Bread, hiking, deer, elk, and a badger

As promised, we are getting out there enjoying the paradise we live in. Marched back in CB for the farmers market. Ohio Pass is absolutely gorgeous right now. Not very many campers though, another piece of the unusual summer, I guess. We, oh yes, are still planning  the Big Campout. I'll you know our progress.

Talked to another organic farm Big Kids Farm, who are taking on our farm's(Parker Pastures) chickens. Thanks Heather for the tip! They aren't organized yet in how they're going to do this - they already have 75 chickens and taking on 70 more- so I'll be back in a couple weeks to discuss. Maybe there's a chance we will still have wonderful organic eggs.

Bought more bread at the organic "hippie" bakery at the market. Stunningly great bread. This time cranberry and walnut. Yum.

Carbon Peak from a different perspective

just over one of the fences - part of another mine and miner cabins

view from up high in the woods

Castle Mt from up high

We went hiking yesterday on the Star Mt. common property across the road - it's 350 acres and hunting is allowed by our homeowners in the fall. Good time for us to be going now. We'd been once before but hadn't explored up to all the fenced boundaries. Beautiful woods, scared a lot of deer and elk, and  there were more droppings than we've ever seen in one place before. We've heard stories there are bear there, but saw nary a one.

Thought this was bear scratching - turns out elk eat aspen bark in the winter when they can't reach other food. Gnawed this to pieces!

Beauty of a buck and others that we scared in the trees. We weren't close, so thank goodness Mark had his zoom lens.

Two hours later -done.

And a final wildlife sighting of the day. On the road back to the house close to the cabins,a badger ran across the road. Just caught it with my camera. Wow - only seen one before, not all that far from this two years ago. Very vicious creature with 3 inch long claws... Nice sight from the car!
Mark went fishing today with no crowds. Not a super fishing day, but did catch the biggest brook trout he's seen in the Taylor.