My Journey

ghostdancer & ITTOG.....it was March when we returned.....late Winter in Montana.....so it really wasn't so bad. Just knowing that Spring was coming.....well, just that, made it doable.....I love the four seasons.....

Ace.....they love us.....and we love them as well.....



March was a snowy month in Montana.....I swear it seemed to snow every third or fourth day.....

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March is not at all similar to January & February in Montana.....at least that's how I see it (and have experienced it). In between the snow days, we'd seem to have a nice day or two.....then more bitter cold would move in.....melt & freeze.....

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.....over & over & over again.....

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But it was good to be back.....back at the cabin.....to relax in the dog chair and to watch the birds at the feeders.....to take daily hot showers.....to live what's called a "somewhat" normal life.....

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The dogs enjoyed their new found freedoms.....just being able to hang out without restrictions.....the collar & the leash.....they absolutely love their fenced acreage.....

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My days were spent walking, reading, and adding reclaimed boards to the interior of the cabin.....the cabin continues to look good.....each new board adds new character.....and warmth to my little cabin. Soon enough I'll have the entire interior covered with reclaimed boards.....and then it'll truly be a cabin.....

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Towards the end of the month.....when the snows became less frequent.....

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.....and when the days were noticeably longer.....

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And when the snow began to melt in the mountains to the east.....

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And after we'd stayed for a full cycle of the moon.....

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Well.....I began to think that it was time to get back out.....to leave the comforts of the cabin.....

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It was time for us to wander.....

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.....and so it was.....that we hit the road again.....

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ITTOG

Well-known member
That picture of the mountains with the clouds that are orange and purple is beautiful. You may have outdone yourself with that one.

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Chet6.7.....Jack Kerouac.....a true legend.....

ITTOG.....nerver forget.....I simply touch the screen.....what you see has nothing to do with me.....

Sierra Valley.....good luck.....



This trip started out as do most all of our trips.....first we headed into Bozeman, Montana to load up on supplies from the big box retailers.....afterwards, we walked the length of Main  Street.....one of my most favorite main streets in all of America.....

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Then we got onto the interstate and drove east....stopping somewhere along a random exit for a very late lunch. Eventually we left the interstate once we arrived at Big Timber, Montana, and then we drove north on Highway 191.....

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It was an unusually warm day that day.....with afternoon temperatures in the 70's.....a perfect day for travel.....a perfect day for long walks in the valleys along the single lane gravel roads.....

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We passed by the Crazies.....probaby my most favorite mountain chain.....it felt good to visit my old friend.....

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But this trip wasn't about the mountains.....no peak bagging in our plans.....so we continued on.....

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We weren't in any hurry.....we had a vague destination in mind but no timetable whatsoever.....we stopped often.....to see what we could see.....

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We drove down those one lane gravel roads randomly.....just looking for interesting things.....

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Every side road that we took seemed to offer something of interest.....

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An old barn.....an old silo.....an old storage shed.....it didn't matter to me.....

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It was just good to be back out discovering new places.....seeing new things.....

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Foy

Explorer
We enjoyed a sammich and a beer at Burger Bob's right there on Main back in September while enroute fron the Centennial Valley to White Sulphur Springs. Bozeman is nice!
 
Foy.....yep, it's a good town.....and they have good sammiches.....



For those of you that are familiar with My Journey, you know that I have grown an affinity for using the phrase "to see what I can see". You may have noticed that I just used it in my last post. This winter I took a liking to the words "silence & solitude". Those words were often appropriate. On this trip you'll more than likely notice that I'll often be using the phrase "no one was here". My apologies in advance for the overuse of that phrase.....I only use it when it's appropriate.....



We continued north on Highway 191.....at the intersection with Highway 12, in Harlowton, Montana, we took a right onto Highway 12, drove east just a small bit, passed through to the other side of town, then took a left, back onto Highway 191, driving north once again.....into a slight northerly, cool.....almost summer breeze.....

It was early evening when we pulled onto the last gravel road of that day.....

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It was now the time of day when you begin to think about setting up camp for the night.....

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I found this small pull out on the side of that last gravel road of the day.....maybe a mile east of the paved highway.....

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.....right near this insignificant body of water.....it more than likely only existed there due to the roadbed blocking the freeflow of the small ravine. I'm not sure that it was large enough to even qualify to be called a pond.....

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But it did have Mallards.....they quacked occasionally.....and it did have thousands of frogs.....frogs so tiny that you couldn't see a single one (I looked).....but they croaked nonstop.....like a symphony for me.....and I loved them for it.....

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And then there were the songbirds perched along the barbed wire fence line.....they must have numbered in the hundreds at the very least.....and they sang like a choir.....

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And maybe best of all....."no one was here".....

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Oh.....and the windmills.....I hadn't even mentioned the windmills.....they swished in the slight breeze.....and one even had this special squeak about it.....not a bad squeak, but a good squeak.....all of these sounds.....the Mallards, the frogs, the songbirds, the windmills, the slight breeze.....they were all music to my ears.....

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If dogs could talk, I suppose that my best friends might tell you that we walked way too many miles along that gravel road during our short stay here.....but honestly, that's just what I enjoy doing so much these days.....especially when out in the prairie.....

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There's just much beauty out there.....and you've got to be out there, as much as you can, to see that beauty.....

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We had hoped for a sensational sunset that evening.....and this is what we got.....maybe not sensational.....but definitely beautiful.....

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The following morning we were back out there.....now hoping for a sensational sunrise.....

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As the sun rose over the horizon.....the sights were indeed sensational.....

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We hung out for a few hours along that gravel road that morning.....just watching the developing sky.....

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.....and of course.....listening to nature's symphony.....

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ITTOG

Well-known member
I won't mention how nice the pictures are. You just deflect the recognition. ;)

I have used your phrase "to see what I can see" many times since reading your posts. It has always stuck with me as a good phrase and defines what I like to do very well. I usually do it on my four wheeler, and on hikes.

I guess you got the travel bug quickly after returning to the cabin?

Happy travels and stay safe!
 

Ace Brown

Retired Ol’ Fart
I won't mention how nice the pictures are. You just deflect the recognition. ;)

I have used your phrase "to see what I can see" many times since reading your posts. It has always stuck with me as a good phrase and defines what I like to do very well. I usually do it on my four wheeler, and on hikes.

I guess you got the travel bug quickly after returning to the cabin?

Happy travels and stay safe!

I use the phrase lots too.

Despite Jerry’s deflection he does take excellent pictures. Composition is a major part of good photography. Jerry just gave us a great example. His sunset/sunrise photos were greatly enhanced by the wind turbine.


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Sm0kyXPLR

New member
I won't mention how nice the pictures are. You just deflect the recognition. ;)

I have used your phrase "to see what I can see" many times since reading your posts. It has always stuck with me as a good phrase and defines what I like to do very well. I usually do it on my four wheeler, and on hikes.

I guess you got the travel bug quickly after returning to the cabin?

Happy travels and stay safe!

Too funny, as I absolutely have taken that phrase to heart after following this thread over the years as well, even here in Wisconsin. Just another small way your posts on here have impacted us Jerry.
 
ITTOG.....no, I got the bug long before returning to the cabin. I'm constantly thinking about the next trip, the things that I want to see. It's never ending dreaming.....

Ace (& ITTOG).....I appreciate the comments.....I really do. I don't mean to be rude.....

SmOkyXPLR.....I think that phrase embodies the thinking of most of the people that are attracted to XP. It's probably the one single thing that we all have in common.....



When I began this trip, there were two goals that I had set in my mind. First and foremost, I wanted to spend time alone in the prairie.....as much time as I possibly could. And second, which is obviously contrary to the first goal, is that I wanted to visit the newly constructed headquarters of the American Prairie Reserve located in Lewistown, Montana.....

It was still early in the day as we approached the town limits of Lewistown, Montana.....I was anxious to arrive, yet not in any real hurry. And nothing proves that statement better than a photo of a school bus passing us on the highway.....

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Anyhow.....I just love this small town.....Lewistown, Montana..... you can't even imagine how much I love to be here. With a population of roughly 6,000, it's probably the perfect size town, in a perfect area, in a perfect state.....

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Once we arrived in town, the first task at hand was to tire the dogs out real good (cause I planned to spend a good bit of time at the headquarters of the American Prairie Reserve).....so we walked along the concrete sidewalks and enjoyed the relaxing atmosphere of the tidy main street that bisects the town.....then we moved onto the residential streets.....

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Now with the dogs worn out & retired to the camper, I proceeded to see the newly built headquarters of the American Prairie Reserve.....

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We were here two years ago when American Prairie Reserve acquired the building & started construction......since that visit, I've wanted to see the finished project.....and I also wanted to gather as much information as I could about their properties, since we were on our way to visit their lands.....

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The headquarters were top notch.....
everyone that comes to Montana should consider visiting this place at least once, and possibly think about supporting their cause. The visitors center here is on the same level as any National Park Visitors Center that I've seen.....and maybe even a step above.....

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I watched all of their movies on the big screen.....and I took the time to view all of their exhibits.....and I became so excited as to the things that I anticipated that I would soon see.....

(Next 3 pictures are from the American Prairie Reserve movies.....they are not pictures that I took).....

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When I finally left that building (I was there for several hours at least).....I was ready to see what I could I see.....heck, I drove out of that town so fast that I could've passed a school bus.....I just knew that things were going to get good.....

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