Thurs. July 23 –
Thursday was a hang out day. We wandered up and down the canyon from our campsite, took a couple of walk-abouts.
Friday was laundry day. Check out the DuBois Laundromat. They do have Wi-Fi so we were able to check email. I seem to be having a glitch with sending, however. We had a wonderful pizza lunch at Paya Deli, did a little shopping before heading back up the valley to Horse Creek.
Saturday ended up being cloudy with rain on and off all day. We filled the day with a lot of reading, crosswords, Sudoku, beading and napping. All the essentials of a good vacation.
Sunday morning we broke camp in order to reach town in time for the local Farmers’ Market. Armed with a couple of bags of fresh veggies we headed over the pass toward Moran Junction and south toward Jackson. It is always a thrill when the Tetons first pop into sight; there is nothing like it. We visited the Gros Vente campground for their dump station and a fresh water supply before the bumpy ride up to Atherton Creek campground on Slide Lake. We were greeted by Greg and Dimmie Zeigler for our yearly rendezvous. The mosquitoes are fierce; luckily we have the screened canopy. Our campsite is in the center of the loop below.
Monday took us into Jackson for a visit to the vet. Maggie has not been right since we left home; lethargic, not eating, not interested in backing at the cows. Blood work and $200 told us that she does have some sort of infection. Hopefully the antibiotics with get her back to her normal cheery self before too long.
Every Tuesday Greg volunteers with the park service at the Lawrence Rockefeller Preserve.
http://gtnpnews.blogspot.com/2008/06/laurance-s-rockefeller-preserve-center.html Shep and I met him there when his shift was over to take the 3 mile hike to Phelps Lake. What a unique, beautiful place! This area had belonged to the rockefeller’s for over 70 years as their private refuge. Lawrence donated the land, paid to have all 30 buildings removed, or moved to other sites in the park, as well as directring the renaturalization of the area. Enjoying this gorgous area is a wonderful way to spend a few hours.
Now this is great communication between faculty and board!
Wednesday was a mild, sunny day that just begged for a kayak paddle on Slide Lake. Shep and I paddled the length of the lake to take a look at the huge beaver lodge that is safely tucked into a small cove. As we paddled away from the cove I heard a large splash behind us. I turned the kayak to see what was going on. Pretty far off I thought I saw something floating in the water; when it suddenly changed direction I was forced to investigate. As I paddled closer I was able to make out the head of a fairly large beaver. He was swimming within 25 ft. of the kayaks, then he would slap his large tail on the water and dive straight down! We saw this several times in the half hour or so that he played hide and seek with us. We watched in fascination as he swam back and forth around us. Sometimes he would stay underwater for a couple of minutes, only to surface several yards away from where he disappeared. What an awesome experience on this spectacular mountain lake! We are so lucky!
Greg picked Jamie up from the SLC shuttle and brought her to camp with us. She is sleeping on our pull out in the Arctic Fox. What a treat to spend time with her.
Thursday and Friday were spent hiking, kayaking, reading, eating. What more could we ask for in this beautiful setting?Look closely to see Dimmie and Shep on the cliff in the picture below.
Saturday bright and early to the farmers market for fresh veggies followed by breakfast at e.leaven reasturant owned by former Kiski boy Hunter Frobouck. Good food , good atmosphere, freindly service.
http://www.planetjh.com/restaurants/A_104047.aspxWe returned to our campsite where several of Zeigler freinds stopped by to help celebrate Greg's birthday. They have such a widely diverse and interesting group of friends. Retired newspaper publishers, bankers, teachers,librarians,potters,writers. The highlight for me was meeting Buster, the search and rescue dog whose handler is a retired CA Univ. Multimedia Educational Resource for Learning and Online Teaching development. Check out the site, teachers.
http://www.merlot.org/merlot/index.htmBack to Buster. I handled a quarter, threw it out into the sagebrush. His owner, Chuck, told Buster to get to work. Within 2 minutes he had found the quarter, put his nose right on it so Chuck could pick it up. That was his ”evidence seeking” skill. He also is a search and rescue both on land AND in the water. That must be tricky!
Sunday night Aug. 2, we joined the Ziggys for a party that one of the rangers was throwing for the workers and volunteers at the Rockefeller Preserve. She is married to a man from India who is an investment banker. They own one of the most spectacular homes with a full view of the Tetons from every room. The décor is a blend of Indian and Western that works very well. Their art work was gorgeous. The food was Indian but not too spicy. What a fun evening.
When we returned to the Fox Maggie was not doing well at all. She appeared disoriented and was staggering around. She will go to back to the vet tomorrow.
Monday Aug. 3, 2009
We took Maggie in to the vet about 9:30am to leave her there for the day. They were going to do some further testing to try to determine the problem. We spent the day at Zeigler house while they took Jamie back to SLC. Late in the day we returned to the vet. They told us from the x-ray they could see a mass on her spleen. We had no choice but to put her down. It was a very sad but necessary event; we could not have her suffer anymore.The Spring Creek Veterinary was really wonderful. The vet had called during the week to check on Mag and gave me her cell number to call on Sunday. They were very professional and compassionate through this ordeal. Maggie did have a few good days while on this sojourn as you can see by the pictures below.
Tues. Aug 4, 2009
We had planned on a day of fishing and relaxation however when I opened the under bed storage the wood that holds the slide out was split almost the entire length of the bed. I stop at Ziggy’s for a saw and the lumber store for wood was first on the agenda. Shep spent much of the day in repair mode. Dimmie and Greg joined us for dinner at the campground.
Wed. Aug. 5, 2009 We spent the day in Teton National Park. A drive to Jackson Lake Lodge, Jenny Lake, with a stop at Dornan’s. I quiet day for thoughts of Maggie. Dimmie and Greg cooked at their house tonight. We are always sorry to have to say goodbye to good friends but it is time for us to move on.
Thurs. Aug. 6, 2009 I leisurely drive through Yellowstone to Madison Campground made for a good day. It did rain a little off and on all day and into the evening. Since we had only called a couple of days ahead we were very lucky to get a site in the park for a couple of nights.
Fri. Aug 7, 2009 The day started with a bike ride along the Fire Hole flats. It was relatively flat but I definitely feel the altitude when I am exercising. We made a brief stop at Old Faithful but there are always so many people there that it is not my favorite place. The bison jams caused by the huge herds make for a slow ride through Hayden Valley, but we did not see any other wildlife. The road from Norris to Madison is under construction so there are 30 minute delays along there also. Not a bad day in YNP. We did enjoy the wildlife.
Bear, bison, elk, ground squirrel, geese.
Sat. Aug 8, 2009 A brief stop in West Yellowstone
http://www.destinationyellowstone.com/ allowed us to help stimulate the economy. A beautiful Indian Storyteller Doll will have great home at our house. Of course there was a bead shop that had to be given a thorough examination also. Lunch at Ernie’s Deli allowed us to check email before we headed north to Ennis, MT.
http://www.ennischamber.com/Full hook-ups at the RV Park allow us to take untimed showers and access internet. There was a small art festival in the town park, there were some very nice pieces there, but it was over shortly after we arrived. I think it was the first time they had this and they need to extend the hours next time.
Sun. Aug. 9, 2009 Shep was rearing to fish on the Madison River today.
http://madisonriverfoundation.org/ Since I also have a license in MT, we were set. The Madison is wide but not too deep in this area. Ennis is renowned for its fly fishing. We spent a couple of hours wading and casting without much luck. It is a good thing that it is such a beautiful setting. I really do enjoy wading in the water when the sun is shining and the weather is warm. A slow drive around Ennis Lake finished off the day. Have I mentioned how lucky we are?
We had a pack mule with us to deliver the necessities: coffee creamer, hot chocolate, crackers, cheese, and salami. 
Shep fished in a small pond at the far end of the valley. I tried to offer moral support but the mosquitoes were attempting to drain my blood supply much faster than I could kill them. They obviously enjoyed the bug spray condiment that we were offering. 
