Hitting the Highlights

I wanted color...

...and I found color!

Little Manitou Falls
Pattison State Park, WI

I have often said that the only things about Michigan that I miss are family and the trees. This past week gave me a full dose of each!

The whole purpose of this trip was to throw a 50th wedding anniversary party for my parents. The party was well attended. It was the first time since 2005 that all of my brothers and sisters and I have been together all at the same time in the same place! I got to see all of my nieces and nephews except one, and only one of my aunts was unable to attend! It was great to see everyone and just spend time sitting around and catching up. 

But on to the things that might actually interest you!

Before we even got to Michigan, we had one walk in the woods already under our belt! In all, we spent at least part of seven days outside. We visited one nature preserve, a favorite beach, and five state parks. We even took a boat ride. We also spent time wandering the woods on three different family properties. 

In the coming days, I will be adding individual posts for many of the places that we visited. It would take me way too long to do it in one post, and even my most loyal followers would find such a post completely overwhelming! So stay tuned!  

My uncle's barn
Cheboygan, MI

Sable Falls in
Michigan's Upper Peninsula

It's All About Those Elk!

Shhh... they're sleeping!

We were so disappointed last weekend when our camping trip to Yellowstone National Park was spoiled by weather. (Not that we didn't find ourselves an adventure!) This Friday's weather wasn't great either, but we decided that Saturday, nothing short of a blizzard was going to stop us!

We got up early (for us, lol) and headed out. It was still pretty cloudy, but at least it wasn't pouring down rain. By 11:00, we were out of the car in Mammoth and on our way up to where we always see elk. By the time we forked off of the Beaver Pond Trail onto Sepulchre Mountain Trail, the sun was coming out. That got the birds going, and we hoped it would do the same for the elk. 

We followed the trail farther than we ever have, and found that it came much closer than we realized to the meadow where we wanted to be. Just before we left the trail, I looked down to see tracks in the snow. Not people tracks, either! I thought they were bear tracks, but Dan said they were wolf tracks. We let the wolf keep to the trail and we veered off in the direction we wanted anyway. 

"Our" meadow

We ate our lunch overlooking a beautiful, aspen-lined pond. That was when Dan heard the first bugle of the day. It was coming from the general direction that we wanted to go, so we were once again on the move. We came into our meadow and found lots of sign, but no elk. Not, that is, until I spotted a small herd of young bulls sleeping on the sunny hillside. As we moved in, they awoke and looked at each other as if to say, "Hey, who was supposed to be on guard duty?"  

Just then, we heard another bugle and we were again on the "hunt." We soon realized that we were hearing not one, but two bull elk bugling back and forth. Dan finally spotted one of them in a little meadow, and we were able to set up behind a fallen tree. We watched for quite a while, waiting for the other bull to put in an appearance, but he never did. Eventually, the first bull wandered off into the trees, so we also moved on. 

When we came back to the Beaver Ponds Trail, we turned back toward the car. We were still hearing a lot of elk-calling, but I really didn't want to hike out in the dark. But then we heard a bugle right beside us! Another nice bull was shrieking out his challenge in the meadow just off the trail. Without a thought, we turned our lenses in his direction. When this bull also turned off into the woods, we quickened our pace for the car. (We even passed up a bluebird photo shoot. There really wasn't enough light left anyway.) I was ready for that prime rib dinner waiting in Gardiner. After seven miles of hiking, I think I earned it! 

Well, THAT was an Adventure!

After many, many dry summer days here in the West, we finally received some moisture. While I am certainly not going to complain about the rain, it did throw a monkey wrench into our plans for the weekend. 

We had been planning since last September to camp in Yellowstone this weekend. We figured we finally had the perfect timing to photograph elk in the rut. But when we got up Friday morning and it was raining here and snowing in Yellowstone (love those webcams!), we decided to run errands and reduce the weekend to a day trip on Saturday. Except that Saturday was even worse. So I settled in for a day at home.

By midafternoon, Dan was in his recliner to watch golf. But the local affiliate chose to air the college football game instead. Before long, he was restless. The rain had stopped and the radar looked good, so we loaded up the gear and hit the road. 

Our first plan was Woodbine Falls. After coming through Columbus, we took a gravel frontage road along the river. We got our first photo op when an osprey flew over and perched in a bare tree near the road. A little further down the road, we spotted a nice mulie buck. 

When we came to Jack Stone Creek Road, Dan hesitated for only a moment before taking it. I made no objection. We have had some really neat wildlife encounters on that road, including our only bobcat. 

Jack Stone Creek Road is a dirt road, but a good one. Even with the three days of rain, we figured that it would be okay. And for a while, it was. But eventually, the poor little Subaru just couldn't keep going. We were less than a mile from the main road, but it was uphill all the way. We had no choice but to turn around and head back. We dug out as much of the packed Montana gumbo as we could out of the rims and wheel wells and gave it another go. It was a process that we would repeat quite a few more times. At one point where we were actually making some progress, a bird flew over the car. I said, "Was that an owl?!?" to which Dan muttered, "Might have been." We came around the corner and sure enough, the owl was perched in the tree. But Dan showed no sign of stopping! Fortunately for me, the owl stayed put when we had to get out to clear the tires again. I left Dan to deal with the mud and walked back to get my first owl pictures. 

Eventually, we got back to the main road, but it wasn't smooth sailing yet. There was still enough mud inside the rims to throw off the balance of the tires. It was slow going until we pulled into Ichkepee Park and spent some time scraping and poking with some kindling wood we found. That made it enough better that we were able to get home at speed on the frontage road. (Now we just have to clean the poor little car!)

Maybe next time we'll just take the truck... 

Better with Bears

It's been a while since Dan and I have been to the Pryors all by ourselves. But all of our friends had other plans for the weekend, so it was entirely up to us to choose our own entertainment. 

Yes, another dead tree picture! 

On Friday, Dan suggested revisiting an area where we had hiked before (read about that adventure here) and going a different direction. Sounds good to me! We walked up a closed road for a little bit before veering off to a destination point on one of the "fingers" overlooking the canyon. As we walked, we noted interesting rocks (a few might even have been arrowheads or speartips), and investigated some claim markers. Eventually, we reached the spot that we had determined would be the "turn-around" and sat down to eat lunch. We noted some signs of bear activity - a torn-up stump and some old, dry scat - but there was no sign of life in the meadow below us. The wind was definitely not in our favor, so as we started back for the machines, Dan hung back while I went ahead. He was hoping that maybe my scent blowing back through the trees might push something out into the open for him to photograph. 


After I had walked for a bit without seeing Dan coming behind me, I decided that he must have, in fact, seen something. So I circled back. Except he was behind me, so of course, he was not where I left him. I retraced my steps again, and before long, I spotted him. He was patiently scanning the landscape around him with his binoculars. Suddenly, his whole demeanor changed, and he was taking pictures. I hurried to catch up, and I caught just a glimpse of black fur disappearing into the trees.

He said it was a sow and two cubs, so we started cautiously, but quickly, down the hill. When we spotted them again, we saw that she actually had three cubs! But once again, they dropped out of sight. Dan blew the predator call once, but then decided that calling in four bears might not be the wisest thing to do, especially since we did not know exactly where they might come from! We continued around the tree line and came to a cattle trail. Sure enough, there were bear tracks in the soft dirt. We had missed them. Just then, we both heard the rustle in the trees and looked up to see black fur in the green leaves! Wow! She came down out of that tree FAST! With the wind blowing our scent right to her, we knew we had seen the last of her, so we went in the opposite direction back toward the atv's. 

Not the best photo, but it was the only opportunity we got! 

They came this way! Awww, baby bear! 

Hiking back to the machines, I commented to Dan that it would have been a good hike even if we had found only pretty rocks and dead trees. He gave me his little smile and replied, "Yeah, but it's always better with bears!"  

Saturday morning, we were ready to ride! We explored some new roads and trails (well, new to us), and just enjoyed the sunshine and the ride. We were on the way back to the camper when we saw a couple of atv's stopped in the road. A flock of bighorn sheep were just off the shoulder, and lo and behold, they were ewes! (Almost all of the sheep we ever see are the bachelor herds.) As the ewes made their way across the road, I spotted a baby one! We have looked and looked for little ones without success. Finally, we had one! Neither mama nor baby was in any hurry, and we had ample time for pictures. What a great ending to our outing.

Wonderful Waterfalls

In my very first blog post, I promised you waterfalls. So, without further ado, Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you...

WATERFALLS

I have always been enchanted by moving water. There is just something completely mesmerizing to me about the ebb and flow, the eddies, and the currents in a river. Twice in my life I have stood at Niagra Falls in utter awe of the sheer volume and power of the water. Taquamenon Falls in Michigan's Upper Peninsula is another world-class favorite of mine. Victoria Falls (yes, the one in Africa) is on my bucket list, but it may well still be in the bottom of the bucket when I kick it!

Upper Woodbine Falls

Montana has hundreds of waterfalls. Dan and I took a hike in the Beartooths outside of Red Lodge several years ago, and we photographed six different waterfalls in twelve and a half miles. 

What I especially love about Montana waterfalls is how they change from season to season. In the spring, as snowpack in the mountains starts to melt, the rivers rise and the volume in the falls increases. But as soon as summer heats up, some of the falls slow to hardly more than a trickle, and some disappear entirely. For instance, the falls at Natural Bridge (the photo at the top of the page) actually only looks like that in the spring, and even then, not every year does it flow over the top. (See She's Over the Top for more on Natural Bridge and Falls.)

Woodbine Falls in winter.
The top portion is the one in the close-up
photo above, but good luck getting there
once the snow falls. 

Winter creates a very special waterfall - a frozen one. Sometimes run-off freezes into a "waterfall" that is a limited-time offer... they are gone when spring comes. 

The very best part of Montana waterfalls, though, is that there are still so many left to explore, and that's just the ones that are known and named. I wouldn't be surprised if there are still some unseen by human eyes. But I'm not sure that I am hardy enough for those! I'll have to leave those for the intrepid, modern-day adventurers. I have plenty to keep me entertained for many years to
come. 

This is a "winter special" on the trail to Souix Charley Lake.
When the weather warms up, there is not even a spring here. 

   

Some of My Friends Are a Little "Fishy"!

Dave "wets a line" at North Picket Pin Lake.

Hooray for friends! While Dan and I certainly don't mind doing what we do by ourselves, it's even more fun when our friends come along. Saturday morning, we were joined at our favorite campsite near Nye by four friends who came to ride Picket Pin with us. 

The weather was pretty chilly for the first week of August. The tops of the mountains were socked in, and for a while, I really thought we might get snowed on. (Hey, it's happened before... Maybe someday I will do a "throwback" post on our climb to Silver Run Peak.) Our friends Leroy and Nona were in the lead, and they took us down a trail that we had never before traveled. At the end of the trail, we came to a beautiful little lake. The sun was finally starting to burn through the clouds, but a layer of mist hovered over the lake. Dave and Ronny could hardly get their fishing poles out fast enough. Of course, Dan and I were equally eager to get out the cameras. After a little bit, Dave had to admit that this lake appeared to be more of a photo op than a fishing op. 

The lake was absolutely still, and the reflections
were as much fun to photograph as the surroundings. 

We finally tore ourselves away from the lake and resumed our ride to the top. The view from there, Iron Mountain, was panoramic, and while the mountains were hazy, we could see for miles in every direction. We then dropped back down a little, circumnavigated another hill, and splashed through a creek before ascending Chrome Mountain. This is another 10,000 ft peak with million dollar views. 

Apparently, fishing is a
dangerous sport! ;)

By now, it was late afternoon, so we started back down the mountain. Ron and Dave had one more chance to land a fish when we reached the bridge over Picket Pin Creek, but the fish remained elusive. However, the fact that the guys came home "fishless" didn't seem to diminish their enjoyment of the day. (That is one thing to be said for photography: we did not leave empty-handed.) Oh well, the fish will be there another outing. 

Bonus Pictures

This bug is on the perfectly clear surface of the lake. 

Indian Paintbrush

I "caught" a fish, even if the guys didn't!

Creeeeeeepy!

My best friend and photo-buddy!

Elk Horn Cemetery (Part 2)

An "elk horn" cemetery of a different sort
(If that doesn't make sense, you probably didn't read Part 1)

When we made our plans to go to Yellowstone this weekend, we were hoping to have a first timer in tow. Unfortunately, that didn't work out. Since we had spent the night in Bozeman, and we had to get home somehow, we decided to go through Yellowstone anyway. Because the entrance at West Yellowstone is actually about as far from home as we can get, we backtracked a bit to Livingston and entered at Mammoth. Our only plan for the day was to work our way generally homeward. 

Without a set agenda, we ended up on Blacktail Plateau Road. It is one of our favorite drives, and its season is short, so why pass up an opportunity? We parked the car and set off on foot. NOW we understand why this area of the park is closed during the spring when the bears come out of hibernation. It is very apparent that the elk winter here, and the winter-killed elk becomes quite literally an all-you-can-eat buffet for the bears! We found sheds, bones, and even half a dozen or more skulls with antlers still attached. The only kind of elk we did not see was a live one. In fact in our four-mile loop, the only wildlife we saw was a solitary coyote. 

The heat and the hike tired me out, and I stared rather vacantly out of the window as we made our way across the rest of Blacktail. Until I spotted the bear in the trees just off the road, that is! Wide awake, I yelled at Dan to stop! We backed up, but the trees made it really hard to get a picture of the bear. It moved a little deeper into the trees, and I was saying that it was still fun to see one when the bear actually turned back toward the road. I climbed up through the sunroof (since the bear was too close to get out of the car) and got some better photos. We then left the bear jam that we had created, much more satisfied with our day. 

We turned toward Lamar Valley and Cooke City with plenty of daylight left. Just after getting through a sheep-jam at the Yellowstone Picnic Area, we came around a corner and spotted some antelope. Well, what do you know... BABIES! I tried all spring to spot a baby antelope, without success. Now we had at least three, and the shutters were clicking again. 

After a while, my heat and sunlight induced headache returned and we again turned toward home. But we'll be back!