Changes

Hi Friends,

Long week at the CAVE. There have been lots of changes as personnel, both permanent and seasonal move on to new assignments and opportunities. Some of the permanent staff aren't being replaced because of budget cuts. Some tours will be reduced in how often they're given, other tours no longer have trail rangers. Makes it harder to keep an eye on 55 people as you herd them through the 'King's Palace' alone.

I will be working at Carlsbad Caverns until May 18th. The new seasonals will have started by then, so it should be an interesting few weeks. There are several rangers who will return from last summer. It will be good to see them again. As for the new faces, time will tell if they will last, and if they will like working in a cave.

John's been working on minor repairs to the rig to have it in shape for the long haul up to Montana. We're both hoping gas prices don't go much higher. It's going to cost a small fortune to move the RV 1400+ miles. Despite the cost, we are both excited to head to Glacier for the summer.

Of course, we're hoping that the snow stops flying up there. I've gotten several emails from my new boss, most of them mentioning that they're still several feet of snow and still coming down most days. Today on the Glacier webcams were the first 'bluebird' days that I've seen.

Windy and hot in the desert (I know, it seems to be a repetitive complaint of mine). Makes for lousy hiking. Already in the 90's most of the week. Still dry, although this week I don't think I heard of any new fires around. I guess we should count on blessings on that count.

Hope you all have a Happy Easter.

Love,
VAL & JOHN

Desert in springtime

Hi Friends,

Even with the lack of rain, the desert is beginning to bloom. Leaves have returned on the trees, the ocotillo is beginning to bloom as are the cactus. If there was some rain, I can only imagine how beautiful it would look.

Really need rain, there have been fires throughout New Mexico and Texas. Still none around here and the incessant wind keeps blowing.

The winter seasonals at the cave are starting to head to their summer positions. I will miss many of my new friends, but hope to see them again somewhere or sometime else in the NPS. New faces will show up early next month and then, John and I will finally leave New Mexico for a summer in St. Mary, MT.

We're getting excited about our journey north to Montana. Although, it's still snowing up there. It might be a while before they open the "Going to the sun road."

I will be starting a new blog, and once I get it started, I'll provide a link for those of you who wish to follow our next summer adventure.

Miss you...

Val & John

Summer season

Got some good news today. I will have an RV spot inside Glacier National Park for the summer. They managed to find me a much sought after spot in St. Mary. Much relieved as there are few places outside the park - and the one I called wasn't cheap! We're counting down the days until we leave Glacier. Tentatively, we'll be leaving for Glacier about the 19th of May. I start work on 26th of May. It gives us about a week to drive up there. More than enough time to get there. Looking forward to the change in scenery. It's already starting to warm up here in Carlsbad - been in the 90's. The wind has been harsh, and it's extremely dry. There has been a few fires in both NM and West Texas. That's it for now. Val

Government Shutdown

Officially, I'm supposed to call it an Absence of Government Appropriation. Call it what you like. Blame whomever you want. The truth is that thousands of government employees will be furloughed on Saturday at 12:01AM. What that means it myself, and thousands of other government employees are locked out of our places of work. If you're an essential personnel, such as police, fire, or our troops, you'll get working. Whether you get paid on time, is another question. I'm disgusted with the politicians and you should be too. Not only will the government offices will be closed, but the National Parks will be closed. Got airline tickets to finally see the Grand Canyon? Sorry, they're closed. Yellowstone, Yosemite, Everglades, and the list goes on - all closed with the government shut down. The next few days will tell how much time I get off - a few days, a week, more? What they do in Washington could change my summer plans. If budget cuts to the National Park Service go deep, I can stand to lose my summer position in Glacier. Of course, if that happens, I'll be back on unemployment. Personally, I'd prefer to work for a living, but we all know, it's not easy to find a job in this economy. That's all for now. Sorry so negative, but it is what it is. Love to all, VAL & JOHN

April showers

Hi Friends, We could certainly use some April showers. I've watch the weather around the country this week. Many of you are getting severe weather - rain and snow. Hopefully you are all safe and had no damage. Out here in New Mexico, we've missed all the precipitation. Other than the four inches of snow we got in February, we have not had any measureable precipitation since September. We're in extreme fire danger and it dry and dusty every where. This weekend we expect no relief, in fact, we'll be going up to the high 90's today. Tomorrow, they're calling for high winds. They warned me spring in New Mexico would be windy. Hope you all have a great weekend. Love, VAL & JOHN