Bitterroot and Bergamot

Pastoral scenes like this one alternate with dramatic canyon backdrops along the Smith River in central Montana.

There are some bits of earth's topography that are always in my mind's eye, no matter where I happen to be. One of these is the Blackfoot River and another is the Swan Mountain Range, shown above. Ancestors of mine as far back the 1800's have lived and worked in these areas. This was taken at the Double Arrow, a "dude ranch" built in 1927 by my great-uncle. The Swan Range runs north and south just south of Glacier Park in Western Montana.

Windy, empty and clean - the heart can expand in the wide stretches of sagebrush country. "Don't fence me in..."

Taken in Montana's Flathead Valley.

We can only imagine the old-timers who stayed many years ago in these cheerfully painted little guest cabins in Ovando, Montana.

Canada geese along the Smith River in central Montana. The birdlife along this river is magnificent; there is always some creature swooping, quacking, paddling, honking, swishing, or chirping!

A light inside the cabin provides a beckoning warmth as a summer thunderstorm lashes the woods outside.

Iowa County, Wisconsin

The porch screen creates a filter that captures summer storm raindrops and changes perspective.

Iowa County, Wisconsin

Sunset highlights the limestone crags overlooking the Smith River Canyon in central Montana.

Mist shrouds everything but the closest landmarks at 5 am in the Swan Valley.

There's a mysterious feeling to a northern lake when the breeze dies down and the water becomes a mirror image of its surroundings. Even in a small lake, water has endless dimensions depending on wind, heat or cold, hour of the day, color of the sky.

Taken in the Swan Valley south of Glacier Park.

The light just before a rainstorm is unearthly, particularly in the mountains. Here, the day's last light touches the treetops and illuminates the limestone cliffs overlooking the Smith River. After I took this photo and hiked back to camp, the rain washed over our tent in a steady downpour.

The Smith River Canyon float in central Montana was magnificent. Permits to make this trip are awarded by lottery, and access to this remote area is limited. The river flows north into a canyon between the Big Belt and the Little Belt Mountains. Vistas of crags, grottoes of hanging gardens, and unspoiled forests appear as you drift by. It was truly a privilege to make this trip!

Dear faithful readers,

Thank you for your visits and your kind messages on my Flickr e-mail. I have made some delightful new friends through this blog and through Flickr, a most lively community of photo-loving folk.

My zeal for blogging remains unabated; however, I will be out of touch for about ten days during a rafting/camping trip in Montana. This should yield some new grist for the mill, unless the rain keeps falling so continuously I have to keep the camera under wraps. We need the moisture however to keep our forests from becoming tinderboxes, so I will willingly float along in a downpour.

I asked my cousin John, the trip leader, to ensure Internet access on the raft, but alas he could not comply. I jest, but I will be incommunicado for the duration.

Back soon!

Yours, Bitterroot

The desert has its own mystery and beauty. It is a place of vivid colors, startling shapes, and hidden discoveries: here is an ancient prehistoric dwelling in the shadow of a cliff. I will not forget the silence and the sunlight here.

Taken in Canyonlands, Utah

Late afternoon shadows fall across the Clearwater River as it flows through a chain of lakes in the Swan Valley.

When Chief Charlo was asked to move from his homeland in the Bitterroot Valley, he said "I want to be able to count the stones in my own streams and see the tops of my tall mountains."

Taken in the Swan Valley.

Spectacular and sudden nightfall on the river.

The upper Blackfoot River on a crisp cool day, headed toward its junction with the Clearwater River out of the Swan Valley in western Montana.

In this chair, Elizabeth rocked Barbara who rocked Edith who rocked Barbara who rocked Edith who rocked Matthew who rocked Sophia. This sturdy old oakwood rocker has seen seven generations and much history...it has moved from Calgary to Great Falls to Missoula to rural Wisconsin.