Wild Geraniums are showing off their colors on forest floors

The rising sun casts a golden light onto the waters of Horse Creek still in the shadow of the mountains above.  A heavy frost covers willows and grasses.

The Mule Deer have now all asumed their winter coats.  Even the Fawns have lost spots and look like a smaller version of their mothers.

Fall is upon us.  Yesterday morning a little front came through that dropped the tempertures pretty well.  It was 27 degrees this morning.  No moisture but fog was rising as the sun also made its appearance.

August 4, 2011
[1]
I have an appointment with the Meyers family, friends from Scottsdale, Arizona and Tory and Merideth Taylor for a get-to-gether lunch at the top of Bonneville Pass on the continental divide east of Brooks Lake near Dubois, Wyoming.  Devon Meyers was with us on most of our wilderness art packing adventures a few years back.

I arrive a little early and seek out the little boys room which happens to be the first outhouse at the Brooks Lake east campground.  I am a little shocked upon entering fo find a rug in front of the privey.  To the side is a table with a table cloth and on that are a number of magazines, an Orvis catalog and paperback books and a wildflower bouquet in a glass jar.  A hand sanitizer container sits there also.  An old dial-up telephone also sits atop the table.  Its cord going nowhere.  A few pictures adorn the wall.  I don't remember if it smelled in there or not but if it did you would not have notices with all this decor.  Someone has a lot of imagination and fortitude.  Later in the day I asked my friend who is the cmpground host at the adjoining campground.  He informs me that the host there did it as a lark.  He tells me that the U S Forest Service actually got a letter from a camper complaining that the phone did not work.??? Guess some folks expect everything.  I think it ought to be included with Ripley's Believe it or not.

August4, 2011
[2]
We all meet at the Bonneville trailhead and right away have to ford Bonneville Creek.  It is a lot higher than normal for this time of year attesting to the fact there is still a lot of snow in the high country.  This trail has only been open for negotiating in the past couple of weeks and I hear horses are still having to negotiate a big snow drift dropping off the pass into the upper DuNoir.  the event leaves us all with wet feet for the remainder of the day.

August 4, 2011
[3]

The deep reds of the Wyoming state flower.  The Indian Paintbrush.  The red being only the coloration of its leaves like a poinsetta.  The flower is only an inconspicuous green buried in all that red.  This is a parasitic plant deriving its nutrients off a host plant.  Coming in many variations of color from mountains to plains-it is spectacularly beautiful.