Volunteers of America - Becca

No volunteering for me this week. The boyfriend and I spent the week touring Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons (which I heartily recommend). Looks like NPR did a series on Yellowstone [http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=94114095] while we were gone, so don’t just take my word for it – very cool place. I guess I was expecting a few geysers and occasional glimpses of wildlife, but there is amazing hydrothermal/ volcanic/water shooting and mud spewing stuff all over the place. And we saw herds of bison right on our hiking trails, as well as hawks, elk, coyotes and a moose.


Anyway, as a volunteer, I was especially appreciative of all the volunteers around who helped us out. Visitor centers had volunteer rangers who were knowledgeable and helpful in recommending sights and hiking trails, and at one point we joined a geyser tour led by this woman from San Diego who knew pretty much everything about geysers, hot springs, fumaroles, etc. She did a good job keeping things moving and offering insights even in the face of one tourist who asked some amusingly dumb questions.

But boy did I miss the cat. This was my first significant time away from Montana since I brought him home last February. I longed for his presence, his head butts and adoring gazes, and I worried about how he was doing with a once a day sitter (was he regressing and hiding, would he remember me when I got back?) It got to the point where I stopped at a visitor center display of various animals including samples of their fur to touch, and I stood there all sad and stroking some soft red fox fur.

And on one hike where we saw a bunch of bison, this massive one who had been sleeping roused himself and wallowed in dirt, his legs flailing spectacularly in the air. While the boyfriend took pictures, I found myself just reminded of my boy, who does the same sort of thing on the rug after his nap.

It probably won’t come as a shock to learn that my Montana survived while I was gone. He mostly hid and didn’t eat that well, but was ecstatic to see me when I got back. He’s trying to get all his butting and kneading, playing and eating that he missed last week in today, it seems, and he’s a happy – if still the tiniest bit anxious – guy. He got over his anxiety pretty fast the first time, as I recall.

Just checked the SPCA website to see who might have come and gone at Maddies. I see Becca is not only still there, but the featured adoptable cat. Sweet little 6 year old tabby girl, who’s taken awhile to come out of her shell. I’ll be happy to visit her and hopefully show her next time I’m there, but would like to see her gone.

Anyway, it’s good to be back. The air here feels heavy and wet after the high desert. It’s a relief to be back in a blue state, back in the city where I can get quality organics right at the nearby market and go places without needing a car, nice to catch up on the Chron. We heard just snippets of the economic melt down news out there in vacation land.

One more observation, though, speaking of the economy (which folks really should be speaking of this election cycle!) – we drove a big loop from Salt Lake City, spending time in Utah, Idaho and Wyoming. Sure, a lot of it was in the United Nations-like national parks, but even spending the night in Kemmerer WY (home of the fish fossil and also mighty down home; we did not blend), I saw some stickers and billboards for local county commissioners and such, but no McCain signs. Just saying.