Bass Creek – Quiet Walk Photography

July 23, 2023April 23, 2026

Hardtimes Bluegrass Festival – July 2023

Hardtimes Bluegrass Festival – July 2023

Bitterroot Valley Setting for Hardtimes Bluegrass Festival

Thursday July 20, 2023

Clifford and I have been camped at the Charles Waters Campground in the Bass Creek Recreation Area in the Bitterroot Valley, about halfway between Florence and Stevensville, Montana. Today is moving day and we are headed to the Hardtimes Bluegrass Festival south of Hamilton, Montana. After breakfast and dishes, we finish packing and leave Bass Creek by 10:00 a.m. We meet my sister Nancy at Stevensville and caravan to the venue.

Although many people with their campers, vans, and tents are already here, we find a spot that is fairly level and Nancy parks beside us in the shade of a big pine tree. She has fixed up the back of her pickup with a cot and beds for her two dog, Ellie and Harvey. We have lunch of cold chicken and potato salad before Nancy and I walk about with the dogs. None of the bands are playing today, but Clifford with his dulcimer, Nancy on mandolin, and I with my old fiddle play music at our campsite awhile before dinner at our RV.

We Find a Spot at Hardtimes – Cougar and Nancy’s Truck

Friday July 21

I am up early, as is Nancy with her dogs. I make coffee for the two of us, and then fruit, yogurt, and granola for a light breakfast. Nancy and I walk the dogs, which is easier than keeping them relaxed in these new surroundings. A big motorhome arrives and parks next to us, and its generator runs continuously, even though this is a non-generator section for parking. Kind of gets on all our nerves and we can’t even hear ourselves well enough to play music. Oh well, we are all here to enjoy the bands, so there is no point in letting it spoil the enjoyment of being here.

The onstage music starts in the late afternoon and we head over to the sitting area to find shade to set up our lawn chairs with a view of the bands onstage. The bands are all very good. I especially enjoy Lockwood as their fiddle player, Taylor Buckley, is SO GOOD! It is late by time the last band of the day finishes and we all head back to our rigs to go to bed.

Saturday July 22

Today is a full day of bands on stage. It is a better day for Nancy and the dogs, as Ellie is happy to just lie in the little creek that runs through the sitting area and Harley relaxes as he cuddles up on her lap. It is a hot day, and cold salted water is a beverage of choice. Clifford bought me a cute skirt and I bought myself a cool mug, not that I need more mugs, but I liked everything about it. As I chatted with the guy who sells them, it turns out he is from Great Falls, Montana, and he was probably in the Great Falls orchestra the same time I was, back in the 1980’s.

Double Bass Waits Its Turn to Go Onstage

I walk around taking photos, as it is hard for me to sit still for so long and I can enjoy the bands even when I am moseying around. I skip the last band as I am so sleepy I can’t stay awake.

Sunday July 23

Today is the wrap-up for the Hardtimes Bluegrass Festival. I make coffee for Nancy and myself before we head on over to the sitting area. There are fewer bands today, but the raffle is always fun. After the last band, I stick around to help with take down. Nancy has to head home so she and her dogs can get back to their normal routine, and Clifford is at our site playing and singing.

Clifford Plays and Sings in Cougar’s Shade

I walk about to pick up any remaining trash, but there isn’t much. People here were good about picking after themselves.

I like to help out, as we are staying here until tomorrow. It is just too late to pack up and make the drive to our next destination – Quartzflat Campground near Superior. It has been a hot few days – upper 90’s, but there is a pretty sunset this evening and we appreciate ending this adventure with spending a peaceful night here after the lively hubbub of the weekend. Many thanks to Mike and Tari Conroy, the Hardtimes organizers, and the many others who help make this such a wonderful festival.

Colorful Sunset at Close of Hardtimes Bluegrass Festival

July 20, 2023April 21, 2026

Bass Creek National Recreation Area, Montana – July 2023

Wednesday July 5, 2023

We make the decision to leave Divide Bridge Campground today because of the mosquitoes. Clifford is very sensitive to insect bites, so it is not fun for him to be outside and I am looking forward to seeing family in the Missoula area. Leaving today wasn’t the plan, so I didn’t pack anything last night, but we are getting to be quite efficient with packing and are on our way by 10:00. That is when Clifford discovers that the squishy brakes he felt yesterday are due to having no brake fluid! This is not good, but luckily the RV electric brakes still work, so with great caution, we leave the campground and head to the Pilot west of Butte to buy brake fluid. Adding brake fluid seems to take care of the problem, as we drive around the parking lot testing the brakes. After getting gas, we are on our way again.

In retrospect, we think the brake line was disconnected when the repair shop in Ely replaced the bearing and when they hooked it back up, they neglected to refill the reservoir. Very dangerous for us!

It is a scenic drive to our next destination, and enjoyable except for oscillation east of Missoula. That is scary and we don’t know what caused it.

We arrive at the Charles Waters Campground in the Bass Creek National Recreation Area in the late afternoon, after a week of driving, only 750 miles, but it felt like a lot longer! The campground is quite full, but we find a site that we like.

Over the years this has been one of or favorite campgrounds. We left our last winter campground in Nevada a week ago, so it is with relief that we will stay put and relax for a few days.

My sister Nancy lives not far away, so she comes for music – she, Clifford, and I play some bluegrass tunes with her on the mandolin, me on fiddle, and Clifford on dulcimer before having nachos for dinner. It is great be to here!

For the next several days, I make a habit of walking the campground loop and visiting the creek in the morning before sitting at the picnic table with a good cup of French press coffee.

The usual activities and projects fill the day: Tai chi, texts to share photos with family and friends, emails, and editing for a couple of authors. I am glad to have cell service to take care of such.

Clifford spends a good amount of time with the ham radio, often adjusting the antenna to fit the location. He also plays dulcimer and sings outside as often as he can.

On Nancy’s day off, she comes out again and we hike the trail along Bass Creek, stopping for photos here and there. It is always fun to hike with a friend, especially a sister friend.

Back at camp, we finish the afternoon with nachos for a late lunch and playing bluegrass music. Nancy had brought her mandolin, I get out my fiddle, and Clifford always has his dulcimer ready to go.

Sometimes Clifford and I go for a walk around the campground or down to the creek, but his feet hurt, so our outings are fairly short. I am always on the lookout for wildflowers

A special treat one day, my daughter Katie and her boys, my grandsons, come to camp to visit. I haven’t seen them for awhile and it is wonderful to see how these boys have grown. They are such well-mannered teenagers and good-looking, too. Katie brought some snacks, so we sit and visit as the boys explore the woods.

Midway through our stay at Bass Creek, I drive the back roads to visit my other daughters near Alberton. My time visiting with these girls (now grown women) goes by quickly and soon it is time to return to Bass Creek. I am very grateful for the time we had together, campfires, morning coffee, an outing to a nice restaurant .

Clifford and I will be leaving Bass Creek soon, heading to Hamilton for the Hardimes Bluegrass Festival, so we take a day to get groceries and visit the laundromat in nearby Stevensville. This errand outing gives me the opportunity to get a couple photos of the lovely Bitterroot River that flows the length of the Bitterroot Valley until it joins the Clark Fork River near Missoula.

Bitterroot River as seen from the Bridge near Stevensville

Thursday July 20 is our last day at Bass Creek, which starts with quiet time at the picnic table, but is followed by a whirlwind of activity to get ready to leave for Hardtimes. We have appreciated our time at this campground surrounded by mountains and trees, with the creek nearby. It was great visiting with my daughters, and fun having time with Nancy for short hikes and playing music. Clifford and I have enjoyed our days here, but it is time to move onto our next adventure.

October 8, 2021October 24, 2022

Sculpture in the Wild – October 2021

Clifford and I have enjoyed the past couple of months camped in western Montana and we will soon be making preparations for the journey to Arizona for the winter. But first, I have a couple more get togethers with family on my horizon.

An autumn sunrise in the Bitterroot Valley

The first visit is with my lovely daughter-in-law Tammy and two of her and my son Tye’s kids, Luke and Mariah. They have traveled from their home in Belgrade, Montana (near Bozeman) to see us. After breakfast together at a cafe near their motel, we go to Bass Creek, a short drive from where Clifford and I are parked at my sister Nancy’s place. A pleasant hike up the Bass Creek Trail is followed by a picnic.

Tammy, Luke, Mariah, and Carol on the trail

Tammy, Luke, and Mariah on Bass Creek Trail

It is quite interesting talking to these grandkids whom I have not seen for several years. They are smart and interesting and we have a good visit while enjoying the yummy food that Tammy brought. The next day, they make the return trip to Belgrade. It was great seeing them and I appreciate the time and effort they made to come.

A couple days later, after getting new tires on my Forester, I take the Graves Creek route over the mountain to visit Ang. It is the first time I’ve driven in a year, so it feels like quite an accomplishment!

That evening, daughters Becka, who is visiting from Hawaii, and Katie, who lives in Wallace, Idaho, arrive. Steaks are cooked on the grill over a campfire. It is great fun to see three of my four daughters all gathered around the campfire.

In the morning, the girls all come for coffee in Terry (the old RV where I stay when visiting Ang) before we head over the Swan Range and Roger’s Pass to Great Falls, as Becka needs to retrieve her “truck,” which was left there when she moved to Hawaii.

On the way, an interesting sight-seeing stop near Lincoln is a place called Sculpture in the Wild. Large somewhat odd sculptures made out of natural wood products, logs, willows, bound newspapers and so on are found scattered through the forest along a walking trail. This 26-acre sculpture garden is a vision of Rick Dunkerly, a knifemaker/ logger from Lincoln, Montana and Irish silversmith Kevin O’Dwyer. This sculpture garden features sculptors from many countries and reflects the nature of the Montana landscape and economy near Lincoln.

Reading the history of Sculptures in the Wild

Tree trunks become giant legs inscribed with a language I cannot read

After admiring the sculptures and reading the kiosks along the trail, we head on to Sun River to see my son Matt and his two kids, Orion and Aurora. These grandkids are so grownup now!

Becka has rented an air B&B for us in Great Falls, a cute little house in the old residential section of Great Falls. After we settle in a bit, we all go to dinner in Black Eagle, a part of Great Falls that considers itself separate from Great Falls proper. At dinner, as I look at this gathering, I realize that they are all blood-related to me except for Matt’s ex who is still very much part of the family.

August 31, 2021August 23, 2022

Bass Creek to Carlton Creek – August 2021

Bass Creek

Two weeks of camping at the Charles Waters Campground, tucked into the foot of the Bitterroot Range, south of Missoula, Montana, is a delight to me. We are surrounded by mountains and trees, and Bass Creek is nearby. My idea of a great camping place, for sure, and Clifford likes it here, also.

Walks at sunrise are a favorite activity for me, especially on the morning when mist hangs low in the nearby drainage. I also find delight in taking my journal and a cup of delicious organic French Press coffee out to the edge of the meadow to sit with the beauty and the silence before other campers begin their noisy day.

One of our first days here, my daughter Ang, quite the handyman, comes with supplies and tools to fix the damage to the underside of the RV caused by the tire blow-out when we were still back in Idaho on our way here. The steel belts of a blown tire cut deeply into the underside of an RV, as anyone who has experienced such an unfortunate event knows. We are glad for her skill and promptness in repairing this for us! Another day, Ang and another daughter, Merri, come for a picnic lunch. It is great to see them after such a long time, since covid prevented travel to Montana in 2020.

Daughters Ang and Merri come for a picnic

My sister Nancy comes several times and we hike Bass Creek Trail, a great hiking trail that somewhat parallels the creek tumbling down the drainage.

There are subtle signs of autumn as August and our two-week camping limit come to a close.

Fortunately, Nancy has a big back yard, once a horse pasture, but now a great big lawn area surrounded by trees, where we will be setting up for awhile. I will miss the creek, but Nancy’s place will be pleasant for us.