Running in the Wind

Flathead Lake with 3 to 4 foot swells

A quick errand and visit in Denver . Monday 9/30 started out warm and windy in the Flathead. There were 3 to 4 foot waves on the lake with plenty of dramatic splashing along the rocky edge. Heading down Hwy 35 to Polson.

Homestake Pass( 6329 feet ) Continental Divide

Butte lies nestled on the West side of the continental divide. Homestake Pass is in the mid 6000 feet and  something to keep an eye on when the weather is questionable. No real bad weather to be noted on this Monday. I brought the emergency totes with me anyway and had my shovel stowed in the back . So far the weather is looking great and I am definitely over prepared .

Mountains south of Livingston MT

 Scooting down I 90 I experiment with cruise control which I have to say is just weird . I like to drive the car and having the CC on is not my thing. It is handy in work zones to avoid tickets but the rest of the time I like to be "one " with the car. Besides if the car is driving my mind tends to wander and I quit watching the road. I wonder if others have this problem?

Sunset near Livingston Montana

I am lucky to be passing Livingston Mt just about sunset . The mountains are gorgeous with the Alpine glow tonight. Great timing . The light changes everything . South of Livingston is Yellowstone National Park. Another trip for another day.

Flying into Wyoming

Next day Tuesday Oct 1 , on the road after spending the night in Billings. A few hours south and we are in Wyoming. Wyoming is an awesome place. Lots of wide open space . I enjoy this kind of thing but I can see how it could be disconcerting if you are used to the city and that rhythm.

Antelope are everywhere!

 I suppose Wyoming could grow on you . Now if you are in the East you probably don't see much difference in the emptiness of Wyoming versus the emptiness of Montana. The empty of Wyoming is definitely kicked up a notch . Eastern Montana runs a close second.But there are the antelope and the endless vistas. Pretty nice on the first day of October.

Bighorn Mountains

More Antelope

The one thing nice about antelope is they seem to avoid the highway a bit better than the deer.  The deer , ah the deer , really like the roads and subsequently cars and trucks . We were fairly lucky in that we didn't see many deer at all , Just some mule deer on the way back . I missed them as I was working hard keeping the car on the road in the prestorm that left 30 inches of snow just about where these antelope are hanging out.

Antelope enjoying the irrigated fields 

Enjoying some Starbuck's goodness and downtown Denver ambience

 So after Cheyenne there is civilization and lots of people. In fact you cross into Colorado and you have more people  than you can shake a stick at .We visited friends and took in some nice Downtown Denver and good coffee.  A walk by the Platte River had colorful sunflowers and mid 70s weather. Who knew the next day would turn into an October snow superstorm .

Sunniness next to the river

Crazy Mountains after the storm

 So good fortune was with us and we made Billings at 5 PM on Thursday ahead of the feet of snow that socked in Wyoming. We saw some snow north of Sheridan but then it turned to rain the rest of the way. I set out for NW Montana before 8 AM and headed down I 90 West. The temperature was 33 to 37 degrees so the roads were pretty good except an over pass near Big Timber where the air had cooled to 28 degrees. A bit of slip and slide there . The Crazy Mountains were a glorious site to see in the early morning light with their new snow frosting. This is an untouched picture of the Crazies just west of Billings.

Beautiful I 90 hurtling West past Billings

About 6 inches of snow in Montana , alot less than the 30 inches in Buffalo Wy. I am so glad we didn't get caught in that . Everytime you passed an interstate barricade it reminded you that indeed your trip could be cut short by blowing and drifting snow.

snowy wonderland in October

 The driving wasn't too bad all in all . Traveling west there is Livingston which was a bit slushy and Bozeman Hill. I took that one slow and stayed in a lower gear with the trucks. Somehow it seems silly to drive 70 when you really don't know if the road is frozen here and there .

 Finally several hours later I have zipped through Missoula and headed up the Mission Valley where the skies had returned to blue and no snow in sight except up in the higher elevations. What a welcome site .

Mission Mountains 

Fall still rules in North West Montana

Just before Saint Ignatius the valley is glorious. The Mission Falls are still running in the center of the picture. A small little crook that is about a couple thousand foot drop. Next to the 9000 foot peaks the water fall appears so small.

Pelicans feeding at Ninepipes

The sun is slowly making it's way West. I stopped for a minute at Ninepipes to see who was feeding today in the shallow waters. Six or seven large pelicans were fishing and enjoying the sun of the late afternoon. Almost home . Feels good to think I am two hours away. I am grateful that I missed the worst of the snow that paralyzed Wyoming and South Dakota. Truly hardy folks who live in these areas. My hat is off to them . Hoping they have some quick melting and not too much damage.

Happy in Montana: End of summer welcoming Fall

Ninepipes Resevoir 

 Saturday brought me to the Mission Valley for a time. Last day of summer . The wetlands are at low water . We are north of the National Bison Range a particularly dry area . The Ninepipes wetlands have been restored to be a wild fowl sanctuary for ducks and geese making their way north and south. The silence is immaculate with an occassional punctuation of bird call.

Mission Mountains

 The Mission Mountains rival the beauty found in Glacier. McDonald Peak stands at 9820 feet. This last week had some temperature drops and the tops of the range is now with snow.

Mission Mountains from the Ninepipes Resevoir 

 The Mission Valley lies within two ranges with the lush Mission Mountains rising on the East and a drier ranger to the West . Ninepipes is a 2062 acre refuge located on Tribal Trust lands of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes. The area is managed by Fish and wild life services under an agreement with the BIA.

Dried flower art with wetland background

End of summer ripeness

Seeds for the wind

 The Ninepipes area is expansive . It is a place to lose yourself and thus to find yourself . A nice side jaunt on the last day of Summer .

Change of seasons and a time for reflection

A journey of the Heart

Mission Falls near St. Ignatious MT

A journey of the heart today. I dropped one of my kids off in Missoula so he could continue his journey to visit some old friends. It is amazing the speed of time.It can catch you  in the middle with fond recollections and regrets of lost time spent pursuing the necessary work a day schedule . Where on earth did that tow headed toddler go?

Well to soothe the soul on the drive back north in the Mission Valley I took a side road through Saint Ignatious. I had spotted the Mission Falls as I was driving on the highway north and wanted a closer look. The Mission Falls are in the Mission Mountains Tribal Wilderness Area. This is a 92000 acre protected wilderness that was formed in 1982 through the cooperation of the Salish-Kootenai Tribe. Elevations range from 4000 to 10000 feet through out the range. The falls are surrounded by Kakashe MT ( 8575 feet) , Lowary PK 9969 FT, and Mountaineer PK 9261 feet. The Mission Falls begin about 5000 ft and drop 1000 feet to the valley floor. I have included a topo map of the area ( as I love maps !) and you can see how steep the mountain sides are next to the falls. Carved from glaciers this cirque bowl is home to a beautiful waterfall and many high mountain pristine alpine lakes.  Once more the beauty of nature takes the edge off the bittersweet of life. A treatment worth the time. Now to plan a return trip with camping in mind.      





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Making your own weather

Heading out Saturday morning to get a block heater for the car. This will help me start the car when the oil turns to molasses at zero degrees. Fortunately it was only 13 degrees over night. Well apparently when it starts to snow here it doesn't stop till April. And that is if you are lucky. For winter driving I have been advised to have the following : A shovel, extra hat, gloves and coat and extra boots. This is so you can change clothes after your first set gets wet while you are digging your car out of the snow bank. Flares in the event that the digging doesn't work. Food for 2 days , not a week as in Montana you will be found in 48 hours where as in Alaska it could take a week. I also am stowing sand bags, water ( not in the trunk as it freezes ) an extra gallon of windshield washer as yours in the car may freeze and not come out in a timely fashion. Battery charger and a set of chains.  Dog food for the dogs of course . So all of this is not supposed to be in the trunk but in your back seat. Which begs the question about where to put the dogs ? Trunk? So if I set out in inclement weather I will be well provisioned.

Heading back to the Foothills it was overcast but not snowing in general . you can see a thick blanket of clouds on the top of the mountains making their own weather. Up at 6000 to 7000 feet I bet there is some deep snow . Down in the valley 17 degrees with a windchill of 3degrees. Snow adds such a gorgeous dimension to the mountains.

We choose

"We live in two worlds.....the world into which we were born, and the other world that was born within us. Both may be a blessing or a curse . We choose. " Celtic Druid homily