Day in the Life
Jul 4, 2012
I have probably mentioned this before, but one of our Sammie's favorite things to do is walk in the National Elk Refuge. It is a really nice area, but the road is only open in non-winter months. (In the winter, tons of elk come and live right near town. I really hope I get to hear some elk bugling! Please look at this YouTube video to hear what they sound like. I think it's hilarious that this sound comes out of such a big animal!) Anyways, the refuge has become Sammie's absolute favorite place to walk. She would really like to go off-leash, but this is definitely not happening. There are tons of ground squirrels all over the place, and I mean TONS. She goes crazy trying to get them all! They are constantly popping out of their holes, running across the street, etc.
The past few times we've been in there, we have seen foxes! I think they are foxes- they could by coyotes but their tails look more fox-like. I think the foxes are also hunting the ground squirrels (and probably more successful than Sammie.) Last time we were there, I'm pretty sure the fox was starting to hunt us! This is a picture of the fox from far away, but he got much closer at one point! I started running away back toward the entrance, and he picked up his speed, too! It was a little scary!
Yesterday, we made it to The Deck for happy hour! I say "made it" because it's kind of a race to get there. The happy hour (half off otherwise expensive drinks) is only from 5:00-6:00. It's at the village, which is a 15 minute drive, and then up the gondola, which is another 15 minute ride. I should have taken a picture of the deck when we got there, because it was crazy crowded! Of course, we decided to go on July 3rd, which was obviously busy. We made it there by 5:40. We couldn't find anywhere to sit, but a nice couple from Florida offered to share with us. (One of the great things about living in a tourist town- vacationers are always in a good mood!) We had a good time chatting with them. They must be retired because spend 4-8 months a year RVing the country. They basically said Florida is boring and they love being out west. They shared some great tips about good places to go for wildlife and nature viewings. Here is our view from The Deck. Pictures (especially iPhone ones) definitely can't capture how amazing the scenery is here. You will have to come see it for yourself!
This is a picture of the gondola we rode up to the restaurant. The cars are so cute!
Today, we are planning to watch the parade and then probably going to see a band downtown tonight. I will try to take lots of pictures and do a post about it soon. I hope everyone has a great 4th of July!
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