Wednesday, September 10, 2014

Moose!

“Joyce, get up!  It’s eight minutes after 6.  Let’s go find moose!”

 What a way to start our anniversary! But up we got and found ourselves along the Gros Ventre River again with other moose seekers by 6:30 a.m., before dawn really, and there they were!  A mother and baby grazing on the other side of the narrow river, along with an “aunt,” another female.
When something so marvelous happens, I am at a loss for words, and I don’t show excitement.  I have looked for these creatures from Nova Scotia to Maine to British Columbia and many of the parks in the Rockies, and here, at last, they were.  No bull moose with the rack, but moose nonetheless.  How touching.  This was Robin’s gift for our anniversary.

The Tetons at Dawn

We found another secluded spot after that—overlooking a valley below.  Robin stood with binoculars, surveying the landscape, and spotted the bull moose in a distance near a stream.  He beckoned for me to come see, but, by the time I got there, he had disappeared behind some trees.  

Where the bull moose was (upper left corner)

 

appropriately named!

We watched for a while, but he never resurfaced.  Being there so early just after sunrise—all alone in this immediate universe—was a spiritual moment and a moment of thankfulness for this gift of nature. 

Once again, the hymn we sang in the Alps came to mind—

“For the beauty of the earth,

For the beauty of the skies,

For the love that from our birth,

Over and around us lies.”

I do hope we pass this way again.  Everyone should experience the Grand Tetons.

An arch of antlers at the town square in Jackson, WY

At Moose Junction - a small deer!

How hard it was to head back to the hotel, pack it up, and head in another direction.  It is time for us to get back to Colorado and, eventually, Denver, so we can fly out on Sunday morning—at 6 a.m!

What we discovered on our way was some of the most beautiful scenery of the trip!  We once again followed the Snake River through southern Wyoming and into Idaho.  What a treat that was—like encountering an old friend.  The other bonus was the color in the mountains—the most brilliant oranges, salmons, and golds—aspens and maples—dotted the landscape among the spruce and
other green vegetation. 

Maples turning along the Snake River

Interestingly, our trek on this anniversary day took us to Montpelier, Idaho, a small town that was home to the Oregon & California Trail Visitor Center. 

We spent a little time there, and what I especially enjoyed was a quilt show/exhibit. 

What is so interesting about this is that Robin and I were married 31 years ago today in Montpelier, Virginia.  We wanted to have lunch here in Montpelier, Idaho; however, we couldn’t find a place to eat, so lunch came later and later.

The LDS Tabernacle built in 1883 at Paris, ID

We eventually got into Utah—Robin wanted to add another state—and had our anniversary dinner along Bear Lake at a surprisingly nice Mexican restaurant in a little village, once again dining al fresco, although it was nippy along that lake.

Happy 31st Anniversary in Garden City, UT (just south of Montpelier, ID)

Robin had never heard of Bear Lake before I started saying that he needed to see it. I must have seen it with different eyes because, while it was a beautiful turquoise lake about 12 miles in length and went from Idaho to Utah, it was nothing like what I remembered.  

Bear Lake ID and UT

There was absolutely no one there.  Nobody.  

Samantha's road to Aspen, CO from Utah -  400+ miles in the dark?!

 When we left Bear Lake, we set Samantha, the GPS for Aspen, and, for once in her career, she did not take us to the interstate.  Instead, she took us across the most desolate road—flat, devoid of features, and going on for over 400 miles, probably across the Rockies.  Two hours later, Samantha bypassed I-80, for some reason, and we turned Samantha off and took I-80 East to find lodging for the night in Rock Spring, WY.