Home on the (Bison) Range (Missoula, Montana Post)

As we were driving through, we stopped at the National Bison Range.  We were advised to visit by a couple on the shuttle in Glacier National Park.  This settled the Bison/Buffalo debate between Karen and me.  (I was right, despite what she says.) We have bison in this country, where as a buffalo refers to the Cape Buffalo of Africa, or the Water Buffalo from Asia.  However, the terms "bison" and "buffalo" have been used interchangeably in the United States to refer to the bison.  It can also be noted that the only other bison exists in small numbers in European reserves and is called the wisent.  

The newest exhibit at the bison range, a pet on a leash.  Strange... it looks a bit like Timber...

The rusty brown colored bison in the center is a calf.  Bison calves are a rusty brown for the first two months.  

The bison calves and the mothers (cows)

Other creatures inhabit the bison range such as birds, deer, and Timber's personal favorite, the Pronghorn Antelope.  

The valley was the former home of a giant glacial lake, and quite a bit of the bison range would have been underwater.

The view from the highest point of the bison range.  

Dad is "King of the Bison Range".

Timber spies, with her little doggie eyes: a bison!

A fawn in the flowers...

...The mother is nearby, watching...

We are spending the rest of the day driving, and have just stopped to let Timber stretch her legs.

The Big Blue Sky and Glacier National Park (Saint Mary, Montana Just Outside of Glacier Post)

Today, I had a lot of fun manipulating the sky to give different effects to my photos.  We also reached Glacier National Park, the place I was looking forward to seeing most on this trip!  Not to mention we have crossed the Continental Divide.  Water on the East side flows to the Atlantic, and water on the West side flows to the Pacific.  

For dinner tonight, we ate at the Many Glacier Lodge.  The food was delicious!  The architecture of the building was amazing!  It had logs forming like a timber-frame, and had some of the largest fireplaces imaginable.  I found the atmosphere quite cozy!

Reflection on a lake

We stopped to let Timber run, and I caught this action-shot mid-leap.  Timber is smiling, and it is the perfect picture of doggie happiness.  

One of the dead trees had pinecones left on it, so I shot upwards at the pinecones from the ground, giving them the pretty blue sky and fluffy white clouds as a background.  

Finally, we reached Glacier National Park!  The Park was established in 1910.  (I will give more history tomorrow; its late, I am tired, and will have a busy day tomorrow.)

My Dad took this picture, and I liked it better than any of mine, so I will put this in the spotlight instead! :)

A MOOSE!  This was the second moose we saw today, but my picture of the first moose didn't come out.  

We took a detour toward the Canadian border and boy did it pay off!  

It became a faint double rainbow!

And eventually, you could see the whole arch.  Faintly, but it was there!

A deer in the field.

The setting sun's reflection over Saint Mary's Lake

The sunset as seen out our RV's door!


Good news!  I discovered how to turn off the prove you are a robot thing on the comments!  I trust none of your are robots...

Tomorrow, we are heading back to Glacier, so look for my next post with the history of the park, and more pictures!