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