Idaho

Passing through Idaho gave us a chance to visit Boise, as that was another town on our list.  Just south of Boise is the Snake River Bird of Prey Natural Area.  This is probably one of the best areas in the country to see many birds of prey nesting and hunting.











Taking the scenic route south, we stretched our legs at Bruneau Dunes State park.













Camping a few hours away, we visited City of Rocks.  An interesting collection of wind-and-water-sculpted rocky outcroppings, this area is most interesting for its part in the immigrant wagon trains.



At many campsites, the names of intrepid emigrants, both famous and unknown, are written on the rock.  Some in charcoal, others in axle grease, they are a fleeting reminder of the rugged wilderness that has only recently been tamed.









Known mostly as a international climbing destination, even in the poor weather, we could hear and occasionally see the intrepid souls on the rugged rock.





The hawks observed these curious creatures from their perches. Wondering why they simply didn’t learn to fly.

Bannack State Park and Driggs

By Jen.

We trundled westward to enjoy a few more weeks of freedom before we have to stop and start applying for jobs. After a meet up with a friend, we made our way to Bannack State Park, which is a well-preserved ghost town in western Montana.

Some grouse at our campground the day before.

I loved the screen door!

Old ovens fascinate me. (But, I would never want to use them)

Why do we lack such detail nowadays?

Fall was in full-swing here.

Gotta love the simple construction techniques!

Snow skiing, anyone?

They were preparing for a wedding in the old Methodist Church. As we were leaving, we had to provide directions to some of the guests arriving.

I love fall colors!

From the hill overlooking the town, you can also see the marks from the gold mining they did by the river on the hill across the way.

A very practical shed. Don’t walk on the roof!

The original “green” roof!

A masonic temple, which also doubled as the school.

Haha, looks like a injury trap to me!

The Freemasons were indeed a strange group.

From there, we drove south to Driggs, ID, to meet up with one of the friends who visited us in NZ. She graciously took us boating down the river. Despite the strong winds, we successfully made it from start to finish. Since she and I were paddling, Jonathan was in charge of taking pictures. And, we happened to come across some moose!

Check out these beauties!

Yellowstone Part 3

The village of Mammoth Springs was an interesting place.  They water the lawns here, so during the late summer, the elk congregate to enjoy the green grass.  It was mating season as well.  So all the bulls were gathering their harems, and trying to snatch from other males.





I wonder if the USPS has a policy for dealing with guard elk?



Next to the town is the namesake Mammoth Springs.  An every growing and changing place, terraces grow and die as the flow from the springs changes.  

Several nearby hills (hundreds of feet tall) were sites of extinct springs like Mammoth.  Over thousands of years, dissolved limestone is pulled from the depths by the water, and deposited on the surface. 

With the clock starting to run short, we headed out via the Lamar Valley.  Taking the scenic route, we followed the Beartooth highway over Beartooth Pass.

At over 9,000 ft, winter was only a few days away. 

Just a bit frosty. 

Climbing up out of the clouds into clear air, we crested the pass at nearly 11,000 ft. 

  From here it was back down into the clouds and rain, and westward once more.