We're Back In America*

West facing side of the Montana State Capitol building

Good afternoon from Helena, Montana. We're currently parked downtown in front of the state capitol building. Melanie has a work-related call in a few minutes and afterwards we hope to walk inside and take a brief tour of the building.

We left San Juan Island, Washington on September 12th just under 4 and a 1/2 months after arriving there on May 2nd where we became volunteers at San Juan Island National Historical Park. 

Since then we've visited our friends, Nancy Crowell and Mike Carlisle, in La Connor, Washington for a few days, spent four days on the south side of Mount Rainier National Park at Cougar Rock Campground, camped in Yakima, Washington at Yakima Sportsman State Park, then on to Walla Walla, Washington, Couer d'Alene, Idaho, and Missoula, Montana.

We're back in our groove on the road and enjoying traveling again.  We are grateful for this life. It's a trip.

Fall weather is upon us with lows in the 40's the past few days and today we began to see the beginning of the changing seasonal leaves with golds and reds showing themselves to us.

Tomorrow we're headed south towards Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks. We'll be in Gardiner, Montana a few days then on to either Jackson Hole, Wyoming or nearby at Gros Ventre Campground.  Beyond that, other than drifting east, dunno.

​I'd like to digress here to put a soft period to our summer past, one of the best of our traveling lives and certainly one of the best summers of my life while volunteering at SAJH.

During the summer I heard about a series of questions one of the park's interns, Saani, was considering composing for the summer volunteers to post (somewhere). I approached her at a pot luck we hosted at our campsite and asked if I could assist her by doing portraits of the volunteers to accompanying the printed answers to her questions. 

She agreed, but we only ended up with three people responding before her tenure at the park was over. Melanie and I were two of the three and Allison Hurkey, Interpretive Ranger, one of our bosses at American Camp, was the third.

I was remiss on this one by not forwarding the questions to others in our stellar volunteer summer group to get their responses.

At this juncture the questions and responses are a good way to summarize our experience of being volunteers. Volunteering and living in a National Park is an experience we won't soon forget and one we can highly recommend to anyone who loves our parks. We are grateful for the opportunity.

Melanie

National parks are renowned for their abundant biodiversity and unwavering conservation efforts. What drives your passion to dedicate your time and skills towards safeguarding and preserving these natural resources? In what ways do you envision yourself making a meaningful difference as a volunteer in a national park? 

The National Parks are a treasure.   I’m so grateful for those inspiring souls who went before us who had the grace and vision to advocate for preservation of public lands.   My small part in this work is having a genuine passion for nature and history and sharing that passion with others.   I hope it is contagious!  

What aspect of working at SJINHP do you find most enjoyable? Additionally, do you have a preferred spot within the park where you like to unwind and rejuvenate after a long day's work? 

My favorite work has been offering the wildlife viewing station to visitors.  I’m told that our mere presence as uniformed volunteers reminds people to follow the park rules which are in place — don’t trample the prairie, give wildlife their space, and keep pets on leads — to preserve and protect the resources SAJH is commissioned to steward.  It is pure joy to show people the fox kits up close (through our viewing scope), to watch them be astonished at the majesty of a bald eagle, and to help them learn about the importance of our unique prairie.   

Have you encountered any unexpectedly remarkable animal or visitor experiences during your time at the park? 

 I have to say that the swearing in of Junior Rangers (young and old) has been an unexpectedly happy privilege for me.    A few weeks ago, the grandson of my former boss came into the Visitors’ Center at American Camp with his completed Junior Ranger book and I did not realize until after I had sworn him in that we had this connection.  Cue “It’s a Small World After All.”  I’m still smiling about that one!

Prior to joining SJINHP, what professional endeavors did you pursue? How do you believe the trajectory of your life led you to this point? Moreover, what specifically attracted you to the captivating allure of San Juan Island?

I’ve practiced law and worked as the Executive Director for a religious nonprofit.  I hope that my life has been a progression moving towards ever more fulfilling and impactful work.  My husband and I have been traveling full time for nearly five years, and this is our first opportunity to serve in this capacity.   This job really just fell into our laps, and we were lucky enough to be in a position to accept.   Right place, right time to be in paradise for a season!

​Allison

National parks are renowned for their abundant biodiversity and unwavering conservation efforts. What drives your passion to dedicate your time and skills towards safeguarding and preserving these natural resources? In what ways do you envision yourself making a meaningful difference as an employee in a national park? 

As an interpretive park ranger, it is my duty to help visitors understand why natural resources are important, and why they are protected. I find passion in teaching visitors about our resources and helping them find a connection with them. Through this, they are encouraged and driven to be courteous and respectful when visiting our park. A meaningful difference that I make almost every day is inspiring people of all ages to find something in the park that they connect with, and that they will remember for the rest of their lives. Providing families with forever memories is what makes me excited to come to work every day.

What aspect of working at SJINHP do you find most enjoyable? Additionally, do you have a preferred spot within the park where you like to unwind and rejuvenate after a long day's work?

I love being able to connect people with nature. Being out in the park every day has given me many opportunities to speak with people visiting from all over the world, where I am able to educate them on the park's resources, and help them find a meaningful, and personal connection to this place. After work I like to relax on the beach at Grandma's Cove and watch the Harbor Seal's "people watch". 
 
Have you encountered any unexpectedly remarkable animal or visitor experiences during your time at the park? 

At the beginning of the summer, I watched a fox hunt a rabbit in the prairie. Once the rabbit was captured, another fox came along to fight for the rabbit. Seconds later, a bald eagle swooped in, and began to fight both of the foxes for the rabbit. The second fox won, although it did walk away with a few battle wounds. 

Prior to joining SJINHP, what professional endeavors did you pursue? How do you believe the trajectory of your life led you to this point? Moreover, what specifically attracted you to the captivating allure of San Juan Island?

I worked as a seasonal Park Guide at Indiana Dunes National Park for the past 2 summers, while finishing my degree in Environmental Science at Carthage College. After graduating in December, I moved out here for a permanent Interpretive Park Ranger position. What attracted me the most to San Juan Island was the beauty of not only the island, but the Pacific Northwest. The small town, the inviting and accepting people, the Salish Sea, and this beautiful park are just a few of the things that made it so easy to move so far from home. 

Steven

Thanks, Saani

National parks are renowned for their abundant biodiversity and unwavering conservation efforts. What drives your passion to dedicate your time and skills towards safeguarding and preserving these natural resources? In what ways do you envision yourself making a meaningful difference as a volunteer in a national park? 

I began backpacking in my early 20’s with two of my closest friends who I’ve known since middle school in Columbus, Georgia.

What was at first weekend and holiday treks into the nearby mountains of north Georgia, North Carolina and Tennessee quickly expanded to vacations out west, particularly in Washington State, with a number of backpacking treks along portions of the Wonderland Trail in Mount Rainier National Park. 

For that reason, Mount Rainier is my favorite National Park. I have a lot of great memories of walking with friends there. My son and I backpacked the entire Wonderland Trail in the park just before he left for university a few years back.

All these backpacking experiences in many remote and beautiful pristine wilderness areas within our national parks created in me a reverence and appreciation for the Park Service both as stewards of our national treasures and as places where an individual can seek solace and renewal while communing with nature. 

I’m unsure how to quantify what my addition as a Volunteer in Park (V.I.P. ) will mean. What came to mind after being in San Juan Island National Historical Park for a short time was a desire to be useful in as many ways as possible. 

For me that’s meant having a baseline knowledge of the park including the history and the flora and fauna, but also using skills I acquired as a landscaper in my early twenties to assist maintenance with the grounds around the American Camp Visitors’ Center. If there’s a need, and if I have an ability, maybe I can assist.

What aspect of working at SJINHP do you find most enjoyable? Additionally, do you have a preferred spot within the park where you like to unwind and rejuvenate after a long day's work? 

I suppose my favorite aspect of being a V.I.P. is the interaction with visitors who have come from all over the world.  I’ve enjoyed manning the wildlife viewing station which we set up each weekend to allow visitors to see the foxes, eagles, ospreys and rabbits up close while keeping the protected native prairie intact.

I also really enjoy assisting maintenance with keeping the American Camp Visitors’ Center welcoming. 

While there are many places one might choose as a favorite spot within the park, mine is our campsite in American Camp. We have a truly wonderful view of the Salish Sea and the Olympic Mountain Range and it offers a great place for us to relax and unwind in the shade of Douglas firs and cool ocean breezes.

Have you encountered any unexpectedly remarkable animal or visitor experiences during your time at the park?

The foxes, rabbits and bald eagles and their interactions on the prairie at American Camp are almost always remarkable.  

A few days back another V.I.P., Andy, and I were discussing how fortunate we are to have been chosen for work here. He mentioned how it’s really great to visit a national park, but to live in a national park is truly extraordinary. 

Living in San Juan Island National Historical Park has allowed me to be in close proximity to foxes raising their kits in a dangerous environment populated by bald eagles preying on fox kits and the prey of foxes trying to feed their kits. 

The photographer in me also appreciates learning the habits of these creatures making it easier to make great images of the interplay between them. Being patient and keeping a respectful distance from wild animals has also been reinforced. I can’t always get the best image with my limited camera lens, but if I’m patient and because I live here, opportunities will present themselves.

Prior to joining SJINHP, what professional endeavors did you pursue? How do you believe the trajectory of your life led you to this point? Moreover, what specifically attracted you to the captivating allure of San Juan Island?

I have a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology and a Juris Doctorate. I practiced law for a number of years before becoming our family’s state-at-home dad. 

I’ve always maintained that one should try hard not to become stuck in time. In choices of food, music or leisure activities I’ve attempted to have an eclectic palate, to try new things.

After experiencing full time travel for a few years now, I realize the value of placing yourself in a position to pivot quickly should a great opportunity present itself.

I wish there was a great story behind how Melanie and I landed here, but the truth is we were beginning to plan for a summer traveling in Alaska when we received a message from a good friend, Nancy, in LaConner, Washington about the V.I.P. position here.  We looked at the island and the National Park on-line and were impressed with the biodiversity, the natural beauty, and the climate and decided we could enjoy being here.

As full time travelers, we hardly ever plan too far in advance with reservations, etc., so we were able to make the decision to defer an Alaskan adventure until later. We are both very happy with the decision.

American Camp, San Juan Island National Historical Park

* Melanie and I were having a glass of wine one aftermoon at an establishment in Friday Harbor, Washington, San Juan Island, when I struck up a conversation with a person who subsequently identified himself as Ray Jackson, Mayor of Friday Harbor. Among other things he told us, he said he was never going back to America. He would live out his life on San Juan Island.