There's nothing like the feeling I get when waking up at the cabin. Sleeping well and soundly (despite Dad's little trick with the flashlight in the middle of the night!) and hungry for a big breakfast. The altitude and the fresh air casts a spell over an appetite in the morning. My Aunt Lou Jean just woke up and I joined her in the kitchen to make breakfast. She built a nice fire in the stove and I got the bacon going in a frying pan. The morning was chilly but not too bad, just right. The sun was shining and it was going to be a beautiful day.

After stuffing our faces with bacon, eggs, pancakes, and orange juice, we showered and dressed for the day. We made extra pancakes to feed the BIG rainbow trout fishies at the Big Springs Bridge (right by the springs of the Snake River). While I was putting on my make up in the bathroom, Mom yelled, "Karen, grab your camera! There's a moose!" (Click on photos to EMBIGGEN)

It was right outside the side window and to the side of the deck in a grove of trees. It was a small bull moose, perhaps about half grown. He was a gentle moose and didn't mind that I was out on the deck snapping photos. He stood a while then finally laid down in the trees.

He didn't budge when we got in my car and drove off to feed the fishies and then head to West Yellowstone.

The sun lit up the springs and river so beautifully - it's one of the prettiest mornings I can remember. There was a little breeze but it felt wonderful to me. We parked in the parking lot and walked to the bridge. Mom, Dad, and Lou Jean left me behind to lallygag and take photos.

I met up with them on a bridge where they fed the fish. I grabbed a couple of pancakes and joined in the fun. I took a video of feeding the fish:


> Mom happened to run into a lady she knows from home - go figure - so that is who Mom was taking to in the video. The lady is the one who dropped all the cheerios into the water.

I took more photos and then we headed for West Yellowstone, which is about a 30 minute drive from the cabin.

One of my favorite mountains is Mount Sawtell, which is a profile of an Indian Chief laying down. I didn't get a shot of the whole range because there was no safe place to pull off the highway. The mountains are arranged to show his headdress to the south, then the north shows his hands folded across his middle, then all the way down to his feet.

We had fun in West Yellowstone, going through all the shops, old and new. I got some great deals in a couple of stores but not all the stores had things on sale. There were more people than there have been in the past years, after Labor Day, but it wasn't overly crowded. Dad spent most of the time in the car and on benches and by the time we were done shopping, he was a real bear. I can't blame him for being bored but he said he wanted to go with us instead of staying at the cabin.

I bought a pizza for dinner, which cheered him up somewhat, but he was happy to be back at the cabin. I wanted to go for a walk to take some photos but since we were tired, Lou Jean decided that we'd drive to a few places instead of walk. It was also getting close to sundown, when moose and bears are more likely to be out so it was safer to drive. Dad stayed at the cabin because he didn't want to be around us gallivanting women any longer LOL

More tomorrow!