10 May 2012 - Montana

The drive along the Clark Fork (of the Yellowstone River) is especially beautiful in the springtime, as the snow melt turns the river a beautiful shade of aquamarine blue.


I took a route to Flathead Lake that I hadn't taken before, and drove by this stunning view of Rainbow Lake [on left].

Flathead Lake was just as beautiful as I remembered it. This time I stopped at West Shore State Park and Joey and I had a lovely walk on a trail through the woods along the lakeshore.



We stopped in Columbia Falls for a night before we headed into Glacier National Park. As usual, Joey and I played ball for awhile. As my dad says, Joey's version of ball is more of a "keep-away" game than anything else, but she loves it. She is so proud of that ball, there isn't any way to describe it except to say that she "prances" around with the ball. You can clearly see she's telling you, "See what I have!"

7 May 2012 - Sawtooth Mountains of Idaho

I stopped in Twin Falls and took a break for a couple days. I'd been pushing it pretty hard since I left Arizona and wanted to slow down a little. I knew I was back in the north country when I heard the redwing blackbirds in the marsh next door, and saw all the beautiful lilacs blooming in the campground. And I enjoyed every minute of it. :-)

While I was in town (Twin Falls) I drove to the beautiful Snake River Canyon. I wasn't far from the spot where Evil Knievel tried to jump the canyon in 1974. It's really hard to imagine someone trying to jump over such a huge canyon. I also drove over to Shoshone Falls, known as the Niagara of the West. Both are worth seeing, even for the second time. :-)

Then I drove north, through Sun Valley. This time of year you can still tell that it's primarily a ski resort area. Once again, the drive through the Sawtooth Mountains was incredibly beautiful, with snow-topped mountains on three sides. The majestic view of the mountains on the other side of the Salmon River Valley far below, was definitely worth the drive. Even for the second time. :-)

As I was driving through the Salmon River Valley, on the Salmon River Scenic Byway, I was surprised to see a pair of striking sandhill cranes. I've only seen them in the wild once before, in Wisconsin. They had rubbed clay into their feathers, as they are wont to do, so that their feathers were a beautiful rust color. And, most amazing, while I watched, one of them did a kind of dance for the other. I read later that "dancing" for each other isn't that unusual in a pair. But it was incredible to watch.

6 May 2012 - Great Salt Lake and Antelope Island

I visited my friend Karrie in Salt Lake City and was impressed with the views of snow-capped mountains she has all around her. No wonder she had trouble finding her way around the flat prairies of North Dakota, with no mountains on the horizon to help her get her bearings! :-)

Then I spent a couple nights camped on Antelope Island, another of my very favorite places.

I knew I was back in the West, when I heard the meadowlarks singing all around us in the campground.

The sunsets were exquisite, as always.

Highlights included seeing a chukar for the first time, and adding that to my Life List, and seeing thousands and thousands of earred grebes.






I saw some antelope, but could never get a better view of them than I did last time I was here. I saw some bison, and lots of other birds. But, mostly, once again, I was blown away by the beauty all around me, the views of this island and this lake.

5 May 2012 - Red Rock Country & Bryce Canyon

I spent a couple days in Utah's Red Rock Country, another of my favorite places in the U.S. Besides the Vermillion Cliffs (where Best Friends is located) [left],and views of the nearby Escalante Staircase National Park, [below] I also drove through Red Canyon [below left] on my way to Bryce Canyon National Park. It was too cold for me to stay there long. The elevation is pretty high, and it was forecast to get down to around freezing that night. But the views at Sunset Point [below right] were stunning.







The next morning I was wondering whether it actually got down to freezing that night, until I saw this...