Welcome to Grant Village

Not much to post about today, but I'm going to post a few photos of my current living situation here at Grant Village. For those of you who aren't aware, I was told a week or so ago that I'd be leaving Canyon Village and finishing my contract (October 3rd) at the southernmost junction of Yellowstone in Grant. It seems alright so far. From what I hear it's very laid back for a combination of reasons. Here there are only about 300 rooms, where as Canyon had over 500 so the foot traffic is cut down from that alone. Also, the employee living quarters are well removed from the way the guests travel. The layout of the area is very spread out compared to Canyon, so it will take a little longer than two minutes to walk to work like I did at Canyon. Another reason it's much slower down here is just because it's not a central location. Being at Canyon, you are passed by all of the folks going around the upper loop, or even all the way around the park. Here at Grant, you'll only be passed by people who make an effort to come in to the area, even if they use the south entrance. You have to turn off of the main road in order to actually see anything.


My manager up at Canyon was down here last year and from what I've gathered it's 100 percent enjoyable. They have constructed boardwalks from the dorms/cabins for employees that go directly through the woods, so seeing elk and such on the way to work is not uncommon. We are only about half a mile from the lake, which is kind of neat. And as I mentioned above, the fact that we're so spread out makes it so guests aren't constantly around.

I'll be posting pictures of the cabin I've been assigned to, which they're actually trying to close. They were trying to put me in the actual dorm that is next door, but they're packed for the next few days while people leave as their contracts expire. Let me just say that the dorms here are luxurious compared to Canyon. Plenty of space, your own bathroom, own sink, two very large closets, no bunk beds, a wide open area on the floor to do your yoga, somersaults or pushups... It goes on and on. Anyway, they're wanting to close the cabins so they can shut off the water and all that before it gets too cold out here. The temps drop below freezing just about everynight, so I can see why they're in a rush, especially with these quality cabins they have provided! I know a girl through a couple of friends from up at Canyon and she also works at the front desk and she's leaving on Thursday. I've already created a plan to sneak into her room pretty much the instant she checks out so I'll get into the dorm. It's not really a huge deal, as I can easily survive in this rustic cabin, but if they're going to make me move, I might as well get in there sooner rather than later so I don't have to live out of my bags for the next 7-10 days.


They have an outdoor basketball court here. So beware, I'll be practicing my long ranger jumper to hopefully become a force in whatever pickup basketball game I decide to participate in. They've got an elliptical machine, I have yet to spot a treadmill, yet I haven't investigated fully. The running seems like it will be much easier around these parts because there are plenty of roads going around the village with limited traffic, so that's kind of exciting. I haven't done much running at all, so hopefully I can whip myself into shape here in the next couple of weeks and take advantage of the fact that I'm living at 7,700+ feet. That will make me a tough whippersnapper to beat come races down at elevation... if I can find some the weekend I come home. Alright, well, I think that's about all I've got to write home about. So, until next time...