Lee Metcalf National Wildlife Refuge

After our hike up Bass Creek Trail we headed on back to the B & B for lunch and a nap. Kinsey passed out and I took a nap as well. What else was there to do?

Later that afternoon we went to check out the Lee Metcalf National Wildlife Refuge. The weather lady was forecasting afternoon thunder showers so we thought we'd head out early and avoid the rain. We hopped in the car and headed out. OK, so Kinsey wasn't really hopping, her knees were hurting so bad from the morning hike she more like hobbled.

When we got there we took off on the first dirt trail we found and headed out. Depending on what publication you are reading there are 267 or 235 species of birds in the refuge. Close enough for government work, right? Anyway you slice it, its a birdwatchers paradise.

Lee Metcalf Wildlife Refuge Trail Map

The trail we took wandered around in a storybook forest of big old Ponderosas, cottonwoods and aspen.

Whitetail Deer at Lee Metcalf National Wildlife Refuge

We trekked around through the lovely forest and meadows and eventually wandered over to the Bitterroot River. It's a big, beautiful river and look at those gorgeous mountains in the distance. Those would be the Bitterroots.

Bitterroot River & Mountains as seen from the Lee Metcalf Wildlife Refuge

After awhile we came upon two local gals sitting on a log beside the river, eating their dinner. Kinsey being the Chatty Kathy that she is stopped and spoke with them for quite some time. One of the women was wearing a lovely, beaded medicine pouch. Kinsey admired it and was told that the lady had made it herself. She said it was made from "brain" tanned whitetail. Kinsey hadn't a clue what what brain tanning meant and asked. She promptly got called a "pilgrim" which I think is an insult of sorts for not knowing about brain tanned leather. She sure does now. In case you don't know either, it is hide tanned in a brew of the deers' brains.

We didn't see a lot of birds on our walk. Just the usual mallards, geese, turkey and such. But, on our way out we hit the jackpot. Looking out the window Kinsey says, "What the heck are those? They look like ostriches, maybe gnu." There was a car stopped and a fellow with a huge Cannon lens sticking out his window. We stopped and very quietly Kinsey got out an mouthed through the passenger window "What are those?" The fellow rolled down the window and said "Sandhill Cranes".  And, so they were. Really elegant  birds.

Sanhill Cranes Lee Metcalf Wildlife Refuge

As usual the weather lady was full of horse feathers it was an awesomely beautiful afternoon and evening. Kinsey says she thinks the thing to do in the summer is go have a nice dinner somewhere and then come down here for an evening stroll. If you are in the area you don't want to miss it. We sure as heck will be coming back.

 The Lee Metcalf National Wildlife Refuge is located about 25 miles south of Missoula on highway 93.

Until next time.

Molly Montana

©Kinsey Barnard

Hiking In The Kootenai Forest

We got up early this morning and headed out into the Kootenai Forest. There really isn't much to say except that it was a beautiful Montana morning and we greatly enjoyed ourselves.

Kinsey took photos of things that caught her eye and I basically made a nuisance of myself lunging after squirrels.  Below are some of the things Kinsey saw.

The sun rising over the Kootenai

Wild daisy

Indian Paint Brush

My adorable self

A beautiful day in the Kootenai Forest

Pictures can say it better.

Ciao for now
Molly Montana

©Kinsey Barnard

TRIAL TRAIL RUN AT LONE PINE STATE PARK

Yesterday we went to Lone Pine State Park so Kinsey could practice with her Bushnell d-tour, GPS thingy she got for Christmas. Lone Pine named for a lone pine which no longer exists is on a hill overlooking the Flathead Valley. Great view and good place to get some exercise. It also has a confusing trail system, at least, so says Kinsey. Personally, my attention was on the whitetail deer and squirrel activity and I don't need any trail.

It's good exercise because the park sits on a hill and just about anywhere you go you're going to get some great uphill aerobics. Kinsey wanted to try and make a loop, which we eventually did but not without some backtracking. And speaking of backtracking that brings me back to the Bushnell test. The device does point you in the direction you need to go to get back to your marked location but it doesn't tell you which trail to take to do that. I could care less myself. All trails are the right trail in my book.

Kinsey has a good sense of direction but that doesn't help much if you have several trail options which basically take off in the right direction but end up not where you need to be. That actually happened on this hike so we had to retrace our steps and try a new trail. In this case our car was due west of us but the hill was in between. We needed to pick the right trail to take us around it. Our first choice was a mistake. The d-tour definitely would not have helped us last spring on Chief Mountain. Thank heaven for the Chief!

Lone Pine State Park - On the lookout 02-27-15

The d-tour has it's limitations but Kinsey will still be using it when we head out for adventure this spring. The important thing is to recognize the d-tour limitations and use the device accordingly. Kinsey will still be making her little cairns as we go. Unless, of course, she forgets like she did on Chief Mountain. As in that case, it's always best to have reliable spirit guides.

Ciao for now,
Molly Montana

Gearing up to travel

Each year Kinsey tries to take at least two trips in our RV which she calls Clementine. Here in Montana there are only six months to get the trips in, if you are lucky. Kinsey prefers to get the trips in before the tourists arrive and after they thin out. Our spring trip this year was to St. Mary on the Blackfeet Reservation and in July we took a quick trip to the Blackfeet Pow Wow in Browning. This is the first in a series of posts recounting our experiences on the trip we just finished to Yellowstone and the Tetons.

The Eagle Has Landed

Well, Kinsey and I have landed. Which means we made it home from our latest adventure.

We had a super duper time of it. I think Kinsey is a little pooped out. I'm not a lot of help accept for supervision and getting under foot. This was my longest road trip ever and I'm beginning to appreciate that solo RV'ing is a lot of work. Thank goodness Kinsey really loves it despite the work and responsibility. The old girl is pretty handy I'll grant her that.

Our trip took us down to Jackson Hole, Wyoming. We mostly just drove through Yellowstone and Grand Teton National parks. US national parks don't allow dogs on the trail so we explored the surrounding national forests. What adventures we did have. We even met a movie star fly fishing on the Madison River in Montana.

So, stay tuned. I kept notes on all our travel experiences and as soon as Kinsey recovers I'll be after her to process the photos of our trip so I can show you as well as tell you about all the cool stuff we saw and experieinced.

The below photo is just one I got her to do for me. It's a picture of our rig at the Yellowstone Holiday RV park on Hebgen Lake in Montana. It was a very cool place to end our trip. We were right on the water!

Clementine (Winnebego View) & Shadow (Ford Focus) on Hebgen Lake, Montana

The photo was taken at sunrise. I don't seem to be in it so I musta still been snoozing.

Ciao for now.
Molly Montana

©Kinsey Barnard

The Woodswomen Kinsey Barnard Is slashing and Burning

It's that time of year again when Kinsey goes into the woods and works like a madwoman, slashing and burning. She takes managing her forest very seriously. Some people may just let their land go au natural but not Kinsey. She is a firm believer that one needs to lend Nature a hand if they want Nature to return the favor. She also believes "To be worn out is to be renewed." ~ Lao Tzu

Open burning starts in March and by May it is permit season. This year it was so wet during open burn it was all Kinsey could do to start a fire. One day she just flat threw in the towel. First time that's happened in 12 years.

Don't like to get too close to those fires

Kinsey is out there for four to five hours at a whack. It's all hot fires and chainsaws. I'm not really crazy about the chainsaw especially since Kinsey one time forgot to holler "Timber!" when she cut down a tree and it nearly beaned me. It was a small tree but I was a puppy so it looked plenty big to me. I'm very slowly getting over it.

Now, I'm all for looking after the health of the forest but what is a little girl supposed to do for entertainment? I mean golly gee whiz. But, I came up with a great idea ..... frisbee! I love to play frisbee!

Please. Please. Please. Toss me the frisbee.

Kinsey is constantly mumbling about how nice it would be if I could put all my pent up energy into something productive like helping with the slashing and burning. But, that is not what Nature intended for me. Now, if she'd get me something to heard I could shine.

I have to hand it to Kinsey hard as she works she still takes time to toss me the frisbee and finds time to try and take a picture or two of me. I hate having my picture taken but I have to admit I am a lovely creature.

Sitting on a blow down tree trunk

After she's done I must also admit things do look so much nicer with the added benefit that the fire fuels have been reduced.

Cleaned up area

So, as you can see not much has been going on as far as I'm concerned. I'm looking forward to June. There won't be anymore marathon days of burning. Maybe we can get out and have some fun. I'm hoping to get to take my first road trip one day soon.

Be sure and check out Kinsey's new blog The Liberated Photographer.

©Kinsey Barnard

Picture Perfect Day in Montana Frolicking in Lake Koocanusa Photos

Yesterday was a picture perfect day here in NW Montana and here's a picture to prove it.

Lake Koocanusa

That's Lake Koocanusa and those are the snow capped Canadian Rockies in the background. You can see that the lake has been drained to a very low level. They do that every spring to make room for the kajillions of gallons of water that will soon coming flowing out of the mountains. Kinsey says this may be the lowest she's ever seen it. The lowest before she captured in "HEAVENLY EYE" Click on it to see what you think. Looks like a toss up to me.

Anyway, it was a beautiful day to be sure. Kinsey had finally decided to try and capture my athletic abilities with the Frisbee. Well, it's not really a Frisbee it's a flying disk made by the Chuckit! people and it's called a Paraflight. I really love that thing. Sometimes it kind of hangs in the air and changes direction. You really have to keep your eye on the ball, I mean disk. I like it!

Kinsey collected her pal Faith to act as disk thrower whilst she tried to catch me with her camera. Let me just say I don't think Kinsey has much of a future in action photography but God bless her she tries and beggars can't be choosers, right?

Look at me I can fly!

What Form. What Style. Such grace!

Cooling my jets

Another cooling technique I invented

Would you get a load of that tongue!

After they wore me out with the Chuckit! we had a picnic there beside the lake. It was very, very nice.

While we were eating we heard helicopters circling overhead. We figured it had something to do with the control burning that was going on in the area. Sure enough a Forest Service truck stopped by to let us know about the burn and the helicopter. The helicopter wasn't just observing, as Kinsey had thought, but it was actually starting the fires. News to us they were doing it by dropping incendiary ping pong balls on the forest. Get outta here!

Warning Sign

There you have it another day in wonderland doing the most outrageously fun stuff.

Be sure and checkout Kinsey's new blog The Liberated Photographer.

©Kinsey Barnard

Spring fever is in the air in Montana

Is spring around the corner? Sure would be nice if it was. This has been quite a winter, although not nearly as severe as other parts of the country.

It's not that I mind the cold but Kinsey certainly isn't as keen to do stuff when it's 5 degrees. And, she's been shoveling and plowing like a mad woman.  The past few days we've had around a foot and a half of snow.  There was so much snow on the drive it was hard to push and the banks were several feet high. The car will barely fit in the slot.

Now it has suddenly turned very warm and it's raining. With all this snow to melt it's going to be a really big, sloppy, icy mess. I've already made myself popular by going out and digging in a muddy patch I found.

Kinsey has been totally consumed with her photography. I mean it's almost as if I don't exist sometimes. Not really, I do crave a lot of attention and I have had to compete. She has been working to get her website just the way she wants it in time for an ad she will have coming out in Flathead Living this month. I've pasted a copy of the ad below. Looks pretty good. I'm a little disappointed she's using a photo with Lakota in it. I must admit it's a great picture. I know I'll get my chance.

I have also heard her mumbling about going over to St. Mary's this spring. Now this I find exciting. I've never been. St. Mary's is on the Blackfeet Reservation at the East entrance to Glacier National Park. Kinsey is more interested in the reservation. The painted ponies have their foals in the spring and she loves to see and photograph them. She finds the reservation a mystical place.

So, is spring around the corner? I certainly hope so. I'm ready.

Be sure and check out Kinsey's new blog The Liberated Photographer.

©Kinsey Barnard

Not a lot goin' on. Puppy's bored.

There hasn't been much going on around here. Mostly lugging firewood and shoveling snow. Of, course I just supervise. Kinsey seems to be doing a fine job.

We do walk in the woods every day and play catch with the Frisbee. I'm getting really good catching that thing. I can catch it on the fly over my shoulder, running away from it. Kinsey says I'm going to wreck myself I jump so high and contort myself in such unnatural ways.

I can play catch forever. I do get tired and thirsty sometimes. There's no water around the house that's not frozen so every once in awhile I run down to the pond and get a drink. The water is always running there.

©Kinsey Barnard

Kinsey and I snowshoe on frozen Stillwater River

Saturday Kinsey and I went snowshoeing on the Stillwater River. It was way cool. Me, I raced around with my friend Blue while Kinsey slogged along with her friend Ming. Running down a river was a great new experience. Look at me Mom, I can walk on water!

The not so hot thing was I got myself into some brush with tiny little burs. Kinsey and I are still trying to get them off. My long, silky fur was just a magnet for the darned things. I really was a major mess. I'm afraid I'm not going to get to run on the Stillwater ever again. :(

This photo was taken just before I got into the steekers!

©Kinsey Barnard

BIG WINDSTORM IN MONTANA

Wow! The other day we had a really big wind storm. The trees were whipping around like nothing I have ever seen. Kinsey says it's the second worst she has experienced here. All over the area trees were toppling.

In September Kinsey had a tree faller come in and cut down about twenty weak and dead trees. It was her hope that this would get around some of the mess you have when the trees come down in their own way. Sometimes the trees just tip over and pull up huge fans of earth that your kind of stuck with unless you want to bring in heavy equipment to deal with it. Other trees get snapped off like match sticks. She has been working like a madwoman trying to get those trees cleaned up.

Best laid plans as they say. This old storm came along just as she was finishing up her work in her two favorite spots and then boom ten more trees get knocked down. Wouldn't you know it the two biggest and messiest trees were smack dab in those areas she had just cleaned up. Sometimes Mother nature can be such a meany.

Ever the optimist Kinsey said "Yeah, but think how much bigger the mess would have been if we hadn't gotten those other trees down." Below are some photos of the damage.

©Kinsey Barnard

You can see this old spruce just got snapped off about about 12 ft from the ground.

It is seriously impressive to see how powerful nature is.

Checking things out. Maybe you can see why this is a favorite spot. There is a lovely little brook running right through it.

A pretty good sized tree.

Me, I like walking logs. I'm kind of hoping she leaves this one here. She could still cut up either end and leave a nice log for me to walk. I think I'll mention that.

As you can see this is not a very big tree and yet the earth fan is really big. You can also see how shallow a spruce's root system is allowing for these tip overs.

Here you can really see how shallow the roots are. Now we have a little wading pool. BTW this happened in Kinsey's other favorite spot.

BE BEAR AWARE

It has been real hot here in northwest Montana, eighties and nineties. I suppose if you're from Las Vegas that doesn't seem like much. For us here in Montana it's pretty darned warm. We've flirted with triple digits on more than one occasion and it looks like more of the same for the foreseeable future.

Yesterday, to beat the heat, we set out early to wander the woods. Most animals use the same strategy. They are more likely to be seen out foraging in the cool of the morning.We were walking along enjoying the crisp morning air when we rounded a bend in the trail and there it was, a black bear. He wasn't actually black he was brown. I'm told there are as many brown black bears as there are black black bears. Go figure. The bear was maybe a hundred feet in front of us. This was the first bear I have ever seen. I was pretty darned excited. As soon as I started jumping up an down straining on the leash the bear took one look at us and headed off into the forest. I think we were both glad I was on the leash. Kinsey tells me I will be on the leash, in known bear country, until I am 100% voice command reliable.  Mostly likely even after I am recall certified I will be on a leash in bear country.

This self imposed leash law is not only for my safety but Kinsey's as well. Kinsey has been wandering the Kootenai Forest, which is definitely bear country, for eleven years now. In that time she has encountered at least 50 bears. Never has there been any reason for concern or fear. But, as Kinsey is always telling me "You need to use your head for something more than a hat rack". One school of thought on bear safety she strongly agrees with is keeping your dog on a leash whilst hiking in bear country. She always kept uncle Koty on a leash. In Koty's case it was initially because he was a natural born runner.  As the years went by she realized it was a good idea for safety reasons as well.

Here's why. You know how us dogs like to range a little when walking with our humans? If we should scamper ahead and encounter a bear it is quite likely we are going to hightail it right back to our leader, that would be you. I sure know I would. Chances are pretty darned good that that bear is going to follow. Everybody loves a good game of chase. This could definitely lead to a very  unhappy outcome.

We also heard a pack of coyotes nearby. That was far spookier to me. I did not like the sound of them one little bit. They made kind of a surreal sound. The dark forest only made it creepier. I guess my wariness was well founded because Kinsey tells me a pack of coyotes could very easily make short work of me. I think I'll avoid coyotes.

©Kinsey Barnard

BIGFORK, MONTANA

For some time now Kinsey has wanted to have breakfast at the Pocketstone Cafe in Bigfork, Montana. So, last Wednesday she decided to give it a go.

Naturally, I got stuck sitting in the car. Kinsey told me she wouldn't be long. An hour later she returned. Seemed like a day. Things hadn't gone too well in the restaurant. The waitress forgot to put in her order and it was a half hour before she figured it out. Then it was another twenty minutes before Kinsey got her ham and cheese omelet. The ham was so hot she burned her tongue. Needless to say her Pocketstone experience wasn't what she had hoped for. I say, that's what she gets for going to a $10.00 omelet place. For once I was better off staying in the car! Ha Ha!

Bigfork is a very cute little artsy village on the Swan River at the north end of Flathead Lake. We wandered around the village looking for meet and greet training opportunities, which I am sorely in need of. Not my fault. I don't get a lot of practice up at the ranch. People were very friendly and I tried my best not to jump all over them. Also, I got nothing but compliments about how pretty I am. I felt like a princess.

I did get the fright of my life. As we were walking along we came upon this life size sculpture of an Indian chief on his horse. The second I saw him I bristled and barked. I planted my feet and refused to pass by. It took quite a bit of cajoling to get me to move along. The thing sure looked real to me.

We drove home via Creston and Kinsey saw an old red barn she just could not resist photographing.

Bigfork, Montana

The Indian who scared me.

The red barn in Creston, Montana

©Kinsey Barnard

THE SALISH MOUNTAINS ARE MINE!

Ever since Kinsey came along and took me into her heart and home I have been a little in the shadow of Uncle Koty aka Lakota Sunrise. Nothing real bad but I know she still aches from his loss. Her eyes tear up and her voice cracks when she talks about him. Practically every place we have been she had been there with Koty. And when she tells me about it she gets all choked up.

I don't begrudge this, really. I get it. I can only hope Kinsey would love me so much. But, I have been wishing and hoping for new experiences we could call our own. Places to roam that neither of us have been before.

Well, my wish has been granted. This week we discovered the Mother Lode of trails in the Salish Mountains of Montana. Kinsey has never hiked here before and the place we discovered has so many trails it will be a very long time before we have explored them all.

On our first hike in this special place we ran into a skunk on the trail. Well, that nearly undid me I can tell you. I wanted to go after that thing like there was no tomorrow. Thank goodness I was on the leash. No telling what might of happened if I had not been. Think unpleasant aromas. We also found a pond. That doesn't ring my bell half as much as a skunk but Kinsey is dippy for water. So we both got our favorite stuff. I really can't wait to go again.

Me checking out a deer down the meadow

The Whitetail I saw down there.

Very pretty pond

©Kinsey Barnard

THE MULE DEER RETURN

There are many reasons Fall is my most favorite season in Montana. The Fall colors are to die for. The weather is sunny and warm with just a hint of a chill. And, the mule deer return.

For the ten years that I have lived here there has been a seasonal dance between the mule deer and the whitetail. In the spring, the whitetail migrate up the mountain from the valley floor and the mule deer head up into the high country. Then in the Fall the migration is reversed.

Once here the mule deer form a regular part of my landscape and become like family as we all try and survive the cold, snowy Montana winter together. Mule deer are very different than the whitetail. Whitetail are skittish and awkward. The mule deer, after hunting season finishes, are tame and graceful.

It is always a special day for me when the mule deer return. Today is that special day.

I hope the young buck in these photos makes it through hunting season, which is due to commence on Saturday.

  

©Kinsey Barnard

BEST BURGER IN WHITEFISH MT

In fairness I haven't tried every burger in Whitefish but the one I had at the Craggy Range Bar and Grill is the best burger I've had in Montana, so far. And, that's ten years of burger eating. So, I'm betting it's the best burger in Whitefish.

What made it so good for me? In a word the meat. I don't recall reading how much it weighed but it looked like at least a half pound to me. It was extremely tasty, not greasy and best of all I could order it cooked the way I like it which is medium rare.

Speaking of rare; it is mighty rare that you can get a burger that isn't cremated beyond recognition. This was not always so. But somewhere along the line salmonella got everyone so worked up and liability conscious you couldn't find anything but cremated burgers. Mind you if I ate fast food burgers I would definitely want a cremated piece of meat. I don't trust those kitchens. In my opinion it speaks volumes about the Craggy Range kitchen that they are comfortable offering a burger the way you please.

The other thing I liked about this sandwich was that it was a classic burger; meat, bun, fresh lettuce, tomato and onion. A beer six pack caddy supplies all the condiments you could want. Pure simplicity. I reckon a lot of places come up with these conglomeration burgers, where they throw on everything but the kitchen sink, to hide the crappy, cremated meat many restaurants serve. Apparently a lot of people like them but they are not for the hamburger purist. And, I'm not sayin' they aren't good too. Just sayin' if you want the true measure of a burger the classic is the standard.

It was a lovely summer afternoon so I ate on the patio. The server was exceptional. All around pleasant experience did I have at the Craggy Range.

If you should find yourself in Whitefish with a hankering for a good burger I suggest you drop by the Craggy Range Bar & Grill. Also, in the plus column is, and as the name suggests, a full bar.


© Kinsey Barnard

KOTY BITES THE HAND THAT FEEDS HIM

Egads, I can hardly believe August is almost over and I haven't made one post to my blog.

I've been pretty consumed with a kitchen remodel that has turned into the project from hell. Everything that could possibly go wrong has and some things I would have thought were beyond the realm of possiblity.

Then, to ice my messed up cake, three days ago Koty bit me to the tune of 5 stitches. Like most accidents it was completely due to doing something stupid. I was on the phone with Home Depot discussing this hateful project when Koty went to the screen door and, using his nose, let himself out. Koty is a runner so my first instinct was to stop him by any means possible. I grabbed his tail. Big mistake. Under any circumstances Koty does not like his tail fooled with. So he did the same to me as I did to him, attacked without thinking. It was pretty shocking for both of us.

This is one of those rare occasions that I intentionally seek medical attention. With blood flowing, down to the mountain to the Prompt Care place I flew. Turned out I hadn't had a tetanus shot for 45 years so I got one of those and five stitches. I also got some advice from the doctor that you probably wouldn't get just anywhere. He told me, in all seriousness, not to "go home and shoot the dog". I had to laugh. Only in nowhere Montana would a doctor even think it necessary to say such a thing.

To say Koty was remorseful would be an understatement. After I got home he stayed by my side the rest of the day. The poor guy. He's battling this damned Cushing's thing whilst trying to cope with the aging thing. It's hard for both of us.

Getting old is a bitch even for dogs.

©Kinsey Barnard

DEER ON THE FLY PHOTOS

Yesterday I saw this whitetail deer pop out of the grass and take off. Besides the deer there is something else of note in the photos. The grass,  it is so high and lush green it's almost unreal. They say the monsoon will be over starting tomorrow. It's has been a monsoon of epic proportions here in Montana. I've had over thirty inches here on my mountain.

©Kinsey Barnard

COUNTING MY BLESSINGS

Whilst Colorado and other western states are literally burning up, in northwest Montana we are having a particularly wet monsoon. I have already had over thirty inches here at the ranch.

Yesterday, I drove down to the Flathead to run errands. I knew it was going to rain but I had no idea how hard. By the time I arrived home the Forest Service road was washed out in several spots. I could only cross my fingers in the hopes my driveway had not washed out too. My rain gauge showed an inch and a quarter had been deposited in my absence. A huge amount in a such a short time on ground already saturated. I've spent considerable time and effort re-engineering the driveway and that work has paid off. My drive came through in perfect shape.

As I look out the window at all the lush green grass and the lush new growth on the forest trees I can't help but count my blessings that here in northwest Montana we have water in abundance. In fact we have much more than we need. Too bad there isn't some way to share it with those western states that are so very dry. It's not fair but then so little in life is.

Whitetail in Tall Grass 06-27-12

Colorado Fires Burning Out of Control

 


©Kinsey Barnard