Montana Moon

                                                                 Blues and Yellows -                                                                  
                          Crisp Autumn mornings remind us another Summer has come to an end....
                                                         
                                                                                                                                                                                     

Red Rock Kayak Skunk Rescue

On Rich McKnight's 65th birthday he rescued a skunk from certain death. It was a delicate operation involving four kayakers and three hikers.  Two other kayakers felt the need to paddle west; I can't wait to hear Dave's version of this story.....while several motor boats and a sailboat watched from a distance.

Rich adds this to his list of previous rescues including a turkey vulture and a field mouse!

PeaceTree Paddlers



                                                     Deb's Delicious Birthday Brunch

Cairns and Cowboys

Peter Irnig, a member of the native people of the Arctic region of Canada, is building three Inuksuits or 'signposts' in Ames this month.  This one is located in Emma McCarthy Lee Park.

Deb M is a great friend, kayaker, and teacher.  She's also a great photographer with a sense of humor.  Here's her rendition of the Red Rock Kayak Rodeo. 

Knoxville Cornfield

                                                                                    
                                             Dramatic Sunrise Over Knoxville, Iowa Cornfield

Yellowstone Lake Reflections

View of Yellowstone Lake north of the West Thumb Geyser Basin.  Beautiful blue skies and white clouds reflected in the calm water.  Later in the day the winds kicked up creating more interesting paddling conditions, but the gentle breezes made for better photograhy in the early morning.

Full Moon Over Yellowstone

Full moon over Yellowstone.  I spied a baby elk with her mother alongside a stream not far from the road on my way back to Big Sky one evening on my own before my Rocky Mountain School of Photography classes began.  Several of us stopped and the elk were starting to draw a crowd.  I'd spent 20 minutes or so with the elk and was anxious to depart the congregating mob when I turned to go back to my little rental car.  Ka-pow!  Awesome large luminous moon over the mountains!  How many times have I heard "turn around - the photo is often behind you"?  Sure enough! 

So, the rest of the story.....I'd done the same thing the night before - stayed out too late taking photos and enjoying being outside on a warm, late summer night.  I knew it was about an hour back to Big Sky, and I'd intended to leave early enough to avoid traveling the dark mountain roads in the night.....but some wolves showed up, and a brilliant rainbow after a lovely light rain, and some bison, and then the baby elk...and, did I mention a moon?  The second night alone in the mountains wasn't as bad as the first.  As it turns out the Department of Transportation operates somewhat differently in Montana/Wyoming than it does in Iowa.  They remove entire sections (read - miles) of the highway - down to just dirt during times of road repair.  This isn't well marked (read - you're driving along on a highway, then it disappears....in the dark), and there are no lights.  The moon had gone behind clouds.  To make it more interesting I discovered that there wasn't cell phone coverage in the area.  No other people on the road (do you call it that when it's just dirt?).  I sort of expected to hear banjos playing in the distance. 

But, of course, the paved highway eventually returned and I climbed my way up the mountain top.  Once again, I discovered that the locals prefered not to clutter the environment with a bunch of directional signs. 

It takes awhile to figure my way around in new places.  This time it was a wonderful adventure.

Western Bluebird

I got in the first 100 miles on my new boat this week, and managed another 25 on the Force 3.  The wind was a lot of fun on Sunday - surfing in Iowa!  All this - with a little help from my friends.

Forget not that the earth delights to feel your bare feet and the winds long to play with your hair.  ~Kahlil Gibran

Inuit

I love the stone landmarks called Inuksuk.  It seems they are popping up everywhere, but this 'Inuit', as they are popularly called, at Hickory Ridge is especially well constructed.  The top piece is an interesting shape, but I am intrigued by it's unusual color.  This stone structure is still standing at Hickory Ridge despite strong winds on Lake Red Rock this weekend.  I also spied the remnants of several of my old attempts at these stone structures.....I will have to try harder.

Inuit artist and cultural teacher, Peter Irniq, will be in Ames, Iowa this month to discuss and build three of these wonderful rock landmarks.  Inuksuit designate good hunting or fishing, mark trails, and serve as reference points for travelers.....and they are pretty. 

Happy Birthday!!!

Dog Days Of Summer