Bears, Oh My!

Max at Moon's Entrance
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10/30-Raining this morning. Max and I hit escape velocity from Mountain Home at 5:30 AM  and took Hwy 20 across the foothills to Picabo and the very beautiful Silver Creek. The rain stopped and, as I waited for the light, my wife Karen called and I got to share what I was seeing. The autumn brush along the creek was brilliant in the subdued light. We saw trout up to 12" in the crystal water. Max wanted to spearfish but forgot his speedo and mask at home. On the road to Craters of the Moon. Max woke from a nap and was very impressed that I was able to actually drive to the moon. Comprehending reality is a bit dicey for Max upon waking. Rain moved in and we moved back to the road and on to Ketchum. I went gallery shopping only to find the good ones closed for the day. There are 2 possibilities to be followed. We ate at the Bowl of Soul and caught up on e-mail but was unable to send out. Drat the computer!!! We left in the dark and drove over Trail Creek Road. We were glad for the darkness because the dirt road is carved into the mountain and  a gigantic abyss looms on the left. Over the pass and down to the Lost River Range to pull off and bunk down.  It ended up to be an uncomfortably freaking freezing night (21  degrees in the back of the truck) I'd like to speak to the manufacturer of my sleeping bag about the so-called comfort rating. Maybe it is for Eskimos?

Max holding his breathe on the actual surface of the moon.
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10/31--Up at 6am to get warm in the cab. We drove over Double Springs Pass and down to the Pashimeroi Mtns to catch first light on the backside of Mt. Borah (highest point in Idaho) then back over the pass to the Earthquake Scarp turnoff where the earth dropped 9' in a couple of minutes. Pics of Max  at the historical signs  then on Hwy 93 to Mackey to take pics of the Patton Tank in the park. Continued to Arco,Idaho, which has huge numbers from every high school graduating class painted on the cliffs above town. Searched for the memorial to the clutzy ones that fell off and broke their necks but was unable to find it. Did find the sail from a nuclear sub with the very interesting ID number of 666 and a real Mark III torpedo. Not bad for the desert. We stopped in Howe at the  advice  of my dad and had  the BEST Baron of Beef sandwich EVER! You can't miss the restaurant, it's one of 5 buildings in town. On the road to Rexburg and north to Mesa Falls then a drop down to Cave Falls . The road to Cave Falls is 19 miles of good dirt road and about 7 miles in, getting dark, we spotted a medium-sized grizzly that took off down the road for 100 yards then dived into the brush. We were going 30mph and he outran us which once and for all disabused my notion of running for it in a one-on-one situation. Absolutely a high point so far. Bunked down at Cave Falls and wore EVERYTHING to bed and slept 11 hours with the sound of the falls in my head.

Grizzly Bear Running!

Max at Mt. Borah, Idaho's biggest rockpile
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11/1-- Up at 5:30am to finish an Elmore Leonard book (fantastic) and got some abstract water images from the falls. A Stellar's Jay let me get a couple of pics then on the road to Driggs with a stop in Squirrel. Max had heard about the dance hall and was hot to do the Squirrel Tango (don't ask) but it was closed. Hit Driggs and found the Daily Buzz to connect to the world wide web and you, the readers and support team. It is 3:30 pm, the sky is now clear, the truck is making noises but not worrisome yet, and the Tetons beckon. Max says enjoy the images and we'll touch in at the next hotspot down the road wherever that is. Ciao