Both perfect.  The middle school here had “healthy choices” day last week.  I was assigned the trip to Bigfork, where – OMG, lucky me – there was a hike along my favorite river – the Swan.

Fall fragrance and warm sun soaked in while I walked.  Perfect.  I’ve probably posted a dozen pictures from this lovely place.  I’ve had all my dogs here and have brought home more rocks, leaves, and other miscellaneous souvenirs than from anywhere else.  Fall colors were well underway.  The river was flowing fuller and faster than I expected for this time of year – I wish I could relay the music of the water. 
There are ripple marks here –  out under the flowing water and well up on dry land – from ancient times?  Words from Norman Maclean, quoted in A River Runs Through It, come to mind every time I’m here:  “The river was cut by the world’s great flood and runs over rocks from the basement of time. On some of the rocks are timeless raindrops.”

Then I took them from this to the bowling alley – odd transition 🙂

I did discover a sweet old cemetery across the road with possibly the best view ever.

Yesterday, a chilly, damp day – equally perfect.  Well info fall, out in a wild-looking place enjoying something I never could have imagined as a child growing up in Phoenix – the bison preserve in Moise.  It’s roundup time again – it doesn’t seem like a year since I took kids on this trip and the pictures are probably familiar but I can’t help myself from sharing some again.

They called out weights as the big critters were moved from corrals to pens to chutes – most around 2000 lbs.   They are mad by the time they’ve been poked and prodded this far (used to be rounded up and brought down to the pens by cowboys on horseback but now by ATVs – who wouldn’t be mad about that?) and it’s noisy with them slamming themselves and their hooves into the strong metal barriers.

Then they’re sent down these corridors and trapped in a scary hydraulic-hose nightmare for blood and hair samples, shots, etc.  Some are released into a big fenced pasture to continue living here, some into other corrals to be shared with other preserves or ranches.

Nice they don’t use this barn for slaughtering anymore.  They serve food in here…odd…

Then quick lunch at the picnic area.  Lots of kids and buses.

I walked down to the pond but there were no swans or signets this year – still just as pretty!