- Snow has arrived on the mountains, and the days leading up to it had very poor visibility at the higher elevations and extremely high winds. The new vans that we're driving are high profile ones, and the wind catches them going around the curves.
- One of the most difficult parts of this job is saying goodbye to many new friends. My Bulgarian friend/manager, Valya, left Friday. We have worked together for the past three years. She will return to Bulgaria/Germany to finish her business degree and graduate in June. Others that have left are our Polish girls, a Wisconsinite, three Taiwanese gals, and a North Carolinan.
- Because Sunday was a snow day, I did get to worship @ Rocky Mountain Church where I got to catch up with two great couples that I've met in the last couple of years. Lisa & Gene are Luther '77 grads, and Linda & Larry are NPS volunteers who leave for Greece soon. The worship services are music-filled, and one song sent chills through me. The message was on "The Good Samaritan," one of my favorites!
- Due to approaching inventory preparations and a loss of one of our lead managers, I worked a stretch of twenty-one days. I do love my job, and I didn't fade until the last day or two. We had a successful inventory day with everyone working!
- Leaf peeping and elk "hunting" are two of my favorite activities in Colorado's autumn. On Friday, I checked them out along Bear Lake Road, along Peak to Peak Highway, hiked Brainard Lakes and Rainbow Lakes Trails, and visited the following breweries: Bootstrap, Powder Keg, Oskar Blues, Skeye, Grossen Bart and Buckhorn.
- I love learning new things about this park and other areas. My latest seminars were on "Predators of RMNP," "Geology of the Rockies," and "Grizzlies of Katmai National Park."
- I ran in my second and last 5K of the summer in the "Running of the Bulls" around Lake Estes. It was actually longer than a 5K - 3.75 miles. I placed first in my age group; maybe it's an advantage to be the youngest in that age category. Another woman with Wisconsin connections came in second - her daughter was in the UW-Madison Badgers Marching Band at the same time as the Elbing girls.
- Last weekend I was bowled over with "Watoto," an Uganda Children's Choir, singing of God's impact on their lives. They were either orphans or children of victimized women of Uganda. What an inspirational and energetic group. I purchased two CDs of theirs to remind me of their passionate faith.
- On September 5th, Nancy and I celebrated "Full Moon Night" at Moraine Park with pizza and elk bugling. I've witnessed the Milky Way Galazy THREE times in the last month, too. Never seen it before in such majesty!
- Friendship, food, laughter and a few drinks always play an important part in our free time. Several of us attended Estes Park's Rock Cut Brewery's 2nd anniversary together, and we still try to have our Thursday's evening together.
The calendar says that there are two weeks of employment left @ Trail Ridge Store. Mother Nature truly dictates how many of those days we will work. I'm looking forward to my nephew's wedding in Mpls. as a short respite, and then a sister trip to climax the end of my summer/fall in Colorado. Looking forward to seeing many of you soon.
A Colorado hug for you!
Amy
