Christmas in June?

I was always under the impression that no other region changed weather as fast and frequently as the Midwest. I was mistaken. The last three days have shown me thunderstorms one day, snow the next, and finally sunshine. And, of course, I was scheduled to do three trips each the days of thunderstorms and snow. When we have bad weather, the guides will always try to politely talk the guests out of going and either receiving a full refund or the ability to re-schedule the trip. During the storm, we had started with 28 guests, meaning we needed at least three boats. By the time our guides were done with the talk, all but seven had canceled. Since my boat was the first on the schedule, that means I got to take them out. We had reached the launching point and started to prep the boat for launching when my guide got a radio call saying the Park Services had seen a lightning strike and issued a warning. The trip was then up to the guide, who wanted all the guests back in the van. The guests wanted to either go or wait the storm out, but my guide would not let them. I was able to put one hour in, while my other two trips were canceled. However, yesterday I was scheduled for three trips and all three went out. It had snowed all morning, and we still had full trips go out at 6:45, 8:00, and 9:00. I was on at 9:00 which 27 out of 48 guests went along. The sun finally came out, and my 1:30 and 6:00 trips were fine except for heavy winds.

I've been working with a lot of the younger guides lately, which I absolutely don't mind. Since I am a new driver, they like to have fun with me. Over the past week, according to the particular guide I was driving for, I have been a 24 hour online poker player that didn't sleep the night before; on work release from the federal penitentiary (twice), and a former backup dancer for the Backstreet Boys. Now, obviously, the guests were not fooled on most of them. Luke (who's last name is ConARd and has a younger brother named Adam!) was my driver and told the guests I was a dancer. I heard a bunch of "really" and "wow" and tried so hard not to laugh. Luke said if they were really nice to me, I would show them some moves. They really wanted to see them. After the trip, we unload the guests from the boat and have them go to the restroom while we load the boat on the trailer and get it ready for travel. After Luke and I finished with the boat and hopped in the van, he told the guests that while loading the boat, I was showing him some dance moves. All of the guests were disappointed they didn't see them. Does it surprise you that the majority of these guests were in their 70's?

Everyday I see more and more wildlife. Just yesterday, when I was taking my 1:30 trip back to the lodge we had a backup on the road due to bison crossing. About two cars in front of me, two bison were playing/fighting by headbutting all the way across the street. Of course, you have the idiot who is parked on the side of the road, taking pictures of the bison outside of the vehicle about ten feet from the bison. During my 6:00 trip, I was leaving the launch site, and had to drive up a 19% grade for about a mile in the woods. I was halfway up, and a pack of about 10 elk jumped out in front of me crossing the road.

Yesterday, I put in twelve hours, which is fine with me due to only putting in an hour the day before. I got to work at 8:30 yesterday morning and left at 9:15 at night. Yes, I only had 45 minutes off total to eat both lunch and dinner. Today, I only have two trips, a 1:30 and 6:00. That was definitely real nice, because when my head hit the pillow last night, I was out of it for a good ten hours. Hope you have a great weekend.

Take Care,
Adam Conrad