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Just to let you know, The Rankin is still open!  We’re waiting for new window installation for the cabins.  It’s been a mild and Beautiful November so far (except for the snowfall 2 weeks ago).  But the snow is gone and days are getting up to 50 degrees.  That gives Robert a few more days to get the leaves off the lawns!

Most of the leaves are off the trees but a few cottonwoods are hanging on to a few of them.  Hunters stopped in last night and were thrilled to find we were still open.  A hiker also checked in and will explore the area a bit more as long as the weather holds.  And some of the Ashton Dam workers are staying with us for a few more days.  They’ve enjoyed the rooms and the gas grill as they relax after the long day at the job site.

Robert, Roxie and Jenny

Reserve a room today and enjoy the Ashton countryside.  The grills are still out!

What a busy past few weeks for the Rankin crew!  Family reunions, visitors to Yellowstone and travelers on special trips have enjoyed our comfortable rooms and beautiful grounds.   We are privileged to hear about their journeys, meet their kids and tell them about my grandfather and the auto court days!  And it’s especially nice to see old friends who have stayed with us before requesting their favorite room or cabin.  Cabin no.5 is a favorite of our fishermen.

It has rained off and on the past week and everything is green.  Time to start mowing the lawns again.  It’s also time for our 85-year-old cottonwood trees to shed their seeds covered in fluffy, cotton-candy sticky, white fuzz.

They are all over the place!

Travel safely!  We’ll see you soon!

Robins have been spotted!  And in news up north, Yellowstone Park Service reports bear tracks have been spotted in the Park   The Bears are waking up from their winter naps and looking for breakfast!   Hikers, cross-country skiers, and snowshoers are advised to be careful.  We’re also hearing from our friends and Yellowstone travelers as they make reservations to stay with us this summer!

It’s been a quiet winter for us and like the bears of Yellowstone waking up, we are preparing for another busy season of welcoming all who travel our way.  I have been doing more research into the early Yellowstone Park days and how our business evolved with it.

What a thrill to find pictures of the bears begging for food from the early tourists to Yellowstone.  I can’t imagine how scary it must have been to have something with teeth like that breathing on me!  This picture is from The Roadside History of Yellowstone Park by Winfred Blevins.  I have collected some other amazing books on the history of the area as well.  We have recovered more pictures and brochures to share with you all.  We are so ready for the warm sunshine and can’t wait to see how my flower beds wintered!

February 2, just up the hill from us in Ashton, the temperature in Island Park was -36 degrees.  But not to worry!  Warmer weather is ahead and we’re taking reservations for the coming summer!  As you can see there is a little bit of snow to melt before then!

Yellowstone Park’s Bechler Ranger Station will be 100 years old this summer.  Check out this beautiful part of the Park by clicking on the link on our webpage.  Robert attened the Ashton Chamber of Commerce meeting last Thursday.  They will elect new board members this coming month.  The Ashton Dog Derby is this weekend.  Mom remembered the fun time when Grandad took the family to town for the races and hot chocolate!

I’ll end this post with another snow picture.  We are thinking spring as we sip our warm drinks next to a warm fireplace.

Imagine my delight as I came across the 1924 issues of the Idaho Department of Public Works magazine,  Idaho Highways and Public Works.  They are fragile and yellowed with time.  My grandfather built the little cabins and set up his auto court in 1924 when automobile travel was a new adventure for people, and places to stay on the road (such as they were)  didn’t exist.  What a journey to the past to see the ads of the day, the commentary and pictures of the classic cars.  We have some great pictures of these cars sitting in front of our cabins from that time period.  Something to add to our website in the future!  So much has changed in the lodging industry from that time.   My research continues into this rich past.  2 important resources I have located are Idaho’s Highway History, 1863-1976, and Americans on the Road, From Autocamp to Motel, 1910-1945.  So many social changes came about with the popularity of the auto.  I have located a picture of Model Ts being brought over the Jackson Hole Pass on wagons pulled by horses with 5 foot snow banks on each side.  What an endeavor!

I spent today working in the flower beds, cutting back perennials and planting tulip bulbs.  The Tetons are looking quite white and the clouds looked like they were going to dump snow any second.  It is time to hibernate!

It is a typical autumn day in Idaho, overcast and cool.  The clouds promise snow.  We closed the cabins and motel units last Thursday.  Everything is winterized.  What an awesome season 2010 turned out to be!  So many wonderful people stayed with us on their journeys.  Today Robert and I took a thermos of hot coffee, loaded the dogs and headed back up to Ashton to pick up a few more supplies and tools from the house.  I also took tulip and daffodil bulbs.  The planters in front of the cabins still have petunias blooming and I carefully worked around them planting the bulbs in clusters of 3.  The dirt was soft, springy and cool.  The brave little bulbs will wait out the winter for the sunshine of spring.   The larger flower gardens haven’t  frozen down yet either and I worked another hour in the front bed where the little welcome bear had stood most of the summer.  He is hibernating now in no. 1.   The sunsets this time of year are beautiful and set the golden trees ablaze.

There is a chill in the air, trees are turning to gold and a few leaves on the ground crunch as we cross the lawns.  Soon we will kick through leaves up to our knees and drink in that wonderful smell.  We’re getting ready to close the cabins.  I spent some of the weekend sorting bedding and getting things ready to put away until next spring.  This part of running the business hasn’t changed since the beginning.  There are blankets to mend, curtain panels to replace and braided rugs to shampoo and repair.  Quilts have to be inspected for seam integrity, their fabric panels replaced with stronger pieces.  There are a few new-found treasures I am anxious to refinish for the cabins including a charming wooden chair with delicate spokes rescued from the old shed.

While cleaning a closet I smiled as I discovered the hand embroidered wool blankets of the early auto court days.  They are worn, thin and a bit faded.  It struck me how symbolic these blankets are.  “Rankins Auto Camp”  “Rankin Court”  This is how we started.  We are still welcoming travelers as they journey and offer them a place to rest and relax.  Rooms now include coffee makers and small compact refrigerators.  But the basic comfort of a blanket will never change.

A beautiful sunrise greeted us Monday October 4.   The new roofs are finished and the cabins will be snug for the coming winter.  It has been rainy and cooler the past few days and we’re glad to have the work finished.  Thank you RoofTop Solutions!

We’ve welcomed bikers, hunters and spud harvesters along with folks heading for Yellowstone Park this past week.  Geese are flying in perfect V formations and their haunting songs fill the cool air.  Autumn in Idaho is an awe-some time of year and the perfect time to see the beautiful country surrounding Ashton Idaho!  Let us have a cozy, warm room ready for you when you come!