Sub zero Field Trip

Valentines day in Wyoming.

The temperature never made it over 11*f, (or -11*c)

What a great day to drive through the canyon, grateful for an avalanche free drive!

What a great day to wear SIX layers and wrap in big blankets and go for a winter sleigh ride.

What a great day to stay down wind of thousands of wintering elk just minutes outside of Jackson Hole.

I learned a lot!  I, hopefully, won't sound so citified in local conversations.

I found it interesting that Patrick asked a lot of questions... I assumed he already knew all about the wildlife. 

The elk were rather quiet and subdued for our visit.  A few put on a sparring show for us but mostly they were content to relax.  Apparently their mating season ended and now they're recuperating.

Even with six layers and a blanket... my toes were cold and my cheeks.

Patrick only had on two layers.  He warmed my feet when we returned inside the visitors center. 

I suggested a stop for some hot cocoa but was outvoted.  We stopped at Dairy Queen and all the silly boys ordered blizzards!  I had hot chicken strips!

I already failed to sound educated on the way home... I casually said we should do the trip again in the summer when we could enjoy the view without freezing..... 

Our friend kindly said, we could.. but the elk won't be there, since the name of this place in the Elk's WINTER refuge site.  

Something fishy here...

After living here for a year, Whittaker still says that his favourite place to visit is the fish hatchery.  He wishes we had taken all our visitors to see the fish.

However.. only select visitors make the fish hatchery tour.

It's the closest thing to our house.  It's even closer than the gas station which is 11 miles from our house.  It's the simplest field trip.  Just drop by.  We are always the only ones there.. except the Fish and Wildlife ranger.. but he just does his own thing unless we pester him for some fish food... then he gives us a bucket and leaves us be again.

Whittaker wishes we would feed the fish every week.

Feeding the fish is indescribable.

It's one of those things that just has to be experienced.

We spent a crazy amount of time trying to capture the awesomeness of the jumping fish in slow motion video.  It's difficult to capture.  Oddly.. the slow mo wasn't a great way to capture it... so.. this was the best we caught.

It was a rainy day.  On the way home from the fish hatchery it was a wet and dreary... one might say it was a 'fowl day.'  In fact the hawks along the lane (across from the resting antelope) allowed us to get pretty close.  Once home the chickens and geese were eager to show how much they enjoyed the rainy day.