Confusion

View of the Izaak Walton Inn from the trestle bridge over tracks

I have been in Montana now for several weeks and have yet to set pen to paper to write about my journey west or what it is like here.  Life has been a whirlwind of learning, lack of sleep, excitement and wonder over the beauty that now surrounds me.  Aside from the fact my internal compass no longer works due to crossing the Great Divide; there should really be no reason for my lack of creativity.  There are abundant sources of inspiration from the continuous serenade of the birds which sing from the tall, tall pine-y tree tops to the mist which rises from the feet of the mountains each morning as the cold air turns warmer. 

Misty, mountain morning greets eastbound AmTrak train

I have decided that it is this sensory overload which is the cause of my fumble fingered photography these last weeks and my lack of words.  At first almost every picture I took was awful, words came to my head yet would not cross the great divide from mind to paper.  Ideas would start then wander away down some greening trail and then up the hillside to stand at the crest breathless and unable to come fully formed to the pad.  I found myself open-mouthed and crying more often then not stupefied by how long it had taken me to find this place.  For now this feels like an end to a long journey, like home almost and overwhelms me often.

The view as you walk on Essex Rd.  Rt 2 and the Middle fork of the Flathead River are below

The difference between east of the Divide and west are numerous.  Snow in May, Grizzly Bears up on the mountain about 3 miles away, Mule deer much less eating plants outside my front door, no need for air conditioning or TV and it's OK to wear fleece year round.

First May snow (yes there was another one mostly up on the mountains)

Supposedly, the Mulies will go up the mountain when the Grizzlies decide to come down the mountain and wander around in the parking lot.  We know there is at least one up near Almeda Lake but now scat has been sighted up on Dickey Creek Road.  Again not much more than 4 miles away.  At this time the Mulies are gone but no bears have decided to visit...I carry bear spray with me on the 100 foot walk to the Inn each day. 

Mule Deer - Can you count them?

I want to bring everyone here....to see this wondrous place before it is gone, melted, fracked, greeded into oblivion and I feel so lucky to have come here to see it even as it stands in the balance.  Pictures do not do this land justice. I have come to believe that there are those who do and those who don't and those who don't never know what they have missed but those that do will always understand the value of wilderness.  It is our job to try to translate what a thrill it is to live in this place.  I will paraphrase a friend who said that essentially for some there is a primal need to be somewhere where you are challenged in ways you never dreamed you would be and the fact that you are not at the top of the food chain is one of the thrills.  

Man-eating Snowshoe Rabbit....my that looks tasty

  So, I will continue to attempt to share with you all my thoughts about my life here and to do my very best to encourage you to challenge yourself no matter where you are. It is, after all, the adrenaline flowing through your veins which reminds that you are alive. 

Sunset over the train yard

Take a Picture of THAT, Nelly!!

When I went to New Mexico for the first time in 2010, I fell in love with the Land of Enchantment.  It mesmerized me, captivated my imagination, drew me into its red rock canyons and in dreams, landed me on top of a coral pink mesa engaged in conversation with one of the ancient stone people, I was bewitched.   Like a dog in the front seat, head hanging out the open window, I rode for miles in a magic carriage, eyes turning this way and that trying to capture the awesomeness that is New Mexico in September.  I was unsuccessful for even the finest of cameras cannot do this splendor justice.  Upon arriving back home, I vowed that in 2011 there was no way I was going to go back without a big, digital SLR camera.

I acquired my new digital camera a week before I left for New Mexico in September of 2011.  Using my Target card in a desperate attempt to discharge my vow, I purchased a Nikon 3000 on sale, it was the demo camera and I was ecstatic!  Immediately, I started snapping things, approaching thunderstorm, winter clothes stacked in piles in the living room, weeds and other miscellany.  By the time I arrived, I was proficient enough with the camera that I knew how to turn the dial to change into various "auto" settings and what the little pictures on the dial meant.  Like last year I spent the whole week with my head and the camera out the window snapping pictures of things I'd seen last year.  New sites meant exciting opportunities for composition.  I was pretty happy with some of the photos.


But I knew that my camera could do a lot of other stuff.  So, when I went to Florida in January, I was frustrated with my inability to capture the correct colors of the sunsets.  Still, the little dials and myriad settings in the menu scared me and I refused to read the manual.  Sometimes it just seems like there is too much information and that my brain is full and can't take anymore without dumping some.  Hmmmm, what to dump? My kids names, phone number of my chiropractor, favorite pizza delivery? Hard decision.  My reluctance meant I missed some awesome shots. 

Still I procrastinated

I've started interacting with others who are better photographers than I because some of my friends who know things say I have a little bit of talent or at least the "eye" for composition which evidently is a result of my DNA.  A contest, finally, catapulted me out of my fog of fear and into reading the manual.  Some of the following photos are a result of my free fall into the scary world of turning the dial and changing menu settings.  Tell me what you think...I'm giddy....

If I can figure it out, tomorrow I will put up a slide show of some of my favorite photos.