Montana – Quiet Walk Photography

September 23, 2022December 17, 2024

As Autumn in Montana Approaches – September 2022

Wildfire Smoke at Sunrise in the Bitterroot Valley of Montana

September starts with a family reunion hosted by my sister Nancy and her husband Dick, a memorial to our Uncle Ted. Our Aunt Doris is there, as are nephews, nieces, and their families. It is really enjoyable for me to see my aunt as well as numerous cousins.

A few days later I head over the mountain to visit my daughter Ang for her birthday and to continue fixing up my RV to make it more homey. It’s starting to look like a sweet cozy home.

When Nancy and I went to Wallace at the end of August to visit my daughter Katie, the sky was a beautiful blue, but wildfire smoke moved in right after that and it is now exceedingly smoky from wildfires near Salmon, Idaho, Flathead Lake in Montana, and Oregon. Looking at photos taken on morning walks, it is hard to discern whether it’s mist or smoke, and unfortunately, it is smoke.

Some mornings I don’t seem to have much energy – maybe the colder temperatures, maybe the smoke, but I have been neglecting my usual morning quiet time sitting outside with inspirational reading and journal.

Happily, a few days later there is a reprieve from the smoke and the sky is once again a beautiful blue. Nancy and I walk to the Bitterroot River where I enjoy taking photos of the reflections on a slow moving side channel.

Reflection on the Bitterroot River Side Channel

Since Clifford and I will be leaving Montana soon, I take a few days to visit Ang, as we still have some editing to do on the last book of her epic fantasy series, Novels of Shannon (now Saga of Sha’ha’non). While I am there, I enjoy having coffee with Ang in the mornings, harvesting herbs, and sitting by a campfire in the evening.

Clifford and I make final trips to Missoula to get the supplies we will need for our journey south for the winter. Day by day we are watching the weather. We have modified our plans to go to Wyoming as it is already too cold there. Instead, we will take a new-for-us route through eastern Nevada. One afternoon before leaving, we take time for a brief outing to the Bitterroot River for photos.

I am grateful for the time I’ve had with my kids and my siblings and their families this summer. They are all dear and special people in my life. It will be several months before I see them again, but I will be wishing them well-being at all times.

June 20, 2022May 30, 2024

Fun With Family – June 2022

In mid June, Clifford and I leave Divide Bridge Campground near Divide, Montana, where we have been camped for several days. We travel north to I 90 and then west to Missoula where highway 93 takes us south through the Bitterroot Valley to my sister Nancy‘s place. Several years ago she and her husband had horses, but the back pasture is now a beautiful big lawn bordered by trees. We are grateful for the safe trip here and this is where we will park for the time being.

After we get set up, Nancy and I walk along the road and I take photos of the wildflowers and the ponds left from rain a week ago. We hear news that the Yellowstone River in southern Montana has flooded and caused much damage, including the closing of Yellowstone Park. That is Flooding!

I am grateful for so many things: Pieces of Perfection, as I call them. A friend of ours comes out with greens and good cheese from the farmers market and then we all go out to my daughter Ang’s place. She cooks tasty pork loin steaks over a campfire and we look at the spot she thinks would work for Mountain Cougar, the used RV that Clifford purchased last fall. The spot needs cleanup and leveling, but it will be a very nice spot when all is said and done. Ang and I stay at the campfire after the others leave, have great leftover meat sandwiches, and I go to bed in Terry, the 30-year-old Terry Resort RV that used to be our RV, so it almost feels like home.

As Ang and I have coffee on her deck in the morning, I admire the raindrop covered blossoms. Such a beautiful time of year in Montana.

I do dishes while she and Rama work on the wind tunnel greenhouse until it is time for Ang and me to leave for Seeley Lake where we are meeting with my daughter Becka, who is visiting from Hawaii. The landscape is lush and very green. The rivers are high, but not flooding.

We find the Airbnb that Becka has rented for us on the edge of the town of Seeley Lake, not far from where my daughter Merri is staying with her husband at a job site.

When we walk down the road to find Merri, a little piece of perfection that the job site is so close to the Airb&b, we discover a city park nearby and despite the rainy weather, the wood pile is dry enough for us to build a bonfire and hang out as we watch a pretty sunset.

Becka, Merri, and friend Miles Enjoy the Bonfire

Although the next day is cool and rainy, my son Matt arrives and we all go to Seeley Lake so Becka and her friends can go boating and those of us on the beach build a little campfire.

Warming Wet Feet at the Bonfire on the Beach

Back at the Airbnb, we visit and play cribbage, snack on all the good food that Becka and her friends brought, and enjoy having time together out of the rain.

Journaling at the Airbnb Out of the Rain

The following morning is sunny for a change and we all go to the lake to enjoy sunshine, boating, and great views of the lake and the mountains.

Bridge Where the Clearwater River Flows into Seeley Lake

After snack time, Ang and I say goodbye to Becka and her friends before we head back over the mountain.

It sure was a fun couple of days having time to spend with several of my kids and I am very grateful for the opportunity. Although Clifford has kept himself busy while I’ve been gone, I am thinking he will be glad to have me back at Cougar.

June 15, 2022May 1, 2024

Divide Bridge, Montana – June 2022

We are pleased to have arrived at Divide Bridge Campground along the Big Hole River in southwest Montana. This is one of our favorite stopping spots as we travel north and south as full-time “snow birds.” We pulled in here yesterday afternoon in time to set up before dark and for me to take photos of the river, the trees, and the rocky outcrop overlooking the campground right at sunset. Soft golden glow added to the peaceful tranquility of this place. Even though the history of this land is not so peaceful with deadly fighting between the Nez Perce Indians and the US soldiers in 1877, at this present time we feel safe and are happy to be here.

Evening Sunlight on the Outcrop Above Divide Bridge Campground

Early Evening Sunlight on the Big Hole River

The day after our arrival is a day to relax, enjoying being in one spot for a few days. The Big Hole River is full and lively, aspens and willows have leafed out, and although it is mostly overcast, it is still pleasant to sit outside with my journal, a cup of French press coffee, the river flowing along right in front of me. I love the smell and sound of the river, the happy bird songs, and the sunlight playing on leaves and water when it peeks through the clouds. I am very happy to be alive and to be right here now.

The Aspens at Divide Bridge Campground Newly leafed Out

French Press Coffee and Journal at the Big Hole River

Clifford enjoys sitting out as much as I do. One of the days here, we finish the second Mountain Man shirt.

The next morning is very cool and overcast but still peaceful.

The river flowing by so close is mesmerizing. I’d like to have my home by a river. Even though it is chilly, (the high was 53), there is enough sun peeking through the rapidly moving cumulus clouds that I am excited to be out walking and taking photos. I meet one of the neighbors walking his dog and walk to the day use area with him. It is nice to have someone to walk and chat with.

Later I walk up the hill to the tree line and get one bar of cell service. I am able to connect with my daughters for texts, which is what I hoped to accomplish. Along the way, I find several varieties of wildflowers and enjoy photographing them despite the wind .

Near one cluster of rocks, I find an old grave with a wooden marker. What a beautiful place to have a remembrance of a life lived in this valley. The rocks on this slope are covered with with lichen more colorful than any I’ve seen anywhere else.

Grave Marker for Dennis O’Boyle – Irish Angel

Brief glimpses of sunlight coax me out on many short outings during the day. Each day I notice the river getting higher and higher. A spot where I found mushrooms nestled in tree roots is totally under water the next day.

Big Hole River Higher and Getting Higher

Our last full day is again chilly and blustery, but I am grateful for the cooler temperatures compared to the heat wave across much of the nation and Europe. I am grateful that Cougar (our RV) is warm, the yerba matte tea is hot, and the view of the river is enchanting.

I finish reading The Tao of Abundance. It is good to read about and understand a much more peaceful and authentic way to live. In my journal I have a quote from Thich Nhat Hanh that supports this understanding of a harmonious way of life.

“Happiness is possible only when you stop running and cherish the present moment and who you are.”

I am grateful for the days we have had camped here at Divide Bridge and I am looking forward to seeing family soon.

October 27, 2021November 26, 2022

Montana to Black Rock – October 2021

Autumn colors in the Bitterroot Valley of western Montana

After the trip to Wallace with my sister Nancy, the next few days are spent reorganizing Suburban and Cougar in preparation for leaving Montana. Clifford and I want to be on our way before the weather turns colder than it has been. The autumn colors are at their best in the nearby woods. Nancy and I walk to the side channel of the Bitterroot River one more time.

Thursday, October 21, Clifford and I finish packing and leave Florence a little after noon. The autumn colors along the Clark Fork River are quite striking as we head east from Missoula toward Butte.

Although we usually stop at the rest area south of Butte on I-15 or at Divide Bridge Campground, this time we push on through to the rest area at Dubois, Idaho, arriving at sunset, 284 miles, a very long day for us.

The next day is windier, so not as easy driving, and we stop at the Devil’s Creek RV park in southern Idaho around 3:00. We set up on the far end of the reservoir rather than in one of the RV sites. I have time to post photos to the RV Bunch on FB, play fiddle, and make dinner before heading to bed. A good productive day despite the hours on the road.

Drizzle and rain in the night and the misty morning provide some photo opportunities for me.

Misty morning at Devil’s Creek Reservoir

We take time to repair the rear view camera and leave Devil’s Creek about 2:00 in the afternoon.

Construction as we approach Salt Lake City slows us down, but we arrive at the Perry, Utah, Walmart about 4:00 and are happy to get a spot along the median with grass and a tree.

The next morning is Sunday, October 24. We always plan our drive through SLC on Sunday so there isn’t as much traffic. We are up early enough to do a bit more shopping and leave by 10:00, but we are disappointed that the rear view camera is still not working despite our working on it. Driving through SLC is taxing enough, but doing it without a camera makes it even worse. As we drive through Salt Lake City, we feel the wind starting to pick up.

By time we get to Beaver, 200 miles to the south on I-15, we pull off and find a place to park in a trashy dirt lot behind the Flying J. It is very windy now and we are both glad to be off the highway and parked for the night.

Monday is much too windy for travel and despite putting down the stabilizers, which we don’t usually do for an overnight stop, we are rocking and rolling in the wind all day. We bundle up against the wind and walk to nearby Denny’s for a meal. We keep busy the rest of the day with our various projects.

Working on projects on a windy day in Beaver, Utah

Our friend David calls to see if we are still in Montana. He informs us that the campground in the Virgin River Gorge where we had planned to go, which also happens to be where we met him several years ago, is closed. That is disappointing to us, but David encourages us to go to Black Rock Road and camp there near where he is set up.

When I open the door the next morning, I am surprised and delighted to see a landscape covered with snow. Trash has disappeared under white fluffiness.

As the sky clears, snow on the nearby mountains is quite scenic.

We are not traveling today, waiting for the roads over mountain passes to clear. Cell service is good here, so both Clifford and I work on our projects, mostly editing for me, and for Clifford, whatever he has going on.

By Wednesday, the 27^th, the snow is mostly gone and the highways are clear, so we leave Beaver and head south through St. George, and cross the border into Arizona.

With David’s directions, we find our way to the spot he has suggested for us on Black Rock Road. There are desert views in every direction and gently rising hills in this valley basin, sloping down to a wash and upward to nearby mesas, but not a single tree. The acres and acres of creosote are green and alive, but without trees, it feels kind of exposed and barren to me.

I appreciate the views, and how peaceful and private it is here, but coming from the mountains, trees, and rivers of Montana, Black Rock will take some getting used to for this Mountain Girl.

Late afternoon sunlight on creosote with mesas on the horizon, peaceful and private

October 16, 2021November 18, 2022

Wallace and the Pulaski Trail – October 2021

Despite the chilly nights, I spend a couple more days visiting my daughter Ang. The western larch turning gold and a dusting of snow is a reminder that winter is just around the corner.

A dusting of snow on Lolo Peak and surrounding hills.

In mid-October, my sister Nancy and I make a trip to Wallace to visit Katie. The drive to Wallace is quite beautiful with the cottonwoods along the Clark Fork River and the western larch on the mountainsides all dressed in their autumn colors.

Travel to Wallace, Idaho, over Lolo Pass

Western Larch on the mountainsides turning gold

Upon our arrival in Wallace, my daughter Katie shows us the apartment that she has renovated for her family above the historic Metals Bar, which she now owns.

We have a tasty lunch at the Blackboard Cafe and stroll around Wallace admiring the autumn colors and the historic buildings, many of which were built out of brick after the infamous forest fires of 1910 destroyed part of the town.

Wallace buildings date back to the early 1900’s

Trees tower over the buildings on Bank Stree

Then Nancy and I go for a hike on the Pulaski Trail. That trail was one of my favorite places when Clifford and I lived in Wallace. Nancy and I hike a half mile to the waterfall that I used to call Fairyland Falls.

View from the bridge over Placer Creek on the Pulaski Trail

After the hike, we say good-bye to Katie and head back to Florence.

Nancy and Carol on the streets of Wallace, Idaho

A stop at Elmer’s Fountain, a natural artesian well just a few miles from Wallace finishes off a full day-trip and we arrive back in Florence just before dark.

Elmer’s Fountain – source of artesian water near Wallace, Idaho

October 10, 2021November 9, 2022

Visit to Giant Springs – October 2021

Travel to Great Falls and Sun River – Blackfoot River

The morning after my daughters and I arrive in Great Falls, Katie gives Becka a ride to Centerville, a small town out in the prairie about 20 miles from Great Falls where Becka went to high school. Becka has timed picking up her truck and visiting family to coincide with her class reunion. While she is at her reunion and Katie is on her way back to family and job in Wallace, Ang and my grandson, Oden, and I entertain ourselves by walking to nearby Gibson park to see the ducks and geese before we find a nice restaurant and treat ourselves to a good lunch. Later, back at the B&B, Matt joins us for a homemade dinner.

Sunday morning is centered around getting new tires on Becka’s truck, and then we go out to Giant Springs State Park, well known as one of the largest fresh water springs in the country and famous for the Roe River, once listed as the shortest river in the world. It is a beautiful park and we enjoy wandering about, glad that the weather is pleasant enough to do so, despite being a bit on the chilly breezy side.

Chilly walk along the Missouri River at Giant Springs

Water tumbles down from the springs and into the Roe River before…

…rushing under the walkway and out into the Missouri River beyond

Becka enjoys the sunshine and the view at Giant Springs

Walking through the woods at Giant Springs

Leaving Giant Springs, Becka, Ang, and I stop again at Sun River to see Matt and his kids. It is too late to go fishing, but we walk through the woods to the Sun River and hang out awhile, enjoying the time together.

Matt, Ang, Becka, and Carol down by the Sun River

Since it is a long drive back to Alberton, Becka, Ang, and I stop in Lincoln for dinner on the way, a nice break from driving/riding. It is very late and quite chilly by time we arrive back at Ang’s place.

The next day, Becka heads back to Wallace where she will have a warm and comfortable bed, but I spend another night in Terry and find out later that the temperature dropped to 15 degrees that night. Brrrr!

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.

September 30, 2021October 4, 2022

Autumn on the Horizon – September 2021

After two great weeks camping at Bass Creek Recreation Area in the Bitterroot Valley of western Montana, Clifford and I move to my sister Nancy’s back yard, once a horse pasture, now a great lawn surrounded by trees. Not only is it a pleasant place to stay, we have electricity not dependent upon solar panels, a rarity for us.

Sitting in the morning sunshine with our hot coffee, Nancy and I begin looking through the photos albums that were once Mom’s. These albums go back many years, including photos from our childhood. It is fun and interesting to see these photos before passing the albums onto our sister Lillian.

My Siblings: Left to right: Rollie, Eddie Nancy, Lillian, Diana

The morning light is delightful as I walkabout for photos, and sometimes Nancy and I walk through the woods down to a side channel of the Bitterroot River.

Cattails along the road showing autumn colors

Walking to the side channel of the Bitterroot River

Reflections on the side channel of the Bitterroot River

For my daughter’s Ang’s birthday, we have a small family get-together at the Lumberjack for lunch and then we play music on the deck. It is really quite a fun afternoon for all of us.

Music at the Lumberjack: Bebose, Ang, and Carol

Clifford plays his dulcimer at the Lumberjack

Our days are filled with projects. Clifford is reviewing some of his research papers, while I work on edits for a couple of authors, do Qigong, especially appreciating the benefits of the Healthy Heart Routine, and write in my journals.

In mid-September there are a few smoky days, but not nearly as bad as what Montana was experiencing earlier in the summer.

When the weather cools, misty mornings provide photo opportunities.

One Sunday, Nancy and I go visit Ang and grandson Oden.

It is delightful to have dinner cooked over a campfire with the ambiance of the mountains and trees all around us.

Carol and Nancy surrounded by mountains and trees

Nancy and I also admire oil paintings that Ang has completed in recent months.

Near the end of September, I spend several days with Ang, staying in Terry, the old RV that Clifford and I bought after we got caught in a blizzard in our pop-up a couple of years ago. While I am here, Ang and I enjoy the warmth of the wood stove as we work steadily on the edits for her epic fantasy series, The Novels of Shannon.

Soon it is time for me to head back down the mountain.

October is just around the corner and other family get-togethers are in the works before Clifford and I head to Arizona for the winter.

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.

August 16, 2021May 12, 2022

On the Road to Montana – Hip Camp to Butte Rest Area – August 2021

On Sunday morning, August 15, Clifford and I prepare to leave our Hip Camp as soon as possible to get through Salt Lake City in a timely manner. The further north we go, the smokier and hotter it is.

Devil’s Creek Reservoir in Southern Idaho Obscured by Smoke

South of Pocotello, Idaho, we experience one of the worst things for travelers – a blow out on the RV. Yikes! Fortunately Clifford is able to maintain control and we get safely stopped alongside I-15. In the 95+ degree weather with absolutely no shade, Clifford begins the ordeal of changing the tire, having to unhitch and jack up the RV, and the whole tire-changing routine is done with semis whizzing by at breath-taking speeds.

As he is finishing, a fellow stops to help and even though the tire has been changed, this man is able to take care of the problem we’ve been having with the RV brakes. A piece of serendipity.

We arrive at the Idaho Falls, Idaho, Walmart in early evening with the intention of getting new tires. This Walmart does not have the tires we need and we spend the night in the crowded lower parking lot along with other Rvers.

First thing Monday morning we find the Big O Tires and they fit us into their busy schedule. With new tires, we continue the northward journey. It has been a long hot day and we are looking forward to arriving our destination – the Divide Bridge BLM Campground south of Butte, Montana.

We have stayed at this campground along the Big Hole River several times. At the turn off to the campground, we are disappointed to see that it is closed, as it is being used as a fire-fighting staging area. Why was this not posted at the exit??? We have no choice but to continue on up highway 43 until we find a spot big enough to do a U-turn with Cougar and then make our way back to I-15.

Hooray for rest areas, especially those that are large with clean facilities. We pull into the one south of Butte and park at the far end as the sun sets red. The smoke is so dense we can scarcely see the surrounding countryside. This will be our spot for tonight and we are grateful for safe accommodations.