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WilliamM

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Everything posted by WilliamM

  1. WilliamM
    I asked my brother, Rick, last night by phone if people ever complained about housing in national parks to him. Because his park ranger job in Denali for 10 years was seasonal, he has worked at many parks in Texas and CA in the winter. And has worked at Yellowstone since the Clinton Administration. Rick's response: "No, never." But, I would not read much into that. I had lunch with Rick in the park's restaurant in Denali. I remember saying "you must eat here often." Rick: "No, this is my first time."
  2. WilliamM
    Now I have to respond. When I visit Yellowstone I do not stay with my brother, I stay in a motel -- his log cabin is too small. There are motels in the towns surrounding the park, especially West Yellowstone, but also near the northeast and northwest entrances to Yellowstone. I stayed in a very nice motel a few towns away from where my brother lives (Silver Gate, MT). To be fair, I drove the Blue Ridge Highway and another highway to Smoky Mountain National Park last summer. I made the trip long ago --1976. In the 1970s, there were motel all along the highways, not anymore. Those motels have been replaced by new government run lodging. Not bad, but it would be very difficult to secure a reservation in the fall when the leaves are changing colors.
  3. WilliamM
    Unicorn, we agree on most of the issues.
  4. WilliamM
    In Yellowstone, I can stay with my brother who lives just outside the park in a log cabin he owns. My problem is the crowds. Are not people in the west complaining about the amount of land set aside for national parks? Again I agree with most of your comments. I just remembered a discussion we had about cruise ships. I have never taken a cruise, but have traveled all over the world. I do not expect the hotels where I stay to more than just adequate. I stayed in housing in a National Park in Virginia early last summer, just ok. A question: Isn't the main reason to visit National Park to enjoy the park. Sure I want better lodging too, but it's not as important to me. Since you mentioned bringing an escort early on, is that part of your frustration in the poor lodging?
  5. WilliamM
    The only time I have stayed in park lodging was in Denali. It was adequate, bur certainly not wonderful. There were a lot of walking trails nearly and a ok restaurant. I am far more interested in being in a national park when it's not packed with other tourists. Even more interested in seeing the animal fairly up close, something you can actually do in Denali. For example, I was chased by a large moose, when I invaded his "territory." I was in Yellowstone may years ago in July and was completely turned off by the crowds of people, so I have never gone to any national park in the peak season. Unicorn, all of your comments are valid. In fact, except for parks on the east coast, I have never visited a national park other than the ones where my brother is located.
  6. WilliamM
    That what my very limited research of Singapore said. But, I am glad you took a chance and went anyway. Great observations, Tristan.. I hope others follow your lead and write similar posts (it would be difficult to do better than you though).
  7. WilliamM
    [bold lettering added by me] Some park rangers seldom take days off, especially those involved in park research projects. At Yellowstone, I met several of my brother's friends. One ranger had not taken a day off in 15 years (without additional pay). I spent several weeks in National Parks in Virginia last summer. Unicorn, talk to the park rangers. In Virginia, the rangers were extremely helpful. I do have a funny story about visiting a National Park with a wonderful aunt. There was a long line. She said, "But, my nephew is a park ranger in Alaska." Ranger's answer, "Sorry, we can not play favorites." I was shocked because she had never done anything like that before or again! It guess it was a very, very long line!
  8. WilliamM
    I agree with most of what you write, except "I often feel as if the National Parks are set up purely for the enjoyment of the park rangers and park rangers alone." My brother has a college degree and has worked for the National Park Service for over 30 years. He receives a low salary, and until the past year was always classified as a seasonal worker, which meant no health insurance. Until Obamacare, he bought his own health insurance at very high prices and high deductibles. Only in the past year, the park services changed his classification because he needed open heart surgery. Nearly every park ranger is in the same situation, a seasonal worker, even if they have been working for the park service for decades. I visited my brother, Rick, in Denali, GNP and Yellowstone. I did score a cabin in the park in Denali. He's worked so long in Yellowstone that he bought a small log cabin. I have never stayed in an expensive hotel in a National Park. Find out when you can actually drive on the one main road in Denali (rather than taking the required bus). It is a week or so after Labor Day. I saw moose, bears -- including grizzly bears walking on the main road with their cubs. It's the best time of the year to visit. Most important, I always visit National Parks in the spring (Great Smokey Mountain Park) or after Labor Day (Yellowstone, Denali, GNP). The parks are less crowded and you have more freedom -- especially in Denali. I figured it out on my own; my brother did not have to tell me.
  9. WilliamM
    BVB, In many ways, I like Denali better in Alaska. The fairly long train ride north from Anchorage is amazing. And you can see the animals more easily, including a grizzly mom and her cubs walking along the main road. But, it would be a national park to visit in the summer, not the winter.
  10. WilliamM
    We have never discussed the coverage all over Yellowstone. My brother spends 95*% of his time in the northern part of the park in or near Montana. I have not called often, when I do I can always reach him. I planned to drive from the northern part of Yellowstone to Jackson Hole, MT to catch my flight the next day (October 2007). It snowed most of the day before, all night and when I started out. I stopped in the city of Gardner to ask about the weather forecast from the park ranger. A cell phone was no use unless I get stuck in a drift. Luckily, I decided to leave the park at W. Yellowstone and drive to WY by way of Idaho. Idaho was a lower elevation, so I just had heavy rain It was a longer drive, but I eventually learned the southern gate of the park was closed I knew Yellowstone was at a very high elevation, so should have been better prepared --- figuring out whom I should call with my phone should have been a much bigger priority.
  11. WilliamM
    I completely agree, but I was not writing just about myself. Since my brother is a park ranger at Yellowstone, I was giving his viewpoint. He has never complained about cellphone use while he is talking to a large group about wolves.
  12. WilliamM
    deej, not everyone is able to go off-grid as easily as you.
  13. WilliamM
    I mentioned my brother, Rick, up thread. He is a park ranger at Yellowstone. He has a cellphone with him at all times, not just to talk to co-workers in the park but also for family emergencies. Rick was briefly on Facebook, but was surprised that a student who heard one of his talk in the park. registered in Facebook under his name. It was not terrible, just annoying. The student would post an imaged schedule for Rick, as follows: 6:00 AM - Time to have breakfast and see the wolves before they wake up My comment: the wolves are already awake searching for prey.
  14. WilliamM
    Rick also worked in Denali National Park in Alaska and his books still sell fairly well. He wrote his last book in 1993, but has a huge collection of daily notes since then that he plans to use for three books on the wolves of Yellowstone. Rick lives in a log cabin in Silver Gate, Montana, a town with only a gas station, a bar and a jail. Thanks, BVB.
  15. WilliamM
    My brother, Rick , has been a park ranger at Yellowstone National Park, since the wolves were returned to the park (and therefore Montana and Wyoming) from Canada. Since the Bill Clinton Administration he has been the lead ranger in tracking the wolf packs and each individual wolf through radio transmission. He also spends every days talking with people who visit the park partly to see and hear about the wolves. He has never mentioned cell phones as a distraction. He would agree with @bigvalboy that phones are an absolute necessity for some people who visit Yellowstone..
  16. WilliamM
    Enjoy LA, it's one of my favorite places. I especially enjoy the cities on the Pacific Ocean like Santa Monica and Venice. Even better: Topanga (Canyon) State Park in Malibu. The following is going to make you sick: 20 years ag0 I was able to book a frequent flier round-trip from Dulles Airport in Washington to Sydney, Australia on a Japanese Airline that allowed a 5-day stop in Tokyo (US Air @ 50,000 miles).
  17. WilliamM
    Hope you get an answer. I live in Philly, tourists might ask me. :)
  18. WilliamM
    far, far in the future, Zsa Zsa and Kim might be still alive.
  19. WilliamM
    The brink of death? Zsa Zsa will out live her husband.
  20. WilliamM
    I was wondering if this incident would be mentioned. Since I live in Philadelphia, I remember it well. I was sick from work the day Zsa Zsa appeared on all the local talk shows to defend herself. If she was really upset, Zsa Zsa would have invited them back, apologized in person and treated then exceptionally well. Instead, she seemed to enjoy the publicity. From that moment on, I felt very sorry for her daughter.
  21. WilliamM
    Jack Paar ("The Tonight Slow") and Merv Griffin often had group guests; IMHO that was Zsa Zsa at her best, getting in just the right witty line. She was not quite as good being interviewed on her own. During Paar's time on TV, she was still well known for the film "Moulin Rouge," a classy and successful movie.
  22. WilliamM
    When I thought about starting this thread, I thought nobody would remember Zsa Zsa Gabor!
  23. WilliamM
    Yes, the list was created on 14 March 2013, so it is different today. Given the ages of the people listed, the list would have to be updated almost every month. If you click on each name, you can find out who is alive on 10 February 2016. As of today, those alive are, as follows by age: Olivia deHavilland, Kirk Douglas, Zsa Zsa Gabor, Patricia Laffan, Alan Young, Bette White........ (I stopped there because I just remembered my father died on 10 February 1960.)
  24. WilliamM
    Am I correct that Francesca was the only Gabor child because none of Zsa Zsa's siblings had children? If so, her husband is the only one left to inherit whatever money remains.
  25. WilliamM
    Zsa Zsa Gabor was rushed to the ER Monday ... 2 days after her 99th birthday, TMZ has learned. Gabor was having difficulty breathing ... husband Frederic von Anhalt tells us. Zsa Zsa's doctor came to her home and removed mucus from her throat, but it didn't cure the problem. Zsa Zsa was admitted to an L.A. hospital Monday morning. Docs determined she has a feeding tube-related lung infection. We're told Zsa Zsa's scheduled to undergo surgery to have her breathing tube removed Read more: http://www.tmz.com/2016/02/09/zsa-zsa-gabor-hospital-birthday/#ixzz3ziVmNspZ

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