What a year it has been. I am just now returning to Yellowstone for my second Winter Season. I know, you are asking, "What happened to the first one, and what has happened since then?" And I don't blame you. I neglect this blog terribly.

Last winter went great. I love Yellowstone in Winter! Fewer people by several magnitudes, it is so beautiful it can take your breath away on a regular basis, and it is just beautiful. Did I say that already? Well, it is.

I had a great winter season last winter and then extended my contract to become a Master Reservations Agent which would have put me there till mid September, and I way would have, because I just couldn't stay that long and had to leave. I gave them three weeks notice that I was going to resign and head out to do stuff in the summer, like camp, and hike, and ride my motorcycle, and, well, lots of stuff, just not sit in an office all day five days a week, or more, doing reservations. It was my second summer season and I just couldn't do it.

So I left. I camped in the Black Hills of South Dakota for about 4 weeks, did Sturgis while I was there, the 75th anniversary of the rally, so it was crazy crowded, but I had fun. Then headed west to Washington, down through Oregon, into northern California, then across through Reno to Salt Lake City in September. My beautiful niece Bethany and her fiance Allan let me stay with them for as long as I needed to, so I was there till mid November and then I had to go to Texas to get a few things done, then I returned to SLC. From there I headed back up to Yellowstone and reported in December 1st to do it all over again. I have no made the mistake of doing more than five or six months on a contract though, with as long a break in between as I want. So I should be good to go for a while.

Salt Lake City turns out to be quite the eclectic community as it were. Lots of college age young people and everything that goes with being that young. My niece and Allen run with quite the tattooed 20 somethings crowd and it can be a very exciting place to be. I tried to keep up and hang with them as much as I could, but at times, it was challenging, lol. I learned, after 59 years, that I really like whiskey. And Guinness beer. Who knew. I'm usually a Tequila kind of guy. But I'll commit violence for a whiskey pickle back, yes I will, lol. I even got a new tattoo. A good one, too.

As for my niece Bethany, she's a true force of nature. She has the personality, wit, and intelligence to do any damned thing she wants to in life, and she's as beautiful as they come on top of all that. She is truly one of the smartest people I know. She's young and does not have as much experience, but she's sharp as a tack, and experience will come. If you're going to keep up with her you'd better be on your game. Big time. I love her like she's my own daughter. Her two little girls are going to be heartbreakers as well. Just darlin'. I do feel for Allen, he is going to be in for it!

Had an interesting Thanksgiving Day as well. Torn in about 13 different directions, was on the road coming back from Texas, needing to get to SLC in time to pick up my trailer with the motorcycle and head on north, so I wasn't really counting on having a Thanksgiving Dinner, per se. But I was in the vicinity of my fathers home, in Farmington, New Mexico, on that day, so I thought I'd just drop by and see everyone on my way through, especially since my brother Shawn and my gorgeous sister-in-law Julie were there with one of my other beautiful nieces, Eliza (cute as a bugs ear, one year old and already running the world, lol). To say the least, I would up having a GREAT Thanksgiving Dinner, but had to move on afterward due to, ahem, a misunderstanding, and hell, I needed to get on down the road anyway, so there's that.

And now, I'm back in Yellowstone. I'm not sure what it is, but I seem to get news of friends passing away more while I'm here than any other time of the year. Whether it is former brothers and sisters in arms, whether in police work of the military, or friends I've met in the motorcycling community over the years, people seem to wait till I pull in and report to Yellowstone, then POOF, they're gone. Two this week. I know I'm getting older (try hanging out with a totally 20 something crowd for three months to make you feel OOOOOLLLLLLLLLLLDDDDDDDDDD) and so my friends are all getting older as well, but man, it is coming in waves sometimes. Some I knew better than others, some I knew very, very well. But each one hurts and brings home my own inevitable time table to the end.  How can you have people close to you, of your age, or even younger, pass away without thinking of your own mortality, at least a little bit.

When I was 20 something, the thought never entered my head. I was gonna live forever.

Mac