Tuesday, May 31, 2005

 

Abandoned schoolhouse


Abandoned schoolhouse, originally uploaded by Bitterroot.

The forest closes in around an abandoned schoolhouse in Iowa County, Wisconsin


Sunday, May 29, 2005

 

A point of light in the woods: columbine

A point of light in the woods: columbine

Woodland wildflowers in Wisconsin abound on the back roads and byways
on a sunny spring afternoon. Here is a delicate wild columbine,
enjoying its shady spot. Its nectar tubes attract hummingbirds.


Saturday, May 28, 2005

 

Wood anemone

Wood anemone

A patch of beauty on a backwoods bike ride: wood anemone in dappled shade


Friday, May 27, 2005

 

Tornado weather at Otter Creek, Wisconsin

The wind picks up and the air changes right before a spring thunderstorm. In tornado season, the air can take on an eerie greenish cast. This was taken in the hills east of the Mississippi in the driftless area of Wisconsin.


Thursday, May 26, 2005

 

Crossing the Divide: the Lewis & Clark trail

Crossing the Divide: the Lewis & Clark trail

This is Lemhi Pass on the Idaho/Montana border, looking across to the
Montana side. This was the first place the Lewis & Clark Expedition
crossed the Continental Divide. In their efforts to find a passage to
the Pacific, the Lewis & Clark Expedition traversed this pass and met
the Shoshone, who provided horses and a guide.

When they discovered the Salmon River was not navigable, the
travelers then retraced their steps over Lemhi and traveled up the
Bitterroot Valley to Lolo, Montana. The excruciating trip over Lolo
Pass is the stuff of legend, but Lemhi is not as well known.

The headwaters of the mighty Missouri are here, spouting from the
earth as a tiny spring. The Big Sky surrounds and enfolds you
completely at this spot; the wind rattles the sagebrush. Except for a
primitive road, the land looks much as it did in 1805.


Wednesday, May 25, 2005

 

Flying under a summer thunderstorm

Flying under a summer thunderstorm

A small plane tries to dodge a summer storm without impaling itself
on the peaks of the Bitterroot mountains below.

Taken on the Montana-Idaho border.


Monday, May 23, 2005

 

Evening in the canyon

Evening in the canyon

The air in the canyon chills and the sun's last rays gleam on a
distant hill while campers watch the river flow by in the twilight.

"The River of No Return" ~ Main Fork of the Salmon River, Idaho.


Sunday, May 22, 2005

 

Dusk on the Salmon River


Dusk on the Salmon River, originally uploaded by Bitterroot.

Dusk settles in quickly as the sun dips beyond the canyon walls of
the "River of No Return" in Idaho.


Friday, May 20, 2005

 

Flower by the stream: evanescence

Flower by the stream: evanescence

Rattlesnake Creek in Missoula, Montana rushes past a delicate
wildflower on the stream's edge.


Thursday, May 19, 2005

 

Glimpse through grass

Glimpse through grass

A ray of sun lights up the peaks of the Mission Range in the Flathead Valley.


Tuesday, May 17, 2005

 

Shimmering river

Shimmering river

The Blackfoot River ripples over rocks, refracting sunlight in
millions of dancing, mesmerizing rays. The sound of this river is a
song that stays with me always.


Monday, May 16, 2005

 

Sunlit fields

Sunlit fields

Late-afternoon sunshine lights up the fields at the Moose Can Gully
Ranch, Montana.


Sunday, May 15, 2005

 

A view to lift the heart

A view to lift the heart

Mount Stuart looms above Missoula, Montana with brooding
magnificence, as seen from the Moose Can Gully Ranch.


Friday, May 13, 2005

 

Trail of Lewis & Clark

DSC03210.jpg

Scapegoat Wilderness just south of the Bob Marshall as seen from the
upper Blackfoot Valley in western Montana. Such magnificent stories, people, and places in the Blackfoot ~
a place of legend and memory, linked to my family
through history and lore.


Thursday, May 12, 2005

 

Scapegoat Wilderness

Scapegoat Wilderness

Fir trees frame an early spring view of the Scapegoat Wilderness as
seen from Flescher Pass on the Continental Divide.


Tuesday, May 10, 2005

 

Where are the cows?

Where are the cows?

Cowpuncher, cowgirl, cowdog searching for a lost calf in the gully


 

Branding Day


Branding Day, originally uploaded by Bitterroot.

Sliding in the mud amidst a sea of cows on branding day ~ MCG Ranch


Monday, May 09, 2005

 

Moon over Bitterroot Mountains


Moon over Bitterroot Mountains, originally uploaded by Bitterroot.

The waning moon ushers in a chill morning as the sky begins to lighten over Blue Mountain west of Missoula.


Wednesday, May 04, 2005

 

Alpine fir at dusk


Alpine fir at dusk
Originally uploaded by Bitterroot.
The sky deepens behind the forest as dusk falls in the Swan Valley.

Monday, May 02, 2005

 

A stark silhouette


Flathead Valley, Montana
Originally uploaded by Bitterroot.
Two elk outlined against a stark sky at the National Bison Range in the Flathead Valley.

 

Bitterroots


Bitterroots
Originally uploaded by Bitterroot.
A fragile glowing treasure in the rocky soil: the Montana bitterroot. It's a thrill to discover bitterroots in the springtime. I used to find them on the hillsides when as a child I walked to school in the morning .

 

Cowpuncher at the ready


Cowpuncher at the ready
Originally uploaded by Bitterroot.
Standing by to assist...cowpuncher with rope on branding day at the Moose Can Gully Ranch.

 

Cowpuncher and pal


Cowpuncher and pal
Originally uploaded by Bitterroot.
Nose to nose on branding day, Moose Can Gully Ranch

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