Louis Lake: Four Fish and Five Moose

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Louis Lake, looking at north shore
 Our view while fishing.

We left for Louis Lake a bit earlier than usual today. We wanted to get back early enough to smoke a salmon and prepare a dish for a potluck supper this evening for SPC volunteers and staff.

On the way to the lake, we saw 14 pronghorn antelope, most of which were in a small herd, and a doe and fawn mule deer. We arrived at the lake about 8:10. Fishing was slow today. We had only a few strikes and after four hours we had caught just four fish (three splake and one rainbow trout). While fishing, we saw a total of five moose. Three of the moose were along the upper shore- a lone cow or yearling and, later, a cow and calf. Then, Connie saw something move along the shore a ways down lake from us. It was another cow and calf. We left Louis Lake at about 12:30. 

Back into SPC, we stopped at the shop and picked up the salmon I had been dry brining and some smoked cheese we were curing. Once at the trailer, I started the pellet smoker, brought the temperature up to 180 F, and commenced to smoke our salmon. 

While the salmon was finishing smoking, Connie boiled some red potatoes, which I mashed and then "enriched" with butter, sour cream, cream cheese, cheddar cheese, and sauteed onions and jalapenos. Yeah, health food! 

I had to rush the salmon a bit, it was done, but I would have smoked it longer, except that I wanted to smoke the mashed potatoes. While they smoked, I make a smoked cheese and smoked sausage (store bought), snack tray to take in addition to the potatoes.

The potatoes were really rich and were well received (as was the smoked cheese). We had made a huge pan of the mashed potatoes and, luckily, had no trouble finding takers for the leftovers.

There was a lot of good food at the potluck and it was a nice evening. After we left, we put things away, read a bit, and turned in a little early. 

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