Settling In

It’s hard to believe that we’ve already been here two weeks! And at the same time, it feels like forever.

We were the first ones to arrive, so we got our choice of sites! There are six RV spots in the employee campground, which is basically on the edge of the parking lot for the dorm that serves our location. As of today, we have been joined by a camper van, a fifth wheel, and a Class A, with two sites left for the folks who will be joining us next week.

And when we arrived, we were bright-eyed and bushy-tailed. These days, we’re basically just bushed. Working in a general store is exhausting, demanding, physical work–very different from my former career as a psychotherapist! But I really wanted a job that would require me to be more active: walking around, lifting things, scooping ice cream. And this job did not disappoint! The store is open from 9am – 6pm every day, and I am literally on my feet doing things from 8:30 – 6:00, with a half-hour lunch break. Rob’s job is slightly different, as part of his responsibilities involve placing grocery orders and checking inventory, but he is also active for most of the day. Because we just opened on Memorial Day weekend, it’s been an all-hands-on-deck situation. But more to come on the store, let’s talk about our day-to-day life.

I mentioned that our campground is located just outside the dorm for our location. Next to the dorm is a “rec center,” which is really just a glorified TV room, although there is a pool table and some games. There is a weight bench and some free weights in the corner, but don’t be fooled: the place is not set up for fitness in any way. There is exactly one hand weight in each size, so enjoy your lopsided workout!

One really cool feature of the rec center is its capacity for institutional memory, as teams have created wall-hangings for each season all the way back to 1986, although I also found one from 1971. The personnel and some of the significant events of each year are documented on butcher block paper. We had our first bonfire the other night, and some of the staff decided that our theme would be “scrapbook,” where each person will get their own page to decorate, so we will be able to document our season along with the rest.

The dorm is where most of the rest of the team lives. It’s pretty nice, most people have spacious single rooms this year, although there are a few doubles. The dorm also contains the Employee Dining Room, or EDR for short. Rob and I learned about the EDR last year, when he was working at Mammoth Hot Springs. All employees who sign up for the meal plan receive breakfast, lunch, and dinner, as well as limited snacks outside mealtimes. Rob’s EDR last year was huge and food was served cafeteria-style. Our site has a crew of only about 30 people, and serving is a little more personal. There is usually a tray with an entree or two and a few sides, along with amazing homemade desserts. And at a number of meals, the chefs take personal orders and serve us our food individually. Breakfast is often like this, with someone coming out to find out if we would like pancakes or waffles, or asking how we’d like our eggs. Our two main chefs are an 80-year-old couple who have been doing this for about 30 years and really know their business!

In addition to the EDR, there’s a small lounge with a computer and a functioning laundry room. Poor personal hygiene is a dismissible offense here, but they make it as easy as possible to do your laundry: free machines and free laundry soap. We brought our own because I’m somewhat picky, but it’s nice to know that our colleagues will be keeping up their appearance as well! We don’t have a shower in the Airstream but we are able to shower in the dorm, which is the greatest thing at the end of a long day.

All in all, we’re grateful for the rest of our team, which is made up of folks with really interesting back-stories, and we appreciate simple pleasures like a kind word, a hot shower, and a delicious dinner.