Posts by Liz

Polebridge, Montana…and the “Merc”

So…we left off yesterday at a stop along the North Fork of the Flathead River. But back to the beginning of the day for a moment…

Sandy took this photo as we were headed down “the road home”…I love it! My little red Jeep, with Karl and I aboard, headed for adventure :)! We took 2 vehicles because I am a tourist wimp and they are energizer bunnies in comparison… I needed to be able to come home when it was my nap time…

Off we go!

Breakfast at The Whistle Stop Cafe in Columbia Falls – where we added the word “terrifical” to our vocabulary…courtesy of our waitress – then north with the stop at the river and on another 40 minutes of dusty road along rivers and creeks, to Polebridge, Montana…home of Polebridge Mercantile…

aka the “Merc”.

The Polebridge Mercantile is famous for its bakery – bread, sweet rolls, sandwiches. We partook! And ate all on their front porch…

…while we took in the local color – and not just the leaves on the trees, but I cannot bring myself to point my camera at strangers so you’ll have to take my word for it.

However, while Sandy was inside getting another Huckleberry Bear Claw, Jerry and I were kibbutzing and noting that the “color” in this kind of very remote place tends to be the same from remote spot to remote spot. And then, a car with people who reeked high class pulled in and asked Jerry if he was from here… Hee… In Jerry’s defense, although he was wearing a cap that said “Paddle Faster, I hear banjo music”, he was dressed in jeans, a freshly pressed oxford shirt, with a belt and shirt tucked in! – AND his hat was on right side forward. He didn’t really look like a Polebridge local…but it was funny.

After that, I was done…Karl and I headed for home leaving Sandy and Jerry on their own for further exploring…they have a Garmin, I knew they’d find their way back to the house..eventually and they did…and it was still light :)!

Meanwhile, Karl and I stopped at another river access. Polebridge local dogs are out and about so visitor dogs have to be on leash…I left Karl in the Jeep while in Polebridge, so this stop was for him.

Beautiful creekside break…and then we went home.

On the way to Polebridge, MT

Polebridge, Montana…gateway to the western-most entrance of Glacier National Park, 20 miles from the border of Canada…

40 miles on a mostly gravel road north of Columbia Falls, MT ensures that only the hardiest travel that way. Most of the local population are against paving the road as that would mean more traffic and visitors.

Sandy and Jerry have not met a dirt or gravel road they wouldn’t travel. I knew this road would not faze them one bit so off we went. The road was not that bad as far as rough riding – the dust, though, that was impressive!

We stopped at a river access I know…

We all meandered, including Karl.

Here, there and everywhere along the river.

Jerry gets credit for this one…the darned wildlife…always turning away from the camera :)!

A fellow traveler obliged for a group photo…on the way to Polebridge, MT.

Friday: Jewel Basin

Down (actually UP!) the road we went to the Jewel Basin Trailhead Parking lot – Camp Misery by name. No, I don’t know why they call it Camp Misery – it is beautiful.

We were headed up and suddenly a large bird swooped over the road. Jerry thinks the owl was after some critter on the road – we saw a lot of chipmunks … but our presence disrupted things.

All three of us had seen owls at night or dusk, but never in the day time. What a treat! I don’t think the great horned owl had the same perspective on the encounter since lunch got away…

Not too much further along there were 3 goats on the road. Let me point out that neither Sandy nor I specialize in wildlife photography… we missed the goats in the road and unlike in Glacier National Park where they seem trained to pose for tourists, these goats headed for cover.

The photo above is actually later, when we were walking on a trail. And once again – this goat stood spectacularly posed until we had cameras raised.

Both Sandy and I got great photos of the goat’s behind…

Morning by moon shadow

This past week has been a reprise of summer with warm days and cool nights. The nights have been clear – our last walk of the evening taken under the canopy of more stars than you can imagine if you’ve never spent a night away from city lights. The waning moon’s rise is late in the night (or early in the morning??) leaving it high in the sky when we venture out in the dark of a Fall morning.

Balmy temperatures and moon shadows…

…have taken me outside to sit and listen and prepare for the day.

The blue light special is Karl :)! He is in his usual spot which gives him a view and a listen over the game trail below.

Bob is usually out with us as well – there is a small critter hidey-hole under the house near where I sit, but this morning he opted for an inside seat.

All this week, though, by the waning moon and with temperatures that felt like summer, we have enjoyed morning by moonshadow.

Vote for Karl!

Orvis the dog book – Orvis’ catalog for all things canine and the supplier of “Karl’s” new dog bed, has a Cover Dog contest every year.

Just this very moment, sneaking in under the wire (9/30 is the last day to enter), I entered Karl’s photo – a favorite of mine, taken on 2/26/2009.

The voting does not affect who wins the photo contest – it is a means to raise money and awareness for canine cancer.

Karl says please consider a donation for canine cancer – here or at your local veterinarian – the medication and treatment for canine and/or feline cancers is prohibitively expensive for many.

Orvis Photo Contest . Search by Dog’s Name, enter “Karl”.

***EDIT 9/30 1:10 P.M. U.S. Mountain Daylight time…
In case you don’t read comments:

Karl’s Mama says she will match donations 1 for 1…for every vote (1 vote = $1/$5 min) – as of 8:00 p.m. U.S. Mountain Daylight time – the family Summers will match dollar for U.S.Dollar….Hoo Rah – we need to beat Canine Cancers and soon!!!

Srsly – look at the Orvis video of 2010 Cover dogs. If those eyes do not speak to your soul… I don’t mean that all of those dogs have cancer because they don’t. I mean that there is something special about loved dogs and the way dogs love. Cancer is a horrible thing, no matter who it attacks. And we give it such power – it is past time to take that power away.