Category Archives: Montana

Sometimes They Sneak Up on You…

Posted on October 5, 2014 by westerner54

It’s cold at 9,500 feet on a late September morning in the Gravelly Mountains – I’m glad for my down coat and warm coffee.    We’re sitting on a little ridge overlooking the pond we camped near last night, waiting … Continue reading →

Posted in Adventure, Montana, Nature, Outdoors, Wildlife | Tagged , | 22 Comments

Yellowstone Skies

Posted on September 22, 2014 by westerner54

The changing season brings out the best in Yellowstone.    The critters tend toward the frantic: the bull elk are madly trying to keep their harems in line, chasing after each other during the day and bugling all night long, … Continue reading →

Posted in Montana, Nature, Outdoors, Yellowstone | 15 Comments

The Missouri Breaks: Back to 1805.

Posted on September 10, 2014 by westerner54

On our second day in the Missouri Breaks we heard a four-wheeler grinding its way down the steep road to our camp on the banks of the Missouri.  A few minutes later a grizzled and weathered rancher with a border … Continue reading →

Posted in Adventure, Camping, History, Montana, Nature, Travel | Tagged , , , , | 17 Comments

Glacier: Kintla Lake at Summer’s End

Posted on September 2, 2014 by westerner54

Summer is short at Kintla Lake; even in late August the nights are getting cold, the days are shorter, the squirrels are madly caching food for the winter, and you feel like the weather could turn at any moment.   … Continue reading →

Posted in Camping, Montana, Nature, Outdoors, Photography, Travel | 13 Comments

Road Trip: Bannack Ghost Town

Posted on August 23, 2014 by westerner54

July 17, 2013:  Flash Flood in Bannack.   The annual Bannack Days celebration was scheduled last year for July 18 and 19, and we thought it would be fun to go check it out.  The rain gods, though, had something … Continue reading →

Posted in Adventure, Camping, History, Montana, Nature, Travel | Tagged , , | 8 Comments

Moose, Mosquitoes and Bear Grass: Three Days in the Pintlers

Posted on August 3, 2014 by westerner54

“Whoa…what’s that?” Margaret stops dead, pointing into the trees.    I don’t stop in time and smack into her backpack.  I look where she’s pointing in the woods off to the right of us but don’t see anything. “What?  I … Continue reading →

Posted in Adventure, Backpacking, Hiking, Montana, Nature, Outdoors, Wildlife | Tagged , , , , , | 25 Comments

Good Grebe!

Posted on July 23, 2014 by westerner54

I’ve been watching a pair of Red-necked Grebes on a local lake since early this spring.   They mated and built a nest in May, but the nest must have failed, because no little grebes ever showed up.  They hung … Continue reading →

Posted in Birding, Montana, Nature, Outdoors, Photography, Wildlife | Tagged , , | 16 Comments

Exploring Rainy Lake

Posted on July 17, 2014 by westerner54

We have a new toy, and I’m just loving it.  The cool thing about our new kayak is that it’s inflatable, which means we can fold it up and put in the camper.  And it’s a cinch to blow up.  Check … Continue reading →

Posted in Birding, Camping, Montana, Nature, Outdoors, Wildlife | Tagged , , , | 21 Comments

It’s Windy on Top of the World

Posted on July 11, 2014 by westerner54

It was 89 degrees and dead calm in the Skalkoho Creek valley when we left.  Now the wind is howling, and I’ve put on an extra shirt and the fleece jacket that I just threw in at the last moment, thinking … Continue reading →

Posted in Adventure, Backpacking, Hiking, Montana, Nature, Wildlife | Tagged , , | 8 Comments

Hidden in Plain Sight

Posted on June 23, 2014 by westerner54

We’ve been hiking down Bear Trap Canyon for a couple of hours now, and I’m more than ready for lunch.  I stop by a big log, turn to Bill and suggest that this would be a good stopping place. “Well, … Continue reading →

Posted in Hiking, Montana, Nature, Outdoors, Photography, Wildlife | Tagged , | 32 Comments