Mosaic Monday #128: Montana Spring

April in Montana is a trickster.  One day the warmth of spring sunlight on my face spreads hope and tranquility through my entire being.  The next day?  Snow, and a vicious wind tosses branches against the windows like a petulant child.  But the snow doesn't last, and all around are signs that winter is losing its grip to spring.  At the farm of Dear Neighbor Friend, the evidence takes the form of fuzzy chicks and kids teetering on brand-new legs.

DNF's grandchildren have a ring-side seat to the miracle of birth.  They quickly bond with the animals and take caring for them very seriously.  But life can be closer to death than we like, and occasionally the family must cope with the loss of an animal.  This week, one of the recently born kids passed shortly after birth.  Below you can see the remaining kid, Amelia, using her mama as a jungle gym.

Over the hill at my house, I found this freshly dug hole, and trained the trail camera there to determine the culprit.  A bunny!

Shortly after these pictures were taken, the Moultrie trail cam acted up again, and Spousal Unit bought a replacement, a Stealth trail cam at Cabela's (the one we truly want is on back order until May.)  I placed it by the lake at the bottom of our property, in the hopes of capturing eagle photos.  (In my February 7, 2021 post, I wrote about golden and bald eagles feasting on fish, and I speculated about a lake awash with dead fish as the ice melted.)  It began to appear that theory might prove true - sometimes we observed as many as ten eagles at a time on the thin edges of the ice.  The three pictures below were taken with my phone through my spotting scope.  Not great quality, but you can count as many as 3 goldens and 1 bald in one of the photos.

Unfortunately, the camera did not catch any good photos of the eagles.  By mid-month, the lake was clear of ice and I relocated the trail cam to the beaver dam, anticipating that this clever engineer would begin to repair winter's damage.   Eureka!!!

 

As the ice disappeared, other water animals have arrived - cranes, Canada geese, and mallards.

I was not familiar with the ducks below - I am sure my professional birders will tell me if Ring-Necked Duck is the incorrect identification.

As you can see in the photo above, we had some snow on the 18th - the storm I mentioned at the outset with the ferocious winds.  It was enough to raise whitecaps on the lake.

I imagine the duck in the picture below was ready to pick up its wings and return south!!!

But never fear, wait a few days, and you will be rewarded with blue skies and calm waters once again!

Mosaic Monday

Welcome to Mosaic Monday, a weekly meme where we get together to share our photo mosaics and collages.

Please include at least one photo mosaic/collage in your post.

The link will be open from 1 p.m. Sunday until 11 p.m. Tuesday (U.S. Mountain time).

Remember to add the link to your Mosaic Monday post and not the one to your blog.

Please link back to this post so that your readers will be able to visit and enjoy more wonderful mosaics; taking the MM blog button from my sidebar is an easy way to link back.

As host I will visit every participant and leave a comment so that you know I stopped by.

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Mosaic Monday #127: A retreat

"There is more to life than increasing its speed."  Mahatma Gandhi

Even people who already live in the woods need a break now and then.  Despite our relatively remote location, we are still bombarded with the noise of the world, and demands on our time.  Phones, computers, livestreaming programs, Zoom meetings.  Of course, our own choices led to this.

Just as easily, we can make different choices.  And so it was that, at the end of March, Spousal Unit and I went to Owl Creek Cabin for some isolation.  Recreation.gov offers relaxation at over 3,600 facilities and 103,000 individual sites across the country.  Browse the website -- you might be surprised what is available near you!

We checked in at 2 p.m. (read: opened the door with a combination) and were impressed with the condition of the cabin.  As I would learn later by reading the guest book, the cabin was renovated during 2019.  We nibbled snacks while playing Scrabble.  The deep concentration of Spousal Unit paid off with a win!

"A cabin with plenty of food is better than a hungry castle."  Irish Saying

As we went for a walk, it was snowing steadily, adding to the romanticism.  We strolled down a road that leads to a number of homes, which are occupied only in the summer.  It was easy to imagine the shouts of children at play, and envision parents sitting in deck chairs, hand-in-hand while watching the sun set over the lake.  This day, the silence was absolute and we saw not a soul.  Most of the homes appear to have been here for decades, with varying levels of maintenance.  I loved the classic mountain cabin construction of this residence.

We spent the evening reading. I don't read nearly as much as I would like; when I am at home I am pulled to my 'task list', and reading rarely rises to the top of that list.  What a pleasure to read without thinking about what I "should" or "could" be doing!

The next day, fortified by breakfast courtesy of Head Chef, we set off for Holland Falls.  (He was impressed and pleased with the cookware available in the cabin.)  We made this hike before, with my younger brother and his wife (some photos are in this post from October 27, 2017).  Quite different in the snow, but no less stunning.

  

"The world's big and I want to have a good look at it before it gets dark."  John Muir

The 3.3 miles, round trip, was miniscule by our standards, and we found ourselves at a loose end with hours of daylight ahead.  We meandered south on Highway 83, seeking out possible snowshoeing routes or intriguing side roads.  You might find it hard to believe, but even then, at the end of March, many of the roads were impassable.  We took a back road around Seeley Lake, another popular summer destination.  If you're looking for a cheap fixer-upper, this might be for you!

Back at the cabin, the fire pit beckoned.  We had brought some firewood with us, but we were also grateful for a stack of firewood nearby.  The guest book noted that, in the "good old days", the cabin had a wood-burning fireplace.  It was replaced with a propane fire because it is safer, but also because the Forest Service no longer gets the summer staff it needs to replenish the wood piles.  Sad.  

"I had daydreams and fantasies when I was growing up.  I always wanted to live in a log cabin at the foot of a mountain.  I would ride my horse to town and pick up provisions.  Then return to the cabin, with a big open fire, a record player and peace."  Linda McCartney

The guest book also mentioned barred owls calling the distinctive "who, who, who cooks for you", but none were about that day.  Plenty of Oregon Juncos, picking at the dirt road for seeds.  In the brush, chickadees darted about in their typical fashion.  I am quite accustomed to the Black-capped Chickadee and the Mountain Chickadee that frequent my birdfeeders.  But this little bird was different - it had a distinctive dark brown back and sides.  When I returned to a cell phone signal, I would identify it as a Chestnut-Backed Chickadee.  You learn something new every day!!!

That evening, we played Kings in the Corner, and once again, I was defeated.  But nothing could deflate my bonhomie.

"Wilderness is not a luxury but a necessity of the human spirit."  Edward Abbey

All too soon, our mini-retreat came to an end.  In an attempt to delay our return to reality, we popped in to Echo Lake Café for brunch.  Not too busy.  Socially distanced.  And oh, so tasty!

Mosaic Monday

Welcome to Mosaic Monday, a weekly meme where we get together to share our photo mosaics and collages.

Please include at least one photo mosaic/collage in your post.

The link will be open from 1 p.m. Sunday until 11 p.m. Tuesday (U.S. Mountain time).

Remember to add the link to your Mosaic Monday post and not the one to your blog.

Please link back to this post so that your readers will be able to visit and enjoy more wonderful mosaics; taking the MM blog button from my sidebar is an easy way to link back.

As host I will visit every participant and leave a comment so that you know I stopped by.

Please try and visit as many other blogs as you can, especially those that join in later, so that everyone's creativity can be appreciated fully.

Thank you for joining in today and sharing your mosaics with us. 

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

MM #126: Going to the Moon (Road trip Part 8)

With Idaho Falls in the rearview mirror, and the dash thermometer reading 22 degrees Fahrenheit, we headed west.  Destination: Craters of the Moon.  Along the way, 90 miles of relatively flat terrain, populated only by pronghorn, hawks, sagebrush and, apparently, the Idaho National Laboratory.

The Craters of the Moon National Monument spans over 750,000 acres.  Volcanic eruptions ranging from gentle to explosive created the landscape.  Deep cracks in the earth allowed lava to blast, plop and flow to create cinder cones, spatter cones and lava tube caves.  We couldn't wait to drive the seven-mile loop and see it for ourselves!

While seemingly barren, the park's lava fields and arid sagebrush areas sustain a surprising diversity of plant and animal life.  We weren't there at the right time of year (we visited in October), but the annual wildflower blooms peak in mid-June, with something in bloom from May through mid-September.  Pikas, grouse, and pygmy rabbits, not to mention many birds, also thrive in the environment.  During our drive, we saw Clark's Nutcrackers.

One of the aspects of this Monument that I enjoyed was its reflection on the impact of man on the landscape.  Example: the Limber Pine.  

Click on the photo below to enlarge the plaque which explains why park managers once poisoned or cut more than 6,000 of these trees.

"The major problems in the world are the result of the difference
between the way nature works and the way man thinks."
Gregory Bateson, anthropologist

The landscape of the Monument was not created by one massive volcano, but from a series of deep fissures - known collectively as the Great Rift - that cross the Snake River Plain.  Some of the "hills" are spatter cones, miniature volcanoes formed as ejected globs of lava welded together.

Other "hills" are cinder cones, created when foamy cinders accumulate near the vent of a small volcano that generated lava with high gas content.

And then, as if to compensate, there are massive craters, as you can see in the video below.

How innocuous to see a random pine cone nearby.

I was fascinated by the lava cascades.  When the lava leaked through cracks in a natural rock "dam", fiery rivers of lava flowed across the landscape.  And then they "froze" in position!!!  

And all of this happened a mere 2,000 years ago.  Geologists believe that future events are likely!!!

We had plenty of daylight left before we needed to check in at our hotel in Ketchum, Idaho.  So when I spotted a tiny dot of green on the Idaho map, just 37 miles to the west and (mostly) on our route, we winged it.  Silver Creek Preserve turned out to be a little slice of paradise.

The story of the Preserve began in 1976 when the local community urged The Nature Conservancy (TNC) to purchase 470 acres then called the Sun Valley Ranch and create its flagship preserve, Silver Creek.  This launched a landowner conservation effort along the stream to protect an additional 12,000 acres through conservation easements, making this one of the most successful stream conservation efforts ever undertaken for public benefit and a model for community-based conservation.
 

To arrive at the parking lot for the trail system, we drove over Kilpatrick Bridge, and even from the truck we could see the rainbow trout swimming gently against the current.  Spousal Unit began twitching immediately - fishing!!!  As we quickly learned from a nearby sign, Silver Creek and nearby Stalker Creek are reputed to have 6,000 fish per stream mile.  Just think about that for a minute!!!  It explained the abundance of fishermen, most of them decked out in waders.  I left Spousal Unit to it, and went walking.  I had enough time (2 hours) to make the full circuit, beginning at the YOU ARE HERE on the map below and progressing in a clock-wise direction.

Over the last forty years, TNC has expanded the Preserve to 881 acres and restored this high-desert spring creek to a thriving ecosystem for an abundance of wildlife including eagles, coyotes, bobcats and moose.  Yes, moose!!!  

As I traversed the far end of the trail system, I spied something large and dark, nestled in the alders along the stream's edge.  My binoculars trained on the spot, I was fairly certain it was a moose.  Then, my peripheral vision caught motion to the left.  I lowered the binoculars, and what to my wondering eyes should be there, but a moose calf.  Check out the video!!!!  It trotted over to Mama, and you can see how close they were to the trail.

You do not mess with a Mama moose!  As much as I would have liked to get closer and get shots of Mama, it would not have been a good life choice!  So I had to skirt far to the left of them and then re-connect with the trail.  I was exhilarated in equal parts from seeing two moose and from the proximity of a 500+  pound mammal that has a reputation for being a little nuts!  I looked back several times just to make sure she was not pursuing me!

As many as 150 species of birds have been identified along the nature trail, and its globally unique aquatic ecosystem features one of the highest densities of stream insects in North America.  Hence the birds!

I crossed a couple of bridges along the way, and each time I was mesmerized by the clarity of the water.

Near this point, I saw two more moose.  They were on the opposite side of the creek; one was nestled on the ground.  I took a couple of pictures, but they are not the best.  I marveled at the glory of seeing 4 moose in the space of 2 hours.  Proper habitat and ecosystem protection makes all the difference!  To add to the joy of the afternoon, I saw a muskrat eating near the middle of the stream.  Here is a video of this enchanting creature.

If you can't tell, my heart was truly captured by this magical place in Idaho's high desert.  It offers something for everyone.

If you are a photographer or an artist, you'll make the trip for the legendary, glorious light: a light with its rich pastel of purples, reds, yellows and blues.  As for me, I could barely drag myself away from the spectacular collision of water, sky and hills. 

Mosaic Monday

Welcome to Mosaic Monday, a weekly meme where we get together to share our photo mosaics and collages.

Please include at least one photo mosaic/collage in your post.

The link will be open from 1 p.m. Sunday until 11 p.m. Tuesday (U.S. Mountain time).

Remember to add the link to your Mosaic Monday post and not the one to your blog.

Please link back to this post so that your readers will be able to visit and enjoy more wonderful mosaics; taking the MM blog button from my sidebar is an easy way to link back.

As host I will visit every participant and leave a comment so that you know I stopped by.

Please try and visit as many other blogs as you can, especially those that join in later, so that everyone's creativity can be appreciated fully.

Thank you for joining in today and sharing your mosaics with us. 

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter