Journal Sept 4th – West Yellowstone Impressions
We’re in West Yellowstone, doing errands and listening to the multitude of languages spoken by tourists as well as tourist trap operators. The details of our errands are probably boring, beyond a couple of battles with bureaucracy. We won one and lost the other.
WON: The Park Service didn’t want to issue us ONE permit for our whole itinerary through Yellowstone’s backcountry. They figured that since we are planning on staying at Old Faithful Lodge, breaking the backcountry into two parts, our hike is actually two trips and they can’t usually issue the second part until the first is complete. But, after a little kindly cajoling, they relented and gave us the needed permit.
LOST: The public library, like many, has free internet service. You can get on for a half hour per day. That’s it. Never mind that no one is waiting at the end of the half hour, you have to leave and watch
four empty computer terminals begging for you to finish looking at your email. No amount of sweet talking or mournful, bewildered looks could change the prim, proper (dare we say “by the book”) librarian’s firm-ruled mind. You know the one, she wears hornrimmed glasses, a frumpy sweater and an even frumpier frown ….sighhhhh…. I even went back in the afternoon to see if her shift might be over, but if it was she waited anyway just to make sure I didn’t return and flaunt the system’s invalid values. I considered shaving my beard, trading in hiking clothes for the tourist’s uniform hawaiian shirt, bermuda shorts and reflecting sunglasses, BUT it is just too cold at night to give up the beard for what would probably be a loosing cause. So, if you did not get a response to your hotmail, you’ll have to wait until we get to Dubois WY, or later……..
Among the most important of other errands was finding a belt for the Carrot. We’ve both lost some weigt. I’ve lost a little over 20 pounds! The Carrot has only lost 2 or 3 poinds but has moved mass from the waist area to the legs and her hiking shorts are so baggy that if she were a teenager again they would be “in style”. Today she got the real belt which allowed her to throw away the nylon hay bailing rope which had held up her shorts in the “Ellie May Clampett” style.
0 miles, that’s why we call it a zero day
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