A Rainy Day Drive

 Mr. Keith and I always like to find a pretty drive on our days off. Steve at the KOA recommended Bridger Canyon Road so we headed that direction, north of town. It was a rainy day. We couldn't even see the snow covered mountains above Bozeman but were told it would be worth the drive anyway. We've seen lots of beauty in our workamping years, but the area around Bozeman is beyond gorgeous! There are so many shades of green everywhere, and the hills almost look groomed with no underbrush and brambles. I kept saying "oooh and ahhh". We could live here!

 During the summers we worked in Missoula we saw, everyday, the "M" on the hill above town. It was placed there by the students at the University of Montana. We never were sure if it stood for Missoula or for Montana, probably both. The "M" above Bozeman is definitely for Montana, also placed there by the students at the Montana State University. Both "M"s have a hiking trail to the top. This one looked much more strenuous than the one in Missoula! We won't be trying it! The arrowleaf balsamroot flowers, finished in the areas farther west, are just coming into full bloom on the hills here, like this one, nearly covered with them.

 We saw several deer along the road on our drive. This one posed nicely for us in this beautiful setting. And, although I couldn't get a good photo, we saw our first Sandhill Cranes! I was so excited to add them to my bird sighting list. I believe these cranes are the largest birds I've ever seen besides the emus we took care of in Deadwood SD. My iPad bird identification app told me they can stand 3 to 4 feet high and they have a wingspan of 6 to 7 feet. Good thing I brought my binoculars along, but I surely wished for a better camera with a zoom lens.

An old log cabin caught my attention. The trees were taking residence around and inside the building. Intriguing! We agreed that we would make this trip again on a sunny day. We want to actually see the mountains above the canyon!