Let's start off with a skyview from graduate Emma MacKenzie's (MS-Technical Communication) apartment window here in Butte, Montana. Nailed up on a cross, various animal parts; as Wilson in the film Dead Man says, "looks like a goddamn religious icon:”
Troutfishing
Before things got so busy, I did have a good afternoon fishing the Jefferson River. Some nice brown trout came to hand:
As well as (in a ratio of about 3 to 1) lots of feisty little rainbows:
Sometimes, in fishing, I become so intent on the water that I forget to look around at the canyon cliffs:
Or at the turkey buzzards circling above the canyon walls:
At the EIGHT buzzards circling above my head:
Must be something dead around here. MollyTheDog says "Dead? Nope. Absolutely not. Nothin' dead 'round here. Nobody here but us dogs. And goose wings."
Hiking
And before things got busy, friend Dave Carter & I got out for a hike in the Humbug Spires, and especially scenic bit of the Boulder Batholith:
Along the Moose Creek bottom, the Red-Osier Dogwood (Cornus stolonifera) is in flame:
On the hillsides, the Rocky Mountain Douglasia (Douglasia montana) blooms are at their peak:
That's worth a closer look:
And in the meadows, there are Wyoming Kittentails (Besseya wyomingensis):
Biscuitroot (Lomatium cous):
And swelling rosettes of Bitterroot (Lewisia rediviva):
On the way home, drive past the Anaconda Smelter Stack and check out the elk, migrating from winter range to their calving grounds (the elk are on the meadow below and to the right of the stack):
Mountains throughout the Day
Butte America lies just north of the Highland Mountains. I like the sunrise view from my front porch as MollyTheDog fetches the paper:
The noon view from the front door of my workplace:
And the sunset view, again from home:
Yes, there is still a lot of snow up there. And just two weeks ago, we had a "surprise" spring snow storm and good skiing at The Moulton:
Schools out for summer: let's get out there!
14 comments:
So it looks like the trip to the Jeff was productive, sorry I had the contractor to deal with. Regarding the buzzards.....MTD looks guilty, you sure it wasn't fresh?
Went out to the big hold before it blew out, got four on skwalls in a couple hours.
Nice pics, as always.
Mike
Looks as though there's a lot going on in your world! Great pics for the day and a fun post as well! Hope you have another fun week!
Sylvia
The mountains are so different from the terrain around here, and they have such different flora! It's good to visit with you!
Hi!
What a great collection of springtime photos... I love all the names of the plants Red-Osier Dogwood, kitten tails, Biscuitroot ~ The dogwood are so brilliantly red! I had to enlarge that photo ...
Molly is looking fine too!
Snow ~ and summer break! Smiling about that one!
Here in upstate, NY we are well into another week on the Ark.
Take care!
*Maria
Lovely photos, well all but the first one.
I just love posts that include both snow and wildflowers!
Nice to see the wildflowers coming out. I love the views from your home and work.
You've obviously been getting out and enjoying springtime in the mountains. Good to see that Molly is enjoying it all right along with you.
There's always something interesting to see if you just get out in nature and look around. Thanks for sharing your Montana adventures.
Yay, school's out for summer!!!
It's snowing like crazy here too so we understand about late springs. I love how Labradors have their job of retrieving birds hardwired into their brains. One time, a long time ago, one of our labs brought a live coot, who he was carrying very very gently, to us. I was on xc skis and fell over backwards (literally) because I was so surprised when he placed it on the ground and then it flew away!!!
Inspiring! Can't wait to get out there!
Nice countryside view from your place.
We wait and wait and then it seems there is everything to do at once. You seem to be makeing a good try at it though Pat.
Wonderful photos of the surrounding milieu of Butte and Southwest Montana. I just returned home this weekend from a trip to Eastern Texas. After spending a week in Texas, our Montana sunset was a welcoming site as our flight landed in Bozeman. You do a fantastic job of capturing the beauty of Montana, and I always enjoy reading your blog.
Great post ER. I've been hunting in a few tribs, with little action. Wen's (like MTD) is always glad to get out though.
Enjoy your summer break - if you get one! Best, G
Ah, I KNEW I'd have a great time if I just came by here before work this morning... Thank you so much as usual for the walk in the country. *Breathes in a lungful of fresh clean air* ahhhh.
Ugh - that pole of animal pieces is a bit rugged viewing before coffee... I'll go with the beautiful fish.
Great post Pat. And I'll be damned I think I can actually leave a comment. The eraticism (is that a word?) of eblog lately is getting really annoying. Yah, I know its free but still....
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