There’s a first time for everything

The weather looked fine this morning, so I decided to take a drive back to Ennis, Montana, on a day that I knew Resveldt Meats would be open.  It’s a rather scenic drive along the Madison River.  Lots of trout fishermen were out today in boats and waders.

I drove 14 miles past Ennis to Virginia City, which people had said was worth the trip to see this restored town from the past.  It turned out to be not something I’m especially interested in. 
There was a nice overlook, however, of the Madison Valley.  This valley is very important as a wildlife corridor.  That’s Ennis in the lower left.

I stocked up on several varieties of sausage and some smoked pork chops at the butcher store, and then headed back to camp.
On the way back, I spotted an Osprey nest overlooking the Madison River.  I believe the female is on the left incubating the eggs while the male is watching on the right.

Once I got back to the rig, this was the scene that was unfolding out my front window:
For the last week or two, lots of cattle have been trucked in to the high mountain meadows for summer grazing.  Today, this small herd was moved via mounted cowboys and cowgirls to greener pastures.  :)

As Emma and I sat outside in the balmy temperatures this afternoon, I asked my neighbors if they were interested in going to the rodeo and chuck wagon dinner that is put on by a nearby ranch.  It turns out that this is the same working ranch that had the cattle drive this afternoon.  They sounded interested, but Jim, the husband, thought we needed to have reservations.  That’s when his wife, Jackie, suggested she and I hop on their ATV and drive over there to make a reservation.  I’ve never ridden on a four wheeler before, so I was up for the new experience.  :)  After making our reservation, she asked if I’d like to go for a little ride.  So, off we went up into the hills.  It was quite a ride!  We made it to the continental divide, and then drove off on a side tract into the mountains. 

We probably drove about eight or nine miles total before I suggested we head back since there were some very ominous looking clouds heading our way.  She agreed, and we high tailed it back down the rustic track.  We didn’t quite make it back to camp before the rains were upon us.  That was some cold rain!  As we hopped off and ran to our rigs, she said “Now you can check that off your bucket list!”  Yessiree Bob!  Four wheeling in the Rocky Mountains…not something I ever expected to do.

Thanks for stopping by….talk to you later,  Judy

At Home on the Range

We headed out of Red Rock RV Park this morning with Ennis, Montana, as our destination.





As we passed through the sage brush covered valley, we encountered several small herds of antelope.  (click pics to enlarge)



Antelope are pretty skittish, so I’m pleased that I got these shots.
After about an hour’s drive we approached Ennis, Montana.








Our mission there was to go to Resveldt’s Meat Market for authentic German sausage.  Sorry to say, it turned out that the butcher shop was closed on Mondays.  :(  So, after visiting a few of the shops on Main Street, we turned around and headed back to camp. 

As we were driving to Ennis, I had noticed a sign for a National Fish Hatchery along the way.  I suggested we stop there on the way back, and since I was driving, no one objected.  :)  It turned out to be a 7 mile drive up and down a gravel range road to get there.





This is where the 11,000,000 trout come from in Ennis!  This National Fish Hatchery works with six strains of rainbow trout.


This is the bluff where early Plains Indians herded buffalo over the cliff.  That was probably before the advent of horses.


Pam and Stan had never been to a fish hatchery before, so they found it very interesting.  I enjoyed it since I had volunteered at Bandon Fish Hatchery in Oregon.
We took one of the back roads home that was a little more scenic in this very scenic area.
Henry’s Lake is located just one mile north of our campground.

Emma and I sat outside in the afternoon while I tried to make some more adjustments on the new camera.  I finally got the manual focus set to match my eyes.  I like to use manual focus when I’m using the telephoto lens.  If I use automatic, the camera often focuses on something other than what I’m interested in.  Then I had to practice a little.
 

Luckily, a few birds were around.  :)  That’s a singing male white-crowned sparrow on the left, and a male black-headed grosbeak on the right.










As I sat at the picnic table, a pair of Cassin’s finches approached very close.  They wanted to use Emma’s water dish for a drink of water.

The weather we had today was the best we’ve had since we left Minnesota.  I hope it continues tomorrow.  Maybe summer is finally on the way in this neck of the woods.

I’d like to thank everyone for the suggestions for my dried out, cracking fingers.  Today I’m trying the cortisone treatment.  I sure hope it works.  :)

Thanks for stopping by….talk to you later,  Judy