This is our Reality- May 14, 2011

People often ask if spring has come yet, since they are busy mowing their lawns.  I thought a few photos would be telling:

Here's the view out our front door:

Here's the view out the back of the house on the deck:

Most of the snow has gone, with patches and drifts hanging on.  Last Saturday, the first faint traces of green appeared here and there.  Since then, more green is being reflected in the fields and along the streams. 

If you're observant, you've noticed in the first photo that the animals are elk, not horses.  The elk are moving slowly and are about ready to give birth between and the end of the month. 

I'm really looking forward to seeing baby elk bouncing about!

On our back deck, we have quite a collection of bones that our dog Pepper has discovered while wandering in the fields around us.  Definitely not the type of things a dog would find in the suburbs:

In the front yard are more leg bones and part of a skull....  I think this place is a kind of dog heaven.

Down at the main Lodge, Dan has a few crocus blooming, and the tulips are trying to form buds.  Spring should be in full swing by the end of May.

Cheers!

Montana Critters - Creative and Crafty

I love the animals here.

Back east, it would be a mini-thrill of excitement to see the occasional deer or hawk.

In our area of Montana, one can see hundreds of deer, hawks- and that's a slow day.

There are elk, bison, mountain sheep, and antelope, either on the road or close to it.  Gold eagles, bald eagles and hawks frequently fly overheard.

Grizzly and black bear, mountain lions and mountain goats are several of the more elusive-but-present critters.  Mule deer and and whitetail deer reach large numbers in the valleys.  Fox, coyote and wolves wander wide territories in search of food.  And the domestic cattle, horses and sheep graze over huge  ranges.

Here's a collection of photos personally taken be either me, Dan, Don, or Rachel's fiancee Paul (a special thanks to Paul--- many of these beauties were taken by him):

Mom and baby deer eating our grass in the front yard late last summer:

a mountain sheep couple on the road as we drove past them:

a very rare mountain goat trekking across the Ranch:

not the actual grizzly, but giant grizzly tracks by our house (that's Dan's foot for comparison):

more mountain sheep by the roadside:

our dog Pepper (she's a Montana critter, too...)

Pepper and Paul building an igloo:

most Montana horses live outside all winter:

elk looking for winter food:

the nearest town, Gardiner, is a lot like the Alaskan town in the TV series "Northern Exposure":

five o'clock rush minute on the Gardiner bridge:

What Dan Saw on His Trip to the Grocery Store

Here is a normal day/ normal trip to the grocery store in Gardiner.

What do you see when you go the the grocery?

Muddy roads.......

Buffalo by the side of the road.......

Cowboys chasing buffalo back into Yellowstone (that's called hazing, folks)...

Antelope roaming on the range.....

And mountain sheep taking a roam on the range as well.

All for a gallon of milk..... :)

March Mish-Mash

Whew!  March whizzed past quickly this year.  The beginning of the month had lots of snow up here in the basin, while the town of Gardiner proper (in the valley) lost the snow accumulation.  Up in the mountains, the piles of plowed snow on the ranch loomed higher and higher:

Meanwhile, the bison in Yellowstone were on the move out of the park amid much controversy.  Some bison have brucellosis, a disease that could be transferred to cattle.  The policy has been to 'haze', or harass the bison back into the park.  So far, the bison don't 'get it'.  They are happy to follow their instinct of wandering for dormant grass to graze, and with an animal this big, one hesitates to argue.

A herd of 14 decided to take our mountain road upwards and onwards to find better pasture.  A good part of this dirt road has steep hills on either side, and holds about 1 1/2 cars.  They quickly took over the road...

Dan got this photo of the determined buffalo as they marched upwards.  Shortly after, a park ranger drove up ahead of the pack and forced them back down:

I was AWOL from Montana March 15-29, when I flew across the pond and spent a week each with Rachel/Paul and Erika/Ben.  It was wonderful to visit both of our girls and 'significant others'- to see how where they live, have fun visiting their towns, staying up late for silly and serious chit chat, and enjoying each others' company.  Here's a great photo of Rachel and Erika:

Erika's belly is getting bigger by the day, and she has an early August delivery date.  Mama and baby are doing fine.

Once back home, the snow was s-l-o-w-l-y melting.... until yesterday.  A mini mountaintop snow storm added several inches and was a strong reminder that Spring will is not ready to visit.  It was lovely to see all the green grass and blooming plants in the UK!  Sigh.....

Snow Daze

Winter is upon us... we got a good 14" of snow on Sunday, with  a bit more accumulation each day since.  More snow on the way tonight as well.

Here's the views from our back porch, as well as Dan shovelling snow from the front sidewalk:

Yesterday, Dan, Don (the man that works with Dan) and I went to Gardiner over lunch to get chains for our tires (yep, we found out we need them). 


On the way back up the mountain, we ran into a good herd of mountain sheep that had moved down into the valley with the bad weather.  We drove right through them, and they merely looked at us!




Fortunately, Don had his camera with him, and took these great shots:

Now, if only could see some reindeer..... :)

Today we woke to to a good additional 12" and the skies are white again with snow.  PLUS they are talking about another 1-2 feet of snow this weekend.

Since I'm not the one doing all the plowing, I say 'bring it on!'  I've got internet, TV, and a stack of books to read.  I'm in hermit mode.

Happy early winter preview to you and yours!

All In A Day's Work

One thing I like about living/working/being on a ranch is the never-ending variety of things to do.  Each day offers a new twist.
Today, my job was driving with Mrs. RM (Ranch Manager) to Livingston to pick up a number of things the ranch needed.  It's a good hour's drive each way through the Paradise Valley to reach town.

This is a photo of downtown Livingston.  It's the closest real city- there's even a movie theater (1 movie showing at a time). Actually, there are a number of bars, and restaurants, and even art galleries.  As the 'last hurrah' before heading south to Yellowstone Park, summer tourists keep the place busy.

First off, we stopped off to get sharpened chain-saw blades. I'm guessing there were at least 20 of them, and back at the work barn there had to be more than 40 more hanging on the wall.

The ranch uses a lot of chain saw blades.
Dan gets credit for dulling a good number of them. He's cut down oodles of run-away bushes and shrubs in the 3 months he's been here.....

Next, we picked up 'mineral' for the horses.  For you non-horsey people, that's a tub of tastey salt/mineral/sweetness that give needed nutrients to horses to keep them healthy. (I honestly include myself in the non-horsey set; I just learned this tidbit today.)  We're not talking tiny quantities, either.  We got two 250 lb. tubs and one 125 pound tub, which will last the horses about 6 weeks.

Mmmmm...... yummy.

Then we stopped at the John Deere supply store and picked up a new windshield.  The current one got busted while moving deadfall woods and logs.
It happens.

While we were that far north, we took a short drive north to pick up boxed and packaged elk meat.  Mrs. RM shot a hefty male elk a week or two before.

Big critter, isn't he?  And yes, that's Mrs. RM, thank you very much.  Montana women don't mess around.

After several more mundane errands, it was back to the ranch.

Sigh.....

Mountainview Update

I've written about Dan's fishing and his lovely rainbow trout catches that he's brought home before.  Here's a few more details about his fun and joy....

The ranch owners also own another large property about 1/2 hour from our home.  Most of this land is high desert and the trail in is pretty rugged (as in, go very slowly in the 4-wheel drive mode and expect to bump around a lot).  There are 3 lakes on this property, each one at a higher elevation.  Above the 3rd lake the trees crowd in and the views are spectacular:

Dan has had his share of fun and relaxation up there, and we now have a good mess of fish in the freezer.  Rachel and Paul- expect a hearty trout dinner when you come to visit! He spent several hours up there yesterday, and is now in the catch and release mode.... no sense in taking fishies and being greedy.  He loves the fly-fishing fight and a 'tip of the hat' as he slips them back in the water.

And last of all, I'm happy to report the Ghost Elk have started to make an appearance!  I got up this morning as dawn was breaking to the music of bugling elk, and could tell they were close.  I looked out back, and sure enough, the party was waning, but the elk were reticent about heading for the hills.

Dan and I spent a half hour watching them.  There had to be at least 150 total- it was fabulous!  We saw at least 8 bull elk in the group(s).  The name 'ghost elk' is fitting.... unlike deer who prance and leap, the elk seem to glide through the grasses.  We think there were several separate groups who gathered for a early morning party.  They wandered off as daylight came, and went in several different directions. 

Here's a couple of pics- they're a bit grainy since the light was dim....

Ghost Elk

We have elk around here.

We have LOTS of elk around here, and their numbers are growing daily.

The frustration is, most of the time you don't see them during the day.  Other than getting a view across the Cinnabar basin on the opposite mountain slopes where they look like tiny ticks, the fields are barren of wandering elk.

The only sign of existance is when you hear a male bugling for his ladies.  It's strange to know wildlife is there, but not visible.

At night however, these elk have a party.  They wander all around, gaily leaving their footprints and elk-do as evidence of the merry times they are having under the cover of darkness.

Typical ghost behavior.

I'm told they will become more visible during the winter months, and we'll see them laying around in our back yard.

I can't wait.  It's annoying to hear and not see them.

Last night, I was awakened several times by male elk bugling in the dark.  They were close... very close.  When I got up at 6 am, I knew they were hanging out in our back yard, but it was still dark.

I got the strongest flashlight we have (which isn't really that strong), and quietly opened the back sliding door before turning on any lights. Clicking the 'on' button on the flashlight, I quietly scanned the backyard and adjoining corral. 

All I could see was eyes.  Lots and lots of golden, glowing eyes.  No shapes, only eyes.....

Wily, rascaly critters.....

Rainbows on the Ranch

Last night, while driving along on a ranch trail, the most beautiful double rainbow appeared:

Looking down the hillside, this was another good omen- the house with the green roof is our house.  It looks like the rainbow is almost touching it!

The weather and light is constantly changing.  We woke this morning to a heavy fog covering everything.  Dan was out early checking out another trail, and saw this:

If you look very carefully in the center of the photo, you'll see a nice male elk.  Here's a closeup:

And a couple of days ago, this was the sight off our deck as the sun rose:

Beautiful!