Sp. 15
We recently sat Down with Steven Kramer, the acting night audit at the Izaak Walton Inn, in Essex, MT. The night audit is a hotel's night position, with shifts stretching from 11pm to 7am. With the unusual hours, and exciting location, we decided to check in with him, and see how he likes his summer job so far.
KP: Essex seems like a rather remote location: How did you find out about it?
Steven: When I was young I picked up a magazine about Railroading at a used book store. It featured an article about a worker who spent the summers of 1992 and 1994 at the Izaak Walton Inn. It sounded like fun, and I thought I would give it a try myself. I've also toured the area with my family, and taken the train past it as well, so it's not my first visit to the area.
KP: Does the remote location have any drawbacks?
Steven: Shopping.I suppose entertainment as well, but that hasn't really been an issue for me so far. Finding things to do in the wilderness of Northwest Montana isn't too difficult. Getting supplies however can be areal headache. The nearest city is about an hour away. The inn does weekly trips into town if you sign up, and coworkers will pick things up for you as well if you ask them. Being this far from civilization certainly takes some getting used to.
KP: Do you like working at night?
Steven: It really depends on the day. I don't mind it so much. It is fun being out with the stars, and having the building to myself. That's part of the drawback though. For a good five hours of my shift, I am completely alone, and I sleep during the day so interacting with other people can be a bit of a challenge as well. I've managed to get used to it by now, but if I had the chance to work during the day I would probably take it.
KP: What is the most challenging part of the position?
Steven: Again, it really depends on the day. I would say getting into the grove of resetting your clock to sleep during the day is challenging. The audit itself can be a beast as well. It's fine when all of the numbers line up but when they don't it can be a major headache.
KP: What is an average night on the job like?
Steven: I get to work about 11, and hang around the desk until the bar closes. Then I set about cleaning, doing laundry, basic chores that need to be done. Around 3am I run the audit (which takes about five minutes on a good day) then I take care of cash going to the bank, and finish the night by folding all of the laundry. It's really not very exciting on a slow day. And excitement isn't always a good thing.
KP: What do you do when you are off duty?
Steven: I spend a lot of time outside. There are trails leading around the forest, and if you walk along US Route 2, there is a river access point that gets you close to the Flathead River. I also watch trains go by when they do, I have a few "scavenger huts" of railway equipment to keep myself busy.
KP: Essex seems like a rather remote location: How did you find out about it?
Steven: When I was young I picked up a magazine about Railroading at a used book store. It featured an article about a worker who spent the summers of 1992 and 1994 at the Izaak Walton Inn. It sounded like fun, and I thought I would give it a try myself. I've also toured the area with my family, and taken the train past it as well, so it's not my first visit to the area.
KP: Does the remote location have any drawbacks?
Steven: Shopping.I suppose entertainment as well, but that hasn't really been an issue for me so far. Finding things to do in the wilderness of Northwest Montana isn't too difficult. Getting supplies however can be areal headache. The nearest city is about an hour away. The inn does weekly trips into town if you sign up, and coworkers will pick things up for you as well if you ask them. Being this far from civilization certainly takes some getting used to.
KP: Do you like working at night?
Steven: It really depends on the day. I don't mind it so much. It is fun being out with the stars, and having the building to myself. That's part of the drawback though. For a good five hours of my shift, I am completely alone, and I sleep during the day so interacting with other people can be a bit of a challenge as well. I've managed to get used to it by now, but if I had the chance to work during the day I would probably take it.
KP: What is the most challenging part of the position?
Steven: Again, it really depends on the day. I would say getting into the grove of resetting your clock to sleep during the day is challenging. The audit itself can be a beast as well. It's fine when all of the numbers line up but when they don't it can be a major headache.
KP: What is an average night on the job like?
Steven: I get to work about 11, and hang around the desk until the bar closes. Then I set about cleaning, doing laundry, basic chores that need to be done. Around 3am I run the audit (which takes about five minutes on a good day) then I take care of cash going to the bank, and finish the night by folding all of the laundry. It's really not very exciting on a slow day. And excitement isn't always a good thing.
KP: What do you do when you are off duty?
Steven: I spend a lot of time outside. There are trails leading around the forest, and if you walk along US Route 2, there is a river access point that gets you close to the Flathead River. I also watch trains go by when they do, I have a few "scavenger huts" of railway equipment to keep myself busy.
No comments:
Post a Comment