleasantly surprised by nice change in weather. After packing our bags and waiting for our buddy Brent to arrive, the three of us headed toward Teton National Park, where we reluctantly purchased our $50 park pass for the summer. We then headed through the park, and out towards Black Tail Butte for some much needed outdoor climbing!

The first climb we choose was a 5-10c, which was top-roped and led by Brent. Cam took a climb up this route as well and I was supplied with a great opportunity to snap a few photos. After a couple hours at our first rout, we took a 15 minute hike to a bolted 5-9, where i was finally able to get a little climbing in–this second rout proved to be a bit crumbly, but the rock and surrounding area were just spectacular.

Our first day of scaling Wyoming rock was quite enjoyable and I can’t wait to see what the rest our summer will hold, as we plan to ascend many more of mother natures formations.

Climb On!

6/5/08

Hey Everyone! Today Christine and I decided we would swing into town after a boring day of cleeeeeeaning rooms. We were a little bit hesitant on the waste of gas, but on our drive a pair of moose crossed the road followed by a black fox that ran into the ditch. And our venture into town was complemented by these delicious coconut macaroons… MMMMM… I know you’re jealous. woah and check out this sweet music video. Oh, and yesterday we took a great trip down Spring Gulch Rd, and the scenery was amazing. It is BY FAR my favorite pleasure drive we’ve gone on this summer!

6/2/08

The second week of work continues here in Teton Village, and the rain is finally beginning to fade. I had my first day off work for the week, and it was quite relaxing having a day to sleep in. After getting some much needed rest, I took my new Fuji out for an 8 mile spin and then took a nice long nap out in the sun. After a quick bite to eat, Cam and I drove into the quaint little town of Wilson, where we were greeted by many smiling faces, and rented The Orphanage from the towns general store.

After spending time in Wilson, we tried to go down to a climbing ranch in Teton National Park, however to our dismay, found out that we would have to shell out $50 for a season pass, just to enter the park..ha, leave it up to Corporate America to make an individual pay to enjoy mother nature. And if that wasnt enough, as we were driving through Teton Village, we were scolded by a throng of parents on the side of the road, for driving too fast..wow, I guess three miles over the speed limit proves to be “out of control”..i say squirt guns will meet our new “friends”, if we so happen to run into them again.

“Live, Laugh, Love”

6/2/08

This morning I opened the front desk at 7:15 and was swarmed by a group of girls that work at Four Seasons, which is located across the parking lot from The Hostel. There is about 5 rooms being occupied by Four Seasons employees at the Hostel, and frankly, it really bothers me. The main problem, however, is housing in Jackson Hole.

As far as I can see, the area is so heavily populated with expensive luxury housing, hotels, and time shares that there is a lack of proper housing for the employees needed to run them. On top of that, there is tons of construction, especially in Teton Village, which requires housing for all the construction workers! Nonetheless, there is an unbelievable amount of workers, managers, and contractors, swarming to the Hostel asking to live here.

Christine and I have talked about the situation and don’t understand why all these workers are swarming to Jackson Hole (mostly from overseas), working full time at hotels, resorts, and construction sites, only to be left homeless.  I have nothing wrong with the Four Season employees, but they swarm the Hostel, using our guest facilities and running from the fourth floor to the basement to use the alternative kitchen area. It’s no problem at the moment, but during the busy season, I could see it causing some major problems with business. 

In addition to all this, most of the workers here at the Hostel also work at Four Seasons, which screws up the schedule for Christine and I. In fact, I worked this morning due to a scheduling mess up thanks to Four Seasons.  My coworker, Primo (who also works at Four Seasons) said that multiple petitions have been completely shot down by members of the community, as if to keep workers out of Jackson,segregating them to surrounding areas like Wilson, where a current proposal is being tried.

In my opinion, employee housing is way out dated in the Jackson area and without the support of the public, all this new development will collapse the upkeep of Jackson without a proper labor force. I’m not really sure if I have a clear understanding of this in retrospect, but that’s my stab at the problem. 

-cam

6/1/08

After sleeping in this morning I went for a cruise on Christine’s new road bike to a quant little town called Wilson. At an easy 17 mile round trip, the path is perfect for a morning cruise… while the trail mostly follows the road, it does pass through a good chunk of suburban/ranch area at the base of the Teton National Forest. The trail also forks across the Snake River and following HW 22 into Jackson.

While in Wilson, I stopped at Hungry Jack’s General Store which has a great selection of fresh vegetables, beverages, movie rentals, etc… Across the street, Wilson Back Country Sports provides a small selection of bikes and hiking gear with a very friendly and knowledgeable group of employees. Attached to the shop, Pearl Street Bagel has a small selection of cold sandwiches, vegetarian meals and a friendly environment.

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Selected Muxtape: lostlikelucy

Here’s a neat site that’s dedicated to fixed gear bikes… it’s annoying having to click on each link just to see each individual bikes, but worth a glance if you’re at all interested in buying a fixed gear.

And Here’s a great picture of the Mormon Row barn in the Grand Teton National Park I ran across on Flickr today.

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Quote of the day:
There are only 3 real sports: bull-fighting, car racing and mountain climbing. All the others are mere games. -Hemingway

5/31/08

Due to an internet glitch we have been unable to keep up with our Wyoming happenings..so, here is an update as to what we have been doing to occupy our time; wed 28.. went on a 4 hour hike out by Jenny Lake and Cascade Canyon trail, with one of our co-workers; where we view Hidden Falls, some friendly squirrels, and ran into some unexpected snow. fri 30.. Hiked up part of the Jackson Hole Ski Area, making it to the Casper chair lift. On our way we ran into multipleruff grouse, that make strange breathing noises with their breasts! After watching the sunset, we hung out with a few coworkers and headed to bed for garage sales the next morning. sat 31..woke up bright and early to start our search for cheap road bikes..the first yard sale was located out in the country, and yielded a plethora of goodies. Cam and i each purchased rode bike seats and some old artillery boxes to use for storage in our room. Cam also scoped out a great deal on two Camelbak Liquid Reservoirs. At our final stop, i managed to snag a $30 fuji road bike, and we spent the rest our afternoon fixing it up..and to cap off our day we traversed a good deal of the mountain, where we ran into a rundown tree-fort, many moose droppings and lots of breathtaking wildlife.
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Quote of the day:
“Why wouldn’t somebody like thrift stores?”
“Many people don’t like thrift stores.”
“Thats weird”
-young girl in jackson talking to her mother:)

5/24/08

Another Rainy day here at the hostel. Christine and I had planned on venturing out for our first real hike today to Jenny Lake but the weather kept us indoors. Instead, we headed into town to look for used bikes. Later we went to Enclosures Indoor Rock Climbing and played around for a couple hours.

5/22/08

It’s another cloudy, rainy day here in the Teton Village. After work, Christine and I got to check out the indoor rock climbing facility in Jackson. We’re planning on returning tomorrow and buying memberships and hopefully climbing! I was especially surprised to see a slackline set up between two of the climbing walls.

 

Snow in May..5/21/08

Work continued today here at the Hostel as we prepare for opening day this Friday! Cam and I have found ourselves settling into our new home quite nicely, and as we learn our way around, work as become much swifter and orderly. Five hours of our day was spent making beds on the third and fourth floors, and as we slaved away and the weather cooled down, it began to snow..how about that, snow showers in April..I guess one can’t be too surprised by this sudden weather change when living in Jackson Hole.

After a few games of pool with our new Polish friend and co-worker, Voytick(sp?), we took a quick run into town for a few more room essentials. A quick stop at Fancy Plants, where most plants were not in our budget–then over to one of Jackson’s many thrift stores, where we snagged a couple 50 cent glasses and a pitcher for sun tea–browsed a few more shops, and then headed for our cozy room to rest.

I’d say hostelife is going quite swell right now, and I can’t wait to see what else is in store for our time spent in Jackson..although, work at the front desk is creeping up on the both of us, and should bring about some interesting experiences.

A few words of thought to leave you with…don’t let yesterday take up too much of today.

 

 

5/20/08

Our first couple of days at the Hostel have been busy busy busy… the place is a mess, and we’re stuck sorting through bed sheets, pillow cases, toilet paper, and towels. Unfortunately, Christine and I havn’t had the time to do any exploring here in the Grand Tetons, however we have spent a lot of time getting to know our polish comrades here at the hotel. 

Our road trip across America sent us through all kinds of interesting terrain and luckily the only misfortune along the way, was a cracked windshield and a single sunburnt arm…