Moving On Up. To The East Side. New Digs In The Beargrass Cabin And RV Park.

This will be a fun one. Fill with some surprises and not-so-surprises.

So I come rolling in, fresh from a covid test with the plague of the century hopefully not riding my coattails. Find the man in charge to check me in. Let’s call him Little Bob. Well, seems I’m not getting cabin #4. Because of the covid scare and quarantine with Many Glacier, a lot of people are dispersed in the cabins to be kept apart for the next week or so.

One small thing to note here: when you are in quarantine, you don’t swipe you’re ID in the time clock. This means you are hanging around for the better part of a week for free while still paying for a food plan (which they deliver to your door. Ugh).

So I get to share cabin #16 with some other new Jammer named Kirk (who had also just moved in because of a snoring issue in his last cabin). At first glance, not too bad.

It even comes with its own planter. I believe this is a wild rose. Very easy to water.

If these tools are still here in three months they are mine.

Inside is very cabiny, if that’s a word. Little common area, a little eatery with a microwave, and a place to put my square ice cub trays. They seem to make the whiskey go down so much smoother.

Now the sleeping area is tight. Don and I had bunks last year and we each just kept to our side. You can’t really fit four people in one of these things (and if they try there will be issues). It is pretty clear this was once a nice cabin for a couple with a queen bed and Xanterra is trying to squeeze in as many bodies as possible. Good luck with closet space.

But here is a bonus: Indoor plumbing. Both a sink AND a shower. Once more, might have to arm-wrestle this Kirk fellow over the cleaning schedule. Even as a guy I can’t go three months without scrubbing down those surfaces.

The nice thing about a walk-in shower is that it does fit four guys and we can save water by showering at the same time. And soap. And back brushes.

Big bonus, endless hot water and even a little bit of AC. Which is good, because this baby sits out in the open sun.

And there is even a back patio. That you don’t have access to. That I can’t imagine what they were thinking when they were laying down the pavers. I guess they needed to put something over the bodies to stop the bears from digging them up.

Now some cabins are better, and some are certainly worse. Some a little higher up on the hill have a view from their little decks. I guess I need to spend some time with Little Bob this summer and find out how to get my name on the upgrade list if/when I return next year. In the meantime, it’s perfect. I’m close to both the common kitchen and the rec building.

But wait, there is an RV element to this as well. I drive up a little dirt road, and there they are. Sure, the pads are pretty uneven, it’s open, exposed, windy, rocky, and a little destitute looking. And there are less than a dozen spots. With more than just a little Grapes of Wrath flare. But the view of the St. Mary Valley is outstanding. And you can even get a peek of Lower St Mary Lake. Full hooks ups (with sewer) are free this year, so the price is definitely right.

As for common areas, well……. Kind of a mixed bag. The common kitchen looks like a place where they would serve soup during the Great Depression. Feels kind of like one of my Dad’s open rafter pole sheds, except there isn’t a John Deere tractor parked in the middle of it. I have lots of canned food and have my stuff in storage tubs. I’m seeing others doing the same, so that must be enough to stave off the mice with you KNOW are on that tile floor playing street hockey with the food of whatever box they chewed thru every night when the lights go off.

Now the TV room is a different story. I think I know where they surplused all of the lobby furniture from the hotels. Actually, some of this stuff looks pretty new and modern. It’s better than my dentist’s office, and that guy is stamping out some serious coin. It’s really a nice rec room. Just nothing to …. well…. recreate with.

And don’t start me in the laundry room. Most of the equipment is brand new AND there is enough space to play football while waiting for the last spin cycle.

Last but not least, where do they store the Red Buses? Sure, they might look nice all lined up against of blue sky, but this blows. Given the dirt road dust and the wind, these things are going to be a nightmare to keep clean here. Ugh.

And that is my new summer home. Once I complete training I’ll be here full-time from the end of June thru the start of September.