There is usually a side story to any story and this one is one on the one previously posted.

Weasel and I had left the guides at the Lost Creek Dam and were on our way for home, cow elk in the back of the rig.  No need for the trailer, as the guide insisted he quarter it using the gutless method.

I concurred with his decision at the time as it was getting late and was very cold, with the temperature dropping in groups of 5 degrees every minute, and did I mention it was getting dark?

I really wanted to have the ribs off this cow to try, but maybe next time.

So we are coming down the road talking about how cool the day had been and even if I hadn’t killed that cow when I did, how the day would have still been a total success.  It’s always fun to be out and about, and add to that a guy that fit in almost as one of our own crew and was very personable to be around, made the day even better.

We talked about the other guides and a couple of the other hunters, the sighting of over 100 Sage Grouse in the air at the same time, the beautiful day, the country we hunted in, the tactics of the guides and just overall, everything that wrapped itself around us during the day.

Without saying anything, during a moment when Weasel was on the cell phone with Barney about him having elk steak for supper, I thought about the hot ground soup that I had forgotten to take up on the mountain with us.  And even though it sounded good at THIS moment, it would have been better at THAT moment.  What moment?

Well, elk had been killed by the singles all in a matter of 5 minutes and the guides and hunters were scattered about taking care of business, in the meanwhile with only Weasel, Mine and one other guys tags yet to fill, we went in search of a herd of cows.  Actually the guides that weren’t busy gutting elk, were actually trying to find the band of cows that actually survived the melee.

We were instructed to go here and go there and to no avail.  There was a spotter who had been watching that small band of cows “get out of Dodge”, but he lost them when a small storm rolled through and put a cloud of fog and snow between his position and the elk.  Well, that’s how some animals survive.

There we sat as one by one the other guides began showing up with their hunters and the dead elk in the backs of their trucks.  Stories were being told between hunters and guides in almost every direction you can imagine and I over heard one where the hunter was boasting he could have taken his animal at twice that distance (remember, these elk were 400 yards out when the melee began and they didn’t get any closer).

It was then that I was wishing I had a hot cup of Ground Soup.  MMMMM I was thinking to myself.  But both thermos’ were back in the rig at the dam…oh well, we will have to settle for a cold piece of jerky, at least I didn’t forget that.

Fade away from the hunt and back on to our drive home:

Down the canyon we went and out onto I-15 heading for home.  The last leg of our journey.  We were both still pretty pumped up about the day and talking and laughing.  About the time we were getting close to our exit and Smith and Edwards, we both hear and almost feel a loud startling BANG!

What the heck!?!  We must have blown a tire on the trailer.  But with a quick look into the rear view mirror the trailer was not acting out of sorts in the least.  Neither was the car.  Everything seemed normal.  And then Weasel says, “I smell something”!  I hit the blinker and we pulled over.  A quick check of the tires on the trailer…all is well…check the vehicle tires…good to go.  What the heck made that noise?

I opened up the driver side passenger door and instantly smelled the odor of “Ground Soup”!  I moved some things that were covering the thermos’…sure enough…the lid of one of the thermos’ was 5 inches away from the thermos itself and the screw on lid was sticking way out past its seated point…ground soup was spread out on the floor and surrounding clothes and hunting things.

I could not help but laugh and at the same time wonder, how in the heck could that have happened?  Those screw on caps go in a long ways before they seat and then top it off with a screw on lid!  What caused it to blow and how on earth did it do it?

So, that is the magic question for all you readers.  What caused the “hot this morning at 4 a.m.” ground soup in that thermos to pop its lid at 6:30 p.m. this evening?

By the way, my vehicle smells like it was out on an all night beer drinking festival with the boys.  One in which they stopped at a Maverik and all had a Bahama Momma to top off their night and at least one of them didn’t have their meal settle.

Bears Butt

Dec. 6, 2013