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!
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. |
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