How I'm Spending My Summer Vacation...

It's about time I blogged about where Peter and I are going to be this summer. I think I have told most people, but there may be a few out there who don't know what the plan is for us. Unfortunately, Peter didn't get the SCEP in the Shoshone National Forest, so we're going to be working for the Evanston district of the Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest. This will be Peter's third summer working there, and my second. I'm actually very happy with this outcome. The SCEP would have been better for Peter's career in the long run, but I wouldn't have had a job up there, and I probably would have gone nuts. So instead I will be working here, at the Bear River Ranger Station...


It's a pretty cushy gig. I will be working as an information receptionist, and collection officer. Fancy words meaning I answer people's basic questions regarding the area and I take their money in exchange for a recreation pass which is mandatory if you're going to be in the area. Weekdays are generally slow and I get a lot of reading done, which is just fine by me. The area is beautiful and the higher altitude means that the temperature remains cooler during even the peak of summer. Generally no higher than 80 degrees. It's a really chill job and I can't wait to go back!

We will also not be living in Evanston like we did last summer. Instead, we will be living in the government supplied housing available at Bear River. We pulled a few strings and worked out a deal so that we could stay in one of the cabins instead of a trailer. It's going to be really nice! Especially because we won't have to commute 30 miles (one way) every day, so we'll save on gas (which is good for the environment and the wallet). I also won't have to get up at 5:00 a.m. to go to work with Peter who works from 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. four days a week, but the ranger station doesn't open until 8:00 a.m. and closes at 4:00 p.m. Last summer I had a one hour block before and after work three days a week where I had nothing to do but bum around the ranger station. Since I will be living just directly back in the woods behind my "office" I can sleep in or go home instead of waiting for Peter.

The downside of this arrangement is that we will have no cell phone service or Internet access. We'll be really cut off from the world, which actually sounds kind of nice, to be honest. I will really miss raiding with my guild on World of Warcraft, but we have plans to meet up with the gang later this summer in Anaheim for the annual convention, BlizzCon. Yeah, I know...we're really nerdy. My friends and family will also be able to reach me at the ranger station. The lack of technological distractions will also provide us with more time to actually enjoy the area we will be living in. I was really bummed that I didn't take the opportunity to do more hiking/fishing/mountain biking last summer, so I'm hoping to make up for it this year. Peter and I are even going to try and hike up King's Peak which is the highest peak in all of Utah! I think it's somewhere around 13K feet above sea level. We may not be able to work out the time we need off to do it, but we're at least going to try.

We will be moving the second weekend in May. Peter has to report to work on May 11th, but I don't start work until May 22nd (tentatively because it's dependent upon the snow melting). I may actually stay in Logan for a week or two while Peter is working because I might as well stay at my job and earn some more money instead of sitting around twiddling my thumbs. It's really not fun to be seperated from my hubby but I managed to do it for a whole summer two years ago, so a week or two will be a breeze.

I'll try and blog about any fun things that happen (hopefully, there will be no incidents of me getting stuck in a Forest Service truck in the middle of nowhere, requiring me to radio for help again). I will have to go into town once a week for groceries any ways, so I will be able to check my e-mail and let people know we're still alive and that we didn't get eaten by any bears.

You are all more than welcome to pop in for a visit, too! :)