Springtime in the Rockies can be extremely moody.  This past week we have had 70 degree days where we were riding our bikes in shirtsleeves.  Followed a couple of days later by a foot of new powder.  There is always something to do, as long as you stay flexible. Here are some shots from a recent drive in the Paradise […]

“How glorious a greeting the sun gives the mountains! “ —John Muir Mountains are often spoken of in grand terms…. “jagged peaks soaring to the sky” Or, “fangs of rock and ice piercing the blue infinity.”  Or, “grand monoliths rising out of the plains.”   But as a friend pointed out on a recent hike up the East Rosebud Valley […]

“The only Zen you find on tops of mountains is the Zen you bring there.” — Robert M. Pirsig The Beartooth Highway is a real  Montana gem.  It is a crazy mountain road running 68 miles from Red Lodge, over Beartooth Pass (10,947′), to the northeast entrance of Yellowstone National Park at Silvergate.  The Highway opened in 1936 after years of financial wrangling […]

Is it just me, or is the weather getting a little bit wacky?  Here is yesterday’s NOAA weather map from the Great Falls office.  An impressive patchwork quilt of colors representing just about every nasty bit of weather that spring time can throw out us.  What you don’t see is that every area actually has multiple warnings.  Only the most severe […]

Maybe not what you are thinking.  Today I went to Beartrap Canyon on the lower Madison River to see if I could hit the annual caddis fly hatch.  The caddis fly hatch is an annual right of spring for anglers in the area.  Known as the “Mother’s Day Caddis Hatch” on the Yellowstone River due to its tendency to hit […]