Check this out. http://www.snopes.com/photos/animals/bearledge.asp
This too! http://thegoat.backcountry.com/blog/2007/09/18/cougar-hunting-2/
In fact, I love this BLOG. It is classic. Rocky's got it nailed. http://thegoat.backcountry.com/
121st Trek to Gobbler's Knob for Phil's Official Prognostication! Live entertainment, music, fireworks, and fun with the Groundhog Club Inner Circle. Phil's official prediction at daybreak (approximately 7:25 a.m.). No alcoholic beverages or illegal substances are permitted on the premises. Gates open at 3:00 a.m. Dress for the weather. Courtesy of the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club.
Just like all these people waiting to see Puxataney Phil, I can hardly contain my excrement. Wow.
Then some time driving the local streets of Salmon, checking things out. 
I found some hats @ a pawn shop, but nothing really fit my giant head. Bummer.
Here is Scott @ a new Big Horn Crag area map. Map and posts looked brand new. Got to be the nicest area map I've EVER seen.
Here we are, checking out the view.
We press on, hoping to get to a local lake, however decided it was better to stop shy since it appeared the lake was at least another mile away. We had some lunch next to a fast running, small stream, and headed back, 14 miles round trip by my estimation. As I remember, the parking lot was swarming with mosquitos. Ouch.So after yesterday's complete disaster, we decide to use the same map and go for a local hike walk. Nothing too hard core, just go out for a couple of hours and stretch the legs. 
Here we are before the hike. Looks like a pretty popular spot. There are 3-4 cars already in the parking lot. Ah hell, lets go anyway, I mean what do we expect to see. We can still see downtown Sun Valley for Christ's sake. So we continue up the path, and head up the valley following a tiny little stream. I look up to our left, on the hill and see a blond fuzzy thing.
This disagreement continues as we slowly walk up the ravine, watching this medium sized fuzzy creature along the hill side. 
After about 4-5 minutes it becomes pretty clear. Not a dog, not a sheep. Uh, nothing runs like that, except a bear. RUN FOR YOUR LIVES.....It's a bear cub, blonde from the summer sun. Holy Christ, can you believe it? He's (I am using "he" but clearly I did not get close enough to see or fondle check his bear business.) young and kinda small, but clearly a bear. Knowing the mother could be close, we keep our eyes WIDE OPEN, and walk up the hill along the stream watching. At one time the bear gets up on his hind feet. I regret to say I missed the shot, with the camera and a gun (I'm kidding). Anyhow, the bear doesn't smell us for some reason and continues to move down the hill on a vector (Ooooo a technical term!) where he might intersect our path.
This was the best shot I got of him. Clearly I need to improve my photographic skills. As he comes across the trail, about 40 feet in front of us, he gets a sniff, and decides to run across our path and into the trees, up the hill on the right. Over the next 2 hours, we see at least 15 people on the trail. None saw the bear, except us. I don't remember what we did the rest of the day, but seeing the bear cub was pretty much the highlight.
So I get up pretty early (5:30) and just hang out listening to everything (or nothing depending upon your perspective). I was slightly grimy, so I had a washcloth bath, ate some breakfast, and decided to take a leisurely morning, taking photos, and make my way on to Boise.
On my way from Hells Canyon, I found this spot in the road. It was a nice morning, so I figured I would stop and wait. I waited, and waited and waited. I never saw one. Oh well, time to head on to Boise. I hope its not hot there.
So I head south on the 39, take a right on some road (as I recall I was looking for a specific for road that I never ended up finding. Anyway, I drove to the top of this rough, rutted road looking for a nice spot to spend the night. Oooo...I find a place in the trees. Nice. Get out of the truck, and BAM! 
They swarm me like crazy. Oh hell, I just drove all this way and I'm now in hell? However I won't give up. It's getting late in the afternoon (5pm-ish) and I need to find a spot....I dash back into the truck and head more towards an open area @ the top of the hill. 
This was a somewhat sketchy descent. Loose stones, slick, glacier hard snow, and good 50 mph wind gusts made it very exciting.
As proof of our journey, I decide to take along a piece of snow and bring it back to camp. I'm uncertain why the hell I did this, but am certain I wouldn't do it again. I carried this thing like 3+ miles.
Whitey the wondermule our roach coach friend was @ camp waiting for us. I gave Whitey a sugar cube for being such a good mule, even if the bastard did try to bite me. .jpg)
Along the state park @ Pismo Beach, we wander upon a flock (?) of migrating monarch butterflies. The orange things, those are the butterflies. .0.jpg)
These two were, uh, how would you say hmmm getting butterfly busy? He was trying hard and she, she just looked annoyed. Funny how the animal kingdom is all the same, humans and butterflies.
Cool downtown sign on a crappy little building @ Pismo. 
Us on the boardwalk @ Pismo! Got to be one of my favorite California coastal cities!
Cancer? No problem. Wild elk feeding in a grassy meadow? Now that is really damned scary. You can't really see their teeth from here, but man oh man, nothing like a mossy cud being spit at you!
Fish
