Playing Downstairs

Beartooth Mountains

Bighorn Mountains

It looks a little chilly in the attic today...

As fall progresses, Old Man Winter starts closing up the "attic rooms" where we love to play. So yesterday, when we decided to go for a ride, we headed for the Pryors, which top out at only about 8,000 ft. While we were getting breakfast at Hardee's on the way out of town, Dan's co-worker drove by hauling his 4-wheeler. Knowing that the Pryors are a favorite haunt of his, we hoped that maybe we would catch up with him. (He has been riding since he was a kid, so Dan and I, being "newbies", can learn a lot from him!) We overtook him at the gas station in Bridger and we continued on to the mountains together.


Maybe not today...

Even in the Pryors, there was snow on the highest peaks, as well as drifts over some of the roads. But there are lots of trails up there, so when the one we wanted to take was impassable, we just turned around and went another way.

 

 The day was fairly warm with almost no wind, so we spent some time wandering around in a high meadow. The guys climbed up and down the rocks along the edges and I kept trying for the perfect shots of the surrounding mountains and the valley below, especially the red canyon walls.



Eventually, we meandered back to the waiting vehicles and bid Old Man Winter goodbye... (at least for now. We are going to have to give more thought to snow shoes!) 
 

All over the mountains in Montana are individual
mining claims. Most are just a pile of rocks with a
claim stake in it, but this one was a little more
interesting than that. (Yes, I DID heed the
No Trespassing sign.)