July 15, 1999

WORK

Working at the check-in office has its moments. The office is open from 7:00 am to 10:00 pm. Working the late shift is by far the most interesting. Most of the time we are full and can only accept people with reservations, however there are exceptions. Even though we have 430 campsites, we have to turn people away, and that is no fun. It's routine to deal with complaints about issued sites: trees in the way of large RV's, sites not level, too near other people, too near/too far from the restrooms, no view of the lake. My favorite "guests" are the bikers (bicycles, not motorcycles). They arrive in groups of two to five, often crossing the USA on bicycles. They're always tired and will settle for any place to pitch a small tent. We have special sites for hikers/bikers and we never turn them away.

One evening was especially interesting:

The rangers had asked us to warn everyone that there was a grizzly in the vicinity of the campground.

Gina checked in a deaf and dumb couple. The lady could talk a little (in German) and could read lips (in German). Gina would write words in English and the lady would look them up in her German-English dictionary.

A man came to the window and reported that a four to five year old boy was lost in J loop. The boy was crying while circling in the loop looking for his parents. He would have nothing to do with anyone and he apparently did not speak English. Soon we had other people coming to report the boy. After the ranger arrived in J loop, a man came to the window to report that in I loop, a French couple was franticly looking for their son. Parents and son were soon reunited in our parking lot.

A young couple appeared at the window just before closing. They were en route from Grand Teton National Park where they had been hiking above 10,000 feet and had been rained on. They intended to pass through Yellowstone going north, but when they came to our gas station, it was closed. Since their gauge was on empty, they were seeking a place to pitch their tent. We put them in the group campsite on loop L. We often accommodate people in distress, mostly because the road going north is closed at night for construction.

A large group had checked in for a family reunion. Most of them had tents and we put them in the group campsite where only tents are allowed. One of the sons-in-law came in a pickup camper and objected to any site we tried to give him. Of course, when someone insists on changing sites, each change is to a less desirable site because we always issue the best site we have available. That means people who check-in late in the evening, get the worst sites. The man in the pickup camper ended up asking for his original site back.

As we were about to close the doors, the campground host asked us to accommodate a couple who's truck was broken down.

Finally, a large tour bus with 45 teenage girls drove up. They had reservations for five sites in K loop. The lady in charge of the bus wanted me to take ownership of the problem that the bus could not maneuver K loop. When I got on the bus and gave the required "bear safety talk", they were ready to go home. Anyway, we were well into quite hours and their neighbors did not appreciate a loud bus and 45 girls trying to cook dinner at 10:00 pm.

Well, it was 10:00 o'clock and time to balance the cash draw against the computer printout and go home.