Six Degrees of Separation Even In Jackson Hole

I have always believed in the old saying that between us all there are only "six degrees of separation."  Today I found that true right here in Jackson Hole.  On Fridays, I work the late shift in the ranch float trip office.  This means that I start my shift at 1:00pm and finish we the last raft of the day is safely off of the water.  This morning Dick and Betsey headed back to Yellowstone to enjoy more of  the park.  On the Wednesdays and Fridays, I start my day at Jackson Hole Health and Fitness before reporting to work at 1:00.  I am spoiled in Sarasota and have the luxury of working out with my trainer Eric four days a week and my friend Kelly joins me in some of these workouts.  After pushing my self and working out all alone for the last 6 weeks, it is getting harder and harder to stick to my workout schedule.  This morning was one of those days when I struggled to get my feet out of my bed and in the car for the trip to the gym.  Once there my eyes landed on a guy working out that I had never seen before.  It was not his looks that grabbed my eye, but the fact that all of his clothing said SMU Football.  As I walked by he and his wife, I said "Go Ponies!"  They both looked up and smiled and I told them that I had graduated from SMU.  They were both very nice and introduced themselves.  It turns out that he (Randy Ross) is the Director of Football Operations at SMU and a member of June Jones' (Head Coach) staff.  As we continued talking, it came out that he had been on the staff at Alabama for 17 years and that he and his wife spent the early years of their marriage in Gadsden, Alabama.  When I heard that I had to ask if they knew the Helderman family and his wife responded "you mean Frank the newspaper guy?"  That is exactly the Helderman family  I was referring to.  I met Catherine Helderman at Camp Skyline Ranch in 1974 and have been friends ever since.  Go figure .... not only did I run into the Director of Football Operations at SMU, but his wife had met the Helderman family in Gadsden.  All I could think of was "Six degrees of separation even in Jackson Hole!"

With Anne and Randy Ross.  Randy is Director of Football Operations at SMU

As if meeting the SMU Director of Football wasn't exciting enough, I was almost late to work due to a Bison Jam on the highway!  There were at least 70 of them all crossing the road and acting as if they were simply out for an afternoon stroll!

My first baby bison