As I mentioned yesterday, I made my 2008 Yellowstone reservations too late in the season. (I never dreamed mid September 2007 was too late!)

I should have known better. We have gone several times in recent years. The first time we went with our son in 2001, I trusted the information from the Travel section of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and made late August/early September 2001 reservations in Dec. 2000. I could get all of our dates except one. I made the reservation anyway and booked a cabin across the park for the one problem date. Despite checking at the desk every day for a early cancellation (once we were there), I never caught it. We had to move for one night and then come back, which ate up at least an entire day. Argh.

The next time we went I reserved in October. No problem.

But now that our son is no longer homeschooled, we have to go during the more popular time of year and getting all the dates is tough.

So old so soon, so late so smart? The light bulb finally lit. I just made my summer 2009 reservations now. Starting May 1st, you can do that for the following year. For the first time ever, you can even reserve the actual cabin number if you know it. Pretty great.

If you are at all thinking of going to a National Park next summer, consider reserving now. They will bill your credit card for one night, but they will give you a full refund if you cancel within 48 hours of arrival. (This might vary with each park.)

The internet makes it very easy to reserve through Xanterra, however, not every National Park uses Xanterra. Other park concessioners have online reservations too. Check with the park website; they usually have a link to lodging.

Another thing to keep in mind is that these accommodations follow the 3 rules of real estate: Location, Location, Location! The rooms vary from quaint to I can't believe they can get $145 a night for this!  But the setting (location) cannot be beat.

Believe it or not, bathrooms are an option. Being cut from camping stock, we often opt for no bathroom. It saves about $30 - $40 a night. I was glad we decided on a bathroom in Yosemite though. There was a visiting bear outside our bathroom window two nights while we were there. I don't think I would have had the nerve to make the midnight trip outside to the little house with him or her around! 

Even though frugal is my middle name, there is something very special about staying right in the park. It makes a big difference in your total park experience. We enjoy attending the evening ranger programs in the parks, so adding sometimes 2 hours travel time to that is difficult. Park roads are usually very narrow, dark, and winding. So we tend to cut back in other areas (food is one) in order to afford staying in the park. Plus, it saves on travel time in and out and gas. 

If you are planning on going to a specific park, feel free to comment or email me. I have been to many National Parks and Monuments west of the Mississippi, plus Mammoth Cave, Smokey Mt. and Everglades. I am happy to share information.

Past Posting: Make Reservations Now For Summer 2008 Includes park websites and helpful book titles

Links:

Last spring, at the Mary Knoll Weed Out, I was talking with Gary Majeskie (Brookfield Park & Rec.-Forestry) about reports of an alleged cougar siting along I-94. We both thought it pretty unlikely, yet a cougar is a rather unique looking animal. Some people easily confuse a wolf with a German Shepherd or coyote, but a cougar is too large to confuse with a domestic cat and does not resemble a canine.

There were other reports of cougar sitings around this same time. One came from Franklin. This report was dismissed as a mistaken coyote siting. As time went on, people pretty much forgot about the whole thing.

But a few minutes ago, I heard on the news that a real, live cougar was shot dead in Chicago! So, were those alleged sitings last year real? We will never know. But it does point to the possibility that these animals do sometimes live among us.

Cougars are often present in more remote areas and in our National Parks. I remember when we were at Zion National Park a few years back, they actually had instructions on how to deal with a cougar encounter. Their instructions to hikers went something like this: Look Big. Raise your arms above your head. IF you had a jacket, put it over your arms above your head to make yourself appear very tall. Wave your arms, shout, throw rocks at the cougar, etc. (The cougar  s h o u l d  run away.)

Anyway, now you know what to do should you encounter one of these large cats.

While I have your attention, I would like to remind you that the 4th annual Weed Out is scheduled for Saturday, May 3rd at Mary Knoll Park--rain or shine. (I will be reminding you again closer to the date.) 

In the meantime, you may wish to look at these past postings with photos about Garlic Mustard:

Last year's notice, instructions much the same, only date is different: 3rd Annual Weed Out at Mary Knoll Park

It is worth saving

Oh, the shame!

Links:

Technology can be a wonderful thing. Two weeks ago, we had that snowstorm warning on Sunday and the weatherman cautioned people to stay home. We were rather torn as to what to do, but since we just had 2 weather related fender benders that week, we chickened out and stayed home. The great thing was though, we did not need to miss our church service.

Thanks to the internet and some tech. minded members, we sat around the computer screen and watched the live sermon  from the comfort of our home! Not quite as good as being there, but we did virtually see and hear the LIVE service. I can also go back to the church website and review a sermon if I want to.

This technology has hit our beloved Yellowstone National Park too. We are what is kindly referred to as Geyser Geeks*--people who love to sit and observe geysers. If all goes according to plan, this summer we'll make our 5th pilgrimage to geyserland in 7 years.

To help us bide our time until the day we set foot on the Upper Geyser Basin, we now have the option of watching some of the geysers LIVE on the park's newly installed geysercam. Just this afternoon we watched Old Faithful and Plume go off. Pretty terrific.

As time goes on, I believe we will see more and more of this type of LIVE broadcast technology. It will enable people to "attend" events from the comfort of their own homes.

Currently, our Elmbrook School District is proposing a $62.2 million dollar high school referendum. The District states this is needed to solve our future facility needs. But I believe, because of technological advances, we can implement this type of live, virtual broadcast technology in our schools and thereby reduce our classroom space needs.

Virtual live broadcast could be used for some classes for all students, and virtual technology could also be used for all classes for some students. Either way, virtual education reduces the burden on classrooms. It also reduces the need for having a teacher for every class.

Virtual, live broadcast and virtual school should be looked at BEFORE we commit to 20 years of higher taxes.

*The official geyser watchers are called Geyser Gazers.

Links: Betterbrookfield,  Vicki Mckenna 

The countdown begins: Just 29 days until MILLIONS OF DOLLARS Tuesday!

Email me your thoughts on the $62.2 million dollar referendum.

Be sure to read Representative Rich Zipperer's Legislative Update: Right to Bear Arms, Tax Relief, Ending Sanctuary Cities, Banning Partial Birth Abortion, and Virtual Charter Schools.
 

Although summer 2008 seems a long way off, it is already getting late in the season for making National Park lodging reservations! Popular parks fill up faster than the lesser known parks.

Yellowstone (our family favorite) is already showing no vacancy dates for various days throughout next summer. Don't let that discourage you, sometimes you can still work out your itinerary by staying in two locations. This happened to us our first trip in 2001--we had to move for one night in the middle of a 2 week stay. That was a huge waste of time though, and time is money when you are on vacation.

I recommend, if you are even just thinking of going, that you make your reservations now. It is easy to do. Most parks have online registration. They will charge your credit card the first night's rate but will refund it in whole if you cancel within a certain time frame (usually 48 hours prior to reserved date).

Our favorite place to be at Yellowstone is right on the geyser basin at Old Faithful Lodge cabins. We stay in the budget cabins (no bathroom--much like camping) but they do have other cabins with a bath. These accommodations are rather simple, but fit the three main rules of real estate: location, location, location! Last summer we must have seen Old Faithful erupt 100 time from this superb location. Can't beat that!

So mouse around on the National Park website and find the park of your choice. If the park has in-park lodging, there is usually a link to it. Park hotels and lodges are managed by a private company, not the National Park Service. These private companies usually manage several of the parks in a region. Yellowstone, for example, is managed by Xanterra.

Sometimes it is fun to stay in one of the more famous historic lodges, but they are too pricey for my budget. Their room rate did not prevent us from enjoying a meal, sitting by the fire in the lobby, or enjoying a tour though. There was a PBS series called Great Lodges of the National Parks, which gave detailed information about the famous lodges and their history. It is a wonderfully done production with a companion book that is a treat to page through. Our CAFE library system has both the book and the DVD.

I also own 2 very helpful books by David and Kay Scott. Their Complete Guide to the National Park Lodges book gives very practical advice on what each park accommodation is like and even includes their exact room or location preferences. I've found their suggestions helpful. Their other book, Guide to the National Park Areas gives a thumbnail sketch of each park, with map, and other helpful planning information. Our library system has both books. 

Just writing this post makes me want to start planning my next trip and packing my suitcase!

Again, if you have any questions or want any other information, just email me. I enjoyed hearing from you regarding my Mammoth Cave post--hope to hear from some of you again.

You can also reserve campground sites, mule rides or other special activities in advance too. Be sure to check the cancellation policy first.

PLEASE BE AWARE that as a rule, the cabins, hotels, lodges, etc. are NOT luxury accommodations. They usually do not have a TV or phone and often no air conditioning. In fact, hotel owners in the private sector would never get away with what they offer if it was in any other setting. The most we ever paid for a room--ever--was in Yosemite at Curry Village. The cabin was $145/night. OUCH--painful for a frugal girl like me. It had the worst, ratty bathroom I ever saw, but we were right in the valley with the granite bluffs just outside our cabin door. Can't beat that view--remember the 3 rules of real estate? It also had a black bear that visited at 2am. Staying on grounds in the park really does enhance the whole experience--after all, you aren't going there to spend time in the room! The lobbies and common areas of the lodges are usually quite charming.