Our drive to Willow Bay retraced our
trip to Idaho Falls the week before and then some – lots of
farmland, the Grand Tetons in the background, reaching for the sky,
and small communities.
When we arrived at the campground, it
was a big change from the wild, forested areas we've been in for the
last month and a half. In its own way, though, it was a pretty spot –
lots of sunflowers, roses, and hollyhocks in full bloom planted in
the campground and
along the
shore of Willow Bay Reservoir, Russian olive trees (an invasive
species that has been widely planted in the area with silvery
gray-green leaves and black trunks) and willow shrubs (a
favorite for moose) abound. There was a cafe and boat ramp, along
with beach areas, and a bike path that winds through the park and
wetlands. There are birds galore, some of which I identified but many
I didn't. We were told by the cook at the cafe that they routinely
had a moose cow and baby visit the area just out from the deck – we
had high hopes of finally seeing one of what I still think of as a
mythical creature. Although we arose the next morning around six AM
and spent an hour and a half walking and looking, no moose. The next
morning we were awakened by knocking on our front door – the cook
had come down to tell us the moose were just off the deck at the
cafe. We hurriedly dressed and were at the cafe in less than ten
minutes, but by then the moose had left. We once again walked and
waited but to no avail. We tried twice more during our week-long
stay, but no luck. Moose are still mythical in my book.
I have to insert a nugget of info about the abundant naturalized weed, mullein. We've seen these all over the country, especially in dry, gravelly areas such as roadsides, and most people we talked to feel it's just a junk plant but apparently that's only part of the story. Mullein of many varieties grows all over the temperate parts of the world. The leaves and stems are “furry” and the down, when dried, makes good tinder – it lights with just a spark and before the introduction of cotton, it was used for candlewicks. Years ago, the stalks of one variety were dipped in suet and used as torches. In 1657, it was given to cattle for “the cough of the lung”. One entry I found indicates it can be prepared as a “pleasant emollient and nutritious medicine for allaying a cough, or removing the pain and irritation of hemorrhoids.” BTW - I'm not recommending the use of this plant in any way, I'm just passing on what I've read because I thought it was interesting.
The rest of the week was a bit like our search for moose, unsuccessful. We had a fairly good lunch of fajitas at a little place called Tres Hermanos, went to Pocatello for groceries, stopped at an army surplus store where I immediately got a bad asthma attack due to my bad latex allergy from the rubber smell in the air. That took me out of action for a couple of days, and Rich got sick from something he ate and that lasted a couple of days as well. At least it was the same couple of days. By the time we felt better, it was time to head down the road to Weiser, ID and an overnight at Monroe RV park.
Our drive to Willow Bay retraced our
trip to Idaho Falls the week before and then some – lots of
farmland, the Grand Tetons in the background, reaching for the sky,
and small communities.
When we arrived at the campground, it
was a big change from the wild, forested areas we've been in for the
last month and a half. In its own way, though, it was a pretty spot –
lots of sunflowers, roses, and hollyhocks in full bloom planted in
the campground and along the
shore of Willow Bay Reservoir, Russian olive trees (an invasive
species that has been widely planted in the area with silvery
gray-green leaves and black trunks) and willow shrubs (a
favorite for moose) abound. There was a cafe and boat ramp, along
with beach areas, and a bike path that winds through the park and
wetlands. There are birds galore, some of which I identified but many
I didn't. We were told by the cook at the cafe that they routinely
had a moose cow and baby visit the area just out from the deck – we
had high hopes of finally seeing one of what I still think of as a
mythical creature. Although we arose the next morning around six AM
and spent an hour and a half walking and looking, no moose. The next
morning we were awakened by knocking on our front door – the cook
had come down to tell us the moose were just off the deck at the
cafe. We hurriedly dressed and were at the cafe in less than ten
minutes, but by then the moose had left. We once again walked and
waited but to no avail. We tried twice more during our week-long
stay, but no luck. Moose are still mythical in my book.
I have to insert a nugget of info about the abundant naturalized weed, mullein. We've seen these all over the country, especially in dry, gravelly areas such as roadsides, and most people we talked to feel it's just a junk plant but apparently that's only part of the story. Mullein of many varieties grows all over the temperate parts of the world. The leaves and stems are “furry” and the down, when dried, makes good tinder – it lights with just a spark and before the introduction of cotton, it was used for candlewicks. Years ago, the stalks of one variety were dipped in suet and used as torches. In 1657, it was given to cattle for “the cough of the lung”. One entry I found indicates it can be prepared as a “pleasant emollient and nutritious medicine for allaying a cough, or removing the pain and irritation of hemorrhoids.” BTW - I'm not recommending the use of this plant in any way, I'm just passing on what I've read because I thought it was interesting.
The rest of the week was a bit like our search for moose, unsuccessful. We had a fairly good lunch of fajitas at a little place called Tres Hermanos, went to Pocatello for groceries, stopped at an army surplus store where I immediately got a bad asthma attack due to my bad latex allergy from the rubber smell in the air. That took me out of action for a couple of days, and Rich got sick from something he ate and that lasted a couple of days as well. At least it was the same couple of days. By the time we felt better, it was time to head down the road to Weiser, ID and an overnight at Monroe RV park. 
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