HDR -- What the *** is HDR?

Study in Orange
(A poppy growing in my next door neighbor's front yard)
One of my first efforts at HDR Imaging
Taken 6/20/09 in Missoula, Montana

NOTE: Clicking on any picture, or on any link, will open a new window without closing the current window, and show the pictures full screen or larger (depending on your screen). I really recommend viewing the photos full screen so you can get a better idea of just what HDR imaging can do.

WARNING: The text here is probably of interest only to those people who are having fun playing with digital photography. Feel free to view the pictures and skip the text. Or skip it all, how will I know?

Kodachrome
They give us those nice bright colors
They give us the greens of summers
Makes you think all the world's a sunny day, Oh yeah
I got a Nikon camera
I love to take a photograph
So mama don't take my Kodachrome away

--Paul Simon

To hear Paul Simon sing Kodachrome on YouTube, click here!

Forget Mama, Kodak is taking Kodachrome away. Apparently there is only one place left in the country that actually processes Kodachrome. But that is beside the point. Can't remember the last time I actually bought Kodachrome, or Ektachrome for that matter. For a brief while after I bought the Nikon Coolpix for my birthday in October 2006, I continued to use my Pentax 35mm SLR, but once I got the D80, I went completely digital and haven't looked back. Apparently I'm not alone in that. Even for Kodak, 70% of their current business is digital.

And digital photography is amazing. The things you can do with those bits and pieces known as pixels once they're cavorting in your computer. With Kevin on the road, and my evenings now free for me to do whatever I choose, I chose to start improving my digital photography skills. First off, I started looking back through the past three years of pictures I've taken with my great Nikon D80, and it was sobering to find that the pictures I took three years ago look much better than the ones I'm taking now. Have I gotten lazy? complacent? Whatever, it's not a good thing to regress in one's skill set. SO....

I now have available to me Adobe's Creative Suite 4 with a whole range of great programs, including Photoshop CS4. Up until now, I've used Photoshop Elements for all my editing work, and it has served me well. I'm told that anything you can do in Photoshop, you can do in Elements, but you'll have to work twice as hard. Then again, learning how to use Photoshop involves a lot of time and effort, but I think it will be worth it.

Recently I followed the lead of a couple of on-line photographer friends and joined Red Bubble as a way to offer my photography for sale on-line. As with many other on-line social networks, Red Bubble has a variety of groups you can join. One I joined is for those who photograph wildflowers. Among the stated criteria for this group, I found the following: No photoshopping or HDR work will be accepted. OK, I can agree to this--except I have no idea what HDR means.

Good Morning, Glory
Weeds growing by my mailbox
Another early HDR effort
Taken 6/20/09 in Missoula, Montana

As it turns out, HDR is the abbreviation for High Dynamic Range. (The link will take you to the Wikipedia article on HDR Imaging.) I can't speak for you, but I'm of the generation that never accepted being told what we could not do. I had to find out just what HDR is and how I could play with it. Scott Kelby, the author of one of my Photoshop CS4 manuals, was just the man to tell me what and how. In fact, he has a whole chapter devoted to HDR in his Adobe Photoshop CS4 Book for Digital Photographers (Voices That Matter). Yes, that's the whole title of the book.

I followed his instructions scrupulously to produce four of the five images shared in this post, but first I had to go to my Nikon D80 manual and learn one more thing to do with my camera. Bracketing. Now I have always known what bracketing is. My dad used to bracket his pictures on a regular basis. What I didn't know was how to do it automatically with my Nikon. Now I know. (If you don't understand bracketing, it means that you take the same picture using different exposures, usually one you would consider standard, then one that is over exposed and one that is under exposed.)

So, once you have three to five bracketed shots, Photoshop allows you to merge all the images into one, in essence bringing out the details that would normally be washed out or hidden in the shadows. For the first time since I bought it, I found a reason to have a professional level Nikon instead of my one-step away from professional D80. The professional level cameras allow for 5 shots when automatically bracketing. My D80 only allows for 3. Still, given the length of time it takes Photoshop to merge three shots, I hate to think what it would take to do 5. I won't go into the numbers involved, but suffice it to say that even using 3 shots, the resultant image has more detail than standard computer monitors (or even paper should you print the image out) can handle. An HDR image starts as 32-bit or even 48-bit (whatever that means), as compared to a J-PEG image which is 8-bit. Whatever it means, it's a lot of information for your computer to handle. Once Photoshop has merged the various images into one, you can then edit that one in either Camera Raw or through the regular editing processes.

Statue of Christ in St Mary's Cemetery Annex
(I'm not happy with this image, but share it as an example of how 3-dimensional the statue becomes in HDR)
Taken 6/21/08 in Missoula Montana

After taking several macro shots of flowers and merging them into HDR images, I decided to see what would happen with larger scenes. Driving out behind our home to climb the hill and get a view of the valley, I passed the St Mary's Cemetery Annex. The sun was positioned exactly right to really light up the statue of Christ. What a subject, I said to myself, and got out of the car. By the time I got the camera on the tripod, and the tripod set in position--and most importantly by the time I realized that the camera was no longer set to automatically bracket shots, the sun had moved off the Son. So as I noted above, I'm not very happy with the final result, but it does provide an example of how isolated features, such as the statue, become almost 3-dimensional in HDR images.

Now all this supposes that you are getting exactly the same scene in each of your bracketed shots. My D80 can shoot 3 frames per second, but it's amazing what can happen in that short amount of time. I know from experience now that if you're shooting a flower that is blowing in the wind, you'll end up with a very strange, almost abstract design. Nor am I completely convinced that HDR is the way to go--at least not yet. The image that Kelby uses in his instructions is an urban landscape. With that in mind, I drove up WaterWorks Hill north of town to shoot some scenes looking over the Missoula Valley. I was careful to use the tripod and make sure the camera did not move while shooting the three bracketed images. I then processed the three as an HDR image and also processed just the standard exposure as a regular J-PEG image. I am posting both here so you can make up your mind. The flowers, I thought, were superb. The landscape, well, I'm not sure it's worth the effort. The main difference that I can see is that the clear sky is washed out in the J-PEG, but still shows blue in the HDR thanks to using the extra exposures. The overall coloring is lighter in the HDR, again because of the extra exposures, but which final product is better--well that's a judgement call. I will keep trying, experimenting, honing my skills. After all, with Kevin on the road, I do have all this time on my hands.

The Missoula Valley at 7 p.m.
This is the j-peg processed from just the standard exposure.
Taken 6/21/09 in Missoula, Montana

The HDR version of the same image
(This uses three bracketed shots merged into one image)
Taken 6/21/09 in Missoula Montana

26,000 Pounds of Lunchmeat

Pulling out of the truck stop. See ya later, alligator
All pictures in this post were taken
6/20/09 in East Missoula, Montana

NOTE PLEASE: Clicking on any photograph will open a full-screen version of that photo in a separate window. All links also open in a separate window.

Late last night, I heard the screen door slam,
And a big yellow taxi took away my old man.
Don't it always seem to go,
That you don't know what you've got 'til it's gone.
They paved paradise put up a parking lot

--Joni Mitchell

To hear Joni Mitchell sing Big Yellow Taxi, click here.

This one will be short. It's mostly a "I'm feeling sorry for myself" thing--a feeling I need to get over. So, feel free to tell me, "Get over it Blanche!"

Last Thursday, June 18th, Kevin announced that he'd just been hired as an OTR (Over the road) driver. He would be leaving on Saturday, the 20th, heading to Portland, Oregon and from there he'd continue in a loop that would bring him through Missoula 2-3 times a month. Now I know that Kevin has been a long-haul trucker before, and I know that he enjoys the call of the road. I also know that with the death of his mother two weeks ago, he has felt that there really isn't anything holding him in Missoula. (Well, actually, he said there wasn't anything holding "us" in Missoula, but that overlooks 30+ years of history for me.)

The Large and the Small
I prefer the Saab Convertible--but you already knew that didn't you.

Many times in the past year Kevin has suggested that I should get my CDL (Commercial Driver's License), that we should buy our own tractor (that's the real name for what most of us refer to as a truck), that we should sell the Missoula house and hit the road. I've resisted this for several reasons.

As you all should be aware by now, the title of this blog is "If there were witchcraft." That refers to a song we used to sing around the campfire at church camp when I was a child. I have taken the words of that song as my life's goal. Certainly part of the goal is "the winding road that beckons me to roam." That I share with Kevin. The other part of the goal is "a blazing campfire to welcome me when I'm returning home." In my ideal life, I'd spend roughly half the year traveling around the world. There are so many interesting places to experience. When I read my on-line friend Michael Armijo's blogs I'm almost envious of the amount of travel he has in his life and the great places he visits and writes about. But I also need a place to call home--a place that calls to me as much as the road.

I bought the house in Missoula back in 1975. That's almost 34 years ago now. I've lived over half of my life in that house. It's too small. It's too crowded. It's badly in need of some TLC. BUT IT'S MY HOME! After a childhood spent moving every three to five years on average, I have a place that I don't want to leave. Or rather, I have a place that calls me back when I've been on the road. Perhaps this is silly, or selfish, or even delusional. But it's the way I feel. I can sit out on the deck, look around the yard, or gaze at the house and know that I'm home. That's a good feeling to me.

Gratuitous shot of dogs at truck stop
Note the hitchin' post

(These are not our dogs)

I've shared that house with six other men, one of whom died there, two cats and ten dogs including seven Miniature Pinschers. The man who currently shares my life feels to me like he's the one I've been waiting for. And now he wants to leave. Oh he doesn't want to leave me, just Missoula. But I'm not ready to pull up stakes and follow. And the thought of only seeing him two or three times a month is more than I can bear right now.

I tell myself that this is exactly what wives have faced throughout history as their men have gone off to war, gone off to the sea, or gone off on the road as OTR drivers. I know I'm not alone--it's just a new experience for me and I'm having trouble accepting it. I know, I know, "Get over it, Blanche!"

WHAT? I'm supposed to be able to read all those gauges?

And I will. I'm using the time I would spend with Kevin to really work on my photography. As I get the house uncluttered, I'll get back to my weaving and my music. These are good things. In the next post, I'll be sharing with you a new (to me) photo processing technique that has led me to some of the most dramatic pictures I've yet created. And I learned all about it after Kevin drove off Saturday (and after I picked myself off the floor and stopped crying).

I also plan on riding with him on one of his circuits. It looks as if he will be driving a route that takes him from Chicago to California. He will be hauling lunch meat from Chicago west, and produce from California east. The circle takes 8-10 days, as I figure it, so expect to see me in the cab of the truck sometime in late July.

No, No, No. I'll be over in the passenger's seat

But if you go to the full screen view,
You'll see me and the Saab in the round mirror

Gee, I'm already feeling better. Thanks for the help.

The other song that is going through my mind right now, is Jane Olivor's My First Night Without You. Unfortunately, the only version of that song on YouTube is by David Cassidy. The words are right, but David doesn't have Jane's sensitivity. Her version always has me in tears. If you don't know Jane Olivor, here's a link to another of her performances on YouTube.

Stimulus? What Stimulus? ARRA? Arrgh!

The Buck Stops Here
Young Rocky Mountain Sheep entering MT Highway 200
Taken (through windshield) June 13, 2009
Near Bonner, Montana

NOTE PLEASE: Clicking on any photograph will open a full-screen version of that photo in a separate window. All links also open in a separate window.

I am changing my name to Chrysler
I am headed for that great receiving line
So when they hand a million grand out
I'll be standing with my hand out
Yes sir, I'll get mine

--Tom Paxton

Hear Arlo Guthrie sing this wonderful Paxton song on Youtube.

Should you find yourself wide awake at 3:00 a.m., and as it turns out, your significant other is also wide awake.... And should said s.o. turn to you and ask, "Do you want to go to Great Falls in the morning?" My advice is simple, go back to bed, turn off the lights, pull the covers up over your head, and at least pretend to go back to sleep. Do not, under any circumstances say, "Sure, dear. Why not."

As it turns out, Montana's junior senator, Jon Tester, was holding a "workshop" on how Montana Small Businesses could access some of the stimulus money available through ARRA (the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009). Now mind you, we don't have a small business. Oh sure, Kevin has lots of flyers, tear off sheets, and business cards for KerrComm, but I haven't ever seen him do anything with it. KerrComm, or Kerr Communications, is the telephone company that Kevin set up. I guess we could pretend that we might be able to get stimulus money to help set up phone systems. In any event, it would be a chance to get out of town, get some more photos, and maybe learn a bit more about what is really going on in this time of uncertainty. Well, it seemed like a reasonable idea at 3:00 a.m.

I tried, I really tried to get some sleep before we left, but it just didn't happen. It's a three hour drive (under good conditions) from Missoula to Great Falls, and the "workshop" was supposed to begin at 10 a.m. We had no idea when it would end. This meant we would have to be on the road no later than 7. Before then I'd have to make my morning café-au-lait, fix breakfast, shower, shave and all that jazz, shoot the dog (remember Rocky has to have his insulin injections twice a day), and probably fill up the gas tank and wash the car. No wonder I couldn't get back to sleep.

OK, I got up, showered, made my coffee, dressed, and took the Saab for a drink and a shower. Kevin stayed home to shoot Rocky and get his act together. We were on the road by a little after 6 a.m.

We made it 10 miles or so when we came to a screeching halt near a sign warning of road construction and a small herd of Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep (Ovis canadensis canadensis) taking advantage of the stalled traffic.

Once past the sheep, we stopped again, this time for a road construction red light. We had to wait for the pilot car, and it seemed to take forever. Kevin pointed out that had I not stopped for the sheep, we would not have been first in line now, but rather would have been able to follow the last group through.

Eventually, the pilot car showed up and we followed her for the next ten miles. I was getting concerned as we didn't have a lot of leeway in our transit time, but sometimes you just have to go with the flow. A little ways past Johnsrud Park, the construction zone ended and we were able to get back up to speed--whereupon we noticed that one tire was badly out of balance, or the car was out of alignment, or something. Only when we got the car up above 75 mph (the speed limit on rural Montana roads is 70 mph) were we able to sail somewhat smoothly.

Once over Rogers Pass, we took the cutoff to Wolf Creek and I-15. Neither of us are sure if this saved us any miles or even time, but it was a beautiful drive through the Rocky Mountain Front. Once on I-15, we sped on into Great Falls and arrived at the Civic Center with about ten minutes to spare.

Trent Frazier of Customs and Border Protection, an Aide, and Senator Jon Tester
Taken 6/13/09
Great Falls, Montana

The "workshop" turned out to be a chance for various government officials to tell us just why Montana businesses weren't going to benefit from the stimulus package. Oh that's not what they said, but it was certainly what they implied. Senator Tester had brought representatives from Customs and Border Protection, the GSA, the Army Corps of Engineers, the Air Force, and the US Forest Service. All of these representatives came with their own aides, and it was amazing that there was any room left for an audience. In fact, the room quickly filled with people standing around the edges and in the doorway. More chairs were brought in, and still people were standing. Montana business folk were looking for a way to survive in these hard economic times.

Over the next two hours we learned that there are seven major projects planned for Montana through ARRA. Five of those involve building or rebuilding border crossing stations, known as Land-based Ports of Entry (LPOE). Two of those are located in the northeastern corner of the state, and the state representative and senator for that district were present.

Long story short, what we learned was that due to the rapid turn around required by the legislation, most of the projects were awarded to out-of-state contractors with whom the various agencies already have relationships. These contractors are supposed to make sure that local subcontractors have a chance to work on the projects. I didn't hear if there is any way to ensure that local businesses actually do get to assist. The questions from the floor were pointed, and usually tended to be more comments in the form of "we have tried to meet your requirements but the paperwork is too time consuming and as a small business we don't have the money or personnel to spend on filling out your forms." One contractor noted that while they had the expertise, the equipment, and the ability to get the job done, the federal government was requiring at least one year of business in Utah. This was for a Montana based job. It makes you wonder.

There were breakout sessions scheduled for the afternoon, where contractors and other business folk could meet directly with the various agency representatives. I chose to wander outside the Civic Center and catch the closing minutes of the Farmers' Market.

Civic Iris
Taken outside the Great Falls (Montana) Civic Center
6/13/09

When Kevin joined me, we walked around the various booths as the vendors were closing up shop. I stopped to get some floral photos before we headed off to find a few geocaches. I'm still introducing Kevin to the joys and frustrations of geocaching, and had printed up four sets of clue sheets for Great Falls. There are 754 caches hidden within a 100 mile radius of Great Falls, but I knew we wouldn't have the time for even a fraction of that number. Four seemed like a good start. As it turned out we found three of the four. We spent quite a bit of time looking for the fourth, unsucessfully, and I really hated to give up. Prior to our attempt, 120 people have found the cache and only one has not. Now we can make it two. Personally, I think the cache has been moved or stolen.

On the way home, Kevin stuck to the Interstate. I-15 to Helena, US 12 to Garrison Junction, and I-90 on to Missoula. I believe that I-15 between Helena and Great Falls is one of the most beautiful drives in the state. There is a scenic viewpoint about half way, with a great view of the Missouri River and a sign naming this stretch as the Maureen and Mike Mansfield Memorial Highway. Since I work for the Maureen and Mike Mansfield Center, stopping at the viewpoint seemed appropriate.

The Missouri River as seen from I-15
Taken at the Scenic Viewpoint near Wolf Creek, Montana
6/13/09

After a brief stop in Helena to quench our thirst, we headed west on US 12 over McDonald Pass, catching I-90 at Garrison Junction. The skies were becoming increasingly black, and it was not hard to believe that thunderstorms were imminent. We did manage to make it home with only a few raindrops falling on our heads--or on the top of the convertible, but I was able to get some shots of dramatic cloud formations over the hills fronting the highway.

From a photographic standpoint, the trip was a success. It was also a good lesson in how our government works--or doesn't as the case may be. Still and all, I should have answered Kevin's 3 a.m. question by shutting my mouth and going back to bed.

The Angry Big Sky
Storm Clouds over Granite County
Taken near Drummond, Montana
6/13/09

Instrument of Peace

The Missoula Gay Men's Chorus
Spring Concert 6/12/09
Missoula Montana

Let me not so much seek to be consoled (to be consoled)
As to console (As to console, as to console)
To be understood as to understand
To be loved as to love
For in giving we receive (for in giving we receive)

Let me be, let me be, let me be
Let me be an Instrument of Peace

--Greg Gilpin, based on the words of St. Francis of Assisi
Youtube has a version of this beautiful piece.

NOTA BENE: What follows is not a review. I am too intimately connected with the Chorus to be objective.

In February, 2002, a group of men took the stage at the Missoula Children's Theatre, and sang one of the songs from the musical Les Misérables, Empty Chairs at Empty Tables. This was part of an evening entitled "From the Heart," and was a fund-raiser for the Western Montana Gay & Lesbian Community Center. Several individuals performed that evening, but for the Missoula Gay Men's Chorus, it was the first time they had faced a paying audience. I think I can speak for those men present when I say it was a thrilling experience.

In the years since, the Missoula Gay Men's Chorus has performed on numerous occasions in venues across the state of Montana. We have sung for private gatherings as well as public. We have produced our own concerts and have sung at benefits sponsored by other groups. I wrote about two such occasions last September (the Names Project Quilt on display in Missoula and the Jeannette Rankin Peace Party).

During the two plus years I spent in California, the biggest regret I had was not being able to sing with the Chorus. I consider myself (and, thankfully, so do the other Chorus members) a founding member of the Chorus. I have great memories of times with the guys. And last Friday, the Chorus performed its annual Spring Concert in The University of Montana's Music Recital Hall.

Emery Jones singing Everybody Wants My Fanny, by Benny Bell

For reasons unknown to me, we didn't do a lot of promotion for this concert. We printed tickets, posted flyers, and had announcements in various community bulletin boards, but at the dress rehearsal we joked about singing for the two people who would show up. I can't speak for anyone else, and I won't give my own excuses, but I know I turned back all ten of the tickets I was given to sell. I was responsible for six people buying tickets at the door, but still.... (Our final ticket count was 83 tickets sold, raising $830 for Missoula's Poverello Center, an organization that feeds and houses the homeless.)

In my not so humble opinion, this was the best concert we have done to date. The program flowed relatively smoothly from the opening number, Instrument of Peace, to the final encore, Parade. In between we fit 150 years of American popular music, both in pieces sung by the entire ensemble, and in various solos. We even did a barbershop quartet version of When You Wish Upon a Star.

Our own Barbershop Quartet
Yours truly , Fred Eigenmann, Emery Jones, Gary Bowman
(bass) (baritone) (2nd tenor) (1st tenor)

We sang Gershwin (Embraceable You); we sang Broadway (Seasons of Love from Rent). We embraced the city (Manhattan Transfer's Java Jive and Sammy Kahn's My Kind of Town) and headed out into the country (Ghost Riders in the Sky and I Talk to the Trees). We took up the cause of top-40, whether it be Stephen Collins Foster's Beautiful Dreamer or George Harrison's Something. Not to mention one of the top groups from my high school years, the Association (a medley of Never My Love and Cherish).

Artistic Director Daniel Hampson conducting from the Clavinova

For the most part, we sang the songs in the order in which they were written, closing with the 1996 Seasons of Love. As an encore, we returned with one of our perennial crowd-pleasers, Parade by Eric Lane Barnes of the Seattle Men's Chorus. All in all, a fun time was had by all--I hope. Certainly no one told me any different.

By the way, you don't need to be a gay man to sing with us, but you can't be afraid of being identified as a gay man either. We welcome new singers and also contributions both in-kind and cash. If you want us to come sing for you, let us know. We might be able to work something out. It is our goal to present a positive image of gay men in Montana, and to be, truly, an Instrument of Peace.

"Tonight, following weather there'll be lots of shots of leather"
The Missoula Gay Men's Chorus singing Eric Laine Barnes' Parade

A note on the photographs. First, it was very dark in the Music Recital Hall and I didn't want to use flash, so I set the camera at a very fast "film" speed, ASA 1600--hence the grain. Also, any movement was caught by the slow shutter speed, so a singer's head my be out of focus because he moved as the shutter snapped. Finally, all pictures were taken with my camera by my partner, Kevin Kerr. If you care to click on any of these photos, they will open full screen in a new window. The links open in a new window as well.

He Took Her For A Swan--Part II

Reeds growing in Upper Red Rocks Lake

Taken 6/6/09

Beaverhead County, Montana

NOTE PLEASE: Clicking on any photograph will open a full-screen version of that photo in a separate window. All links also open in a separate window.

Dell, a wide spot on the road, sits at Interstate 15's exit 23 in southern Beaverhead County, Montana. If you take the exit and turn east, you will find yourself face to face with an old school house (built 1903). The building is surrounded by buggies and wagons, including the shell of a sheepherder's wagon, and is festooned with ornamental lights and a sign reading "Dell Calf-A." You see, nowadays it's a restaurant. The café (or calf-a) is my favorite place to stop for a bite along I-15. Used to be service was family-style, with heaping trays of meat and veggies being passed down the long tables. These days, Health Department rulings don't allow that. Sit down, order your own meal, eat it, pay and leave. Of course, you might end up sitting down the table from a complete stranger, and you might end up having quite a conversation with that stranger. That's what happened when Kevin and I stopped for lunch, last Saturday.

You'll remember that we were on our way to the Centennial Valley, an area I thought to be north and west of Dell but which turned out to be south and east. I had my camera along and Kevin had one of his ham sets in the Saab. The weather hadn't let us put the top down, but we'd been tooling along at a good clip and the Saab was sipping its fuel instead of the pickup or Expedition gulping it. Kevin had just finished up a conversation with a painter from Arkansas who was looking to spend his summer in the Butte, Montana area. He too was headed for the Dell Calf-A, and suggested we look him up once we reached the restaurant. Such things happen when you're a ham operator--or so I'm learning. Kevin's call sign, by the way, is W1KGK, or Whiskey One, KGK, as my good Mormon boyfriend puts it.

As it turns out, we didn't meet the painter, but did end up sharing a table with a Canadian who has traded long-haul trucking for traveling North America on a Honda Gold Wing. We started talking about dogs--he has a Shi Tsu--and ended up talking about road trips. He was heading south to California, then up the coast. Personally, I'd rather do it a convertible, but to each his own.

Leaving Dell, we continued south to Monida, exit 0, and turned east. The pavement ended rather quickly, and the road sign indicated that we had 28 miles to cover before we would reach Lakeview. The road was fairly well maintained, and Kevin was able to keep the speed around 40 mph as we crossed mile after mile with nothing but grassland to see. There were mountains on the horizon, but the clouds were low enough that we could see their sides only intermittently and the peaks almost never. Listening to conversations on the ham set we kept hearing about the possibility of snow. This is Montana, after all.

Kevin braked abruptly and indicated that I should look to the left. Sure enough, there was a small herd of pronghorn just off the road. Of course, being rather skittish animals, as soon as I climbed from the car, the beasts turned tail and ran. I did get some shots of fuzzy looking animals at a distance, but nothing I'd care to share here.

Continuing on toward Lakeview and the Red Rock Lakes, we passed several groves of paper birch. I don't think I've ever seen so much paper birch before--beautiful trees. We drove through Lakeview, and on to Upper Red Rock Lake where we stopped for a potty break and some photography. Unfortunately, the wind was blowing so strongly that none of my macro shots turned out--the plants were moving faster than the shutter. I did see (and shoot) a couple of ducks swimming in the lake, and the shot of reeds in the water shown at the top of this page.

Snowslide
Taken 6/6/09
Upper Red Rock Lake, Beaverhead County, Montana

Turning away from the lake, I saw this snow slide, and shot it. Later I got another shot of it from the other side of the lake. You'll note that the peak is lost in the clouds. There is a campground at Upper Red Rock Lake, and I'd like to come back later in the summer with the camper, the canoe, and my sailboard. I'll have to check if windsurfing is allowed, as the signs indicated canoeing only.

Driving on toward the east, we passed the end of the lake, and the road turned north. Soon we reached a decision point--turn to the west and drive along the northern boundary of the refuge, or toward the east and cross over into Idaho to pick up US 87. We turned west and quickly found ourselves driving through sand dunes. The Saab handled the sandy road quite well, but had the sand been any deeper, who knows.

At one point I had Kevin stop so I could try and get the grouse that were rising from the grass. No matter how stealthily I stalked, I never succeeded in getting any shots of the grouse. And the one time I thought I might get them, all that showed in the photograph was grass. Oh well. It was soon after this failed experiment that we came across the pronghorn who so graciously posed for the shot in the first Beaverhead County post.

Soon enough, we reached another decision point. 17 miles back to Monida and Interstate 15, or 55 miles to Alder and Montana highway 287. We chose the latter. In no time at all we were climbing a steep mountain road, through intermittent rain and snow, and the road was getting worse and worse.

When the car started sliding from side to side, I begged Kevin to slow down, but he replied "In mud, momentum is your friend." I tried to remain calm and held on for dear life, repeating my mantra "Today is a good day to die."

What seemed like hours later, we topped the crest and started our descent on a much better maintained Madison County road. Beaverhead County is so large, with so many back roads, that there just isn't the money to go around. Madison County is no richer than Beaverhead, but it isn't as large either.

Bison, definitely NOT roaming
Taken 6/6/09
Ruby River Ranch, Madison County, Montana

As we continued our descent, we passed the Ruby River Ranch and its herd of bison. These bison were definitely not roaming, but they didn't seem too perturbed by the electric fence, either. We also encountered some traffic on the road--much more vehicular traffic than I would have expected, but some wildlife, as well. This pronghorn seemed determined to set the pace as he trotted along in front of us.

Well, if the buffalo aren't roaming, the antelope surely are
Taken 6/6/09
Madison County, Montana

Eventually we found ourselves following the upper stretches of the Ruby River down toward civilization. This is another area where I want to park the camper. My friend Rick and I camped by a small hot-springs fed pond on the west side of the Ruby River Reservoir many years ago, and I'd love to go back. This is the home for Montana's second Territorial Capitol, Virginia City, which, unlike Bannack, only looks like a ghost town. In reality it's the county seat of Madison County and in the summer time it hosts numerous tourist events. I love to go see the Brewery Follies, a sort of home-grown Capitol Steps type review of political song and satire. If you're more into the Olde Time Melodrama, you can get that every evening at the Opera House. There are staged shoot-outs on the main street, and lots of tourist kitsch to keep everyone happy.

This trip, however, we needed to get home to shoot the dog, er give Rocky his insulin injection, so we turned west, driving through Sheridan, Twin Bridges, Butte, Deer Lodge and Drummond, to get home only a little late for Rocky's evening medication.

While I can't recommend taking a sports car through the roads we traveled, if you're up for some adventure, lots of incredible scenery, and more wildlife than you can shake a stick at, you can't beat Montana's Beaverhead and Madison Counties.

If you read my first post on this subject, you may recall that the intent was for me to get some great shots of Trumpeter Swans. Well, even though the brochure we picked up at Upper Red Rocks Lake states that the swans are common all four seasons of the year, this trip we saw nary a one. Not a single swan appeared to pose for my camera. Not one! I guess we'll have to go back.

The upper Ruby River
Taken 6/6/09
Madison County, Montana

As a final note, there were a couple of things deserving of photographic documentation that, like the swans, I failed to capture. First, in southern Madison County there is a stream named "Poison Creek." It has a road, the "Poison Creek Road" that is labeled, appropriately enough, "Dead End." Unfortunately the signs were facing in opposite directions, so I couldn't get a good juxtaposing shot. And speaking of shots, at "Vigilante Station," also in southern Madison County, there is a sign that reads "No shooting." Seems like a contradiction in terms to me.

He Took Her For A Swan

Pronghorn (Antilocapra americana)
Usually called (in error) Antelope
Taken 6/6/09
Centennial Valley, Beaverhead County, Montana

NOTE PLEASE: Clicking on any photograph will open a full-screen version of that photo in a separate window. All links also open in a separate window.

He roamed near the place where his true love was slain
He wept bitter tears, but his cries were all in vain.
As he looked on the lake, a swan glided by
And the sun slowly sank in the grey of the sky.

She'd her apron wrapped about her and he took her for a swan
But it's oh and alas it was she, Polly Von.

--Yarrow/Stookey/Travers- Pepamar Music ASCAP

For a youtube version of this song, click here.

Kevin promised me a swan. Actually, he promised me lots of swans. Trumpeter swans nesting in Montana's Centennial Valley. And it being the time of year it is, there might even be, probably would be, some cygnets as well--but I think he called them "baby swans." This was the day we were out on Brown's Lake, Memorial Day, that is, when I kept playing hide and seek with the Great Blue Herons. It just amazes me how such a large, ungainly bird can hide in a few reeds. I've posted the portrait of that GBH on Eyefetch, if you care to see how the match ended.

Friday evening (June 5th, 2009), I suggested to Kevin that I would not be averse to a road trip on Saturday--off to find the swans in the Centennial Valley. Mind you, I wasn't exactly sure where the Centennial Valley was, just that it's in Beaverhead County somewhere. What I did know was that Beaverhead County is Montana's largest county in area. If you look at Montana's border with Idaho as forming a face, Missoula, where I live, is in the eyesocket, Ravalli County where my cabin is located, is the nose, and Beaverhead County is the mouth and chin. It measures 5,572 square miles, and the 2000 census shows a population of 9,202 people, over 95% of whom are white. Of those nine thousand folk, 3,752 live in the county seat, Dillon. That leaves 5,450 folk spread out over the landscape, or less than one person per square mile. Looking at it another way, Beaverhead County is larger than the state of Connecticut, and considerably larger than Rhode Island and Delaware combined.

Less than 1 person per square mile Taken 6/6/09 Centennial Valley, Beaverhead County, Montana

Driving north on Interstate 15, you enter Montana at Monida Pass which separates Clark County, Idaho, from Beaverhead County, Montana. I have driven I-15 many times, in both directions, and knew that part of the county traversed by the interstate. I have visited Dillon on numerous occasions, as well as the area north and west of Dillon, specifically the Big Hole Valley which I wrote about last September. The Big Hole Valley is so large that quite frankly I ignored the rest of the county. When Kevin talked about the Centennial Valley, I thought we were headed to Clark Canyon Reservoir which sits alongside I-15 south of Dillon. Live and learn.

Our favorite local weatherman (and fellow Bass in the Missoula Gay Men's Chorus), Mark Heyka, had forecast flooding in the southern Bitterroot, and I woke to very gray skies on Saturday morning. Oh well, when you're trying to photograph nesting birds, overcast skies are not a bad thing. Kevin surprised me by getting up all bright eyed and bushy tailed at 6:30. Shower, dress, give Rocky his morning insulin shot, and we headed out the door. Kevin had already installed a ham radio outfit in the Saab, and I added my camera bag and a change of clothes--in case I got soaked while hunting the swans. What neither of us thought to throw in the car was road food.

Driving up the Bitterroot on US 93 (which in old-tyme Montana terms means driving South), we watched the river flowing nearly bank-full, but didn't see much flooding. As we approached the Idaho state line at Lost Trail Pass, we turned east on Montana 43 and crossed the Continental Divide at Chief Joseph Pass. At 7,264 feet, Chief Joseph Pass is the home of one of my favorite cross-country skiing areas. I pulled into the ski area parking lot, and headed for the outhouse. Once seated on the throne, I looked over at the opposite wall and called for Kevin to bring me my camera. I mean how often do you get to take the portrait of two large daddy-long-legs (I think Harvestmen, not Cellar Spiders) on a plain white background. Unfortunately, Kevin brought me the camera, but not the bag, so I was stuck with the long macro lens and had to take the portraits from across the room. (Yes, I know, I could have gone to get the bag and changed the lens--hindsight is 20/20 after all.)

Driving down Montana 43 into the Big Hole, I asked Kevin to stop alongside Trail Creek. As often as I have driven this stretch of road, I have always promised myself that I would get some shots of the rail fences that front the road. Shooting not just the fence, but also the creek and some of the nearby rock formations, I marveled at the fact that this small stream was on its way to become the mighty Missouri River.

Trail Creek with Rail Fence
Taken 6/6/09
Near Chief Joseph Pass, Beaverhead County, Montana

Back in the car, I next directed Kevin to stop at the Big Hole National Battlefield. I always get the chills when I stop at the Battlefield. The landscape looks so peaceful, but the battle was so fierce between the US Cavalry and a group of people who only wanted to continue to live their lives in peace. I've written about the battle before in the blog referenced above.

Leaving the park (Big Hole National Battlefield is now part of the Nez Percé National Historical Park), I caught sight of some wildlife, and had Kevin stop and roll down his window. I leaned across Kevin aiming my camera out the driver's side window. The gopher practically posed for me, even though Kevin never saw what I was photographing. When you're looking for wildlife to photograph, you take what you get.

Big Hole Battlefield
Nez Percé National Historical Park
Taken 6/6/09
Near Wisdom, Montana

Heading further east on Montana 43, we approached Wisdom--the town that is. There were several antelope in the fields with the cattle, but Kevin didn't stop promising that there would be plenty of antelope (OK, pronghorn) when we reached our destination. So now he's promising me both swans and antelope. Hmm, if we run into buffalo (bison) and deer, we can have quite a song fest.

At Wisdom, we turned south on Montana Secondary 278 heading toward Jackson. Past Jackson, and its famous Hot Springs, we turned off 278 to visit Bannack, Montana's first territorial capital. It has never made sense to me that Bannack would be chosen as a capital, especially as it's located in the relatively empty southwestern corner of a rather large, and still relatively empty, state. Today the ghost town is a state park, and the caretaker informed me that back in 1864 when Montana Territory was created out of Dakota Territory (east of the continental divide) and Washington Territory (west of the divide), the gold camp of Bannack was one of the largest settlements in the area. OK, I'll have to accept that, but it still seems a bit bogus to me. Still and all, the area is rich in history and apparently the state has found some money to put into the park, because the place looked a lot better than I remember it. Kevin and I wandered through the "town" and I got several interesting shots, including a bunny just outside the old jail. More wildlife to capture, I tell you.

Retired Red Pickup
Taken 6/6/09
Bannack, Montana

We left Bannack, driving south on the Bannack Bench Road, heading toward the Horse Prairie country. This is the land to the west of Clark Canyon Reservoir, and I was still thinking this was the Centennial Valley. We drove through the Horse Prairie, past Clark Canyon, and stopped for lunch at my favorite I-15 wide spot in the road, the Dell Calf-A. As this post is getting a bit wordy, and we have just stopped for lunch, I'll stop for now and take up the drive in my next posting.

Specifics:
Left Missoula 6:30 a.m.
Arrived Missoula 8:15 p.m.
Total Miles 500+
Counties traversed: Missoula, Ravalli, Beaverhead, Madison, Jefferson, Silver Bow, Deer Lodge, Powell, and Granite.
Photos taken 125
Click on the picture below to be taken to the album/slideshow. (100 photos, mostly unedited)

20090606

And if you just haven't had enough music going through your head yet, let me recommend that you visit my on-line friend Michael's blog: The 007 GentleMan Blog: Afternoon Delight