<HTML><HEAD> <META charset=US-ASCII http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; charset=US-ASCII"> <META content="MSHTML 6.00.2800.1491" name=GENERATOR></HEAD> <BODY style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffffff"> <DIV>In a message dated 4/9/2005 17:45:40 PM Pacific Daylight Time, mpjensen@lycos.com writes:</DIV> <BLOCKQUOTE style="PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: blue 2px solid"><FONT face=Arial>Having planned a visit to Yellowstone National Park this summer, I recently subscribed to an internet listserver run by a group of informally organized geyser enthusiasts.  I was startled to subsequently receive a number of messages such as the one following below.  Apparently, this group routinely overbooks your company's lodging facilities at Old Faithful, and then trades accomodations amongst themselves.  I was appalled by the sentiment "...rooms in the UGB seem extremely tight,we thought we should give...fellow gazers first shot at it."<BR><BR>As a tax-paying citizen, I believe accomodations in a national park should be made available to the the public at large on an equal basis.<BR><BR>What is your company's policy regarding this situation?<BR><BR>Sincerely yours,<BR><BR>Michael P. Jensen</FONT></BLOCKQUOTE> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>I must above all ask what Mr. Jensen's real motive is. It is certain that his comments are totally without merit. <DIV> </DIV>After all, he admits that he subscribed to this geyser list, which is the only way he "discovered" his concern. Anyway, to answer his last question first, Xanterra's room reservation policy is, of course, to rent rooms as early as possible, and as completely as possible. I sincerely doubt if that corporation cares if it is a "geyser enthusiast" or Mr. Jensen, so long as the deposit money is there.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Anybody can make a reservation, so long as their credit card is valid -- last I checked (Mr. Jensen should know that I no longer do this, since I now own a place in West Yellowstone) reservations on-line can be made as far as 2 years in advance. I suppose telephone reservations are the same.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>He should also know that even should EVERY geyser gazer congregate at Old Faithful's lodging facilities at the same time, they would occupy a relatively small portion of the total bed count. REally, as with any venue, it is "first come, first serve."</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>As for those "geyser enthusiasts," he should know that rather than being "informally organized," this group is in fact officially a non-profit corporation under IRS regulations, registered as #94-3093295.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Scott Bryan (sometimes much less of a curmudgeon than others)</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV></DIV></BODY></HTML>