The Eagle Has Landed! 7/21/2018

Our campground is operated by the Idaho Power Company and is located on the banks of the Snake River, about 22 miles (45 minutes) south of the Hells Canyon dam on the Oregon side of the river. It's lovely and shaded, and really in the middle of nowhere. There is no cell service at all, and there are no TV stations that can be picked up by antenna. The campground offers paid wifi, of which we have taken advantage. (The down side being that you get logged out after 15 minutes, and have to log back in) With 2 days scheduled here, we decided to check out the road to the dam, the place from which we would embark on our jet boat tour tomorrow. That was another winding, narrow road, this time, following the curves of the mountains that flank the Snake River. At one stop to enjoy the scenery, as I exited the car, something caught my eye. Flying up from the river, not 30 yards away, was a bald eagle. We watched it soar for a few seconds, and then it landed on a rock a short distance down the road, maybe 30-40 yards.

It sat there until another car came along and stopped. A woman got out, and started approaching the bird, prompting it to fly away. As she walked away, she acknowledged that she had made a mistake, calling back to us "Yeah, I'm an a****le." Seeing that bird so close in its natural habitat was awesome.

After driving the road to the dam, we decided to investigate another viewpoint of the canyon, about 35 miles north of the campground, and about 4000 feet higher in elevation. The temperature up there was 13 degrees cooler than down at the campground.The access road was, of course, narrow, and winding. But what a fabulous view at the top! You couldn't really see

View from the overlook

the river from the observation point, but the mountain view was stunning. The meadows up there were covered with red indian paintbrush, hyssop, and clover, as well as many other yellow, red, purple and white wildflowers. There were very few people there, and the silent beauty of the place was inspiring.

Pictures are here: https://photos.app.goo.gl/FAwXwPwLwyn7WpWa8