Merry Christmas to All!

Nothing like a Christmas morning soak after opening so many generous gifts from family and friends!  Thank you all for making our Christmas morning so special!  Know that you are all in our hearts - we love you and celebrate each one of you in our lives!!  Have a Merry, Merry Christmas Day!!

(Notice: Coffee in the backround.  Not wine!)

Tis The Season

If you have not received it yet - our annual Christmas card, I may have an incorrect address for you.....please do let me know!  Mike and I are fairly certain this is one of our better Christmas cards!  Hope it made you smile, or better yet, laugh really hard!! 

The hot tub pictured was about to be hauled to the dump.  Bill & Gwen had it for awhile, used it to see if it might help Bill's aching back.  When the hot tub provided no relief to pain and it became cumbersome, it was cleaned out and stored in their horse trailer.  Bill was getting heat from Gwen to get rid of the thing.  He asked around.  Mike bit.  I was hesitant; thinking of a concrete pad and 220 electricity. 

We rolled it into the back yard.  Light and soft sided, it needed no pad, just a flat spot.  The pump and heater runs off 110 so it plugs right into the outside outlet.  From the moment the water hit 104, I have been in every single night I've been home.  Mike has missed one night only! 

So, it was a win - win!  Bill and Gwen are extremely tickled we are so happy and we are blissfully enjoying the thing; snowy nights or clear, below-zero nights.  I am sleeping better and quite certain a whole bunch of stress floats off in the steam wafting above the bubbly, hot water.

Life is good.  Life is really, really good when you have a hot tub!  Thank you Bill & Gwen!!

 

Rain and Snow

There are few things worse than rain after a snowfall.  The roads turn slick and treacherous, the rain drops fall in circles on water above the iced pavements.  Yuck.  It is gray and raining in town.  Happily, the mountains are getting hammered!  Avalanches are going to be running, for sure!  Check out the Togwotee webcam and the Jackson Webcam below!
Togwotee Web Cam

Rain in Town, YUCK!

A Personal Break

After a professional disappointment yesterday - I was not named Interim Chief, the battalion chief with more seniority was awarded the position - I took some time off.  A quiet morning of wrapping of a few gifts, cooking some elk soup, a nice ski around the place, and after this, a quick dip in the hot tub before heading to get an afternoon's worth of work accomplished.  I am certain, I do more in an afternoon than many get done all day.  Just sayin'.

The ski was great.  First time out this year.  It was not really skiing though.  Six fluffy inches of snow made for ski walking.  Sliissh, slissh, slissh.  The skis sink into the fluff and I slissh my way up hill.  In 30 minutes, sweat is dripping down my back.  Slissh, slissh, slissh.  In ten more minutes, sweat trickles down my front.  There are animal tracks everywhere.  This looks to be a tough winter for our furry friends.  On the horizon, yet another winter storm coming our way with predictions of six more inches of snow.  Then an artic blast promising temperatures to maybe hit zero! 

 

As I returned home for this outside jaunt, lungs filled with cold, fresh air, I count my blessings, feel relief that I am still the Fire Marshal, there are quiet mornings for skiing, and good health to do it all!  

On The Way To Work Today

On the way into work today, my car thermometer read -21 degrees.  I would have taken a photo, but it was too cold!!  How do the animals survive?  Good news is, the temps are going to warm up.  Bad news is a storm is a-coming!  This weather warning was waiting for me on the computer.

Be careful out there!

Sweet Memories

Photographs are great.  They take you right back to the moment.  Standing in the wine tasting room, looking out past the sun lit bottle onto the fields of vines where the grapes were picked to make the very wines you just tasted.  Later, sneaking outside, back of Janet's house, watching the winter sun settle slowly to the southwest horizon, illuminating the patterns of the golf course. 

Tomorrow's memories will be of the snow storm.  Gusty winds rearrange the half foot of fluffy white frozen water.  We are in full-snow moving mode.  The plow truck rumbles below, warming up it 34 year old engine, reading to push the snow into piles and clear roads.  The vehicles have been broomed off, taking away their snowy cloaks.  This is winter in Wyoming.  We need these snows.  Today's marks the seasons first significant snow fall.  I must go.  A snowblower awaits!

Birthday Cake, Pairings, and More

The gray skies and damp, cold air reminds me of Illinois at this time of the year.  Every now and then, the sun pokes out of the clouds, lighting up the hillsides and lake below Scott and Stephanie's house.  We are in New York's Finger Lake region.  

Janet and company enjoyed a delicious gluten free birthday cake.  Mmmmm, how I would like to have that recipe!!  For the frosting too, please. 

 

We were treated to a wine and food pairing yesterday.  With shiny wine glasses lined up, we were taught the various looks, smells, and tastes of wines and how the wine accents the food.  Sweet wine with blue cheese.  Who woulda thought?  But it works!!  A tasty raw oyster with white sparkling wine, some goat cheese with a Sauvignon blanc, sauteed mushrooms and Pinot Noir.  Then on to "dinner", pairing steak with cabrenet sauvignon, the unusual combination of riesling ice and goat cheese, finishing with a port and chocolate decadence.  

We finished the evening with family gathered round, more food, more wine, and gut-busting laughter through a game of "Cards Against Humanity".  Two more days of vacation left!!

Thank you Scott and Stephanie for a fun experience!

  

So, Where Did We Leave Off Last?

Ahhhhh.  Vacation continues.  A fine dinner was had by all in Naplate on Wednesday night with the Kinzer Clan.  So good to see Kristen, Mike and Mark.  Aiden was his happy self.  The Village Cafe makes excellent fried chicken and pork tenderloins.  We ate well.  Our happy waitress Emma, took the photo.

The day was laced in sadness, however.  Redford, Gary and Diana's dog, ridden with cancer and barely able to stand, he was relieved of his life's pain and put down this day.  Old, good, friend Redford.  He was a good, good dog.  Our dogs.  Our loyal, loving, unconditional-loving friends.  You, my dog friend, had a good life with Gary and Diana.  If there is such thing as a "next life", I hope to come back as one of their dogs!!

Up early for a flight to Rochester, New York.  Into a rental car and on the highway to arrive for Thanksgiving dinner at 4pm.  Not a bad way to plan this - walk in, sit down, eat a fine meal!! Oh, and drink great wine! 

Pictures to come of the Trumbower clan.  All gathered around mother Janet last night to celebrate her 81 birthday.  Hot turkey soup, trays of delicious treats, and a "happy birthday" song that sounded really good!!  Stand by for pictures!

Fall Vacation

Vacation can be as busy as a work day!  Going here, going there, meeting family, meeting friends, stopping by the old home place, hiking in the park!  So many things to fit into a day.  Of course, we are now on the vacation schedule - get up late, stay up late!  I write this overdue posting at 11:30pm after an amazing meal at Gary and Diana's.  Rain falls outside the window. Steady, cool, and very midwest-sounding.

Here are some quick pictures, for those of you who have been patiently waiting.  There are so many more!  I'll have to do a slide show or something.

We started our trip after landing in O'Hare, making the jaunt to Mother's house in Mattoon, Illinois, about a 3 hour drive south of the Windy City.  We arrived to join sister Sandy and husband Mark and dear George for a delicious Thanksgiving meal prepared by Mom.  Laughter, cards, and reunion made the night most memorable!  A family picture the next day, to have and to treasure.

After Mark and Sandy's Sunday departure, the four of us went for a walk in a pretty piece of property preserved by a sage woman and named in her honor: Douglas-Hare Preserve.  Learn more about this very nice place at Douglas-Hart

Yesterday, on a calm, cool temperatured afternoon, Mike and I explored the Upper Dells of Matthiessen State Park.  Walking down wooden stairs into the water-carved narrow canyon, we listened to water trickle along, ever grinding slowly through the rock as we balanced atop rocks, limbs and concrete rounds travering from pool to pool.  How did I miss this place of beauty and wonder?  Good grief.  It took many years and many miles for me to re-discover this neat little place.

Today we spent some time with a neat young man.  Meet Aiden, my kind of shy and very happy young nephew. Shown here with his "Na-Na", Grandma Linda.  He will be branching out into the big world next year - kindergarten!  He is a neat kid! 

The camera battery ran out of juice before I was able to download a picture of our very pretty and delicious meal shared with Gary and Di tonight.  I'll have to save for the next post!  

Waiting for the Shuttle

Mike and I drove to Salt Lake City last night, had a fun meal at a Brazilian place called Tucano's, a Brazilian Grill.  Check it out at Fun Place to Eat TOO Much!  Had a great night sleep in a king size bed (wonder if we could squeeze one it at our place....).  Up and Adam to catch the shuttle at 6:30.  Now at the airport, flight is still on time.  If you were traveling to San Francisco, you were just told to settle in.  They are looking at a 3 hour delay.  Argh. 

Here we are, all ready to fly!!  I booked these tickets in June.  We've been looking forward to this trip for so long now!!

FDIC Video

Why you should sign up for my class at this April's FDIC!  Short and sweet!!

Got Gas?

On our was to Salt Lake City this afternoon.  Flying tomorrow.  See you all soon!!  I love Thanksgiving!!

Change Happens

This week's news from my place of employment.
Chief Retires

Change happens.  It is a good time to recall all of the good things Chief Willy has done for Jackson Hole Fire/EMS as he departs for a new lifestyle.

We wish him all the best and thank him for the good changes that have come our way under his leadership.

Happy Trails, Chief!

Waiting

One of the things I like about traveling is having some down time.  We have been very busy at the Vision 20/20 Symposium and Steering Committee gathering in Reston, VA.  I arrive at my gate two hours ahead of boarding.  Pre check is a good thing!  The chairs around me are slowly filling up with western-like people; donned in blue jeans, hair flowing, no make up.  We are more casual out west.

The work of Vision 20/20 revolves around reducing risk for communities; specifically, home safety visits to check and replace or install smoke alarms.  Research shows that most smoke alarms are missing or so old they no longer function.  When was the last time you checked yours?  Is it older than 10 years?  Got one in the bedroom?

I am here representing the wildland fire world.  Still not sure how I fit in, but have gained a bit of ground on my place this year.  Wildland fire, rural, volunteer firefighter.  These are my key words in a group of super-smart, healed-in professionals.  I am humbled in their presence; often feeling quite like the country bumpkin!  The leader of the group is a western guy, Jim Crawford, who helps me feel like I fit - even though, as said, I'm not really sure how!

They flew me out here, they put me up, they fed me, surrounded me by smart people, and sent me home with new ideas and projects. 

Heading home to a hot tub!  I know, right???!!!  Been dreaming of a hot tub for years, saying, "you know we have arrived when we have a hot tub!"  A friend asked if we would take his hot tub.  It is a soft-sided thing with all the parts and pieces, hardly used.  Mike has been working on it.  The report today is that it is up to 92 degrees; still heating.  What an amazing addition to our life.  Still working on how to say thanks for this unexpected and soon to be enjoyed addition to our humble hovel. 

 

There is a perfect spot on the side rail for a gin and tonic.  Imagine a -5 degree night with snowflakes and I'll show you how wonderful a hot tub can be!!!  Just outside our back door, we will be able to enjoy the dark winter nights, gazing north to see the Big Dipper, just above the layer of steam.  I can feel relaxation as I imagine this!!  Thank you Bill and Gwen.  You really do not understand how wonderful your hot tub is going to be in our life!! 

 



Friday Afternoon Hunt

Having worked far too many hours this week, I took the afternoon off so Mike and I could go out hunting.  He has a limited quota cow elk tag for the same area we killed my bull in.  It was a nice afternoon.  Warm.  No wind.  Quiet.  Actually very quiet.  We got to the ridge -where this picture was taken - and daylight was fading. 

Then we heard it.  At first, I thought it was a bird.  But now, a cow elk was squalking just over the hill.  We tied up the mules and made the big sneak.  Mike set his rifle against a limber young pine tree - I worried it wasn't much of a rest.  A single shot and a group of 20 cow elk running around.  There is a couple of minutes of worry.  One doesn't dare shoot another - you could end up with two dead!  We fretted and walked around looking for Mike's hat, tossed off in the excitement of the hunt.  Hat found, we snuck to the edge of the knoll to spot a bit of brown in the sage brush.  There she was!  Mike's perfect shot made the anxiety evaporate and we began to work.  Darkness was coming quickly.  By the time we finished, we worked with headlamps (how smart were we to have our headlamps along?!!).  The carcass cooled in the cold November night.

Friends.  One is so lucky to have good friends.  I leave on a plane today and Friend Tom is helping Mike pack the elk out this morning.  Man oh man, do I owe him!! 

Got to get to the airport.  Some of our friends are getting some elk meat as a gift soon!  Thank you Miss Elk for giving up your life for us all!!

Michael Helps Make Important Video

Check it out!!  Mike is famous!!  Call to request an autograph!!  Enjoy this great video!!
Mike, The Famous Model!

The Amazing Baker

Addie is an amazing cook.  Not only are the things she bakes delicious, her presentation is always spectacular. 

She was going to make another cookbook, but decided, instead, to create a blog site.

Done in just the same manner you would expect from her delightful baked offerings, she has created a blog site - so no more searching for shelved cook books!  A simple jump to her site and you are off to bake something amazing.

These recipes are tried and true.  I know.  I am one of the three guinea pigs who are testing the recipes before they get published!  Cool, right??  The other two guinea pigs are Butch and Shawn from the office.  Mike (Bressler,  not Trumbower) dropped out.  He was feeling fat and cannot resist her treats.  He gobbles them down in minutes.  He has no will power.

So.  Check it out.  This is her site.  Addie Cakes   Get to cooking, my friends!  You will not be disappointed. 

(If I had to pick my favorite, thus far, it would be the chocolate chip cookies!!)

The Hunt, II

We hunted Friday night, Saturday morning and Saturday night.  Saddle up, brush down. Eat, nap.  Our mules/horses and us were on the same schedule.  Friday night a long ride and a long walk.  Surrounded at times by bugling and whistles of elk.  What a lovely song they sing.  Saturday morning, I had a bull elk - the only sex my tag can hunt right now - in the scope.  His butt.  When I saw he was a bull, he ran directly away.  Showing me only.....his butt. 

(Saturday morning hunt)

That evening, we saddled up again.  This time, Mike rode his horse Earl.  Less than 1.5 miles out, Earl stopped on the trail - ears perked and attention forward.  We saw nothing.  One more step forward and then Mike saw the bull feeding ahead.  I jumped off, grabbed my rifle and shooting sticks.  My guide whispered (in a shout - is this possible?) to move less than 10 feet from him on his mounted, fully alert horse and shoot.  Yikes.  This could be a rodeo, I thought to myself.  But I really didn't have time to think.  I set my sticks, looked up.  The bull raised his head.  I found his shoulder in my scope and shot so quickly, the scope came back and nailed me in the forehead!!  Rookie mistake to get "scoped".  Our rides hardly even flinched - no rodeo this time!  My guide reported, "I saw him fall in the trees over there.  Walk up and make sure he is dead!"  It was an order.  I snuck up, not sure where to look.  Which trees?  Right trees, left trees?  Where was he??  Finally, I spotted the elk.  Watched.  No lung movement.  It's the hunter's worse nightmare.  Walking up to your elk and having him stand up and run away.

There would be no running this time.  My shot was a killing shot, for which I am extremely grateful.

My guide carries an axe. 

After removing the enormous pile of guts (I am always astonished at how much of an elk are guts!), he whacks down the sternum, opens the pelvis and finished with whacking the top of the spinal cord so the body will lay open, cooling in the Wyoming night.  We cut limbs from a nearby pine and "brush up" the carcass so the birds won't get the meat.  We hope the bears are eating somewhere else and return home to comb down and feed our trusty steeds.  And ourselves.

This is what the carcass looks like prior to getting brushed up.

 

 

When we return Sunday morning, a cow elk slips across the trail in front of us in the early morning light.  There are bulls bugling and cows squawking.  Mike holds a tag for a bull and a special tag for this area for a cow.  He goes off a-hunting and I am left with Gus, my ride, and two pack mules.  We wait.  Surrounded by the sounds of elk.  I am enthralled and ever so thankful to have these moments in the Wyoming mountains.

 

We return to the cooled carcass.  No bears.  This time, we pack a Sawzall - it's not wilderness here.  A clean cut is finished down the backbone.  One carcass is made into four pieces, hefted into bags and atop mules, tied down, and we return home.  Sounds so easy.  Trust me.  It was not.

 

Comb and brush, feed, and nap.  It was a very good hunt indeed.   Thank you Mr. Elk.  Thank you for giving your life so we may have a full freezer of lean, organic meat.  And for the memories of one of my favorite hunting adventures.  Life is so grand.

 

 

 



Breaking News!!

(For those of you who do not like pictures of dead animals, my apologies)

For the Love of Coffee

There is no sound better than the sound of a coffee maker brewing.

Gurgle, steam hiss, gurgle.  Drip, drip, drip.

We kept running out of coffee in the mornings.  Our old 12 cup machine was just not enough.

Time to go shopping.

After reading reviews, considering the must-have features – machine must be programmable, must be more than 12 cups, must have a “bold” feature – a new Cuisinart coffee maker was ordered. 

In a way, this is a review of that machine!  Now used for over a week, I give it five stars!  The coffee maker came with a gold filter.  We got over using the paper filters years ago!  So, I didn’t have to go out and buy a cone filter. 

The warming base has three settings to dial-up or dial-down your coffee temperature.  We are set on high and each cup is steamy hot!

It is easy to fill with water, has a nice water-level indicator on the side, and the carafe pours without dripping. 

The anticipation of the first cup of steamy hot bold coffee is enough to inspire one to want to get out of bed!

That is, unless I can talk Mike into bringing me a cup to enjoy in bed!!  Check it out on Amazon at Great Coffee Maker

Worth every penny! 

Out The Back Door

Thanks to a 14 hour day of work on Wednesday, I allowed myself some time off yesterday for a walk out the back door.  Behind our house is a vast land of national forest - uphill, all the way.

Panting up the steep slope - slung rifle, shooting sticks and back pack filled with license, knives, flashlights, water and sweater - my mind relaxes as the worries or work and the world are lost on the trail behind.  A blustery wind whips the naked aspen branches, most of the leaves have fallen to the ground now.  On the trail below my feet are tracks from a horse who has been over this trail since last week's rain.  The toe prints of a deer can been seen every now and then.  I see no sign of elk until I have walked - climbed - for over an hour. Their tracks are few and not very fresh.

Sneaking into a grove of heavy bushes and aspen, that feeling of being the prey prompts me to look around.  I feel like something is watching me.  Look up for a mountain lion.  Look around for a wolf.  Look behind for a coyote.  I get this feeling during most hunts.  That feeling of prey vs. predator.

Overhead, a bald eagle leaves its high perch and soars out against the wind.  Envious, I wonder if he sees an elk.  He banks at the mountain's shoulder and returns with the wind behind.

The climb continues.  I am sweaty enough to dig in the pack for a sweater.  A bush offers cover and I sit to watch dusk arrive.  Nothing moves.  I have, thus far, seen chickadees, giving me away with their chick-a-dee-dee-dee calls and a mouse jump across the trail.  That is all I will see this evening as I creep down the steep trail home, thinking of my Grandfather and his bad knees!  The sky darkens, the wind blows around my head, and I am happy.

 

Glow Stick Trial Run

You know, the kind of things kids buy.  You bend them and something inside makes a crackling noise.  Suddenly, the little six inch yellow stick starts lighting up.  I stuck it under the leather ties holding Mike's cantel bag as we headed up the very dark Little Granite Trail yesterday morning.

A no-moon morning.  In the open, the star-light gave one a glimpse of the surroundings.  In the forest, it was pitch-black dark.  The little tube of magic light glowed ahead, bobbing like a buoy on the ocean.  This little glow light ahead was too bright in the pitch black forest.  I worried it was bothering my mule's vision. The thing must have been like the sun to him with his excellent night vision skills.  Gus, my mule, didn't trip or complain, but this experiment worked only to prove a glow stick is not the best solution for a "tail/trail light".

A roll of glow-in-the-dark tape has been ordered.  Perhaps a bit more subtle in the black cloak of the forest.

Our trip around the mountain, a true looped trip, proved very quiet.  Nary a squirrel was heard giving us away in the trees.  Silence.  Never a good sign.  We saw three buck deer, frozen wolf tracks on the trail, and some elk tracks.  Tracks don't put meat in the freezer.

The sun rose over the mountain bringing brilliance to the amazing scenery.  Void of the wildlife this place used to hold, it is still an amazing place to watch light up in the morning celebration. 

We tie up our trusty steeds on a grass-thick forest knob.  This place burned 10 maybe 15 years ago; we try to recall.  Sitting on the moist ground, leaning against a downed and burned tree, we ponder what lies over the next draw.  It's the places you can't see that drive you nuts when hunting.  Surely, if we go just one more ridge over, we'll find some elk!  But no.  This country is too quiet today. 

Pulling sandwiches out, we are graced with one of those experiences that is so easy to take for granted.  Lunch on a hill in the wilderness.  Cool, but not cold.  Not even the slightest of breeze.  The sun warms our left shoulders as we contemplate the disappearance of game in the country.  Together in this place.  We are so lucky this very fine morning - even without a kill.

Mike makes a couple of cow calls.  A bird sounds out a song that at first fools us into believing a bull elk is around.  The bird calls again.  We are no longer fooled. 

Hunting gives us a reason to go to the effort of getting up early, saddling up a couple of mules, riding into the dark, watching the wilderness light up, and celebrating all the things we get to enjoy as we make our armed trail ride loop around the Granite Loop.

 

Nice Story of the Day

There are so many good things that happen every day.  I have decided to start sharing these great stories so you, like me, can smile, regain hope with humanity, and find nice ways to be human - be like Gary!

Read BE LIKE GARY

This is Jackson Hole??

Harumph.  What is becoming of our town?

Winter Arrives

Melting now, but quite a snow storm to start the day!  Roads closed, traffic messes, powerlines sagging, and tree branches down all over the place!  I love winter!!

Garden fence graced in snow. 

Crabapple drooping under snow's weight. 

Flowers crowned in white!

The Season Comes to a Close

The last warm days of fall.  Next week predicts the end of the greenhouse growth, the slowing down of the kale (it can grow through really cold temps), and a chance to get the grass cut one last time.  Fall colors are brilliant out the window.  The day has been warm with rain showers.  It has been a quiet, relaxing day.

Blooming bok choy in the garden.  Slugs love their leaves.

I spent $25 on this flowering pot full of flowers!  Very nice!

 

Okay.  Next year, I am going to sucker my tomato plants.  I am quite happy with this year's robust growth!  Finally got the soil mix right.

 

Below, fall color spills down Munger Mountain. 

 

 This would make an awesome puzzle!

 

The Walton Ranch

This is where Michael works.  I took this picture to determine if my Nikon camera body is functioning properly.  It suffered a nasty fall, completely severing the very nice zoom lens off the body.  I am guardedly optimistic the camera is working just fine.

And, I have this picture to show for its operational status.

Update:  The Walton Ranch recently sold to the man who owns Urban Outfitters .  He also has a specialty cheese farm in Pennsylvania; I found this article about that farm PA Cheese .  Priority for the new owner is the design and build of a for-certain trophy home on the ranch.  It is exciting to see the ranch have a new "vision" with direction and some money to start making things better.

What a beautiful ranch, indeed!  I would say my husband is pretty darn lucky to work on a ranch this beautiful and now owned by a man with a vision.

Opening Day, Hunt 1, Sighting

Cut to the chase.

We were not alone!  We saw a bull but he saw us all!

We marveled at the amazing fall colors, enjoyed an afternoon lunch on a warm fall blue sky day.

We worked the stock hard, up steep hills.

No pictures, but this, an essay on The Darkness. 

Darkness

The alarm clock begins its annoying reveille at 3:30am.  We groan in unison, having been wakened at 2:44 am by a misguided Dispatcher thinking I was still on duty.   We give Tme five more minutes, warm and snug in our bed, separated by a line of sleeping dogs; one stretched out longways, her nose at our armpits, the other, an anchor at the end of the bed. 

Mike gets up.  I follow and we get dressed for the hunt.  The thermometer reads a balmy 35 degrees.  

Each of us has our things to do.  Breakfast burritos warmed, lunches packed, gloves, binoculars, sunglasses, water – the items set out and readied the night before.  Mike dons a headlamp and walks down to the corral to catch and saddle mules.  The generator starts, lights illuminate the tack shed. 

We reach the trailhead, a sixteen mile drive, and find we are not alone, this opening day of elk season.  There are four parked horse trailers and three horsemen leaving as we tighten cinches, load guns, wriggle on bridles, and get ready for the ride up the canyon.

This canyon runs east/west.  The moon is a sliver in the sky.  Headlamps are turned off and even in the open parking lot, our eyes adjust to the pitch black darkness.  I determine to find some sort of glow in the dark ornament for the next morning ride.  In the open, I can barely make out the spotted ass of the Mike’s mule ahead.  It is so dark.  I close my eyes to find equal darkness.  My mule makes his way through the rocky trail, picking where to put his feet.  He does not stumble. 

This experience is terrifying.  I work hard to relax and follow the movement of my mule; suddenly going uphill, around a tree, and then downhill.  Sparks jolt the darkness in front of me as metal shoes click off rocks.  My foot hits a boulder next to the trail I cannot see.  The creek roars next to us, sounding much bigger than it actually is. 

Silver moonlight hits the opposite side of the canyon.  We ride out of the dark timber and into this lovely light.  Morning light comes turning the silver light into a brightening blue.  I relax now, actually seeing the trail in front of us. 

Soon, darkness disappears and we watch morning unveil our surroundings.  The ride to the Secret Trail is 1 hour 45 minutes. 

And at that trail, there is a camp, four horses tied to a picket line, an empty tent, and horse tracks fresh in the trail in front of us. So much for the secret!

In the morning’s first light, we are certainly not alone, this opening day of elk season.

Scouting on a Fall Afternoon

There is a secret trail.  Monday is the first day of elk season. 

I cannot divulge to you its location.

We heard bugling!!

Yesterday we rode - in the light of the afternoon - to find the secret trail.  This way, Monday morning - in the darkness of the morning - we will now be able to find it!

It was a really nice afternoon with fall colors, an occasional light drizzle, and only three places on the trail where you'd be in big trouble if your ride stepped the wrong way.  I hope my mule has good night vision!