"Dr Anaconda Lake:" Rendezvous 2009

We braved a decidedly unseasonable cold front this year for the annual gathering at "Dr Anaconda Lake" in the north Big Hole River valley of southwestern Montana. The size of the gathering was down a bit this year as some folks had other plans (Butch, Gretchen & LewYong, Hawaii!) or simply did not want to camp with night-time temperatures in the 30s. We also had some day-visitors--Frank & Hwe Ackerman, and Phyllis Costello & Jim Dochnal. For those who were there, there was no lack of enthusiasm.

Here's Celia Schahczenski, Dr of Mixology, on the "DrillBlender:"

"Now that's a margarita!," sez Mrs ER:

Brent & Karina Patch got in some fishing and sandcastle building time with their kids Adler & Kenia:


Brent & Adler even found some time between rain- and windstorms for a canoe trip around the lake:

The weather also did not stop us from celebrating the birthdays of Kenia Patch & Emily Munday:

Part of the group made a valiant effort to get in some beach time, only to be chased off by the wind & rain. They settled for a roaring fire in a somewhat protected spot near the beach:

For hikers, there was wildlife such as this mule deer doe:

And this VERY fresh (and large--the knife is 4" long) bear turd:

There's lots of bear food, including Black Elderberry (Sambucus racemosa):

Black Twinberry (Lonicera involucrata -- considerably more toxic & unpalatable to humans than its Red Twinberry cousin, but the bears sure like it):

And, if the bears want to freshen their breath, Mint (Lamiaceae family):

There is a small stand of large, old Ponderosa Pines (Pinus ponderosa; click link for a great book about this magnificent species) on a south-facing point above the lake. These trees are common at lower elevations of Montana, but rare in the Big Hole Valley. At this site, they have only produced cones a few times in 20 years (photo by Frank Ackerman):

In a forest dominated by dark-barked Douglas Fir and Lodegepole Pine, the reddish-yellow bark really stands out:

It weathers off into lovely fragments like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle:

The bark is extremely thick (4" or so), which makes the tree well adapted to fire that kills thinner-barked species. The deep fissures are very aromatic, smelling of vanilla or cinnamon (good excuse to be a tree-hugger, as EcoRover found; photo by Frank Ackerman):

Even with the weather, there was not enough time to do all the things we each would have liked to pursue. So all too soon we packed up camp and gathered for the group photo (left-to-right, standing: Brent Patch, Evan Morris, Jan Munday, Karina Patch, Andrea Stierle, Jeff Schahczenski; kneeling: Sheikah-The-Dog, Celia Schahczenski, Molly-The-Dog, Emily Munday, Adler Patch, Chuka-The-Dog, Don Stierle, Kenia Patch, Pat Munday/aka Ecorover):

We did have a pleasant warm-up on the way home at nearby Jackson Hot Springs:

And a stop at the site of Roly-The-Dog's grave:

So ended three days of rain (no snow!), wind, and cold. Of course, today the sky is crystal blue with a warm sun beaming down. Go figure.