The border collies and I took a 10-day vacation east of Ashton, Idaho, just across the border into Wyoming. We went to a cabin I've stayed at several times before. It's an absolutely gorgeous area filled with lodgepole pine, aspen, spruce, Douglas fir, and lakes.

Right next to the cabin, to the south and to the east, are some massive grass meadows with willow-covered streams intersecting them. It's an important wildlife area for grizzlies, black bears, moose, deer, elk, and several wolf packs. It is a huge area with few humans, and I read a couple of weeks ago it is where problem grizzlies are released. In fact while I was here a black bear was released, only about 150 yards south of the cabin. The wildlife officer said we will probably never see him again.

Every night, I sit out behind the cabin over a campfire with the dogs as it gets dark and listen to the coyotes howl and yip with the coming of night. The dogs get really excited; it's probably something both Jess and Ridge will never forget.

I schedule my trips for early to mid-June specifically to witness the blue camas blooming in the meadow south of the cabin. I have enjoyed this sight several times over the years, including this past trip. According to what I have read, large fields of blue camas in Central Idaho often mark historical campsites for the Shoshone and Nez Perce, as these bulbs were a dietary staple as vital to them as corn was to tribes along the Missouri River.

One of the real thrills of this trip was seeing and occasionally hearing common loons. Because their calls are inconsistent, patience is essential. I did encounter them at several nearby lakes, including one morning that was unlike anything I have ever experienced. The loons were so loud that Jess and Ridge felt intimidated and returned to my side. I have read that this area of Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons serves as the southernmost nesting ground for common loons.

In fact, of the five lakes close to the cabin I'm staying at, four of them are closed to kayaking from May 1st until July 15th because of the loons. Only one is open for kayaking, and only on the western half of it.

But since I brought an inflatable kayak, the dogs and I went over there to check it out. I found it was a gorgeous lake lined by spruce and full of pond lilies. We ended up going over there to kayak three days in a row.

You can see on the video below that Ridge gets really calm on the water, just like Beau did. He sat at the bow with his paws on the side of the kayak — cute overload! — and later didn't make a sound while two loons called and swam close to us.

Jess is the opposite. She loves the water so much that for the first fifteen minutes, she keeps shifting positions, and I have to counterbalance her or we're going in. She settles down eventually, but it takes a while.

On all three days I went to that lake I was the only one there. Each day I took the dogs out separately. Today, after they both had their paddle in the lake, I put them in the truck and went out again without them. (my third paddle for the morning).

The kind of morning I come to these places for.

The photo at the end is me smiling. :)