Thursday, August 22, 2013

Discoveries on a Country Drive

There was lots of smoke in the air from wild fires in Montana, but we decided we needed to get out for a drive on our day off. We'd been up the Bridger Canyon Road in the spring and were amazed by the beauty. At this time of year the green hills have gone to tans and browns, but it is still beyond gorgeous. We found the Bridger Bowl Ski Lodge, looking lonely on a hot summer day.

Coming down from the Bridger Canyon Road we spied a long, straight road, the Springhill Road, going north from Bozeman. Several miles up a turn-off said "Springhill Community Road". We wondered what could be up that gravel lane, since we knew there was no town there. We found an old, well kept historical Presbyterian church, built in 1886 and very obviously still being used, though there were no houses around.

 A picturesque barn along the road.

 And, here is a school, built in the same era as the church. We couldn't tell if it was still being used. The entire road was several miles long with each of these buildings spread widely apart. There were 2 or 3 houses along the way, also far apart, and at the end of the road, right up against the hills, was a bed and breakfast, quite out at the end of nowhere!

This is the view from the Springhill Community, the Bridger Range. Big round bales of hay dot the landscape. I think it's interesting how the prairie farmland is flat right up to where the mountains rise. There is no gradual ascent anywhere in the valley.

 Horses are abundant in Montana. I love these two mama horses with their youngsters!

Back out on Springhill Road heading south to Bozeman we drove past this beautiful sunflower field. All the flower faces are looking towards the mountains except for a curious one or two who seemed to be checking us out when we stopped to take a picture.

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