Mon, May 23, 2011

Monday, May 23, 2011

This was a relatively light photography day… some would consider that a tremendous blessing.  – Donna Downey

All four of us were tired yesterday so when we all piled up in the king sized bed last night and then cracked that sliding glass door so we could hear the Salmon River rushing by… well it was some kind of “happy” sleep for sure.  Our night by the river continued today as we again enjoyed a day of riverside driving.  We started out along the Salmon, moved to the North Fork of the Salmon, and then it was the Wise, then the Big Horn, the Beaverhead, the Madison, and the Firehole.   Being a premier fly fishing state, Montana has wonderful access points to their rivers so finding a clean restroom and a place to enjoy the river is no problem.

Our first stop this morning was at a lovely launch and access point on the Salmon River. The land to build this park was donated by a local ranching couple who were “up in years” but wanted to help others enjoy this amazing river.  Any land along the Salmon River is valuable and this was a very nice piece with easy accessibility to the river and in a very picturesque location. So this was a very generous gift and one we enjoyed during our brief time there. 

A good portion of our route today included sections of the Lewis & Clark Expedition Trail.  Near the top of the Big Hole pass we stopped to visit an Interpretive Exhibit on the Lewis & Clark Expedition and the Big Hole Valley.  This valley is historically significant and still looks much as it did when Lewis & Clark walked the area.  Clark described the area as an “extremely fertile valley” and it became the original heartland of Montana ranching.  According to the information on a clear day you can see 400 hundred square miles and as you stand atop this loftly perch it is an awesome view.  There were also a few nice patches of snow left so Paris & Dodger enjoyed the opportunity to “cool their heels” again.

We ate lunch in the small town of Ennis, Montana.  Ennis is a fly fishing haven and is located in the Madison River Valley.  I asked the waitress what she might recommend from the menu and she said the “pastie”(pronounced passtee).  It is a baked pastry filled with hamburger, onions, and potatoes and covered with brown gravy.  Supposedly the recipe first came to the area with the miners when their wives fixed these delicious pastry wrapped meals to put in their lunch bucket to provide them with a hearty meal.  It was great and very filling indeed.

From Ennis is was only about 70 miles to West Yellowstone where we got a room at our usual Best Western and headed into the park.  We didn’t have much time but grabbed a few shots and enjoyed the late afternoon light and the large groups of buffalo moving about the park.  In just our short drive we saw elk, buffalo, an eagle, a trumpeter swan, an osprey, geese and a great blue heron.  Just as we were leaving the park we caught up with a group of buffalo cows with their young calves… too cute!

We are well tonight and hope that y’all are too.

Peace, Hope & Love,

Donna, Charles, Paris & Dodger