Class Dismissed

I have known for several months now that I was going to have to spend a couple of days in Helena for work. I was trying to have a good attitude about it, but I just wasn't working up any enthusiasm for the trip. Dan cheered me up considerably though when he asked, "Well, you're taking a camera, aren't you?" Hmmm... hadn't thought of that. 

Monday was the big day, and my travel buddy, Krystal, and I arrived in Helena just before 7 pm. We checked into the hotel, got some dinner, and located our training store. Tuesday morning came early, but we managed to stay awake and learn something. When class was dismissed just before 5, I was delighted to see some sunshine as we exited the building. There was plenty of daylight left after dinner, so we made our way out to Canyon Ferry. 

As we crossed the dam, I looked down to my left and saw people far below us. What I did NOT see, however, was how in the world they got down there! Before long, we pulled over to take a few pictures, and I checked the GPS and found the road that went to the bottom of the dam. I was very disappointed upon arrival to find NO water coming from the top of the dam. 

I loved the eerie, castle-like feel
of this rocky point.

As we turned back, I noticed a gravel road taking off from our paved road. Well, then... that's more like it! The road wound its way up through rocks and trees. Eventually, the road came out on a paved road. After a very short distance, we turned back onto a different gravel road, but we chickened out! The GPS showed it meeting the other gravel road that we had been on, but it was getting narrow and rough, so we turned around and went back the way we came. (Did I mention that if we missed ANY class time, we automatically failed the course?) I was beginning to think that this forest was devoid of wild life, but Krystal finally spotted a small herd of mule deer. Unfortunately, low light and manual focus didn't produce any good pictures. But they are always fun to watch just the same. 



As we returned to the lake, the setting sun was turning the scattered clouds to a lovely rosy hue. I just had to make my way down to the beach! The breeze was pretty chilly, so Krystal elected to stay in the car. I had the whole shoreline to myself, and it was so very peaceful. However, the day had been long, and I knew that the next day was going to be even longer, so I didn't linger as long as I might have otherwise. But even a few hours in God's creation was a really refreshing way to end the day. 

I thought this striated , layered rock was cool.

Of Wings and Wheels

How do you know that spring has truly arrived in Montana? The bluebirds show up! A couple of weeks ago, we took an afternoon drive down to the Pryors looking for them, but to no avail. 

This weekend, we tried again. Friday afternoon, we set up the camper, ate a quick lunch, and made a bee-line for an area where the bluebirds seem to congregate first thing in the spring. Unlike our last visit, this time there were little cerulean bodies flitting everywhere! We spent several hours playing peek-a-boo with the tiny beauties. We were particularly excited to get pictures of them in flight! But eventually, the light began to fade and we meandered our way back to the camper. 

While Friday was all about photography, Saturday was all about the four wheelers. My ride has new tires, and they needed breaking in. Our buddy Ronny joined us for the day, and after a cup of coffee, we hit the trail. Since the Pryors rise to a height of about 8600 feet, we know we wouldn't get all the way to the top. But hey, it doesn't hurt to try! Our first attempt ended abruptly when we came to a drift that was probably 5 feet deep. No biggie... we will go another way. 

End of the road... for now. 

We'll just go back and go another way. 

Presently, we found ourselves on Horse Haven Road. Of all the ways to get to the top, Horse Haven is, in my opinion, the roughest and steepest, but the new tires helped a lot. We did actually make it to the point where the road comes to a T. Here we found an absolutely magical winter world. It was quiet, and it was beautiful. But since all the other roads from this point were still blocked by drifts, we were forced to return the way we had come. Oh well, there are other roads. 

Towards the end of the day, we found ourselves back at Bluebird Wash, as we like to call it. There is a road in this area that has intrigued me for quite a while. I finally got to satisfy my curiosity. While it won't be one of my new favorite roads, it did lead back in the general direction of the camper. So we called it a day, and the guys loaded the machines while I made dinner. 

What a great weekend -- the start of camping season, bluebird pictures, and 70 miles on my new wheels!

A little help here, please. 

Close-up of a really neat tree root that Dan found
under the edge of a big rock. 

Okay, okay... I'll pose. But hurry up!

A meadowlark (I think) among the bluebirds.