Today I have no real pictures... First there was Linda's eye dr. appointment. The we went into Bozeman to do errands. We had lunch at a place called the Cat's Eye Cafe. I had the most yummy banana bread french toast. We then walked a few blocks through downtown Bozeman, which is a pretty little place, and went to the Gift Corral where I bought many Montana items for nostalgia and gift-giving...
Then more errands... the bookstore so I could have an iced latte and Linda could take yet another business call... the airport, so I could see the big bear statue and get a special Bozeman penny... the supermarket for groceries... and then a stop at the Missouri head waters before coming back home for a relaxing evening together.
Tomorrow I head off to Glacier Park... my vacation has been extended by a week!!! At some point I'll end up in Portland, Or. Then who knows... the world is my oyster...
Thursday, September 18, 2008
Yellowstone Yonder!
Today Linda and Wood took me to Yellowstone! This was a big day trip. It takes roughly 2 hours just to get to West Yellowstone. We drove to Ennis the way I should have come on Sunday (instead of forking off the wrong way on Rt. 287). We made a quick stop at a small homestead that is preserved as a small park. It reiterated for me that living out here in the 1800's would not have been my thing -- not in the 1900's either, for that matter. Big skies aside, when I say I would love a house of my own I don't mean something like this:
From Ennis south we were driving over the same road I took coming over from Idaho on Sunday, Rt. 287, which meaders alongside the Madison River. We cut over to West Yellowstone. I got to see the damage caused by the 1959 earthquake, which killed about 60 people. Hard to believe after all this time there has been little correction by mother earth. At this point we were still riding alongside Madison river, which is rushing along very quickly right now because the damn at Hebgen Lake was damaged and water was pouring through. When we saw the lake, Wood noted that the water line appeared to have dropped by about 6 feet. In a lake the size of Hadmer, that is a LOT of water.
West Yellowstone was a small, but big, tourist town. We didn't stop, just continued on into the park... Yellowstone, here I am!
We hadn't been in the park long before Wood spotted our first Bison! I was excited. Okay, I was more than excited... I was in awe. Most of you probably know the warm spot I have for our Golden Gate Bison. So, I'm sure it is easy for you to imagine how I reacted when I got to see Bison in the wild. Just over there in the trees. I could barely contain myself. Then, as we drove further down the road, MORE BISON! One sitting right by the side of the road, for heaven's sake!!!! Look at him... he was, like, just outside the door of the truck!
I could have watched him for hours. But I would have stayed in the truck... I'm no dummy... distance between me and the Bison... good... me being flung through the air by agitated Bison... bad.
I also so Elk... lots of them...
And a coyote off in a field...
And for pity's sake, I saw a freakin' MOUNTAIN GOAT up on a rocky mountain side!!!!!!! A beautiful, big, fluffy white mountain goat just chomping away on the side of the mountain!!!!
Given how excited this spattering of wild life made me, I'm not sure I'd be able to handle a safari... I'd explode with joy and happiness...
Then there was Old Faithful. I'm not into the whole rock thing and science behind all this volcano hot-springs hydrothermal stuff... so I wasn't sure how much I was going to like the geyser. But, being that I'm in Yellowstone and right there it seems pretty silly not to sit it out. Well worth it... There is something so primal about watching that water burst into the air amid all the steam that's hard to explain. Just imagine all the heat building up under the surface as the time passes until finally it just goes up like that... I mean, look at these pics...
(Make sure to ask Linda what she though of Old Faithful on this visit -- I'm sure she'll try to avoid mentioning that she was on the phone with some lame work-related conference call the whole time!!!! Poor Linda.)
After Old Faithful we headed north through the park up to the Madison Hot Springs. It was on this leg of the drive we saw the coyote and mountain goat. We also stopped so KoKo could take a walk and I got this beautiful shot... the only thing that would have made this picture more perfect would have been if there was a moose in it... but I did get to see another Bison here... and he was all cute and chill in a copse of trees across the creek. I'll be happy with what I get!
And wow to Yellowstone. This is a beautiful park... even though a large portion of the park had burned about 20 years ago, it's still an amazingly gorgeous piece of nature... just look at some of these pictures... and they don't even begin to do justice...
By the time we left the part via the North Entrance, we'd had a big day. We drove through Paradise Valley back to I-90. Paradise Valley is big and beautiful. Apparently it is an area much sought after by movie stars. The word is that Russell Crowe has a house there and plays with his band at a local bar. I can understand why they'd floak here... look how pretty...
We ended the night with pizza and beer before finally getting back to Three Forks. A long and rewarding day, topped off by some star gazing from Linda's front porch. The big dipper never looked so big before... even when up in Tahoe...
From Ennis south we were driving over the same road I took coming over from Idaho on Sunday, Rt. 287, which meaders alongside the Madison River. We cut over to West Yellowstone. I got to see the damage caused by the 1959 earthquake, which killed about 60 people. Hard to believe after all this time there has been little correction by mother earth. At this point we were still riding alongside Madison river, which is rushing along very quickly right now because the damn at Hebgen Lake was damaged and water was pouring through. When we saw the lake, Wood noted that the water line appeared to have dropped by about 6 feet. In a lake the size of Hadmer, that is a LOT of water.
West Yellowstone was a small, but big, tourist town. We didn't stop, just continued on into the park... Yellowstone, here I am!
We hadn't been in the park long before Wood spotted our first Bison! I was excited. Okay, I was more than excited... I was in awe. Most of you probably know the warm spot I have for our Golden Gate Bison. So, I'm sure it is easy for you to imagine how I reacted when I got to see Bison in the wild. Just over there in the trees. I could barely contain myself. Then, as we drove further down the road, MORE BISON! One sitting right by the side of the road, for heaven's sake!!!! Look at him... he was, like, just outside the door of the truck!
I could have watched him for hours. But I would have stayed in the truck... I'm no dummy... distance between me and the Bison... good... me being flung through the air by agitated Bison... bad.
I also so Elk... lots of them...
And a coyote off in a field...
And for pity's sake, I saw a freakin' MOUNTAIN GOAT up on a rocky mountain side!!!!!!! A beautiful, big, fluffy white mountain goat just chomping away on the side of the mountain!!!!
Given how excited this spattering of wild life made me, I'm not sure I'd be able to handle a safari... I'd explode with joy and happiness...
Then there was Old Faithful. I'm not into the whole rock thing and science behind all this volcano hot-springs hydrothermal stuff... so I wasn't sure how much I was going to like the geyser. But, being that I'm in Yellowstone and right there it seems pretty silly not to sit it out. Well worth it... There is something so primal about watching that water burst into the air amid all the steam that's hard to explain. Just imagine all the heat building up under the surface as the time passes until finally it just goes up like that... I mean, look at these pics...
(Make sure to ask Linda what she though of Old Faithful on this visit -- I'm sure she'll try to avoid mentioning that she was on the phone with some lame work-related conference call the whole time!!!! Poor Linda.)
After Old Faithful we headed north through the park up to the Madison Hot Springs. It was on this leg of the drive we saw the coyote and mountain goat. We also stopped so KoKo could take a walk and I got this beautiful shot... the only thing that would have made this picture more perfect would have been if there was a moose in it... but I did get to see another Bison here... and he was all cute and chill in a copse of trees across the creek. I'll be happy with what I get!
And wow to Yellowstone. This is a beautiful park... even though a large portion of the park had burned about 20 years ago, it's still an amazingly gorgeous piece of nature... just look at some of these pictures... and they don't even begin to do justice...
By the time we left the part via the North Entrance, we'd had a big day. We drove through Paradise Valley back to I-90. Paradise Valley is big and beautiful. Apparently it is an area much sought after by movie stars. The word is that Russell Crowe has a house there and plays with his band at a local bar. I can understand why they'd floak here... look how pretty...
We ended the night with pizza and beer before finally getting back to Three Forks. A long and rewarding day, topped off by some star gazing from Linda's front porch. The big dipper never looked so big before... even when up in Tahoe...
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Butte and Helena Today
Gosh, I am really tired... all this wide open space is making me sleepy.
Today has been a long day. Had a great breakfast with Linda and Wood this a.m. Wood made pancakes, side pork (a different kind of bacon), and smoked pork chops. The two pork items were especially great and not something I can imagine getting again unless I come back here for another visit! It was most delicious!
After breakfast, Linda and I headed off to Butte so I could visit the Berkeley Pit. Despite the Pit, the damage the mining industry has had on Butte, and the run-down town that it is in general, the "historic" downtown Butte was quite pretty. It reminded me a lot of Pennsylvania mining towns or some of the towns along the Hudson River. Most of the buildings were brick, the streets were wide, and the town had the overall industrial vibe expected in such a place. Sides of the brick buildings had the painted ads, which were interesting to see.
Views of the historic downtown:
I think this is a view of Broadway Street.
One of the painted ads on the side of a brick building.
At the Butte Chamber of Commerce there was this bear... apparently they had a contest where folks could paint these bear sculptures. This one was quite pretty. I have another picture of his butt... he has a moose on his tush!
The main reason I wanted to go to Butte was to visit the Berkeley Pit. It just seemed something necessary to see while out here. I wouldn't have even known about it if I hadn't read about it in the travel edition of Good Magazine. I'd like to write more about it, but frankly right now I'm too tired, so I may have to revisit this topic in a later post... but here are some pics and general bits of info...
Me at the entrance to the Berkeley Pit viewing platform.
The Berkeley Pit itself...
Some things I learned about the pit while I was there...
After the visit to Butte we heading north through the Deerlodge forest to Helena. One thing worth mentioning: right now there is a beetle, the Pine Beetle -- imported from Europe somehow -- that is killing the pine trees all throughout the Rockies. The only way known to stop them is to burn, burn and burn. Below is a picture of some of the trees in Deerlodge. The reddish brown trees are the ones that are clearly and visibly infected and dieing. Linda says that supposedly in just a few years all the forests throughout the Rockies could be completely devastated by these beetles. A real tragedy.
The final part of the day was a visit to the state capital of Helena, the main goal of which was to visit the Capital building. Pictures below...
View of the back side of the capital building -- now the main entrance due to security concerns. Though there is a sign saying "No Weapons", there is no security machine to go through on the way in...
View from one of the windows in the rotunda, looking out at the front of the capital building.
Steps going up to the upper level of the rotunda. There is a ton of beautiful stain glass in this building. Overall, I was impressed by the beauty of the capital building and the pride and care given to it by the state.
Oh, I should note, over the course of the day I crossed the Continental Divide twice, once on I-90 on the way to Butte, the second on I-15 on the way to Helena.
Ended the day with a fine dinner prepared by Wood: BBQ Pork Ribs. Yum. My lips still feel the spice. We also had scrumptious coleslaw and tasty corn muffins with honey butter. Oh, and we've now gone through 3 of the 4 bottles of wine I bought with me!!!
Today has been a long day. Had a great breakfast with Linda and Wood this a.m. Wood made pancakes, side pork (a different kind of bacon), and smoked pork chops. The two pork items were especially great and not something I can imagine getting again unless I come back here for another visit! It was most delicious!
After breakfast, Linda and I headed off to Butte so I could visit the Berkeley Pit. Despite the Pit, the damage the mining industry has had on Butte, and the run-down town that it is in general, the "historic" downtown Butte was quite pretty. It reminded me a lot of Pennsylvania mining towns or some of the towns along the Hudson River. Most of the buildings were brick, the streets were wide, and the town had the overall industrial vibe expected in such a place. Sides of the brick buildings had the painted ads, which were interesting to see.
Views of the historic downtown:
I think this is a view of Broadway Street.
One of the painted ads on the side of a brick building.
At the Butte Chamber of Commerce there was this bear... apparently they had a contest where folks could paint these bear sculptures. This one was quite pretty. I have another picture of his butt... he has a moose on his tush!
The main reason I wanted to go to Butte was to visit the Berkeley Pit. It just seemed something necessary to see while out here. I wouldn't have even known about it if I hadn't read about it in the travel edition of Good Magazine. I'd like to write more about it, but frankly right now I'm too tired, so I may have to revisit this topic in a later post... but here are some pics and general bits of info...
Me at the entrance to the Berkeley Pit viewing platform.
The Berkeley Pit itself...
Some things I learned about the pit while I was there...
- The Pit is about 900 feet deep and, if the water is not being cleaned, it will increase by about 12 feet a year.
- The current level of the Pit is at about 5240 feet. If it reaches 5410 feet, it will pollute the ground water.
- Contents of the Pit include cadmium, arsenic, and all other sorts of nastiness, some naturally coming from minerals some added as part of the mining process.
- The top layer of the Pit has Iron 3, F3. It is what makes the Pit the sickly brown color.
- The lower level is Iron 2, F2, and is clear (but still nasty).
- Scientists have found living organisms in the water, like algae and bacteria. Also, supposedly some sort of bug is digging the water as well.
- Water is currently being pulled from the Pit, cleaned, and then the clean water re-routed for irrigation and other mining uses, while the sludge is put back into the Pit.
After the visit to Butte we heading north through the Deerlodge forest to Helena. One thing worth mentioning: right now there is a beetle, the Pine Beetle -- imported from Europe somehow -- that is killing the pine trees all throughout the Rockies. The only way known to stop them is to burn, burn and burn. Below is a picture of some of the trees in Deerlodge. The reddish brown trees are the ones that are clearly and visibly infected and dieing. Linda says that supposedly in just a few years all the forests throughout the Rockies could be completely devastated by these beetles. A real tragedy.
The final part of the day was a visit to the state capital of Helena, the main goal of which was to visit the Capital building. Pictures below...
View of the back side of the capital building -- now the main entrance due to security concerns. Though there is a sign saying "No Weapons", there is no security machine to go through on the way in...
View from one of the windows in the rotunda, looking out at the front of the capital building.
Steps going up to the upper level of the rotunda. There is a ton of beautiful stain glass in this building. Overall, I was impressed by the beauty of the capital building and the pride and care given to it by the state.
Oh, I should note, over the course of the day I crossed the Continental Divide twice, once on I-90 on the way to Butte, the second on I-15 on the way to Helena.
Ended the day with a fine dinner prepared by Wood: BBQ Pork Ribs. Yum. My lips still feel the spice. We also had scrumptious coleslaw and tasty corn muffins with honey butter. Oh, and we've now gone through 3 of the 4 bottles of wine I bought with me!!!
Monday, September 15, 2008
Gates of the Mountains
Today was a great day... I woke up around 8:30 a.m. (that's 7:30 pacific time) and had a relaxing breakfast with Linda and Wood before getting ready for the day. Our itinerary: take Wood's boat out into the Gates of the Mountains. My geography is rusty, so Wood has been refreshing it for me. The Missouri River starts here in Three Forks, Mt., when the Madison, Jefferson and Gattlin rivers come together to form the Missouri head waters [ not sure I'm getting the lingo right -- will have to have Linda edit for me later :-) ]. The Missouri then travels north before it turns east and then ultimately south to the Mississippi.
We drove from Three Forks up to Helena (were Linda took her conference call) and then continued north to the small lake, Holter Lake, that sits at the entrance to the Gates of the Mountains. The lake is feed by the Missouri River. The Gates are essentially mountainous, rock formations that, when viewed at a distance, hide the actual entrance -- or rather the continuation of the Missouri. It sorta reminded me of the Two Kings from Lord of the Rings, after the Nine leave the Elvin forest, only without the massive sculptures :-)
Anyway, here are some pictures...
This is the entrance to the Gates of the Mountains. Pretty darn lovely.
This is a view as we boat along the Missouri after passing through the Gates.
What is Linda doing with that net? Is she, perhaps, getting ready to scoop up a nice big trout out of the river so we can have a nice BBQ? No, sadly, the net she is wielding with such determination will be used shortly to rescue my hat...
Lewis and Clarke traversed the Gates (I think they may have dubbed it so, as well). Lewis wrote of this portion of the Missouri River that "the river appears to have forced its way through this immense body of solid rock". These cliffs give you a good idea of what he was talking about.
We don't really know who this guy is... though his name is Jim Dolan and he clearly loved his dog... to Jim's right is Coco, Linda and Wood's most adorable pup who is keep me from missing my kitties a tad too much! Anyway, in the distance behind Jim is the lake and the Gates of the Mountains. What I like about this picture is the way the sun hits the Gates...
After our boating trip we had lunch in Helena before heading back to Three Forks. We spent the rest of the evening relaxing on the porch and having another dinner that couldn't be beat -- cooked by Linda AGAIN!!!
And this is for my dad... railroad trestle bridge over the Missouri River just a ways from Three Forks.
I will now sign off and head to bed! Tomorrow Linda and I are off to Butte to see the Berkely Pit. Because, afterall, why come all the way to Montana, the land of the great outdoors, and NOT visit an environmental man-made disaster?
We drove from Three Forks up to Helena (were Linda took her conference call) and then continued north to the small lake, Holter Lake, that sits at the entrance to the Gates of the Mountains. The lake is feed by the Missouri River. The Gates are essentially mountainous, rock formations that, when viewed at a distance, hide the actual entrance -- or rather the continuation of the Missouri. It sorta reminded me of the Two Kings from Lord of the Rings, after the Nine leave the Elvin forest, only without the massive sculptures :-)
Anyway, here are some pictures...
This is the entrance to the Gates of the Mountains. Pretty darn lovely.
This is a view as we boat along the Missouri after passing through the Gates.
What is Linda doing with that net? Is she, perhaps, getting ready to scoop up a nice big trout out of the river so we can have a nice BBQ? No, sadly, the net she is wielding with such determination will be used shortly to rescue my hat...
Lewis and Clarke traversed the Gates (I think they may have dubbed it so, as well). Lewis wrote of this portion of the Missouri River that "the river appears to have forced its way through this immense body of solid rock". These cliffs give you a good idea of what he was talking about.
We don't really know who this guy is... though his name is Jim Dolan and he clearly loved his dog... to Jim's right is Coco, Linda and Wood's most adorable pup who is keep me from missing my kitties a tad too much! Anyway, in the distance behind Jim is the lake and the Gates of the Mountains. What I like about this picture is the way the sun hits the Gates...
After our boating trip we had lunch in Helena before heading back to Three Forks. We spent the rest of the evening relaxing on the porch and having another dinner that couldn't be beat -- cooked by Linda AGAIN!!!
And this is for my dad... railroad trestle bridge over the Missouri River just a ways from Three Forks.
I will now sign off and head to bed! Tomorrow Linda and I are off to Butte to see the Berkely Pit. Because, afterall, why come all the way to Montana, the land of the great outdoors, and NOT visit an environmental man-made disaster?
Linda working
So here we are at the Walmart super center in Helena, Mt. Why are we here? you ask. Well, because our Linda has to take a conference call! Dang work! There is no escape. So, to ensure a signal we're hanging out in the parking lot while she takes the call. Not sure if you can see her there in the pic off to the left.
Sunday, September 14, 2008
Made it to Three Forks, Mt.
Well, I finally made it to my destination! I'll have to post the total miles tomorrow because I forgot to check! But here's my little Honda Civic parked in its little spot in front of Linda's place. She looks a little tired, but she did a great job!
I started out this morning from Twin Falls, Id, at around 10:00 a.m. Below is a shot from just under the bridge that crosses over the Snake River as you leave the city. It's a beautiful gorge and while I was walking around and taking pictures, there were some folks parachuting from the bridge.
Hmmm... for some reason I can't seem to upload any of my Snake River pictures... will have to figure that out later...
Driving through eastern Idaho was kinda boring. It reminded me of driving through the Central Valley. But occasionally I saw a nice bit of green, or some big field of corn.
It got better when I got north of Ashton because that's when I entered the Targhee National Forest. Lots of trees there!
But finally I hit Montana!!!!
Boy was I happy to see that sign!
The scenery in Montana put Eastern Idaho to shame, let me tell you. Beautiful hills and mountains, rolling wide-open fields, rivers, etc. And long stretches with nothing in sight!
Then I thought I was almost there... I was heading north on Rt. 287 and having a nice relaxing time enjoying the scenery and thinking that this is some serious wide-open space! Then I took the wrong turn at Ennis and ended up going quite a bit out of my way... namely through Virginia City and Nevada City and then all the way around and up and to Whitehall and then east again on I-90... sigh... But it did have a nice side affect. First, I got to get a nice view of the Madison Valley as I climbed up Rt. 287.
Plus, even though I didn't stop, Virginia City and Nevada City were pretty darn cute!
When I finally got to Linda's place, I turned on to her street and was greeted with this important service announcement:
But I didn't let it stop me. I arrived happily, driving right up to the front porch where Linda was waiting for me! I had a super nice evening talking with her and Wood, we had a great dinner (Kim, Bill, Linda cooked!!! Linguine and Clams, salad, garlic bread, tomatoes sauteed in olive oil and mint. Sigh. It was great.)
This is the view from their porch!
The moon just got brighter the darker it got until it was very near blinding to look at.
I'm off to get ready for bed now! Tomorrow we are of to Holbert (?) Lake for a bit of boating.
I started out this morning from Twin Falls, Id, at around 10:00 a.m. Below is a shot from just under the bridge that crosses over the Snake River as you leave the city. It's a beautiful gorge and while I was walking around and taking pictures, there were some folks parachuting from the bridge.
Hmmm... for some reason I can't seem to upload any of my Snake River pictures... will have to figure that out later...
Driving through eastern Idaho was kinda boring. It reminded me of driving through the Central Valley. But occasionally I saw a nice bit of green, or some big field of corn.
It got better when I got north of Ashton because that's when I entered the Targhee National Forest. Lots of trees there!
But finally I hit Montana!!!!
Boy was I happy to see that sign!
The scenery in Montana put Eastern Idaho to shame, let me tell you. Beautiful hills and mountains, rolling wide-open fields, rivers, etc. And long stretches with nothing in sight!
Then I thought I was almost there... I was heading north on Rt. 287 and having a nice relaxing time enjoying the scenery and thinking that this is some serious wide-open space! Then I took the wrong turn at Ennis and ended up going quite a bit out of my way... namely through Virginia City and Nevada City and then all the way around and up and to Whitehall and then east again on I-90... sigh... But it did have a nice side affect. First, I got to get a nice view of the Madison Valley as I climbed up Rt. 287.
Plus, even though I didn't stop, Virginia City and Nevada City were pretty darn cute!
When I finally got to Linda's place, I turned on to her street and was greeted with this important service announcement:
But I didn't let it stop me. I arrived happily, driving right up to the front porch where Linda was waiting for me! I had a super nice evening talking with her and Wood, we had a great dinner (Kim, Bill, Linda cooked!!! Linguine and Clams, salad, garlic bread, tomatoes sauteed in olive oil and mint. Sigh. It was great.)
This is the view from their porch!
The moon just got brighter the darker it got until it was very near blinding to look at.
I'm off to get ready for bed now! Tomorrow we are of to Holbert (?) Lake for a bit of boating.
Almost to Montana
I've just made a pit stop at Henry's Lake State Park. It is so quiet out here. Just after Ashton, Idaho the scenery changed for the better. It's so beautiful. Trees, rivers. So calm and majestic.
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