Travel Adventure #6

 

On May 20th I had planned to visit friends in the Flathead Valley for a few days.  Just a couple days before the planned trip I saw an ad on Facebook about a Bison Tour at the Harlow Ranch Bison Co in Thompsons Falls.  I made a reservation for the 1.5 hour tour on the way to Bigfork.  It was well worth the side trip.  There were about 100 adult bison and about 30 "red dog" calves.  

I rode in the back of the truck with a lady from WA state and her son.  We had the best time feeding the bison, taking photos and sharing our amazement at these huge animals.

I learned that bison don't have any top teeth in the front but do have upper and lower molars in the back.  When we fed them the pellet snacks either we had to shove them into their mouths or wait for their rough tongues to curl around the treats and pull them out of our hands.  The first time was a bit frightening but after that it was great fun.

One bison named Barney would let us rub his head.  He seemed to be the only one treated as a family pet.  The rest had numbered tags in their ears.  Some would come up to the truck for treats but were not agreeable to having their heads rubbed.  There were a few in the corrals on the other side of the road that were at the all-you-can-eat buffet getting ready for market.

One of the friends I visited was eager to go on the tour so I went again on May 24th.   We were the only ones in the truck on that tour so had lots of mouths eager for the treats.  

I highly recommend these tours.  Melinda, our tour guide, answered all our questions and gave us the history of the ranch as she drove us through the bison grazing and resting.  You can find out more and make reservations on their website:  https://harlowranch.com/

Travel Adventure #5 - Part 2

The next morning at the Madison Campground in Yellowstone Park, I rose early and drove back to Old Faithful to see it in the early morning light.  So much fog from the steamy waters mixed with the 30 degree temps made the drive a bit eerie. But it made for some amazing photos.

The bird was a total surprise.

I didn't see him when I snapped the photo but discovered him after I reviewed the photos on my computer.  There were not too many folks at Old Faithful about 8am on a Friday.  The fog was gradually burning off but you can still see some behind the geyser.  By the time I drove back north and exited the Park at West Yellowstone, the fog had all burned off.

 

A few other geysers caught my attention so I made a few more stops before heading out of  Yellowstone Park toward a campground close to Ennis, MT.

When I realized it was Friday and the campground did not allow reservations I headed there early and was able to get a campsite right on the Madison River. 

It was 83 degrees out that afternoon, so with the help of a young gal from the next campsite I got my lawn chair set up in the river, rolled up my pant legs and enjoyed some time cooling my bare feet. The water however was cold enough I couldn't stay there too long. I tried to figure how to get a selfie of me in the lawn chair without dropping my phone in the river, but alas, it was simply not possible.

After leaving Ennis early the next morning I was able to drive through Virginia City and Nevada City before they came alive for the day.

On to Dillon, then plenty of time to check out the Bannack cemetery.

And there was plenty of time left in the day for wandering through one of my favorite ghost towns at Bannack.  

And, finally, a big surprise on the drive home between Jackson and Wisdom... a large herd of horses enjoying their playtime in between moments of grazing.  I had to stop and watch for quite a while.

Travel Adventure #5 was incredible!  

I wish you all could have come along but maybe these posts 

will give you a little taste of the wonders of God's creation.

Travel Adventure #5 - Part 1

What a gorgeous blend of colors as I drove out of town for my next travel adventure on May 7th.

I stopped to visit a friend in Butte who always insists it's his turn to pay for lunch.  

Then back on the road to stay with a friend in Livingston that I hadn't seen in a few years. Friends are the true treasures in life!

Mountain ranges are visible around Livingstone in most every direction.  There's the Absaroka and Gallatin Ranges looking southward and the Crazy Mountains looking north.

The next stop was Yellowstone Park.  Who would have thought so many people would be there so early in the season? 

I drove from Mammoth Hot Springs south and came across a field of mama bison with their babies.  Most all were laying down napping.  I waited quite a while in hopes they would get up and move around.

Bison don't get up like cows do with their back legs first.  They get up front legs first and can move quickly, especially if they feel their babies are being threatened.

Some interesting facts I learned..."Just minutes after they're born, calves stand on the ground and within a few hours they're running. Calves are born with their eyes open, weigh 25-40 lbs and have a reddish-brown coat that turns brown as they age." This is according to the Bison-Fact-Sheet on the nationalforests.org website.

Traffic jams in the Park are quite amusing.  In this situation a Park employee was pushing these bison along with a strange sounding siren coming from his truck.

I headed further south and stopped at the Madison campground where I checked in for one night.  The Madison Campground has over 200 campsites and they were mostly all filled. I headed down to check out Old Faithful before returning to my campsite where I heated up some leftovers on my camp stove from my lunch in Butte.  Yumm!

Thus ends day #2 on this travel adventure.  More to come in the next post.

Deeper Thoughts #2

From 2 Chronicles 16 in the Bible, we find that, for most of his life, Asa was rock solid in his trust in God. But in later years he started trusting more in the neighboring armies that would help defend his nation.  He started trusting in his doctors to take care of his foot disease and didn't ask God for help or for direction.

Because of this, Scripture tells us he did not finish his race well.  Is there a balance between asking God for help and using the modern means of help available to us?  

What it really comes down to is, who do I ultimately trust in?  Do I first ask God for help or do I make an appointment with the doctor first?  Do I count on my bank account and credit cards when extra bills pile up or do I ask God for His help first?  For how long will I count on my own strength until one day I have little or none left?

My help comes from the Lord, 

who made heaven and earth. 

Psalm 121:2 (ESV)

Travel Adventure #4

Having some free time starting mid-morning on a Wednesday, I wondered where I could travel and be home by dinner time.   I decided to head down the North Fork road that wanders along the Salmon River in Idaho.  I was there a couple months ago and got to see the ice breaking up and some Bighorn Sheep.

This trip was just as amazing.  The Bighorn Sheep were out and about, scratching and licking something off the dirt road and grazing on the hillside bushes. 

Their heavy winter coats are starting to shed.  This photo had me laughing a bit as it looks like they are sharing some neighborhood gossip.

The "River of No Return," as it's called, was certainly looking dangerous in spots.  

From a calm flowing river it could turn into a splashing contortion of water sprays folding over on themselves.  

Then as I drove, the river would get calm again and repeat this process.  The rough waters were surprising in how fast they appeared.  I'm certainly not a white-water rafter!

I love seeing the old Shoup Store that closed over 30 years ago.

There's all sorts of old cabins along the river that get my imagination moving.  This one always brings a smile to my face as it has a permanent gal on the porch protecting the place.  

Some still look like they can be used but some obviously have seen better days.