2018 MONTANA ROAD TRIP #2

FRIDAY, June 29:

We enjoyed a day out in nature along the Copper Creek Rd. Klara had to do a small survey of the area as the USFS is going to move the road next year and she needed to do a plant survey of the area.  While she did that George and I wandered up the road looking at plants

LUPINE

and the landscape. We enjoyed watching the storm clouds forming over the mountains in the distance.

STORM CLOUDS BUILDING

STORM CLOUDS

LITTLEFLOWER PENSTAMON

PENSTAMON AND PUSSYTOES

BUSH CINQFOIL

BUTTERCUP

THIN-LEAVED OWL'S CLOVER

COLORFUL BEETLE

Late in the afternoon we were off to the first meeting of the Montana Native Plant Society which was holding its annual meeting in Lincoln. There was a delicious potluck which was put on by the group. There were also a number of items for sale including books, t-shirts, and some artwork. I purchased the book, “Bold Women In Montana History”. I found the book a good read of the history of Montana and the women who helped forge it into a leader in the suffrage movement.

The featured speaker for the evening was by H. Wayne Phillips, a forest service ecologist, range manager, and forester. His topic, which was quite interesting, was titled "Wildfires to Wildflowers" which follows the regrowth after fires for the past 30 years. It was interesting to see the transition from scorched land to blooming wildflowers and other new growth.

SATURDAY, June 30:

This morning we were off early as Klara was one of the walk leaders. There were about 15 on her walk in the foothills of Landers Fork. As we walked up the Forest Service Road we stopped often to photograph and ID various plants we saw in bloom. 

ARNICA

STONECROP

ASTRAGALUS

SICKLETOP LOUSEWORT

WHITE BOG ORCHID W/BUG

NARROW-LEAF COLLOMIA

While some of the people went into the bog areas to find plants there were a few of us that opted out of that experience.

After lunch at our destination for exploration I went on a short hike further up the road. I came across some nice forested areas as well as a couple of examples of beargrass. This is a lovely plant and is found in the higher elevations. Finally it was time to return to the trail/road head.

BEARGRASS

LICHEN HAIR DO

A LITTLE NAP

Back at the house we packed up our gear and food for our move to a cabin out of town. This was to avoid the noise from the unofficial fireworks that go off between now and July 4^th. The cabin is quite large and accommodating but it has one drawback….MOSQUITOES, by the hundreds. There was a racket devise that could be used to “zap” them but it is a nuisance.You are constantly moving it about.  Klara had some mosquito netting that we were able to rig over our bed, and also a small hood devise that she used over her bed. They made it quite bearable when we went to bed.

In the evening George and I enjoyed a quiet evening at the cabin while Klara went off to hobnob with fellow botany friends and make connections with new ones. We actually went to bed early in order to be under the netting while we read.

SUNDAY, July 1:

Today we were off early once again to meet up with another group of MNPS for a walk about Brown Lake. This walk was led by Peter Lesica, a botanist, educator, and resource management
consultant from Missoula, MT.

THIN-LEAVED OWL'S CLOVER

THIN-LEAVED OWL'S CLOVER

BRISTLY CATAPILLAR

WHORLED BUCKWHEAT

BLANKET FLOWER

BROWN'S LAKE STREAM

BUTTERCUP

ELEGANT DEATH CAMAS

BEE PLANT

After the stroll and looking at and identifying various plants we drove around the lake to see what we could see. There were a couple great blue herons, and yellow-headed blackbirds. There were a couple of females along the shore which I was able to photograph.

FEMALE YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRD

We returned to Lincoln through the small town Ovando, population about 80. It does have the necessities of a gas station, post office, restaurant, and tackle store. (There are lots of locations for fishing along streams, and the Blackfoot River.)

2018 MONTANA ROAD TRIP #1

We actually started planning this trip after last year’s jaunt to visit our daughter in Lincoln, MT, where it was extremely smoky due to a number of forest fires in the state. So this year we planned for the end of June and/or early July.

We learned that the Montana Native Plant Society was having it’s annual meeting in Lincoln so that sealed the dates of arriving before the start and then continuing for another few days.

It is a long drive but we really enjoyed seeing the countryside from desert to alpine. We left San Diego on Tuesday, the 26^thof June, and got home on Sunday, the 8^thof July.

TUESDAY, June 26:

We made our usual early morning departure of about 0500. This keeps us a little ahead of the major morning commute bottlenecks as we head North. It was a hot drive but thankfully the air conditioning in the car worked smoothly. Las Vegas was once again having highway work done, but we navigated that well.

St. George, UT was our destination today, and it too was very hot. Once there we holed up in our motel room until about 1800 before adventuring out to the market for dinner and some exercise.

We have known the owner/manager of this Super 8 Motel since 2003 when we first stopped here while traveling to the North Rim, Grand Canyon. He brought us up to date on the large increase in visitors to all of the nearby National Parks. Zion N. P. has really been impacted.    

WEDNESDAY, June 27:

Today the terrain changed from desert to farm country and mountains. We continued on I-15, North to Idaho Falls. Along the way we enjoyed the vast farm country and the small and familiar named Utah towns. In Lehi we stopped at the very large Cabelas store. We visited this store for the first time in 2005/6 while on a Christmas trip to visit our daughter, Klara in Ashton, Idaho. The store sits up on a hill overlooking I-15 and the city of Lehi. At that time there was absolutely nothing around it. Today I had to ask another car if I was making the correct approach due to all of the development of businesses in the area, and lack of good signage. Then it was again confusing on how to get back to I-15. It was worth the stop though as we both got a couple of items: shorts for George, and lightweight pants for me.

We enjoyed our stay in Idaho Falls. After checking into our motel we headed for a grocery store and gas station to refuel the body and the car. For exercise we found the River Walk which runs along both sides of the Snake River in the area of the Falls. The first time we experienced it was in December a few years ago, and the Falls would completely freeze overnight. It was also treacherous walking as the walkways were covered with snow covered ice! We really enjoyed the walk this time with the many trees and flowers now lining the walk.

IDAHO FALLS W/TEMPLE IN BACKGROUND

FALLS DETAIL

PISCES BENCH

105˚F?

IDAHO FALLS 2

THURSDAY, June 28:

Although this was the shortest leg of the drive to Lincoln, we were off early once again as we had a couple of planned stops along the way. 

SUNRISE

Add caption

Our first stop was in Ennis, Montana. This small town is in the heart of the fishing country around the Madison River. There are several tackle shops and outdoor gear stores as well as some art stores. One of the stores displayed a couple of small metal sculptures made from forks and spoons. 

BEAR IN THE PARK

ALONG THE ROAD

 My downfall was a gift store that had a good selection of turquoise jewelry.😁

We were then off to Three Forks, the headquarters for Wheat Montana Flour. I have been using this flour for the last five years after I discovered it while baking at the North Rim, Grand Canyon. Here you can buy their various wheat products, cereal products, pastries, and sandwiches.  After stocking up on breads, flour, and pastries for Klara, we enjoyed a very good BLT while “watching the world go by”. Helena was the next stop for fresh produce. From here, it was a beautiful drive over the Continental Divide down into the valley formed by the Blackfoot River.

We relaxed and enjoyed a short walk along the Sucker Creek Road before dinner. It was noticably cooler here than in San Diego. The overnight low was in the low 40˚'s. It was good to know that we would not be doing much driving for the next week.

2018 MULE DAYS (49TH Annual) - Vol 3

SATURDAY, 26 May:

This is parade day in downtown Bishop. We have gone occasionally, but usually we get out of town at least for the morning, by going up into the Eastern Sierras,  or visiting another neighboring attraction. This year we opted to visit the Laws Railroad Museum which is located just East of Bishop. 

We first had breakfast at The Village, which is located North of the Fairgrounds, in a cottage at the corner of See Vee Ln. and  U.S. Rte. 395. We all enjoyed  our choices which were very tasty and large portions.

We spent about two hours roaming the grounds of the Laws Railroad Museum. 

It consists of authentic buildings, relocated here from their original sites throughout the Owens Valley, are filled with objects of antiquity. 

I got a kick out of the display of a lady getting a perm.

A DATE FOR A HAIRDO

There is also quite a display of the rock crushing equipment in the late 1800. I had a good time wandering around and investigating and photographing some of this equipment.

The bottle collection was interesting also. There was a collection of CocaCola bottles which had stamped in the glass the location of where the CocaCola was produced. 

SALOON

A GAS STATION IN THE EARLY 1900s

DECAYING WHEEL

 I found this colorful lizard as well.

Finally it was time to return to the Mule Days activities. 

The wind had been blowing all day, and there were some rain clouds in the area. We ate once again at the Fairgrounds food court. Most of us enjoyed another Indian Taco. We went to the opening of the evening show, but after about 30 minutes it started to rain. Rather than get cold and wet we returned to the tack stall and called it a day. After rounding up all our gear we bid all farewell and safe travels home, we headed back to Big Pine and prepared for our departure on Sunday for home.

SUNDAY, 27 May:

We were off about 0700 for home. The drive down US 395 was smooth and pleasant. The traffic picked up once we merged with I-15, but all went well. We were home a little after 1300.

Once again we enjoyed our trip to Mule Days. The morning hikes in the foothills outside of Big Pine were a nice treat. As always it is wonderful getting together with Tina and Justin, and all of our Mule Days acquaintances.  This trip was made nicer due to the cool weather that we encountered. We are planning to return next year as it will be the 50^th!! (My first was the 25th)