SUNSET AT WEST YELLOWSTONE
After securing my tent for the predicted hail storms I headed to photograph the sunset. This is a meadow not far from my campsite…
As I drove into West Yellowstone there were beautiful fields full of wild flowers so I headed back to photograph them when the light would be more interesting….my filter accidentally went through the washing machine so there are lots of pretty light distortions…NOT ORBS!
The Madison River
back at my campsite….
FIRST SNOW IN MONTANA II
I don’t even have proper boots I went in my hiking boots which only go above the ankle and have mesh on top!! My feet and pants were soaked but I was never cold until I got back to the car. They say cold is a state of mind….most of the time I hate the cold but I guess the dry air in Montana makes it seem warmer….the rainy cold in Oregon bothers me more. If I move back to Oregon it will probably be around Bend.
MOVING TO MONTANA
Sorry folks about going so long without posting. This is an old one from when I visited Montana two years ago. Now I am moving there!! I’m excited but in my head I imagined going there in the late spring playing all summer and then slowly getting ready for winter. Nooooo! I have to start my job on February 7th! I didn’t even own a sweater a few weeks ago!! Now I have several sweaters boots that keep my feet warm to -30 (Not sure if I quite believe THAT I have a sleeping bag that goes down to zero but they neglected to tell me the part about being in a 70 degree house under a pile of buffalo robes then it keeps you warm!) Anyway my long down coat arrived today. Beautiful with coyote trim on the hood (sorry PETA) At least I’ll be wearing it in Montana and not L.A….The experts say that real fur around a hood protects the face much better than faux fur. Thank you coyote!!
I wish I were all packed and ready to go but that is not the case. Luckily I still have a few weeks. I wish I were so organized I could live out of a backpack but as it is I have sent multitudes of boxes which should arrive in Montana by the end of the week. Most of them were art related. Several trips to the Goodwill and other area donation drop-offs. How do I accumulate so much? I even got rid of most of my books and scanned my photos. I am embracing the digital technology that is such a space saver.
I tried to send a box of acrylic paints but apparently that is included in the ridiculous Homeland Security nonsense. I don’t know how Dick Blick managed to send me all of my paint in the first place!
Tired from a long day of cleaning I even cleaned behind the refridgerator…
sorry OREGON DUCKS for your loss.
It was so beautiful that I had to go hiking! There is a Continental Divide Trail up in the mountains above Butte. The bears have not gone to sleep yet so my friend took me to a sporting goods store where for 35 dollars I purchased a big bottle of bear spray….when I got back to Oregon I showed it to my brother who said it doesn’t really work and bears run 40 miles an hour…..yada yada yada….try to ruin my mental safety comfort. Evil I tell you! Anyway I enjoyed myself more because of the bear spray…I would have worried in the back of my mind.Furthermore in the snow the amount of animal tracks was incredible!!
I was surrounded by beauty and did a lot of talking to God! Even got a few answers!!
FALL IN MEDFORD
Still some flowers blooming!
Main St. passing under I-5…
Bear Creek running along I-5…
Old Town Medford
painted murals on a building for lease…
The chess player has been gifted with a rose…
church doors…
BLOOMING MAGNOLIA
I confess I know nothing about trees but I don’t think I have ever seen a Magnolia tree bloom at this time of year…but maybe its the type!
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I slept quite well in spite of the rain. When I woke up I decided to forgo making coffee and jumped in my car but not before I took this photo of the mist rising from the lake at Rainbow Point Campground.
Took off for the park stopping only to take this photo,fill my tank and get an extra large coffee!!
Finally in the park I stop at the first photo opportunity. I know that the mist won’t last much longer and I don’t want to miss the opportunity driving to a prettier spot.
This ended up being the perfect place and all of the cars entering the park had more glamorous destinations…I didn’t have to share the trail with a single person!
Once again this is the Madison River….
A great way to start my day and enjoy my first cup of coffee of the day!
This whole area had been destroyed by a forest fire….these are the little baby trees…more like toddlers now!
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Back on the Storm Point Trail to my car…it takes me through a different part of the forest which I find enchanting probably due to the lack of undergrowth the lines of the trees become a pattern
And as soon as I leave the woods I run into this beautiful creature…I have no car to jump into so I stay put and use the zoom. He is keeping his eye on me and looks so peaceful that I have to resist the urge to walk over and sit beside him! I stick to the trail and move along…out of harms way…
Heading back towards Indian Pond….
Pelican Trail is only a quarter mile from Storm Point Trail so I decide to hit that too…
Unfortunately the boardwalk is damaged….and the ground is very wet…maybe next time!
its getting late and I think about heading back towards West Yellowstone…knowing I won’t be able to resist making several stops on my way back…
more to come!
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More photos of Storm Point Trail….the clouds are so cool they remind me of a fire! I wish I had my tripod!!!
LITTLE BALD HILLS TRAIL 2
Oops I forgot to put this post up….I started these before I left and didn’t have time to queue them up before I left.
Cougar scat? All hair…To think that is all that is left of the squirrel or bunny that was eaten. Never mind my own fondness of jerky…
Charcoal in a burned trunk from a lightening strike…a common site in the Redwoods since the trees are so old and have weathered many a storm.
still heading up hill…I was actually in much better shape than I thought I was. I really didn’t need a rest on the way up sometimes I use taking pictures as an excuse to rest! But not this day…although I did stop quite a bit….most was just for the five second shot…
This is the canopy above…
and this is what it looks like with my zoom!
Pretty sure that this is a cougar track since I didn’t see any other scat on the trail…of course I forgot my tape measure…
Still braved the trail…more to come..
MONTANA REDUX….Homestake Pass
This is the first half of a lovely hike I had on top of Homestake Pass which is on top of the Rocky Mountains on the edge of the Continental Divide I was telling my brother that I didn’t get as much hiking in as I thought I would…and how tired I was…apparently it was because of the change in elevation. Medford is at 1,382 Whitehall where I was mostly staying is at 4,351 and Homestake pass is 6,329. I thought I was just being a pussy…which I sort of am….but pretend not to be!!
The sun was early in the sky and lit up the flowers…
there are lots of trails for atv users…..ponds and trails for hiking….
MONTANA REDUX…Madison Buffalo Jump
This place was so awesome!! It is where the Indians used to run the buffalo off of the cliff. I took the trail that went up the back side….I was their early and was the first person to show up….had the place to myself until I was halfway down. Most people just go to the kiosk and don’t bother with the hike. It was a great way to start the morning. Enjoy!!
AMAZING TREE ON LITTLE BALD HILLS TRAIL
The photos still don’t do this tree any justice…it is not only the biggest tree in its surroundings but the branches are HUGE…many have broken off and are bigger than the surrounding trees. Its a big jumbled chaotic beauty with the branches jutting out at all angles. I’m not just a tree hugger but a tree kisser!!
LITTLE BALD HILLS TRAIL
Guessing this is another consequence of spending most tax dollars on war , loaning out money at near zero % to companies who declare socialism is evil except when it applies to them…anyway the road to Stout Grove the “crown jewel” of the Redwoods was closed due to bad road conditions….
There was scant parking and people had a difficult time turning around on this little one lane dirt road. Since I have been visiting the Redwoods (last five years) each year I see how trails are let go..not fixed in a timely fashion or not fixed at all if it is not a popular trail.
I’m wasn’t headed for Stout Grove but this trail I have never been on.
Little Bald Hills climbs up and up and transitions from Redwoods to Jeffrey Pines. A guide says there are 22 native grasses, more than 100 flowering species, 5 manzanitas. This is the only trail in the Redwoods that allows bikes and horses.
You can be sure that by the time I turned around a bit after the wilderness camp I wished I had a horse to ride back down!!
truly I never get tired of hiking in the Redwoods….and depending on the time of day where the sun is shining its a different experience and different opportunities to take photographs.
Along most trails in the Redwoods are these wood benches with dedication plaques for those people who helped save the Redwoods. It was quite an effort as you can imagine most of the Redwoods were already cut down by logging. I can’t imagine the disconnect of putting a chainsaw to one of these beautiful, majestic trees….Like cutting off one of GOD’S fingers…and never a thought about it.
more to come….
ANOTHER WALK IN THE PARK
in Medford…always trying to capture the magic of sunlight shining through leaves..
I have no idea what kind of tree this is but it certainly made me laugh to see those ….pompoms emerging from the leaves….One thing about Oregon is the sheer numbers of different kinds of trees people use in landscaping as well as those that just grow wild.
These red leaves missed the mark….I can never capture how vibrant and lit up they are!
TULIP TREE
I saw this tree when I was out running around town…I had seen them advertised in gardening magazines but have never seen one up close….quite excited over all of the “tulips”!
Turns out it’s the state tree of Indiana.
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