The Front Range of the Rockies

20090908—The Front Range of the Rockies

I left Choteau with the early traffic this morning after filling with gas for a trip to the outback. I was driving West, on Bellville Road with the sun behind me and illuminating the fields and the front range of the Rockies ahead. It looked great, so I stopped a lot for pictures. There were a few birds: Vesper Sparrows, a Merlin, some Prairie Falcons, Western Meadowlarks and American Kestrels.

I was able to locate a few spots that I remembered from the Wings over Big Sky field trip, and actually see the things that were mostly hidden by the snow and mist back in May. The area is spectacular and very sparsely populated. It abuts the Lewis and Clark National Forest, several Wilderness Areas (the Bob Marshall being the largest) and a large holding by the Nature Conservancy.

I pulled into the Cave Mountain Campground and was the only camper there through the night. It was chilly, in a steep canyon where the sun disappeared early. I practiced my fire building, and had a pleasant evening. Robins and Cedar Waxwings were the only birds I saw at the campground.