Hello Everyone,

It’s been a very busy few days! Wednesday we went to the town of Dubois which goes through the Shoshone National Forest which is a spectacular drive!  We then inquired at the local fly shop where to try to go fishing and we ended up driving to Horse Creek Campground about 11 miles outside of town.  what a beautiful drive.  On the way there we noticed many hawks(Swainson’s) circling overhead.  Then as we past an open field we saw 3-4 hawks circling overhead and riding the air currents!!  we decided it was a rookery and they were juveniles practicing their flying skills and  it was incredible to see firsthand... There was also a Kestral that we saw flying and then landing on a power line with prey in his beak!

The campground was absolutely beautiful with lovely pines, willows and landscapes to admire.  Ron and Doug geared up for fishing and I went to the stream to walk alongside and bird.  There were many different species flying around across from me under a tree root area that overhung the stream.  We saw a family of spotted sandpipers around the stream. they are very fun to watch and the young ones were so cute with their downy new feathers sticking out every which way :)

It was a relaxing, enjoyable place to spend some time just taking in the beautiful surroundings....

Ron and Doug both caught some fish and I even caught a small rainbow; although I didn’t spend too much time fishing.  Wednesday was still a day that I was planning to relax and recover.  Each day was seeing more improvements in my health...

One of the first things I noticed on this campground was the bear proof containers that are in each campsite.  That is something that they are very serious about in this area. Not only could food left outside cause a dangerous bear encounter to occur it could also put the life of that bear in danger.  If a bear becomes used to getting food from a campground they can be at risk for being destroyed which is something no one wants to happen...

On the way home there was a huge storm in the vicinity which thankfully, we skirted around for the most part.  As we were leaving the storm behind I happened to look out the back window (I was lying down in the back seat resting my back) and there was an amazing rainbow that stretched in a huge arc right across the landscape from one side to the other.  It was the largest rainbow I’ve ever seen!  Since we couldn’t stop anyplace safely to turn around on this high elevation, winding road I just snapped a photo from inside the car; simply beautiful...

On Thursday,  Ron and I went to the Rockefeller Preserve (fabulous light on the Tetons first thing in the morning) just outside of Jackson which is a fabulous hiking and birding area with a terrific educational center at the trailhead. The center had a great 3 dimensional relief map on display that shows the hiking area around Phelps Lake with the Tetons as a backdrop to this great area.  It sure helps put things in perspective regarding the type of geography you’re navigating!!..  Ron had been trying to get a new bird that was at the overlook on Phelps lake and this Rockefeller preserve backs into that area.  Since we were taking it easy due to my breathing situation we ended up hiking along the preserve which took us to the base of the lake.  What a sight!  The water is crystal clear and beautiful shades of green and blue..... since I was doing so much better we decided to go up to the Boulder cliff trail and thank goodness we did!  We saw an osprey sitting up in her tree and then as we moved forward on the trail we came upon the nest with a young osprey sitting in it.  he was peaking over the top and watching us watch him :)  Then as we moved further we spotted the other parent on the adjacent side.  These parents were keeping close tabs on their offspring!

As I was hiking this trail I decided to take the lead so that I could set a pace that would be right for me.  That is a good thing.  However, I also realized that I was the one out front so I would be the first to spot, or encounter, any wildlife.  I started to reevaluate this pace setting situation :)

We spotted  many birds on this hike and got a new one for Ron’s life list, a Swainson’s Thrush.  This area is loaded with so many birds and we are looking forward to going back there again... 

Last evening we went out to dinner at Dornans and the five of us enjoyed a lovely meal sitting in front of the Tetons.  We spent time reminiscing about our adventures in this area over the last two weeks.  It went by very quickly... We explored on the way home looking for wildlife and found pronghorn antelope, bison and elk as we drove towards home.  This area is so abundant with animals that it becomes the norm to see them rather than not; how fortunate is that....

We stopped in town, to check out a unique store that sold all sorts of ‘spirits’ and spices and we all ended up buying something....  There was also one final stop; ice cream at Moo’s; incredible!! Then we came home to prepare for Doug’s departure home the next morning.

This morning was a time for laundry, and house cleaning!  Once everything was put back in order we said our goodbyes to Dave and Eileen and we set off to our next campground.  We are staying at the Gros Ventre campground for a few days which is along a great river for fishing and exploring.  Then we will meet up with Eileen and Dave outside of West Yellowstone early next week.  I’ll miss Eileen, we had a great time together and she’s a terrific person and I am grateful for our friendship.  We are at a campground without electricity or water so we will be using our generators and full tanks of water.  We well be out of contact with the internet here for a few days so look to hear from us early next week... 

Pictures to follow tomorrow when we drive through town...