Our friendly group of six inn guests and our hostess, Sherrie, were lingering over the breakfast table, engaged in a rousing conversation, when Sherrie told us a moose was just entering the side yard outside our window. Indeed, we had a moose cow and her calf. They ate some leaves along the small creek then waded through the water and came Into the back yard. After doing quite a number on a bushy tree (stripping the branches of leaves was one thing, but when she broke the branches several times, each of us audibly groaned), first Mom and then the youngster laid down near the inn's picnic table for a rest. After quite some time and the consumption of the better part of a memory card, we guests all went about our day. The two moose rested in the backyard for several more hours.
At breakfast, I had mentioned that the aerial tram was closed for the season, Sherrie was surprised and decided to call them. It turned out that they were not at all closed, but that this was their last day. So we headed there right after our moose visit. It was a fabulous experience. Quite breathtaking (in several senses) and a stunningly pretty setting on a beautiful day. What more could we ask?
The tram climbs 4,139 feet and is 10,450 feet elevation at the top. It climbs rather steeply at the end and keeps climbing even when we were sure we had gone as far as we could.
We noticed some parasailers gliding by as our tram ascended the hill. After we got off the tram and walked to the top of Rendezvous Mountain (a short climb up from the station), it was a real treat to watch them setting up and taking off. Rather hard to imagine climbing to over 10,000 feet and then jumping off. Yikes!
As we reached the valley floor, our tram operator mentioned that we could also use our tram tickets to ride a quad chairlift. It's running primarily to transport cyclists up the hill to come down on a twisty, curvy trail (then ride back up and do it again). We decided to do that too--ride the quad lift, that is, not the suicidal cycling part. It's a very different experience, being open air and with feet dangling. It was a very gentle lift--not that steep or long--but it was fun to do. Just another way to enjoy such a marvelously gorgeous day.
Finally we set off to do more exploring and wildlife seeking. About 5 miles down the road, we saw a number of cars pulled off to the side of the road--always a good indicator that we might have a wildlife sighting. Indeed, there was a moose cow having quite a meal in a pond. There must have been 20+ people there, each with a bigger lens than the person next to them. Quite a spectacle. But it was fun to watch her. She made great sounds as she ate. When she stuck her sizable mug into the water, she would make gurgling noises and blow bubbles. What a treat.
We mosied on to Moose Junction, the main entrance into the northern part of the Park and a thriving little commercial center. We decided to visit Dornan's, which we'd heard made good sandwiches and which was supposed to have an uncommonly good wine store. How could we resist? The wine store had a surprisingly good selection, including an extensive array of French wines. We found some things we had not seen Stateside before.
After our picnic sandwich, we drove to Schwabacher's Landing--a very popular spot with photographers for sunrise shots on the Snake River. Some of our fellow inn guests had made the sunrise run and were very taken with the views from there. We wanted to give it a try, inspite of the legendary washboard road one has to conquer to get there. It is a beautiful spot. We're awfully glad we decided to walk out to see this special spot. Being midday, there were only a few other people there. At dawn, it can be hard to find parking and the trail and best viewing spots are quite overrun with tripods, long lenses, and their attached photographers.
By now it was late afternoon, and we thought heading back to the inn for a nice sit down on the deck sounded awfully alluring. An Adirondack chair, a nice iced tea, and whatever baked treat was on offer, plus that lovely late afternoon sun. (We keep asking ourselves why we don't do this at home.) Jerry was reading a book. I was sitting with my back to the backyard because of the angle of the sun. We were alone in the inn. All was quiet and relaxing. All of a sudden, Jerry made a sputtering noise. I looked around and saw a bull moose walking toward us. I grabbed my camera, but was wondering if we should head indoors. Moose can be aggressive animals, and this fellow seemed to have a bead on us. But then he decided to nibble a few leaves and keep on trucking to wherever he was headed. Oh my goodness! This was up close and personal, and we had him all to ourselves. It was a perfect cap to a very moose-y day.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
No comments:
Post a Comment