We got a taste of winter around the first of the month. We kept working outside, enjoyed the wildlife, and, in the chillier hours, Coop luxuriated with his first fire of the season while I enjoyed tea, apple/blueberry pie and a good book.

Now we have spring again and there’s still so much to do in these last few days before the snow flies – yard work, wood splitting, playing! For the playing part I made two escapes this week, feeling like we’d been given a treat and I had better take advantage of it.

First I headed down to the bison range. I don’t know where all the buffalo were hiding, I only saw two, but both were magnificent.

Elk are doing their bugling thing this time of year and I hoped to hear it. By the time I came across the elk herd (first picture below) it was noon so they were probably done with their longing calls for the day. It was certainly a big herd, maybe 100? There were five or six bulls mixed in that were amazing.   Coop waited patiently in the truck, enjoying the sun, when I stopped to get pictures 🙂

The switchbacks down the back side of the preserve are always interesting.   Hard to watch the road while you’re enjoying the view!  I’ve driven down this in a school bus twice – like a Disneyland ride!

And all the antelope that are always over there weren’t. No clue where they could have been either.

I walked Coop for a bit before we headed home. In the picnic area we saw a bull elk lying down by a bathroom. Odd.

He moved his head now and then. Maybe he was overwhelmed by the size of his rack? I know I was!

Then yesterday I headed up the north fork of the Flathead River just west of Glacier Park. I haven’t been up there in years and it was as pretty as I remember. All the gold is from larch, a deciduous conifer.  There were quite a few “needle peepers” up and down this remote dirt road but Coop and I still managed to find peace and quiet.

There are a lot of river access areas and places to enjoy the view toward Glacier. This area was part of my “stomping grounds” when I first moved to Montana. Lots of reminiscing went on, some good, some bad. I’ve had a couple of flat tires up there but have also seen moose, camped in a forest service lookout, and eaten at the restaurant at the far end of the road that has no electricity!

I always take a picture of my trusty truck – me and that truck have had some great times, most of them in Montana!  It’s been a good week – warm days, painted landscapes, memories old and new and, for me, the end of another year as we wait for the snow to fly!