CHOPPING WOOD & RAIL CAR GRAFITTI

This week, much to Koty's disappointment, was spent mostly working in the forest cleaning up and chopping wood.

ONE LOAD DONE 100 TO GO

I must say, except for all the fallen trees, the forest is particularly beautiful this spring. The grass is more green and lush than in some past springs. Over the years I have noticed that the forest has it's own rhythm. It's hard to put into words what I observe but it's kind of like the forest has a wardrobe and every spring it chooses which costume to put on. The differences are subtle to be sure but they are there.

WHITE DAISIES

One thing is for sure the wildflowers are out in force. When I stop my sawing and chopping and just look and listen I never fail to be amazed at my good fortune. I am completely surrounded by beauty and it touches me everyday.

WILDROSE

The predominant wildflower where I live is the wild rose. I think there is nothing more pleasing to the senses than the aroma of rose. Every June, on one special morning, it seems the majority of roses decide to bloom at once. On this morning, when I go out on my deck it's as though my entire world is engulfed in rose perfume. It is the most amazing experience. I really look forward to this day each year.

COLUMBIAN GROUND SQUIRREL

My old pals the ground squirrels are back with a vengeance. The little buggers reproduce like rabbits and really tear things up. They are much like prairie dogs in that regard. And, to add insult to injury they sit up and chirp (laugh) at me like this one was doing. Looks like I'll have to start up my trapping operation.

TOBACCO RIVER

Where I live there is no such thing as mail delivery so one must go to town to fetch it. This is somewhat of a source of annoyance as the box is mostly full of junk. And, I am a source of annoyance to the post office because I don't clean it out nearly often enough.

Anyway, this week we combined a walk along the Tobacco River with our postal duty. The river is flowing bank to bank, as high as I have ever seen it. The trail starts near the old railhead and goes all the way to Rexford. The trail is called the Kootenai Trail and it's a very lovely walk along the river and through green pastures.

KOOTENAI TRAIL

The trail starts at the end of the railroad line. These days not a lot goes on in the rail yard. Mostly just shipments of Canadian timber headed south. But, every bit of unused track is stuffed with idle rail cars. Several of the cars have now been decorated with grafitti. It always amazes me, the amount of artistic talent that goes to waste. These pictures I thought were quite good/interesting/colorful so I include a few examples.

RAIL CAR GRAFITTI

RAIL CAR GRAFITTI

RAIL CAR GRAFITTI

That pretty much sums up our week. Hope yours was a good one too. And, remember to stop and smell those roses. Many of the best things in life really are free.

©KINSEY BARNARD PHOTOGRAPHY

NAVAJO NATIONAL MONUMENT-THE ANASAZI

We continue our cleanup operations here at the ranch. But, my biggest challenge this week was trying to get my irrigation system up and watering. Every time I think I've got everything set I turn on the pump and another pipe springs a leak. And, every time I make a repair the cement wants me to wait at least 24 hours before turning the pump on again. Thank goodness the monsoon has finally arrived buying me a little time.

Needless to say I didn't have time for us to have an adventure. Koty's nose is well and truly bent out of shape. He lives for our outings.

Instead I return to our adventures in Monument Valley. The day was March 22nd 2009 and I decided we should go take a look at the Navajo National Monument. Navajo National Monument features well-preserved ruins of villages left behind about 1300 by prehistoric Pueblo Indians -- the Kayenta Anasazi. Built and occupied for only 50 years, the ruins represent the final settlement of farmers who adapted to the area's scarce rainfall to grow crops, build houses and raise families, then mysteriously move on.

The main ruin, Betatakin, can be viewed from across the canyon via a very short walk or you can take a guided tour and go down into the canyon. The monument is at 7,300ft. and it was cold with ice and snow still on the ground. Koty wouldn't be allowed on the tour so we settled on the view from the top.

BETATAKIN RUIN

The Anasazi mystery is quite compelling. Nearly everyone one you talk to has a different theory as to why they built their villages where they did and what caused them to disappear. I wonder if they weren't just chased into obscurity by hostile forces (tribes). My sense is that these people were cliff dwellers out fear. Who or what they feared is anyone's guess.

BETATAKIN RUINS

Wandering around on the trail above the canyon I spied this cactus basking in the morning sun. I love to photograph native plants and I thought this lighting was quite nice.

CACTUS SUNNING

The landscapes here were quite stunning but then the landscapes everywhere in this area are breathtaking. If you like color the Four Corners is the place for you.

NAVAJO NATIONAL MONUMENT

We wandered around the trails for a time taking in all the beauty. One of the nice things about coming at this time of year is that you pretty much have the place to yourself which really lets one revel in the beauty and mystique. It's very peaceful and one can let their imagination run wild. I know mine did.

NAVAJO NATIONAL MONUMENT

On the way back to Goulding we found ourselves caught in a hellacious dust storm. By the time we got to the Goulding turn off I couldn't see two feet in front of me. I thanked the gods that the full force didn't strike until we were close to home. We made it up the hill to the RV park and hid in Clementine for the rest of the afternoon.

I have really never experienced anything like it. The wind blew so hard that the windows bowed and the red dust came pouring in. It didn't help that the park is located in a narrow canyon and the rigs have to park perpendicular to the walls so the wind just screamed down the canyon and broadsided us. It also didn't help that there were no rigs above us to make a windbreak. Poor Clemmie she took the blasts full on. I don't think we will ever get all of the red dust out of her. It permeated everything.

Monument Valley quite dramatically demonstrates the dichotomy that is the very nature of nature. One moment She will show you beauty that will break your heart and the next She will show you, in no uncertain terms, that beauty is a gift not a given.

©Kinsey Barnard Photography

NAVAJO TRIBAL PARK MONUMENT VALLEY

I had so many chores to attend to around the ranch this week we didn't get a chance to go exploring. Something is eating it's way through my lawn and I'm having a dickens of a time figuring out what. And, there is the never ending work in the forest.

So, I will go back in time to the day we went to the Navajo Tribal Park in Monument Valley.

There is really only one place to stay with an RV near the park, that's Gouldings. There has been only one lodge, also Gouldings. But, the Navajo have built a brand new lodge over looking the park. The views are nothing less than stunning. And, not surprisingly the place is called "The View". It didn't look like it was open yet to me but a check of the Internet said the grand opening was 02-2008. I find this hard to believe.

NAVJO TRIBAL PARK MONUMENT VALLEY

There are all kinds of jitney and jeep tours that you can take into the valley and if you are particularly fond of your car I recommend that you take one. Unfortunately for poor little Shadow I can't take a tour to do my photography.

It took a little exploring to even find the road that goes into the park. Once found, the first half mile down into the canyon is, well, a vertical goat track. Down at the bottom I stopped to ask a fellow selling jewelry if the road was like that all around the loop. Thank gawd he said that was the worst of it. Already I was dreading climbing back out. But, totally trusting we went on our way into the valley. You'll want to allow about three hours for this ride because you'll go at a snail's pace and there is a lot to take in. We were lucky because we went early and there were not too many cars on the trail. A person could choke on the red dust so first thing in the morning.

NAVAJO TRIBAL PARK MONUMENT VALLY

The tribal park has been the site of many westerns with John Wayne and John Ford. And, the Navajo are quite proud of this heritage.

NAVAJO TRIBAL PARK MONUMENT VALLEY THE THREE SISTERS

About half way around is where you will find the Three Sisters and horse for rent. So if you are inclined to take a horseback ride this is the place.

NAVAJO TRIBAL PARK MONUMENT VALLEY

It took us nearly all day as I had to stop every five seconds to try for an image. If ever there was a place full of eye candy this is certainly one.

NAVAJO TRIBAL PARK MONUMENT VALLY

And, if you are a lover of color as am I this place will totally consume you. What is ironic to me is that a place so harsh to live in can at the same time be so incredibly beautiful. In fact without the harsh climate conditions this wonder would probably not exist at all.

NAVAJO TRIBAL PARK MONUMENT VALLEY

There is much to see in Monument Valley but the Tribal Park is special. They have corralled some of the very best scenery in the valley. But, don't miss the roads all over the reservation you'll find some real treasures and you won't have to deal with the crowds. Most reservations I have been on are somewhat restrictive as to where you can go but this one seems very open and if you have the adventurer spirit you could spend weeks here and see something new and beautiful everyday.

©Kinsey Barnard

KINSEY BARNARD PHOTOGRAPHY

UPPER WHITEFISH LAKE - MONTANA

I worked so hard this week with the chainsaw I have gotten sore callouses on both my hands. I decided we had to get out of our own forest and into another so we made an exploration of Upper Whitefish Lake in the Stillwater State Forest. The weather turned on us again and we went from beauty mid-seventies to the forties and fifties over night. It snowed at the higher elevations. We have certainly had the whacky weather this spring.

UPPER WHITEFISH ROAD

You can get to the Upper Whitefish two ways, out of Stryker on the Marston Lookout road or out of Olney. The Marston Lookout way is a little more rugged, the Olney route a pretty good and level dirt road. In fact it's quite a pleasant drive.

Wildflowers are beginning to appear and along this road I spied one of my favorites...

BEARGRASS

I've yet to run across the reason why it is called beargrass.

It's about thirteen and a half miles in to the lake. The road winds through beautiful meadows with distant views of the Whitefish Range. If one wanted to catch site of moose this swampy meadow is a moose's delight. Alpine meadows, you gotta love 'em.

STILLWATR FOREST & THE WHITEFISH RANGE

I love water and one of the great things about spring in the Rockies is that there is lots of water running every where when the snow begins to melt. I really enjoy trying to capture water in motion. It has so much mood and character. The below images were shot right along the road. Nothing still about this water.

STILLWATER STATE FOREST

STILLWATER STATE FOREST

STILLWATER STATE FOREST

There was quite a bit of evidence that the windstorm which had done so much damage to my forest had hit this area as well. There were downed trees everywhere. I am always expecting to get trapped one day, whilst traveling these back roads, by a tree which has fallen after me. I carry a hand saw but it wouldn't make a dent in some of the bruisers that fall across the road. All you can do when that happens is wait until someone with a bigger saw comes along. The forest service is pretty good about patrolling the roads to keep them clear.

FALLEN TREE ON UPPER WHITEFISH LAKE ROAD

By now you are probably wondering if I am ever going to show you a picture of the bloody lake.

UPPER WHITEFISH LAKE

According to the sign the lake is 100 acres and is at an altitude of approximately 4,400 ft. There are a number of campsites and it looked like a pretty popular spot for fishing, kayaking and canoeing. The road continues on past the lake and looked to b worthy of further exploration. But, the weather was beginning to close in again so we decide not to venture forth.

We had a great week and hope you did too!

Kinsey & Koty

©Kinsey Barnard Photography