Just amazingly beautiful

Friday we woke up at Jackson Lake Lodge, and for the first time all week, the sun shone and cast a brilliant light on the snow-covered mountains. We woke up early and even got a bite to eat before our float down the Snake River at 8:30. There was a thin layer of fog and we watched a huge herd of elk move across the valley to water.








It was a cold morning, especially on the water.
Our guide was Philip, originally from Gainesville and presently in law school in Missoula. He was a smart, personable guy and steered us down the river. Wildlife was sparse except for three magnificent bald eagles. The geography was fascinating, and the scenery unbeatable, especially in our first good sunny day. The river trip ended with a cookout lunch at the takeout spot, and a lodge bus brought us back.









Judy shopped, Preston napped, and Rob, Clay and I hiked over to Christian Pond and beyond for a few miles. The thin air really does make a difference, and we all got winded pretty easily, but Clay kept right up. We were hoping for a black bear, the only major animal ("extreme wildlife") we have not seen on the trip, and though we were again denied, we had a bull moose and two cows all to ourselves. We also had the pleasure of watching a beaver paddling through Christian Pond. We just sat perched on a hill, overlooking the mountains and lake for as long as we wanted.
Done





Clay and Rob had had enough, but I couldn’t stay inside, so I went to the lodge just to soak up scenery and look out across Willow Flats for bear. Just wandering, I discovered a little loop trail and followed it to its end then went off trail for a few hundred yards to a bluff overlooking the flats. It was beautiful – reds, browns, yellow, green, full of red willow, the favorite food of the moose who graze the valley.