Reunion at Henry's Lake

Yellowstone is just a breezy one-hour drive from Big Sky, Montana. Surprisingly, the park sprawls across three states—Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming. Our home base for the week is in Island Park, Idaho, a mere 30-minute jaunt south of the west entrance to Yellowstone.

As we neared Henry’s Lake and our rented reunion house, we made a pit stop in West Yellowstone to visit the Grizzly and Wolf Discovery Center. There, we witnessed colossal 700-pound grizzlies on a food-finding mission and had close encounters (literally nose-to-nose) with inquisitive wolf packs.

The highlight was the raptor talk, which proved to be incredibly captivating. Despite countless visits to zoos and wildlife exhibits, our extensive brood of animal lovers picked up some truly mind-blowing facts this time around.

*Welcome to your Animal Planet immersion. Pay close attention. There might be a quiz at the end.

By Andy Morffew, CC BY 2.0,

Now, when you think of the cry of a Bald Eagle, think again. Hollywood has been pulling the wool over our eyes, swapping out the Bald Eagle’s call for the "more impressive" cry of a Red-tailed hawk. Hence, the Bald Eagle has been perpetually dubbed over. Check it out for yourself below:

Video of Bald Eagle Cry vs Red-Tailed Hawk Cry: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/NrD4OvLiT7k?feature=share

However, don’t be fooled by the eagle's "little trike horn." Bald Eagles possess the power of a Ferrari. These birds can crush an adult human femur bone with a single grasp of their talons, handy for tearing into carcasses since they primarily scavenge.

Credit: Highlands Center for Natural History, Britannica Kids, Bird Note

Similarly, the Turkey Vulture is the cleanup crew of the skies, dining on what others leave behind. It sports a bald head for practical reasons—spending so much time neck-deep in a bison, for example, there’s no time for a beauty regime! Voila! Featherless equals cleanliness.

Speaking of grooming, did you know inventors took inspiration from bird feathers under a microscope to develop Velcro? As they preen, the feathers "zip" together, ensuring a snug fit and optimal aerodynamic flight.

When it comes to hunting prowess, Owls and Ospreys stand out as top contenders in the bird world. Owls feature ears precisely positioned to pinpoint prey, owing to their slight differential in ear height and forward placement. Moreover, unlike other birds whose wings announce their approach, owls glide through the air in silence, thanks to their unique wing shape and structure. This phenomenon was vividly demonstrated by the resident raptor expert, who illustrated it by vigorously flapping two sets of wings—one belonging to an eagle and the other to an owl.

Meanwhile, the Osprey takes the prize for fishing finesse. When it snatches a fish, it ejects it from the water mid-swim, facing forward as if the fish were still swimming. This grasping motion eliminates drag and creates an aerodynamic and efficient strategy. Imagine the surprise of those poor fish—now holding their breath and flying through the sky!

The diversity among bird species is as intriguing as it is vast, and we left the wildlife refuge thoroughly impressed by the wealth of educational experiences it offered.

Ok, Animal Planet episode: OVER. Thank you for indulging me.

At Henry's Lake, it's a wild rodeo of family mayhem. Picture this: 15 cousins, ages 7-22, blitzing through the house like a herd of hyperactive bison. They're jabbering away at warp speed, ecstatic to reunite.

Meanwhile, amidst the chaos, the grown-ups are playing Tetris with groceries, and organizing their family belongings (which we all know will last all of 5 minutes, but we did it anyway).

Then comes Meadowvue Ranch Rodeo, where kids and teens morph into rookie cowboys and cowgirls. It's like a summer camp on adrenaline, the old hands teaching them rodeo tricks that make you question their parent's sanity and their health insurance bills, judging by the number of boys in arm casts. And just like a piano recital (but with less Bach and more bull riding), they strut their stuff before an audience that includes family, friends, and some very anxious bulls.

This low-key Mom and Pop run show was just perfect for our first night in Idaho. With the speaker system on the fritz, permanently cutting out in the middle of the National Anthem, we had no idea what was happening during the rodeo and yet, we found ourselves on the edge of our rickety bleachers, pulling for these young daredevils to succeed.

The lineup of events was a mix of wild and wacky: Bull riding, saddle bronc riding, bareback riding, (I'm not sure the difference), and a whole host of kiddie carnival events like barrel racing, pole bending, roping, calf riding, and the enigmatic "calf scramble" where kids chase a cow through the "mud" (let's be honest, horse poo) to pull an orange ribbon from a cow's tail for a prize - ahem, sticker. If you don't know what any of this is, that's okay. I don't either.

Last but not least, the most questionable of all the events was called, "The Mutton Run" (or as Kip calls it, "The Lamb Trample"). Toddlers were sent to slaughter by their parents, all for the sake of a funny video to show them much later - like at their rehearsal dinners. Picture this: A darling little girl no more than 3 years old, dressed in a red and white gingham dress, was loosely tied to the back of a lamb, which was promptly swatted on the butt and set free into the horse-dung arena. I'll admit, I was a bit aghast. To my horror, 5 seconds later, she faceplanted in the "mud", her neck snapping back as she hit the dirt. Did she cry? No sir. She got up, brushed herself off, and went to cheer on the other toddlers being tied to their own sheep. One after another these kids were dragged in the poo. And, NONE of them cried. Kids must be a bit heartier in these parts. Me? I had to look away.

Fortunately, I could look in any direction and be rewarded with the scene. The Idaho sunset painted the scene in a surreal glow, mountains framing a cow-dotted horizon over Henry's Lake and casting a deep blue and purplish hue.

Amidst this rustic beauty, Onora confessed, "This is all making my stomach feel terrible." I had to agree with her, but it wasn't until she bolted from the bleachers and deposited her last meal in the grass that I knew it was more than just a bout of empathy she was suffering from.

After the show, we were treated to a Cowboy Cookout complete with hand-cut fire-grilled steaks, dutch oven chicken, potatoes, baked beans, corn salad, coleslaw, cornbread, biscuits, peach cobbler, and ice cream for dessert.

While we ate at our picnic tables, Onora decidedly NOT eating, the Fall River Boys serenaded us with old country songs well until dark when the crisp, cool air forced us to pack up in our cars and head home to the house on the lake.

Thankfully, our next day was completely unplanned. This gave Onora a great opportunity to sleep off her sickness. I'm not sure how she accomplished such a feat considering the other activities going on in the house. Hearts games, pool balls smacking upstairs, foosball battles, and the yells of "GOOOOOOOAAAAAALLLLLL" coming from the spectators of the Spain vs. England Euro Cup match. In her delirium, she woke frightened and said, "I'm just so afraid that England is going to win." She wasn't feeling great and yet, she did manage to sneak out to the dock for a bit.

The others took the day to play at the lake, fish from the dock, and paddle out in search of wildlife with the provided kayaks and paddleboards while the older kids spent time playing games inside and getting reacquainted with their cousins.

More adventures coming up...Yellowstone National Park, Horseback Riding, and more!