Like many places, fall is wonderful in the Bitterroots – fresh and cool with staggering colors and the chance to enjoy the season before winter sets in. As I stand on the river, enjoying a scene that probably hasn’t changed in 200 years, I wonder if Lewis and Clark were too early to enjoy the change of season. They arrived in September 1805, staying about 10 days. They returned the following year but it was summer, pretty, but not as beautiful as fall 😊

Hiking by the river is our daily exercise.  Coco and Cowboy both like getting their feet wet so water is mandatory.  Every turn in the river presents autumn glory.  Sometimes the scene includes birds, deer and sometimes a moose!

This week Blodgett Canyon was calling.   Best done before snow and ice, this is also the prettiest time so off we went.  Me, Ralph, Coco and Cowboy headed out midday.  We’ve done this before and it’s a treat every time. 

We have a “turnaround” point where a snack and something yummy to drink happen while sitting on a log, though this time logs were soggy.  Not a problem.  We take time to investigate the latest additions to a beaver lodge, watch for blue Stellar jay flashes, and check which turn in the creek is shallow enough to cool off doggie feet.

After years of sliding plates, thickening and melting crusts, faulting, sliding and uplifting granite, the Bitterroots are a marvel of geology.  Add to this the foreground of forests and running water, this canyon and every other canyon in the range are a marvel.

Standing on the river or along the edge of a valley lake the reflections of the peaks are majestic. Add in gold leaves, traveling geese, and blowing clouds and it’s hard to take a bad picture.

Though I’ll have stunning pictures of ice and frost in another month, there’s nothing like the aura of fall.  Enjoy every pleasing moment of fall, life and all its blessings!