Seepay Creek Montana

I stopped at Seepay Creek in Montana today as it's one of my favorite places to stop along that stretch. The sun started to peek out so I decided to wander around with the camera even though I was sort of in a hurry as usual. I think Ponderosa Pine trees are my favorite trees to take pictures of. There's just so much texture in and around them. And what's a Montana photo without a few old tires here and there? It's almost as if they morph from trash into an artifact in places like this. I'll go up to tires like this, check the size, and speculate as to what vehicle they might have been on back in the day., and what was the mindset of the person who stopped here and threw them out.. curious..

Well a tire is one thing, but I can't feel quite as nostalgic about the other trash that was near..

Tree skiing

One thing about skiing, it gets me outside in the mountains in the winter, and that's a nice place to be on a sunny day. Can be anyway.. I usually like to ski fast on the groomers but now and then I ski in the trees when the snow is fresh and the sun is out.

Forest pictures

Here are a couple of more pictures from hunting camp. A brief break in the weather allowed the sun to shine. It made for a pretty morning in the forest, but it wasn't long before the next weather system moved in.

I like to walk up this trail. It used to be used as survival training, then it became an ATV trail. Now that ATVs are banned from this area, it's just a trail that I like to hunt on. That big tree in the foreground is a cedar. There's a creek below to the right. There wasn't much color in the forest here when I took this picture so I removed what what color was left.

Wild Horse Island Pine Tree

Here's a vertical version of a tree I took a pic of on Wild Horse Island. I'm using three different browsers and they seem to have a mind of their own when it comes to blogger.

But yes, and duh.. I did have my editor set on medium picture size and didn't notice. Well the wheel's going around but there aint no hamster...

Hey that could be a country and western song..

Wild Horse Island Flathead Lake picture

Here's a picture I took from Wild Horse Island the other night with Flathead Lake in the background. I actually saw the wild horses. Well the aren't too wild as they will walk right up to you. I saw the new baby horse too that is so well known now in these parts. They recently put some new horses on the island not realizing that one of them was pregnant. I got a snap shot of it and might post that later.

Click on this picture and make it bigger. It will make you feel like you're up there with me.

Cedar trees

Here's a picture of some Cedar trees in Idaho. They usually aren't in the water like this but it's been raining a lot lately.

Long cold winter

I keep thinking that if I can just get through this winter... And then the rest of the year I long for winter again.. That's just a little crazy..

It was cold on the hill this weekend.. And those hand warmer things don't seem to work when it's 0 deg F.. They heated right up when I got in my warm car.. They should put more stuff in them or something.. (Just a suggestion hand warmer guys..) I guess I was expecting them to be warm.. Maybe they don't work so well when it's cold out?..

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas! I don't have a real Christmas Tree, but here's my Christmas Cyber tree/ trees from Lookout Pass on Christmas Eve.

I took my mom to church and she pointed out a little white angel way at the very top of the tree they had in the church. "Gertrude made that Angel." she said. (my dear old Aunt Gertrude who is no longer with us.) That was so cool to have her there in spirit like that!

I hope everyone has a great holiday season.

Frosty trees

It was a nice drive to work today along the river with all of the frost on the trees, so I got out and took a few pictures until my fingers got cold. I guess it's going to warm up and snow again.

I hope everyone has a happy Thanksgiving... Or at least a well fed one. Or at least a roof over your head and a warm bed.. And a cold beer.. plenty of gas in the tank, and a few bucks in your pocket.

..and at least one old guitar..

Tamarack Larch

The tamarack trees are dropping their needles a little late this year. It hasn't been cold enough I guess. Global warming... I hate it when people say that every time it gets cold, so I thought I'd throw it in. I think we're in for some climate change next week though as they say it will get much colder. Anyway you can see the tamarack needles everywhere in this picture on the forest floor and the three main trees here are tamarack, aka larch.

This is one of my favorite places when I go hunting each fall. This is looking up a great big mountain full of larch trees. One thing about hunting with a camera, is that if the hunting is bad there's always something to take a picture of. This picture looked a lot better on the camera than it does on my computer, but it gives you an idea. I've spent a lot of time here and there's something about this place that keeps calling me back.

There were mushrooms everywhere of all different shapes and colors. This one looks like it would be very good to eat! Good thing I'm not a caveman.. I'd eat this sucker! Someone figured out that it's only cool to eat some of them...Can you imagine the learning curve?

Here's a picture of my campfire. I made a cover with a tarp so I could sit there by the fire in the rain. And it poured down rain! Not a good weekend to be tent camping, but I stayed warm and dry in my old camper.

Olive Lake reflections

Here are some reflections of the trees and the mountain in Olive Lake with old trees resting under the surface of the water.

It's been raining a lot and I haven't been outside much lately. I think it's starting to get to me. Well it's almost time to go to late camp and drink of the spirit water with the hunters of ten tribes..

I already voted. We have mail in ballots here and I'm totally sold on that system. You can go through the pamphlet and really understand the things you are voting on and take your time with it. Then you aren't waiting behind someone who has gone to the polling place unprepared. I used to hate that. Plus they had to verify you and all of that. This way you get your ballot in the mail and it works slick.

Family of trees

I was taking pictures at an overlook in North Idaho of these trees, and this other guy who was out taking pictures too came over and asked me what I saw.. "just these trees.." I responded. He looked at me kind of puzzled.

I could have said, "I see a family of trees,. the grandfather tree in the front, the mother tree on the right, the father tree on the left and the children trees in the middle, and the community of trees that they live in, off in the distance."

Kootenay National Park photos

I went into Kootenay National Park for the first time since I was small. I don't remember much of it from back then so it was all new to me. There were large forest fires here in 2003.

There was a chill and a still in the air that burned the the experience into my memory. It was as if we were the only people for miles and miles and years and years. The quiet made it feel like time stood still in this valley, and only the running water of the Simpson River betrayed its magic. It was really beautiful and surreal.

Lookout Pass ski photos

I skied at Lookout Pass on my way to Montana for Easter. The skiing was free BTW, Thank you Lookout! I'm a lttle nostalgic about Lookout Pass. I've always loved skiing there. I took this picture while it was snowing Saturday. I removed the color and it had kind of a vintage look that I associate with the place. If you look around in the lodge there are lots of old photos, and I think that inspired me.

And here's a picture of the trees as you ride up the chair from the backside.


Here's a picture I took of the frontside chairlift at the top of it after the ski season ended a couple of years ago. I skied up alone on my back country skis and had the whole place to myself. Then I telemarked down. I've posted this picture once before but I thought it went well with this set so here it is again.

Skiing pictures

Another beautiful day in the mountains. The wet heavy snow of yesterday gave way to soft fluffy snow today. Here are some Cyber Trees from today. I had to crop it in a little to give it that Sunday go to church feeling... I'm really going to miss ski season when it ends..

This person stuck their arm out at just the right time! :) I almost didn't take my camera with me after lunch. I realized I didn't have it and walked back to the car to get it. There's always something to take a picture of, I thought as I walked back to the car in the mud. And I NEVER go anywhere without my camera.. I don't even go to Walmart without my camera..

Trees in the fog

Here's a picture I took skiing down into the fog. Eventually the fog burned off and it was nice and sunny on the mountain.

***
One time I was talking to my grandfather. He was a ranger for the Forest Service. He was telling me about going in and out of the fog on a mountain. I can't really remember exactly what he said, but I always think about him when I go in and out of the fog like this.

I think that's a Grand Fir tree in the middle there. The pointy one on the right is an Alpine Fir. The bare one in the distance farther to the right is a Tamarack.

Lodgepole Pine

I've been in the woods hunting for a few days. Lots of adventure.. Might tell you about it later. Here's a picture I took of some Lodgepole Pine trees (and a few Tamarack / Larch trees, the yellow ones) looking up from my favorite trail. You should see them dance and sing when it's windy, but it was calm this day. They sway to the music of the wind. I took this picture before the sun came out, the morning after a snow storm. I've taken pictures like this before, but I didn't realize you could see my trail in the sky.

Camp photos

Went up into the woods this weekend as it was hunting season and all.. Took a book to read and my camp guitar. It was really windy and stormy when I got there so I parked my camper out of reach of falling trees. Never camp in the trees when it's windy.. The path above is golden yellow because it's covered with Tamarack needles that have fallen from the trees. They cover the whole forest floor and are soft underfoot.

I call this picture; chair, guitar and fire. Or chair, fire and guitar... Chair, fire, guitar and stump... Well I haven't exactly decided. That's the difference between punk rock and camp rock. In punk rock you smash the guitar into the amplifier at the end of the song. In camp rock you just throw the guitar on the fire and cook a hotdog over it.

Tamarack and Larch

I wandered around in the forest for a while yesterday. The Tamaracks are changing color and it's starting to give the forest a golden tint. There are other trees in this picture too. Pine and fir. I thought I should throw some color in my blog before winter sets in and all of my pictures are of snow.

Here's a picture of a young Tamarack that I took last year deep in the forest that was starting to change color. That post is HERE.

I retain the rights to all of my photos.  Please do not use without permission.

Montana forest

I couldn't resist just wandering around in the forest for a while today way up in the mountains of western Montana. It was cool but not cold with the sun making its way in through the trees. The air had that sweet intoxicating mountain smell that might just be one of the best things about summer. There weren't any anoying bugs. It was just beautiful in the woods. I could have wandered around in the forest for hours.