Island Park

A few weekends ago, we had the opportunity to visit our friend's cabin in Island Park, Idaho. I've written about how much I love it up there several times now. This trip will go down as the 'Wildlife Adventure' weekend. First of all, let me introduce you to my little friend Peanut. We bonded over the weekend. Not only was he curious about what I was working on on my computer, the next day he crawled right up my leg. That is where I drew the line.

Later that evening, we were sitting on the deck enjoying the beautiful surroundings when suddenly a bald eagle landed atop of the tree right in front of us. It was HUGE! Unfortunately, I didn't have my camera handy so I can't prove it.

The next day we decided to visit the Red Rock Lakes National Wildlife Refuge. You can get more information here. There was a lovely campground right next to this lake. Next time, I want to bring a canoe and explore the lake that way.

The funniest part of the this adventure was after driving 15 minutes along a dirt road on the way to the wildlife refuge, we saw one house and this sign post in front of it. Utes fans will think of my friend Kylee's mom, aka Crazy Lady, the Utes super fan. It would be awesome to build a cabin up there.

On our last evening we were sitting on the dock watching the sunset when across the reservoir we spotted a moose with her two babes approaching the edge of the water. Ban ran inside to grab the binoculars (you'd think we'd learn to bring them to the dock with us, right?). While I was watching all three moose entered the water and swam across the reservoir! They exited the water a few cabins down from us. I had no idea that they could swim like that. Another fantastic weekend at the cabin. Thanks Liz! xoxo

Good Night Moon

Last night's view of the moon through the telescope on the dock at the cabin. Amazing.

One Lucky Day in Yellowstone

We spent Friday in Yellowstone National Park. Perhaps it was the recent Ken Burns' series on National Parks but I had this urge to spend some time exploring the park. Clear sunny skies prevailed over an unseasonably warm, autumn day. I was hoping to spot wildlife. This is where our lucky streak started running hot. Check out this guy on the side of the road. Nice rack, right?


Or how about this wolf? He crossed the road right in front of us and immediately pounced on a small creature, maybe a chipmunk or something. We got a close up glimpse of the circle of life I guess.


I was fascinated by the thermal pools. The water in many of them is crystal clear and you can see down into the deep abyss. Other pools were muddy, bubbling, sulfuric messes. The geysers were spectacular too.




One of the most spectacular places in the park is the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone. I'd never been to this part of the park before and the scenery is stunning.


Part of the grand loop was closed due to road construction. This means that we had to double back through the park to get out. It takes a deceiving amount of time to see the sights in the park, partially because of the 45 mile per hour speed limit.

As we were making our way out of the park, I ended up getting stuck behind an elderly gentlemen driving an old Land Rover. I'm not sure if was the man's age or limitations of his vehicle but he was averaging 30-35 mph the whole way. The roads in parts of Yellowstone are narrow, curving passes (read: no passing lanes or clear views to pass for long stretches). I wanted to get back to the cabin in time for sunset so I was getting really frustrated that this guy was impeding my progress.

I finally had the opportunity to pass him and wanted to make up for lost time. Unfortunately, a park ranger passed me and clocked me going a wee bit over the speed limit. I saw him flip around and knew I'd been caught. I've never been pulled over for speeding before. I wondered if tickets cost more in national parks. The cop approached my car and I started apologizing profusely. Apparently, I'd been doing 58 in a 45. Doh!

I told him that I knew that I was speeding and explained that I'd been stuck behind the old guy for miles. He laughed and thanked me for my honesty. He took my license, registration, and proof of insurance back to his vehicle.

I don't know if he can tell that I've never had a speeding ticket or been pulled over before. Or maybe he'd been stuck behind the old guy earlier in the day. But, either way, he came back to my car, handed me my stuff and told me to slow down. Pretty lucky, don't you think?

Happy Hour Done Right

You take some tasty treats like these and walk down to the water's edge. Sip, snack, sigh...repeat.

Relaxation and rejuvenation are on the docket this weekend. We are holed up in my friend's cabin in Island Park, Idaho. I wish there was some way to share with you the way the air smells up here. It is so clean, crisp and pine-scented. Intoxicating! The stars are unbelievable too. There must be roughly a gazillion of them in the sky. I saw a shooting star last night. I made a wish and I hope it comes true.