And There Were Bears!

 Finally, a day trip! We decided to tour the National Bison Range, about 40 miles from Missoula. We'd been there before, 4 or 5 years ago, and had enjoyed the spectacular beauty. Bison are awesome, but the views of the Mission Valley from this place are beyond compare. We did see some bison last time but not much else on the day we'd picked. On this trip we were much more fortunate. Our first viewpoint showed us the Flathead River far below. The gravel road through the Bison Range is 19 miles, one way, and narrow.

 It was thrilling to catch a glimpse of a black bear, but then... yes, there were 2 cubs cavorting just above her on the hillside. Mama bear is in the lower center of the photo, and the cubs are slightly higher. Click to enlarge, and you might see them.

Here is my favorite view of all. We walked out on a quarter mile trail to find this breathtaking view, looking east. I can't imagine any sight more beautiful. 

 The Montana state flower is the Bitterroot. I am always searching for wildflowers, so imagine my excitement to find lots of these pink beauties as we hiked along the short trail high in the Range. The only other Bitterroot I'd ever seen was in Eastern Washington many years ago, near Quincy.

 Bunches of them!

 Just for fun, as I got out of the car to photograph a valley scene, I snapped this pretty butterfly.

 This is the gorgeous view looking down into the Mission Valley and up at the stunning Mission Mountains, south of Glacier National Park.

 Heading down from the highest point of the Bison Range we encountered this sign, "Lake Missoula - Highest Level". Here is a link to an excellent web page filled with lots of information about Glacial Lake Missoula.

  http://hugefloods.com/LakeMissoula.html

 We were lucky to see 2 deer with fawns far down in one valley . The young ones would leap and bounce a distance away from mom, then bounce right back. They repeated this several times as we watched. They were too far away for a photo. This lonely deer was having a feast down in the lower part of the Range, near the road.

 Once down from the heights and back on the main road we came across this historic Catholic Church. What a beautiful setting!

 We kept hearing a Meadowlark nearby and I finally spotted him, high on the cross, singing his heart out in praise of the gorgeous countryside.

And last, as we made the circle back to Highway 93, we drove by the beautiful St. Ignatius Church in the town of the same name. Several years ago we went inside to see the amazing paintings on the walls and ceiling. This trip we were too tired. Maybe next time!

Beartooth Highway

We'd been told many times that the drive over the Beartooth Highway is one of the most spectacular in the country, so we felt we couldn't leave this area till we'd done it. The shortest way to the highway involved going to Livingston and then down and across the top part of Yellowstone. We were lucky this trip to see several herds of bison.

I loved this guy, with his plump summer physique and soft, full coat.

Also well filled out from summer grazing, this handsome pronghorn showed no fear of us as he took his morning drink.

Shortly after we passed back out of the park and through Cooke City, we entered the Beartooth Highway and began our climb up to the 10,000 foot heights. I decided to take off my seatbelt and reach into the back seat for my sandwich and was startled by this awesome sight out the back window! Had I not been hungry I would have missed Pilot Peak! I love the shadow and sun effect. When we reached the actual viewpoint for this mountain, the clouds had moved and the photos didn't come out quite as well.

Charles Kuralt declared this drive to be the most beautiful in America. There may be some reading this post who remember him as a well known travel writer and TV host.  Though truly gorgeous and amazing, we have seen some places equally as beautiful. For instance I was reminded of our drive to the top of Pikes Peak in Colorado. The heights are dizzying and the vistas are awesome. Here we're looking down on a tiny road leading to a pretty lake. Though we entered and exited through Montana, most of the Beartooth Highway is in Wyoming.

I had assumed that the name "Beartooth" meant simply jagged mountains, but there is one point that is actually the bear's tooth. In this photo you can barely see a single, tooth-shaped rock slightly to the right of the snow marker.

Here it is, a better view, along with more dizzying heights!

The whole area is filled with lakes captured and held by the crevices and stone cliffs. This one is particularly beautiful.

Here you can see part of the road we traveled, way down there in the distance.

Heading down the other side of the Beartooth Pass we found a way-side stop, the Rock Creek Vista Point, with a trail leading out to more spectacular views. I liked the colorful dead tree snag in the center.

These little guys have learned to beg during the brief summer season, and are rewarded by the tourists. He is eating a potato chip. In all, our drive was 367 miles from Bozeman, round trip, a giant circle. We were out for 10 hours, and arrived home very tired and very satisfied with our day trip. The Beartooth Highway has been added to our list of the most memorable sights we have seen and experienced in our workamping years!

A Capitol Day!

Something we've been wanting to do since we've been in Cheyenne is to visit the inside of the State Capitol. We had a chance to do that on Monday in between work and Keith's doctor visit. The blue ribbon on the outside of the building is for prostate cancer, I discovered.

This is looking straight up to the gold plated dome. The Wyoming State Capitol was constructed in 1886, in the style of the National Capitol Building in Washington D.C.

The Wyoming State Mammal is the American Bison. This beautiful specimen stands in the lobby. In life, he weighed 3000 pounds and is the third largest bison on record.

The House of Representatives. I love the carpet and wall colors.

When we stepped outside the back entrance to the Capitol we saw the modern government building with this reflection of the stately dome in the windows. 

The well-known symbol of Wyoming, the Cowboy State, is this bucking bronco sculpture, named the "Spirit of Wyoming", proudly displayed on the Capitol grounds. The light wasn't good for this photo, but you can get an idea how it looks.

Still with time to kill, and a bag of old bread in the trunk, we decided to go up to Lion's Park to feed the ducks. This is the park that includes the rodeo grounds where Frontier Days is held each year. We expected to feed the Canada Geese but there weren't any there, only a lone white goose amidst the mallard ducks.

The Botanical Gardens are right next to the little lake, and it is incredibly beautiful there. The first time we visited, in early May, nothing was planted. At this time of year, September, the displays are just a little past their prime, but still lovely.

The bridge passes over a small lagoon filled with pond lilies.

Gorgeous!

I Petted a Buffalo!

There is a big bison ranch just off I-25 near the Wyoming/Colorado border called The Terry Bison Ranch. The whole ranch looks ancient, and some of the buildings are actually from the 1880s. The Ranch boasts an RV park, a restaurant, gift store, and other touristy attractions. We were told the ranch had the second largest herd of bison for meat in the U.S.  The largest herd is owned by Ted Turner, a name everyone knows. (By the way, the terms bison and buffalo are synonymous for these North American animals.) We'd stopped here before, just to look it over, but this time we decided to take the train ride out into the fields "where the buffalo roam". This is the cute little train we boarded.

We had an excellent driver and tour guide. I was tickled to see this unique "chicken house", an old bus. The photo doesn't show too well the myriads of chickens resting in the shade underneath. This type of chicken house can be moved from place to place, always giving the chickens a secure home and at the same time fresh ground. I think it's a great idea!

 As our train made a loop around the field we were suddenly surprised to see this sign.

 A moment later, around the loop, we were back in Wyoming!

Finally, we came upon the bison we'd been seeking. This is the biggest guy, the head honcho of the herd.

And this lady was the sweetest and the most adept at begging. We'd all purchased bags of special green (alfalfa?) pellets, just for feeding the bison. All these critters knew to approach the train, and fully expected their treats. Out would come their big, gray tongues and the pellet would disappear, leaving behind a very slimed hand. We all fed them till our bags were empty. What fun!

Just to prove my title, here I am petting a buffalo! The fur on this one's neck was curly, and very soft and deep and cushy. Guess that's how they can withstand the harsh, snowy winters on the prairie.

We had to try this! Ride 'em, Cowboy, Mr. Keith!

My turn! I'm "out on the lone prai-rie"!

And last, a jackalope! We had a great time here, seeing the bison, some camels, llamas, horses, cows, chickens, a mascot turkey, goats, alpacas, and maybe some other critters I'm forgetting to name. We plan to go back with our friends and fellow workampers next week to eat at the Senator's Restaurant, which boasts the best bison burgers in Wyoming. Gee whiz, I feel a little guilty wanting to eat a bison burger after petting a bison!