Portland Oregon/Vancouver Washington Visit

Daughter Emily & her boyfriend Evan are relocating from Boston to the Portland Oregon area. A long day's drive west of our home in Butte Montana, we made the trek, met Evan, and spent some time helping the two get settled in. Butte America is at the headwaters of the Columbia River, and we followed it down, taking in the broad river plain dotted with agricultural fields and ridges dotted with wind farms:

We camped at Paradise Point State Park just north of Vancouver Washington--across the Columbia River from Portland. It must have been a grand park before the interstate was built nearby, and even with the highway the old growth cedars and other trees are lovely:

Boy Scouts sell firewood--here comes Emily with a wheelbarrow load:

I like camping while visiting places, in part for leisurely camp breakfasts of sausage, coffee, pancakes, and eggs (and Mrs Rover likes that I do all the cooking & washing when we camp):

And of course s'mores at night:

Camping also has happy surprises like this amazing slug Emily found on her sandal one morning:

And there are the amusing moments when RV "campers" discover you can't drive a ridiculously large house & SUV through camp without losing some paint (yes, I know, the Schadenfreude will bring me back as a slug-level on the karmic wheel, but still):

After getting the important stuff out of the way (i.e. finding housing), we played tourist. I deeply appreciate the area's commitment to environmental sustainability, evident at every turn:

Portland's Lan Su Chinese Garden is an amazing place--we spent hours there, after the imperial lion invited us in (like ravens, you want to do what imperial lions tell you to do):

Such a beautiful place--the architecture:

Water lillies in the meditation pond:

And particular forms of cultural understanding, like the writer's house with its "Four Treasures" of paper, brush, ink, and inkstone. As a writer, I like the notion of style (the word "style" derives from "stylus"--the implement that took on an individual writer's distinctive way of writing, so that each pen developed a personality):

The garden's bonsai trees are absolutely stunning. A few of my favorites include this outcrop-wrapping beauty (with a shadow that completes its beauty):

Tiny larches reminiscent of those growing at treeline here in Montana:

And a stately pine complete with a lightning scar down its trunk (how DO they do that?):

Lastly, the garden's piece de resistance--a teahouse with an incredible selection of exotic brews and wonderful "snacks" (the English word totally fails to capture the simple elegance of a tea egg):

Everywhere you turn, there is delightful public sculpture--from the critters that populate the streets of Portland:

To the interpretation of life's dimensions and possibilities at Vancouver's Washington State University campus:

We spent a long Sunday morning at Portland's Saturday Market (open on Sundays too, of course):

There are blocks and blocks of high quality, unique arts & crafts, and also a festive atmosphere with performers ranging from the amazing silver juggler man:

To acrobatic stilt dancers:

And music:

No visit to Portland is complete without a stop (or two, or three) at Dan & Louis Oyster Bar:

And perhaps a long wait in line for a yummy treat from VooDoo Doughnuts:

Portland being Portland, there's something surprising around every corner, whether it's Wacky McWiener:

Or sand sculptures at Pioneer Square:

We wish Emily & Evan much happiness in their new life here, and we look forward to many happy visits!

National Folk Festival: Three Days of Music & Dancing

This was Butte, Montana's third & last year to host the National Folk Festival. It's been a great run, and for all of you music lovers--don't miss a chance to enjoy this event if it comes near you (the next 3 years is in Nashville). For three days, about 100,000 people visited our little city in the Northern Rockies. Friday opening ceremony was at the Original Mine Yard stage where the threatening skies did not deter the crowd's enjoyment of incredible bluegrass fiddle of Michael Cleveland & Flamekeeper:

We closed out the first night at the dance tent with high-energy zydeco by Geno Delafose & French Rockin' Boogie (amazing button-box accordion!):

Saturday morning brought a festival highlight with the Cool Water Hula at the Bell Diamond mine--hundreds of local dancers flowing to Sons of the Pioneers classic tune, Cool Water:

Kristy Hager organized the performance as a way  of "Making waves to transform a greed culture into a green culture." Dancers took their cue from the giant 12-foot puppet of the Hawaiin goddess Synnøvei:

Beautiful:

Back at the Folk Festival, one of the themes I enjoy are events like "Accordion Traditions," "Fiddle Traditions," and (shown here) "Blues Legends & Legacies." Artists from different groups take the stage together to explain the style of their instrument and methods. That's the venerable "barrel house piano player" Mr. Henry Gray in this photo:

Other highlights of the festival included Elizabeth LaPrelle and her Applalachian ballads (what's a music festival without a little thundershower?):

Aditya Prakash Ensemble (Carnatic music of South India):

Genticorum (Quebecois):

And of course dancing and more dancing, to great bands such as Super Chikan & the Fighting Cocks (Delta blues):

With six stages and a plethora of other activities spread over 12 city blocks, one could not take it all in. But we tried:

After supper last night, daughter Emily & I took in a set by local musicians at a local honky tonk, the Silver Dollar Saloon, that reliably features cool music. Butte America; this "ghost sign" sums it up--friendly, union solidarity, and beer:

For another blogger's view of the Folk Festival, see Justin Ringsak's Butte Folk.

Skywatch Friday: Montana Trout Skies

I have no idea, really, what a "trout sky" is--probably something like the "watermelon sugar" that Richard Brautigan wrote about. But here are two southwest Montana trout skies from the past week.

One, a view from lower Many Miles Lake at the edge of the Pintler Wilderness along the Continental Divide:

And two, a view of a raven on an old mine dump behind my home in Walkerville; the raven said, "Don't worry about the bright blue sky--the trout are rising. Go fish."

And so I did.

Big Hole River Flyfishing: Trout are "Looking Up"

Today begins the National Folk Festival in Butte, Montana--three days of music, beer, and dancing. With company in town and a crowd of more than 100,000 people predicted (Butte never had a population higher than about 60,000), I thought it well to grab a few hours of flyfishing on the Big Hole River a half-hour south of town. Though still a little high for wade fishing, the river has dropped considerably now that our record June rainfall is behind us.

It was a grand few hours. It was a busy morning so I skipped lunch and still did not leave town until after twelve, not expecting much--mid-day fishing can be "iffy" with a clear sky and high sun. But rigging up on the bank, I was pleased to see the usual Big Hole smorgasbord of large golden stoneflies, an unusually red form of "gingerquill" mayfly, and caddis flies of all sizes. I never even tied on a nymph, and so long as the float was drag-free, dry fly fishing was very good for trout of all sizes. I use a longish leader and tippet to control drag--it doesn't make for elegant casting on a windy day, but it brings up lots of fish.

The larger brown trout seemed keyed on the mayflies and medium sized caddis:

The smaller browns and rainbow trout were in shallow pockets near the banks feeding on anything that came their way:

And the larger 'bows were in the deeper seams taking goldens (interestingly, nearly all of the rainbows had orange slashmarks under their gills, indicating they were rainbow-cutthroat hybrids):

 I don't wear a watch but the fishing seemed to get better and better until I left the river with a tired arm and a hungry belly. I was surprised that it wasn't even 5 p.m. when I stepped into the house. A good day.

Backpack Trip: Many Miles Lakes

Year 'round from my home in Walkerville or college where I work in Butte, Montana, I can look west to the peaks of the Pintler Wilderness and daydream about the places we backpack. Though I've been to each ridge, peak, and valley a number of times and am working on filling in a few remaining blank spots on the map, I never tire of visiting these places. As friend Dave Carter and I (with Molly- and Jack-the-Dog of course) dropped into the Many Miles Lakes cirque, looking across the valley and seeing the craggy ridge was like saying "hi" to an old friend:

The cirque is dotted with Alpine Larch (Larix lyalli) that mark the top of the treeline along the Continental Divide. I love the fragrant, elegant, soft needles that turn gold and fall off in autumn:

Though not a hot day, our hard working pack-dogs were happy to find the snowdrifts around the lower lake:

We intended to camp at the next lake up in the hanging valley, but the snow got deeper and deeper and we turned around when it was above our knees:

After making camp, Molly-the-Dog & I hiked up to the next lake, undeterred by the brief rain shower:

Yep, that's ice on the lake--still about half-frozen:

At the lake's edges, Marsh Marigolds (Caltha leptosepala) bloomed:

At the edges of melting snowdrifts, Glacier Lillies (Erythronium grandiflorum) bloomed:

Fishing was good, and I soon had a few trout to go with our antelope steaks (Montana surf & turf). Note that the middle trout is a rainbow-cutthroat hybrid:

Hiking back down to camp, we found sprouts of False Hellebore (Veratrum veride). A very toxic plant, Indians poisoned arrows with it and allegedly even drinking water where Hellebore grows will make you ill:

Around the trailhead, at a much lower elevation than the lakes, the Beargrass (Xerophyllum tenax) is budding up:

And where there be Beargrass, there be bears (claw marks where a black bear had climbed this aspen tree):

Also near the trailhead on dry ground was Pygmy Bitterroot (Lewisia pygmaea):

And Springbeauties (Claytonia lanceolata):

At a lovely spring near the trailhead (where we stashed some cold beers as a welcome post-hike treat), there was Trapper's Tea (Ledum grandulosum):

And White Bog Orchids (Habernaria dilatata):

Driving down 10 miles of Forest Service road to the highway, we discovered a warmer clime of sagebrush with blooms of Sticky Geraniums (Geranium viscosissimum):

Heartleaf Arnica (Arnica cordifolia):

Back in town, we prepared for a weekend of Independence Day fireworks madness. In addition to a big municipal display, fireworks sales are largely unregulated in Butte. Rockets light up our little city a few hours every night the week of July 4th (Bruce Newman/Montana Standard photo; the red object on the left is a mining "gallows frame"):

Happy Birthday, America!

Skywatch Friday: Montana Prairie Skies

It's summer, time to get out on the high Montana prairie where the antelope play (or snooze):

Feel a mountain storm (thought for sure we'd get hail out of this bad boy, but it just blew over):

Enjoy an evening rainbow:

And sit by the fire watching the sun set:

Our summers are brief but perfect for the creatures that live here and those of us who enjoy living with them.