Trudy and Ian have always enjoyed canoe trips, and this July during their visit it was hot. So we took a couple of canoe trips down the Big Blackfoot. No big white-water; just the three of us and Indy in my old beater. The river is pretty crooked where it winds through the valley between where it exits the canyon below Lincoln and where it enters the next canyon. It winds through ranches where the river bottom is full of wildlife. We saw a lot of bald eagles and herons, some elk, along with ducks, geese, sandhill cranes, muskrat, and cows...
The mosquitoes were pretty ferocious, and my cactus juice, which I thought was bug repellant as well as sunscreen, turned out to only be sunscreen. Sorry, Trudy. But I'm glad you were along. One always needs some good bait to draw them away...
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| Goose Eggs |
On the first trip, Ian paddled while Trudy spotted wildlife and Indy considered how to chase it.
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| Ian, Trudy and Indy |
There were a couple of log jams we had to portage. Not bad, except the natives (mosquitoes) had cunningly set up ambushes at them.
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| Portaging Canoe | Ian inspecting log jam |
At one point we found some goose eggs, high and dry in a brushpile on a gravel bar. I guess those geese didn't read the part of the building code that says don't put a structure below the high water mark...
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| Goose Eggs |
On the second trip, Trudy took over paddling and Ian did the scouting for wildlife.
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| Trudy, Ian and Indy |
We saw a lot of eagles, but they didn't sit still for us to take pictures.
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| Bald Eagle |
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| Trudy and Ian | Indy | Trudy shooting me shooting her | Self portrait |