We are just on our way and spot a young bull elk near the tree line.  He’s a regal looking fellow even though the rack is still in velvet. What a great start to the day.

We head on.  Rolling green fields for as far as one can see splash up the distant mountain slopes, the color interrupted by the grey, green, black and rust of scattered rocky outcroppings.  This area was sculpted by volcanic activity.  An enormous basalt layer laid down long ago has been broken and bulged by subterranean lava flow and expansion.  The result is piles of rubble in some places, sunken depressions and smooth domes in others.  Years of erosion has made for fertile soil and it all somehow holds on to rainfall to create fantastic farmland.  Greens range from the bright new growth of planted grain through grey green of sagebrush to the deep green of pines on the mountainsides; all mottled and swirled together.  Today the shadows of thunderstorm driven clouds add another layer to the color scheme.  Blackfoot Reservoir lies in stark contrast to it all.

We go beyond the reservoir to Gray’s Lake NWR.  It is really a giant marsh with limited areas of open water and scattered islands of higher ground.  Today I am on the hunt for their largest claimed resident, moose.  There are sandhill cranes and many hawks plus Canada geese and a nice sampling of ducklings and baby grebes; but, no moose.

The rain that has been threatening all day catches us as we wrap things up and head home.