As I sit here drinking coffee and watching the sun start to shine brightly through the trees, it gives me pause to reflect on the past week, and there isn't a ton to reflect upon so that means it was a good week.
As the title states, I ended up with my first troll the other day who didn't bother to read the post or my blog.
I should start by saying that I boost some of my posts on the socials in hopes getting more followers, subscribers, etc. My last blog post was one of those and it showed up on the Instagram timeline of some twit who is, by his own claims "Keeping instant photography alive". Basically he sells old instant cameras out of his mother's basement and, since he has a lot of time trying to preserve a mostly dead technology, he thought it worthy of his time to berate me for creating spam because I was promoting "pictures of some stupid trip". I've learned a new term from the socials and it's called "Instablock" and that's precisely what happened.
Anyway, the kitchen rolls on at the Employee Dining Room and in an effort to make even more impressive goods for the workers, I took some time and a few bags of wood chips and figured out how to smoke meats and get a result almost as good as having a real smoker.
Everytime I make brisket of any form, it disappears in minutes, so this time I made two...and it disappeared in minutes. This new found skill will come in handy for the 4th since I have butts that need a layer of smoke...because all meats deserve a layer of smoke, in my humble opinion.
The tourists continue to fill the park and amaze us workers with their absurdities and lack of general respect for both the wildlife and the people around them. While traveling through the park, a guy on a scooter was behind a car doing about 50 mph when all of a sudden the car slams on it's brakes and flips their flashers on to get a glimpse of an elk. One lone elk. Fortunately, the guy on the scooter saw this in time and was able to swerve around the car and and avoid what could have been a pretty nasty accident.
And as you have probably guessed, I was the guy on that scooter.
Another fun event to witness was watching a crowd as they stared in awe and wonder at a bison working his way through the grass by the shores of Yellowstone Lake. This event, in and of itself, is not a surprising sight as it happens often. What one doesn't see often is the crowd moving with the bison, as it walked and ate, like a cloud of gnats around a person's head that won't go away. Where as the bison are quite docile and just go about their business, they are quick to temper when people get too close and they do not suffer fools lightly. Nothing happened before we moved on and I hope nothing happened afterwards.
I can't blame most people for the sense of wonder that comes with being in Yellowstone and taking in the flora and fauna of this very unique ecosystem. I was dumbstruck when I first got here as well. But the fast paced lives people live in the cities before coming here is something that they just can't seem to shake and, as in most cities, that "It's Me Against the World" city survivalist attitude is something they really need to leave behind.
Having a slower attitude here allows the park to unfold around you and, if you give it just a moment or two, the park comes to you without fail. In the LERV (Lake Employee RV Park) we constantly hear about which animals were spotted where and if they are just passing through or if the are residents of our little community.
Just last night, I was cooking outside and Jack (otherwise known as The Lawn Boy) passed right by our site with a new and much darker friend. Quietly munching grass and slowly looking for new and greener patches, they lumbered through the park and paid no attention to us folks who have invaded their home for a summer. We watch from a respectable distance as these fellas don't like to be crowded, and just enjoyed their presence, as should anyone that comes here. Again, just slow down, sit back, and relax and the park will come to you.
Fortunately the fellas weren't bothered at all by the fact that the scent of their not so distant cousins 
searing away happily in my cast iron just a few feet away was wafting through the RV park which, most certainly, Did Not Suck.
More stickers are on the way and I hope to set up something of a store here in my little electronic space. We've found some great stuff that we are using everyday and I thought it would be nice to share them. It would also be nice to make a buck as well.
I'm also warming up to the idea of doing some videos. I feel sorry for those that have to bear with my unshaven mug.
Have a great day!
(That's not me. That's just an average guy that's happy to have a This Does Not Suck sticker.)