Wednesday, September 7, 2016
ME-OWT! ME-OWT!
NOW! You humans were gone all day
and I have been looking at big mousies from inside and I WANT OUT! It is my turn! It is all about me! ME-OWT!
This morning, I walked around to find the real campsites
that are here, not the pissy ass spots we saw yesterday. That road we originally took is now gated so
you can't get into it. Gee,
thanks... This is a pretty ski
area. Based on the trail map, it looks
like it could be fun. The real campsites
are neatly tucked into the forest right by the runs. Nice picnic tables and fire pits are in each
one. Very clean and appealing, but there
is nobody here! It is crispy cool,
probably getting into the 30s at night.
But the sun is warm.
Today, we are going to check out the 'other' campground
Samantha told us about, the one on the dirt road. Jack is not towing now so this ought to be
easy. We turn up the dirt road. It is a bit rough, and for the first mile or
so, we figure Hannah would be ok... Then
the road got quite rocky. The question
is not if Hannah could make it... the question is just how much damage would
there be to Hannah if we took her on this road!
It is very pretty, forested with rugged rock formations and
a flowing creek. We cross the border
into Idaho. Too bad we don't have our
fishing gear. Jack crawls over the
rocks. The creek levels out with it
winding through a series of twists and turns in low level brush. Tons of beaver dams... You think that is why
it is called Beaver Creek? After 4
miles, we get to the campground. Hannah
would not have fit here even if we got her here. But there are all sorts of itty bitty sites
here and there that are not part of any campground where we could have fit, if
we were stupid enough to drag her up here.
I am sure the local hunters know each and every spot.
We saw a road geared for ATVs, so we parked Jack, and
grabbed a backpack and decided to hike it.
We had to use Spouse's walking sticks to get across the creek. Lots of cow patties... There are all sorts of free range cattle up
here. Up we went into the forest. The path is not very wide and it is
soft. We hit a steep path with lots of
small rocks. We climb... It looks like it crests right there, let's
keep going. We climb. The crest has got to be right around the
corner... we climb. At one point, it is
so rocky. We see evidence that ATVs were
not too successful in navigating the boulders!
A broken taillight, a gas cap, a spring... The crest has to be just around the next
corner... we climb... After a few more
'right around the next corner' we decided to turn around. We had gone close to 2 miles and who knows where
this road might go. As we head down, we
notice fresh deer tracks right over our footprints. Were they stalking us? What other critters were watching us? We did not have our bear spray with us -
stupid, especially given how over prepared Spouse always is! But we made it back.
After we ate, we continued on the road. It was far too pretty to leave. More beaver dams and a beaver lodge. Wide valleys surrounded by pines and
aspens. We didn't have a topo map of
this area so we didn't stray too far off the road. We did pass a couple of camps...
Hunters. It is grouse season, and if you
get one, you are supposed to deposit the left wing in a bucket that is affixed
to posts here and there.
The more we went on, the more problematic it would become
without a map, so we turned around and forced our way out.
We then headed out on a nice paved road all the way to Tony
Grove Lake. It is a bit of a climb off
of 89, but it is easy. Aspens line the
road. There is a small campground
there. Hannah could fit in a few of the
spots, but they take reservations, and the weekend looks pretty booked. So if we were to move, it would only be for
one day, which would hardly be worth it.
There are hiking trails, and this is the 'jumping off' spot for back
country adventure. I think we have had
enough back country adventure for now.
Although those hikes look mighty inviting...
When we got back to Hannah, Spouse washed Jack. He was a dusty mess, and now he is sparkling!
Rudy loves it here! The squirrels, the birds, the creepy
crawly things... Oh he is in heaven!
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| Rudy shares his popsicle with Spouse |
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