Category Archives: Photography

Spring in Yellowstone: Critters and Empty Roads

Posted on April 2, 2012 by westerner54

A handsome black wolf stopping by to check out the campsite is a pretty auspicious start to a weekend in Yellowstone, don’t you think? We arrived at the Mammoth Campground in Yellowstone at about 6:00 on Friday evening.  We set … Continue reading →

Posted in Adventure, Camping, Hiking, Montana, Nature, Outdoors, Photography, Travel, Wildlife, Yellowstone | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 27 Comments

Snow Geese in the Fog: Shades of White and Gray

Posted on March 26, 2012 by westerner54

Freezeout Lake, Fairfield, Montana. Seventy-thousand of them, and it looked like we’d get skunked and not see a single one.    We’d arrived later than we wanted because of the dense fog that was blanketing central Montana.  We parked at a spot on … Continue reading →

Posted in Adventure, Birding, Montana, Nature, Outdoors, Photography, Travel, Wildlife | Tagged , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Montana’s Gravelly Range: Camping in the Sky

Posted on March 24, 2012 by westerner54

The Gravelly Mountains of southwestern Montana are certainly not a roadless area, and plenty of ranchers run cows and sheep on them during the summer.   But they’re one of our favorite car-camping destinations, especially in late July when the wide meadows … Continue reading →

Posted in Camping, Hiking, Montana, Nature, Outdoors, Photography, Travel | Tagged , , , , | 7 Comments

Into Grizzly Country: Half Moon Park in the Scapegoat Wilderness

Posted on March 21, 2012 by westerner54

I’m afraid of grizzly bears.  Especially at night.   In a tent.  In the wilderness. And, as I’ve mentioned earlier, this fear has kept me from backpacking in Yellowstone or Glacier National Parks.     It’s frustrating, though — Montana is full of gorgeous … Continue reading →

Posted in Adventure, Backpacking, Camping, Hiking, Montana, Nature, Outdoors, Photography, Travel | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 26 Comments

The pugnacious Pyrrhuloxia and a fancy Flycatcher

Posted on March 17, 2012 by westerner54

A couple of dandy Southeastern Arizona birds that never make it to Montana.   Love the birdbook description of the Pyrrhuloxia’s “pugnacious beak”, and the Vermilion Flycatcher is just all around dashing.   The flycatcher was at the Slaughter Ranch near Douglas, … Continue reading →

Posted in Nature, Outdoors, Photography, Southwest hikes, Travel | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

The Crazies

Posted on February 29, 2012 by westerner54

Hiking Montana, by Bill and Russ Schneider, rates the climbs in their book on a scale that starts at Category 5 and ends with Category H.   Category 5 hills are defined as “a slight upgrade, while Category H hills are ones “that make … Continue reading →

Posted in Adventure, Camping, Hiking, Montana, Nature, Outdoors, Photography, Travel | Tagged , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Three Seasons of Glacier

Posted on February 23, 2012 by westerner54

Fall: Kintla Lake Winter: MacDonald Creek Summer: Highline Trail, Many  Glacier, St. Mary

Posted in Hiking, Montana, Nature, Outdoors, Photography, Travel | Tagged , , , , , , | 23 Comments

Ghost Signs, Ghost Town, and a Snowshoe to a Sad Cemetery

Posted on February 20, 2012 by westerner54

Today we headed for the ghost town of Elkhorn so that we could snowshoe to the  old Elkhorn cemetery, which is on a hilltop about a mile outside of town.  The nearest town to Elkhorn is Boulder, Montana, a little town … Continue reading →

Posted in Adventure, Hiking, Montana, Nature, Outdoors, Photography, Travel | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 11 Comments

Garnet, Montana: Ghost Encounters of the Old Kind

Posted on February 7, 2012 by westerner54

January, 2010.   Trudging up the steep and icy Forest Service road that leads to the ghost town of Garnet.   Cold feet, cold hands, runny nose.  Beautiful scenery, but still…cold feet, cold hands, runny nose.    To distract myself,  I think about Emily Thomas, who … Continue reading →

Posted in Adventure, Camping, Hiking, Montana, Nature, Outdoors, Photography, Travel | Tagged , , , , , , , | 11 Comments

Grand Gulch, Cedar Mesa, Utah

Posted on February 1, 2012 by westerner54

February.  Time to plan some desert hikes, because right now the trails from my back door are looking a little dicey.  (Dicey: a combination of dumb and icy?) Grand Gulch Primitive Area, in southeastern Utah, is an ideal spring destination.  Sunny, warm days, water … Continue reading →

Posted in Adventure, Camping, Hiking, Nature, Outdoors, Photography, Southwest hikes, Travel | Tagged , , , , , , , | 12 Comments