{"id":72527,"date":"2019-06-09T05:27:09","date_gmt":"2019-06-09T11:27:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.featheredphotography.com\/blog\/?p=72527"},"modified":"2019-06-09T08:31:27","modified_gmt":"2019-06-09T14:31:27","slug":"the-wilds-of-montana-and-idaho-here-i-come","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/2019\/06\/09\/the-wilds-of-montana-and-idaho-here-i-come\/","title":{"rendered":"The Wilds Of Montana And Idaho, Here I Come!"},"content":{"rendered":"

Plus a sunrise double rainbow that I’m interpreting as a good omen.<\/p>\n

Because of issues with my bad back I haven’t been camping in my favorite area in the whole wide world for two years now – the Centennial Valley<\/a> and its environs in southwest Montana and nearby areas in Idaho. But if all goes well (and there are no guaranties of that) I’ll get there this afternoon for a much anticipated few days of camping, bird and wildlife photography and a rejuvenation of my wounded spirit after surgery and so much misery.<\/p>\n

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Short-eared Owls are always one of my target species when I’m up there. I photographed these two fighting males several years ago at Red Rock Lakes National Wildlife Refuge which is just one relatively small part of the huge valley that is a haven for many species of raptors.<\/p>\n

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I probably don’t have a better photo than this one to put the size and scope of the valley in perspective. Here I’m looking south across the width of the valley from the foothills of the Gravelly Range directly behind me. In the far distance we see the Centennial Mountains that form the southern valley border. And this is only the width of the valley, it’s much longer than this from east to west.<\/p>\n

During many of my most recent trips I’ve spent at least as much time in the nearby mountains on all four sides of the valley as I have in the valley itself – the Gravelly Range, the Centennial Mountains, the Pioneer Mountains and the nearby Madison Range.<\/p>\n

Birds and wildlife abound, especially if you know where and how to look for them, but often you still have to be lucky to get close enough for photography and that’s how it should be. I much prefer a place like this where the wildlife is truly wild, the views are expansive and you see more critters than you do people and vehicles. Yellowstone just isn’t my bag. The isolation and peace and quiet here are just as alluring for me as the wildlife and scenery.<\/p>\n

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Sunrises and sunsets are to die for. This is a view at dawn near one of my favorite campsites with foraging birds in the foreground and lake fog beginning to rise from Lower Red Rock Lake.<\/p>\n

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I’ve been yearning for a trip like this for a long time now but with my continuing back and leg problems, even after surgery, I was reluctant for reasons that should be obvious. But several mornings ago while I was actively lamenting the fact that it had been so long since I’ve been up there an omen appeared that put me over the edge.<\/p>\n

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I looked out my living room window a few minutes after sunrise and this is what I saw – a double rainbow. And guess what the pot of gold was at the end of the rainbow?<\/p>\n

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My camping trailer.<\/p>\n

Or at least the top of it (I wasn’t the only one taking phone photos of the double rainbow, as evidenced by the raised hands and cell phone at lower right). Right then and there I decided to make the trip if I possibly could.<\/p>\n

Just because it’s my favorite area for rejuvenation and bird photography is no guarantee that I’ll get many decent photos. I’ve been skunked or nearly so on several previous trips to the area. The weather up there is notoriously extreme and unpredictable (most days I’ll be crossing the Continental Divide several times if that tells you anything) and it can be unexpectedly cloudy with poor light for days on end.<\/p>\n

But you never know unless you go so I’m gonna do it.<\/p>\n

Ron<\/p>\n

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Notes:<\/em><\/p>\n