Riding Shotgun

My poor little blog has been neglected lately...

After spending our last three weekends in Billings selling our photos, we finally got out to take some more. We didn't really have a set itinerary when we left the house Friday morning. We started out from Absorkee, following the Stillwater River. We almost always see eagles along this road, and this morning was no exception. Before long, we had spotted a golden eagle, and then a bald eagle. 

When we reached Nye, we turned toward the East Rosebud drainage, a great spot for moose sightings. Dan had been studying the map again and found a different way to get there. Almost immediately after turning onto the new road, we spied another bald eagle. But the best of the day was waiting a little further up the road where Dan captured THREE flying bald eagles in the viewfinder. We also added an old school house and a weathered barn to our collection of old buildings. We made our way past the road to the West Rosebud and continued on toward the East, talking about when we might actually make the hike from one drainage to the other. (It's a hike of at least 12 or 13 miles, topping out at over 10,000 ft. Not today!!) 

We finally pulled over at a trail head along the river on the East Rosebud road and ate our lunch. We then drove the rest of the way to the end of the road and spent some time photographing the mountains and studying the trail head maps. So many trails... (and so few moose, like none)!

When we came back to the T at the main road, Dan asked which way I wanted to go. I reminded him that he was driving and I was just riding shotgun. But having said that, I did remark that I was not in any hurry to go home. So we turned in the general direction of Cooney Dam, avoiding pavement as much as possible. Just before we reached the Cooney Dam State Park, we passed a couple of fields where we have always seen deer. It is posted, private property, so there are quite a few really nice bucks around. Sure enough, the deer were out and we spent several minutes keeping the shutter clicking. 

Not the best deer we saw, but it is the best photo we got. 

Winter days are just too short, so long before we were ready, we had to put the camera away and once again head for home. But we already have plans for our next outing. Stay tuned...