Best Spring Break Ever

Kissing A Moose
National Museum of Wildlife Art
Photo Credit to Marc Sweet

This past week has been such a wonderful break from school. Being with some wonderful people, staying in a different place other than campus, and reuniting with some animals, people, and views was exactly what I needed from the stress that came with Spring Semester. I was able to drive back west to Jackson Hole for spring break. I was a little worried in regards to roads and it still being 'winter' out in the Forever West, but surprisingly, the roads were incredibly clear and dry. Actually, my week in Jackson Hole was really warm! There was no new snow, and a lot of the snow that was already on the ground either melted, became rotten snow, and was really mushy. Spring is slowly settling into the GYE.
I am really excited...because that also means, summer is right around the corner and well...my graduate school journey will be over as well!

Home stretch with a great brain break in between. But I left Thursday late-morning to head west and arrived in Jackson around 4:30pm. I went straight to visit with my friend Sarah for a well-needed girl chat on some awesome comfy couches. Talking about our plans for summer was just getting both of us really excited for what was to come in the near future and making this transition to become a Jackson Hole resident again was getting more real!

Oh...I guess I can announce that I will be moving back to Jackson Hole come June (at least for the next year or so). I am really excited to start this new chapter in my life with some wonderful people in a wonderful place. But more details will come about post-graduation when that gets closer. :)

Visited the Hunters Barn
Near the Teton Science Schools Kelly Campus

Old Horse Shoes!

Watching Tourists SWIM in the Kelly Warm Springs
Warning: You Do NOT Want to Swim in This!

Anyways, back to my awesome break. Most of my break I worked at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort. Being around that community and those little ones was awesome! Super good feelings! When I was not working at the Kids Ranch, I adventured around town, went to a music festival, visited the National Museum of Wildlife Art, cruised up and down the park, hung out with friends, babysat, and of course, worked on my Masters Paper.

It was jam-packed and busy. But it was a good busy. This week was just by far wonderful. Not to mention getting boyfriend time was really nice too! Here are some pictures from the week. There are more scattered throughout other specific entries too! So, check out the rest of my blog!

Jackson Hole, thanks for blessing me with one of the best spring breaks ever. You truly topped yourself from last year - good riddance.

Xo.

TheChristyBel

Summit Pose in One of the Hunter's Barns

Such a Wonderful Spring Break!
MUCH BETTER THAN LAST YEARS!

Moose On the Loose

This morning: look who I encountered on my morning drive to the Tetons Science Schools Journeys School, the organizations very own independent Pre-K - 12 school, for my last week of the winter teaching practicum.  This moose was in the middle of the road, and there was no way for it to get out of my path without just running away from my car down the road.  That is until it found a little escape route on part of the shallow banks towards the Kelly Warm Springs.

Moose have been pretty common on and along the roads in Kelly and the Gros Ventre areas.  I better embrace them now, because I have a feeling in the next few months, they will be going on a low visible streak.  Until then, embrace this video and how the video was shot with Lady Beyonce in the background.

And I apologize for video-ing this while driving...but I swear I was going really slow!

Xoxo,
TheChristyBel

A New Fish Friend

Let me back track: so for a few weeks now, Joe and I have been talking about how I really want a pet for my cabin.  Obviously, I am not allowed to have my one true wish, a cat...so a fish may be the next best thing.

So, for years now, people have come to the Kelly Warm Springs and have dumped their aquarium fish in this warm spring.  The environment is perfect for them: warm temperature water, plenty of food (so much bacteria live in this water), and it is a huge spring.

TheChristyBel Risking Her Life in the Fecal Infested Warm Spring!
Photo Credit to Hazel Stark, Fellow TSS Graduate Student

Joe had this great idea that if I found a container to keep it in, we would go to the warm spring and get one! Done!

So I bought a fish bowl, gravel, and some food at the Walmart in Laramie and when we got back...well, it was just up to me to pick out a fish!

Let me tell you first off about this warm spring!  It is soooooo gross!  It is not a hot spring, where things and bacteria can be killed off due to high temperatures, so bacteria will thrive here.  Meaning, it is not the best spring to go swimming in...but people do anyway!  So nasty!  Apparently there is high amounts of E-coli and Fecal bacteria in it...not surprised!

But anyways, so after dinner on Friday night a whole group of us went to the warm spring after dinner and tried to catch Christy a fish!

Heather, Documenting this Moment
Photo Credit to Hazel Stark, Fellow TSS Graduate Student

It was a big party: Leah, Em-J, Joe, Charlie, Hazel, Heather, and I all piled into a car and drove to the warm spring.  Joe and Charlie were determined to catch the fish with a fishing rod.  I on the other hand, grabbed my Muk Boots, my extremely little net, and went into the warm spring.  It smelled soooooo bad - like poop!

Joe, Ready to Catch a Big One for My Fish Bowl!
Photo Credit to Hazel Stark, Fellow TSS Graduate Student

A Little Scary that 'Green' is the True Color of the Kelly Warm Spring.
Photo Credit to Hazel Stark, Fellow TSS Graduate Student

After an hour of trying to catch with a net or with a rod, the person who caught the fish, was Christy, herself, by just placing the bowl in the water and scooting the fish into the bowl!  So funny!

Joe and Charlie were pretty disappointed they did not catch the fish.  But I think Joe and Charlie want to try and catch me a goldfish to have my little black stripey a friend!

Can We Talk About How Christy Caught the Fish With a FishBowl
While Joe & Charlie Had Fishing Rods and Didn't Catch Anything....Wow!
Photo Credit to Hazel Stark, Fellow TSS Graduate Student

Hopefully I'll have a fishy friend for my fishy friend soon!  Until then, enjoy some videos and photos of my fish adventure!

Xoxo,

TheChristyBel

Meet My New Cabin Friend: My Kelly Warm Springs Fish!