Checking in and Exploring Mammoth Lakes

Hey everyone!! I am a day behind, oopsie daisy Patrick Swayze! Still no wifi (you’ll see why later) but I found a coffee shop right next to my apartment and so I’m hanging out there and can finally upload this 🙂

Things are still tricky, but at least they are going to plan.

True to form, I fell asleep at 6:30 last night, (8:30 CST if that improves my case), and so had no problem waking up at 4am this morning. I watched a little TV and pulled my things together, then left the hostel on the dead of night to get to the employee bus, which leaves at 5:45am. Somehow one of the wheels got completely mangled in the process and made lugging that giant monster suitcase much more difficult.

I saw the buses pull in and for some reason I lost my shenanigans. I ran with my 60lb suitcase until I reached the bus stop as an out of breath mess. 

I don’t know why I was convinced it was the end of times, the buses wait for 10 minutes. 

I was just relieved to finally sit down. The ride took about an hour and I was treated the sunrise over the snow capped Sierra Nevadas. I kept trying to find which mountain was mammoth but was wrong every time. Then the bus pulled into the Village, the central resort area in Mammoth Lakes.

With over an hour until the housing office opened, so I slowly made my way there with my busted suitcase in tow. The resort area is gorgeous, there looks like so much to do from gondolas to silent discoes, and I want to do it all!

I just hope I can make friends to do these things with.

When I got to the office, I shoved my suitcase into a corner and climbed up the balcony to enjoy views over my new home. 

It’s not too cold either which is nice- a solid 35 degrees, and I’d be okay if it stayed that way haha. It will be a transition commuting between the desert and the mountains every day though. Layers will be the name of the game!

I got checked in with housing, they are so nice, and they even have a sort of food bank where employees can get all sorts of groceries for free, which helps offset the cost of this high-cost-of living area so I got a sandwich and some bread for later- thanks friends! 

Next I took the bus up to the main lodge to get checked in with HR. It was pretty uneventful, but I did get my activity pass, which lets me to almost anything at the ski lodge totally free!

I decided to use my new pass to ride the scenic gondola up to peak Eleven 53 (because the summit is 11,053ft tall). I loved the gondola, it was effortless but and the mountains are too beautiful for words.

But let me tell you, it is WINDY on the mountain!

At a certain height, the gondola starts swinging back and forth with the force of the gusts. But arriving at the top, there’s a little interactive museum about all things Mammoth Lakes which I really enjoyed, and made a note of all the nearby hikes. There’s also an area with tables where I ate my lunch and stared at the mountains like a mountain-staring-creep.

After that was done, I was at a loss for what to do. Most of the other activities around the main lodge are centered around skiing and snowboarding, understandably. However, I cannot do either (yet!) so I made a pact with myself to take lessons as soon as possible.

Arriving back in the Village, I decided to get a cup of coffee and just hang out outside until it was time to catch the employee shuttle. 

At 4, I ran back up to the employee housing office for my suitcase and some dinner, and then headed back down to the bus stop. I chatted with a few of the employees, which reassured me that maybe I would make some friends!

Then it was a bit of a run -round to first get my keys, then make some chocolate covered strawberries with the other employees for valentines day, and then arriving back at my dorm. It’s nice, much nicer than the dorm I had at Yellowstone. I just worry there won’t be working wifi as promised, I do need that for various school and work things. 

My roommates were out and about, but one of them took me over to our neighbor’s apartment to meet everyone which was super thoughtful and they all seem so nice! Now I really can’t wait to learn to ski so that we can all hit the slopes together. Everyone was having a sort of party but I was exhausted and once again went to bed, falling asleep before my head even hit the pillow. 

Despite what these posts would lead you to believe, I promise I’m (kinda) fun! I just need a little time to adjust. Then it will be party time 🙂

_______________

That’s all for now!

Will update soon!!