If a tree falls in the forest,...

Aug 21-24, 2013
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Lat/Lon 43 54.5N, 115 41.8W

Hayfork really is lush and pretty.  This first photo looks like something off a calendar.  And the whole creek was like that.  In the few spots that were sunny, it was still lush greenery hanging over the water like in this second picture.

Our chairs sat up on the bank just above the creek.  It was hard to see the water because of all of the vegetation, but you could sure hear it.  What a beautiful sound to fall asleep to at night.
So peaceful.




Then the storm started coming.
I told Charley I was nervous about storms in the woods.  Trees can get hit by lightening and start a fire, or in wind, trees can suddenly just fall over!  Been there, done that on both counts.  Don't want to do it again.

As the storm approached, the wind started picking up, so I suggested we put away our chairs, and take the dogs inside for a while.  We had just picked up our chairs from the edge of the creek, when we heard,...  CRAAACK!!  We both recognized that sound immediately, and looked up to see a huge tree crashing down toward us!  It's amazing how fast a couple of old folks can move when they have to!! It fell straight down the creek, RIGHT in front of us!




After the storm, we went out and surveyed the damage.   It was sad to see that the tree had broken and flattened a good share of that lush foliage along the creek.

This photo was taken from the same location as the 3rd photo above.  You can see a lot more of the creek in this one,












A few other assorted pics from Hayfork.

Charley















GettingWhite Whale into a small campsite is kind of like stuffing 10 lbs of chickens into a 5 lbs sack.











The chipsquatch stuffing his cheeks with Doritos.

So many pretty plants, LOTS of mountain ash, sambucus (elderberry),  wild carrot, huckleberry, snowberry, ferns, asters,...

and these sweet pink Monkey Flowers.

The Shakedown Cruise to Hayfork Campground

Note: Most of the photos from our shakedown cruise are on my dead computer, being retrieved by the Geek Squad at Best Buy.  But until then, I can post using a couple of things that Charley had in his iPhone pics.

The Shakedown Cruise to Hayfork Campground
Aug 21-24, 2013
 View map
Lat/Lon 43 54.5N, 115 41.8W

Hayfork is a great camping spot that Charley and I happened across a few weeks ago when taking a drive up to Lowman.  Ten miles above Idaho City,  Hayfork Campground sits outside of view from the road.  Mores Creek runs parallel to Hwy 21 and Hayfork Creek comes down a ravine and meets Mores Creek at a 90 degree angle.  It's unusually lush for southern Idaho.  Big ferns, mossy rocks, large shubs hanging over the creek, simply beautiful.  Space #4 is highly recommended, right on the creek.

Being there during the week, we had the entire campground to ourselves.  Emmy stays pretty darn close to me, so we didn't keep her on a leash.  Elby, (Nitro), on the other hand,  would see a bird and be off over two ridges before she even slowed down to take a breather, so she was always on a lead of some sort.

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We set up camp, and almost immediately, I had a feeling it was a spot where we needed to be alert.  There were lots of berry bushes around, good cover, easy source of water, and it just had that deep woods, 'bear' kind of feel to it. Or maybe a Sasquatch kind of place.  After being there about two hours, Emmy began barking furiously at something off in the brush, and she was not about to stop.   She was adamant that 'something' was out there. (Fortunately we never saw it.)  I felt a little uncomfortable, so, at my request, Charley got the glock out it's hiding place and put it in a more accessible location.  

The next day, about the same time of day, BOTH dogs went off at 'something'.  A bear?  A 'squatch?  Charley get the glock! I'm gonna grab the camera!

This time we SAW it!  

Check out this chilling video below...

(I want you all to know that it took us 2 hours to get this right!)

Stay tuned for:  "If a tree falls in the forest, and there's nobody there to hear it...."