A Dry and Dusty Day

Don't look down!

With our truck still out of commission, we figured we'd be stuck at home this weekend. But, no, not so! Rick once again donned his mask and cape and came to our rescue. He swooped in with his big, white (diesel) steed and we were on our way.

We returned yet again to the Pryor Mountains. Rick hadn't ridden Burnt Timber or Sykes Ridge Road and wanted to go that way. He was driving, remember, so we were going wherever he wanted. (Not that we minded.) The only bad part was the dust ~ thick, choking, heavy dust. (I was leading, so the guys got the worst of it.) 

The wild horses were scarce on this trip. We saw just a couple of small groups and a few single ones. I was beginning to think that the sheep weren't going to put in an appearance at all. When I did finally spot them, they didn't exactly pose for a group photo like last time. They just kept walking, and I was a little disappointed at the lack of photo opportunities. Until, that is, we followed and caught up to them again. They were perfectly posed on high, rocky points with nothing but the sky and the far-away valley behind them. We watched in awe as they picked their way down the nearly vertical cliff and disappeared into the brush below.

Just room for four feet

 

Feeling much more satisfied with our day, we went back to the machines, back to the dry, dusty road, back to the truck, and back home. 

Best Laid Plans

Black Mountain Fire Lookout

Yay for long weekends! Thursday morning found us leaving town instead of heading to work. Ever since we tent-camped in the Big Horn Mountains a couple of years ago, we have been wanting to get back and explore more thoroughly. This was our weekend to do that! Despite a "check engine" light and a slight delay, we got the camper set up by mid-afternoon. We had spotted a fire lookout on the way in, and we just happened to be camped on the road that led up to it! Wow! Black Mountain Lookout Road was a baptism by fire! Is this what I can expect on every ORV trail in the Big Horns?!? I was very glad for my independent suspension, power steering, and high clearance (all the reasons that we chose the Polaris machines in the first place), as well as any experience that I have gained over the last two years of riding! I finally cried "Uncle!" and we set out on foot to finish the climb. I didn't feel quite so bad about chickening out when we came to the ATV parking area just a tenth of a mile further up the road. But the view from the top made all the effort worthwhile! 

Friday was all about the riding. We rode over the mountains, among the trees, and through the river. We rode main roads, jeep roads, and ORV trails. We saw lots of cool scenery, but I wanted animals. I was especially eager to see moose. We were nearly back to camp late in the afternoon before I finally spied one. She was, however, rather shy and didn't hang around for pictures. Fortunately, we came across a second one a couple of miles later, and this one cared not one little bit how long we wanted to stand watching her and taking photos. After a while, we decided to head back to camp and get supper. With dinner over, I wanted a campfire. I stepped out of the camper and found myself nearly face-to-face with a young mule deer doe. She paid us no mind as she went around the back of the camper to graze in the little meadow behind us. I thought at one point, she might just join us at the fire! 

Peek-a-boo

The trail that we rode on Saturday might well have been my favorite of all three days' riding. It was mostly easy riding without being boring, it followed a river most of the way (always a plus), and it led us to a photogenic young bull moose. Since we wanted to get an earlier start for home than we sometimes do, we limited our miles for the day, and by 4:30, we were pulling out for home. 

Because of the trouble with the truck on the way in, Dan was carefully watching gauges on the way out. Everything was fine until after we got gas in Greybull. Not more than a couple of miles out of town, the engine started to chug and the light came back on. So we pulled over and prepared to wait it out. (Hey, it worked the first time.) After a while, we tried again, only to stop again just a few miles later. So we waited again, even longer. Third time's the charm, right? WRONG! Time to call in the Lone Ranger! We put out a distress call to our good friend Rick, who came to our aid. So much for our early start ~ we pulled into Laurel just after 2 am. And, of course, wouldn't you know it, we had to wait for a train. At that point, we just had to laugh. How else could this story end? 

Ummm... where's the bridge? 

A bit of history: This structure is called a splash dam.
Loggers would hold back the water until conditions were right to "flush"
the logs down the river to sawmills in the towns below. c1905

Smiling rock :)

Nothing Runs Like a Bear!

I apologize that this post is delayed, due to the craziness

of the holiday weekend. 

My girl is home! Our daughter Ashley makes it a priority to be home from Milwaukee, Wisconsin every year for the 4th of July. We must go explore! 

Dan had Thursday night off, so he and Ashley set off over the Beartooth Pass. They found and photographed mountain goats, climbed down to a waterfall, and explored side roads. 

On Friday, I was able to join the fun. We gave Ashley her choice of activities, and she decided that she wanted to see the wild horses. (Even if it did mean riding the "wretched death machines"!) One of our buddies joined us and let her ride with him in his side-by-side. A "real" seat and a seat belt made her feel much better. 

We parked in our usual spot on Helt Road and set off up the mountain. We came down the switchbacks to Crooked Creek Road and ran along the canyon rim. Coming around a corner, I caught movement off to my left. Bear! It stopped for a second, so I went scrambling for the camera. Of course, the camera had settled all the way to the bottom of my backpack, and I couldn't get it out. By now, the bear had given up on me and lumbered out of sight. Dan had caught up to me and asked if I wanted to chase it. Well... NO! He assured me that all the bears in the Pryors are blacks and that we were safe, so we went as far as the initial meadow. But the bear was not in the meadow, and I did not see which way it went. Chasing a bear into dense underbrush didn't seem prudent, so we returned to the machines and caught up with Ashley and Ronny. 

We stopped for lunch at the Big Ice Cave. We fought off the flies while we ate, then we walked the short trail down to the cave. The cool air coming out of the cave felt so good, and it provided relief from the flies. 

Ice stalagmite in the ice floor of the cave.

Then it was on to find the horses. We spotted a small group and spent some time photographing the baby one before moving on to the main herd up the road. We set up the tripod, and Ashley was happily snapping away when someone told us to turn around. The first group of horses had come to join the rest, and they walked right by us, about 20 yards away! THAT was cool! 

Eventually, Dan pointed out the time (and the miles back to the truck), so we reluctantly packed up our gear and headed out. 

We did have to stop again a couple of times, as we encountered a group of big horn sheep and spied an arch that will definitely require some closer inspection on another day.

 

This picture made me laugh. It reminds me of some
sort of athletic team photo.