In the early morning I sneak out of the Best Little Trailer.
Bridget and Spike are fast asleep. Mist is rising from the lake and I want to take a picture of it.
I grab this shot and hurry back. I don’t want the crew to wake up, find me gone, and panic.
After breakfast we take our usual walk along the lake.
Cattle are on the beach!
Spike doesn’t notice. Or maybe he figures there are too many to tangle with.
The cattle have a right to be here at Delmoe Lake. The lake and land are leased for them. When the lake level is up, people jump off the big rock into the water. A climbing rope is attached to the other side.
Every day the lake recedes three or more feet, revealing more rocks. We cross the boat ramp to go to the southeast end of the lake.
The lake is a brilliant blue today. It’s almost too blue to believe!
Spike chooses the perfect place for his soak and makes a dash for the water.
The crew and I have been here a week come Sunday.
Bridget and I always let Spike soak as long as he wants. We love our boy!
Next we climb up a knoll. I find a stump the perfect height for a seat. We pause to enjoy the view.
Even a cow makes a good subject for a photograph! At least I think so . . .
The rest of the cattle are on the other side of the knoll.
A fly fisherman comes along, carrying his rod and a bucket. We exchange a few words. He’s local . . . from Whitehall. He wants to know if I’ve seen any fish. “I’ve seen a few come to the surface for bugs around dusk.” I ask him what kind of fly he’s using. “It looks like a wasp,” he replies. I wish him good luck and he moseys over to a rocky point.
Bridget seems to appreciate the beauty of the lake much like I do.
Spike tends to become preoccupied with every little thing and lags behind. “C’mon, Spikey! We don’t want to lose you!”
Time pauses. Some moments will stay in the memory forever. This is such a moment.
And this is such a place.
rvsue
THANK YOU FOR SHOPPING AMAZON FROM MY BLOG!
I appreciate every order, large and small. Here are some of the products ordered recently:
EternaBond White Roof Seal
Winegard FlatWave Amplified Razor Thin HDTV Indoor Antenna
Toshiba Docking Station
KONG Dog Grooming Brush
Plastic Bag Keeper for Reusable Grocery Bags
Hyland’s Leg Cramps, 100 Tablets
Beautiful. And beautifully written.
Thank you very much.
Wonderful photos. I especially like the one where the mist is rising off the lake. I think the only thing more wonderful would be to see the area in person. You and the crew take care.
Hi Sue…
The misty photo is a favorite of mine, too. I like a photo that has a mood. Nice of you to write . . .
The pictures are great and I really enjoyed them. They fit the Psalms 23 verse “He restores my soul”.
Totally changing the subject, I got a laugh out of the purchases today. When I saw the Hyland’s Leg Cramps, 100 tablets my first thought was why on earth anyone would want to purchase pills to give you leg cramps! Sometimes the brain takes a strange turn.
I thought the same thing, Reine! Leg cramps in a bottle… Get yours NOW!
Ditto. I picture someone saying “I feel great and full of energy today…I need some leg cramps to slow me down.”
Eileen in Phoenix
Hello, Sue. I have successfully read thru the archive of your journeys and now consider myself up to date. I share your love of photography and have enjoyed your shots. There is something about the lakes at this latitude that seems to make them lovely in early light.
Congratulations, Randy, for plowing through all those posts! You deserve a medal. LOL Seriously, I appreciate your interest in my blog and my photos. Yes, the lake is especially photogenic in the early morning.
What a difference between photo one and two! Love the mist rising off the water.
Three feet a day! WOW! Great pics of the crew.
The shore grows about three feet, depending upon how steep it is, of course. That’s a guess. The lake supplies water for ranches and such.
My crew is so good about photos. Even Bridget is coming around.
Beautiful pictures of the lake …. And of course the kids. I’m still recovering from a knee replacement and this post really made me want to take off for camping right now and escape the house and work routine.
Hi, Carla . . . I’m glad the surgery is behind you. Now you have to be patient so you can mend! 🙂 Thanks for the compliment on the pics.
I love Misty Lake and Bridget and Spike at peace with the world! The 2 of them together enjoying their life… beautiful photographs! This is a great place to camp!
Can’t believe it’s been a week already! Gettin’ your gypsy feet on?
Yes, I am feeling the urge to move on down the road. 🙂
I love the rocks in the lake. So cool! Is that a great blue heron on the rock? WAY cool!
I live near a large reservoir, actually two. The upper reservoir is used for drinking water for the cities, the lower for recreation. But they don’t go up and down so drastically. Only trouble is you have to pay to get near the lower one. Glad I also have a river nearby also. I can sit by that was see our blue heron, ducks, geese, kingfishers, hawks, but no cows.
I don’t know if that’s a heron or not. Like I wrote, I rushed down there, snapped the photo, and rushed back to the BLT. I think it’s smaller than a heron. Maybe a bittern which I guess is in the heron family.
Yes, some scenes are more than what they show. That’s what is happening in the photo of the crew looking in the same direction. There’s an extra element, like when something is more than the sum of its parts.
Love the misty lake photo (& the rest!). We went through your neck of the woods today — left Reed Point this morning & stopped in Garrison for tonight & tomorrow night; into Kalispell on Monday to do the family thing for an unknown number of weeks.
If you end up in the Swan-Seeley Valley anytime soon (there are a number of NF campgrounds; not sure about boondocking opportunities), let us know. I might be able to run on down for a visit!
Hi Renee,
Well, you’re moving right along!
I haven’t decided where we are going next. I look at my atlas at the Kalispell and Glacier NP area and I see all the campgrounds . . . which means people, lots of ’em. You know me… Even though the mountains, lakes, and streams are beautiful, I have trouble enjoying myself around a lot of people.
It’s nice that you have family in such a gorgeous setting. Enjoy!
This is not the best of times to be anywhere near Glacier. We passed the Swan Lake NF campground on the way up the Swan-Seeley valley, & they had 3 or 4 RVs parked in an overflow area next to the highway, waiting for a space to open up. We’re in an RV park in Kalispell; the one we usually go to didn’t have an opening until this weekend. We’re trying another one — it’ll do for our purposes — but there’s not a single empty site. Egads! I’d rather be at Red Mountain!
I think your photos would make some great post cards. I love seeing the cows around the lake, pretty unusual (at least to me it is). It would be hard to leave that place.
Hi Ginger,
So I’m not the only one who thinks cows along a lake make a good subject for a photo! If it weren’t for their lives destined to be cut short, the cattle have it pretty good, basking in this setting, the gentle breeze, the sunshine, plenty of forage and good water, room to roam . . . better than many people have it.
At first sight of the next to the last picture, with your delightful furkids looking at the lovely lake and surrounding beauty, brought a heart-grabbing sensation of peace and tranquility along with a surge of emotional sensitivity, passion and tears. There is so
much in that one picture that speaks more beautifully than all the words that could describe the view.
Actually, this entire post of pictures and words that describe just as beautifully, your
thoughts in each moment as you write.
People are for me, more interesting than anything else on our planet. Many years ago as a result of shattering trauma, I delved into the fascinating study of people through the language of astrology. At the time I was sure it was “garbage”. My inner voice asked how
I knew astrology was garbage…. I realized I had absolutely no reason to have made that
statement beyond having heard that “everyone knows astrology is garbage.” My inner
nudges kept asking, “How do YOU know?” At that point, I relented and agreed that I did
not know at all! That was when I began a very long study of that ancient and quite fascinating language…..
Studying people who interest me via astrology and sharing the results with them, and only them, has been rewarding for me and for those I study as well. Sue, you have my email contact. I would love to take a look at your astrology. Will you share your birth data with me? I NEVER share personal information with anyone who is willing to share with me.
What I need is your date, time, & place of birth. That is the year, month and day. The Time would be the hour & minutes and the time zone (7:57 p.m. MST or EST, or whatever.
finally, the place…. City, State, Country….The best source of this information is your birth certificate….. Please be totally honest!
You are a fascinating person. I know that you are private, introspective, intelligent, curious, and much much more….. Nothing that flows between us will ever be shared with
anyone other than just us….. my promise!!!!!
Hugs from Elizabeth…..
Hello, Elizabeth,
I’m pleased that the photo touched you in a powerful way. Some day, too soon, my crew of two will become a crew of one. That moment in the photo will come to mind. Thank you for writing your reaction to it. I reacted similarly when I looked upon my two nutcakes, still and side by side, with the lake and mountains beyond them.
I don’t know about the astrology yet. I’ll think about it, okay? You probably have a pretty good idea what my sign is already… 🙂
I love your energy and enthusiasm. I bet it comes across in your music.
Thanks for your thoughtful response! Yes, the picture is very
powerful, a wonderful reminder, in your future of days gone
forever.
Astrology is also a powerful picture of our own potential and promise in our own evolution. We are very unique individuals.
Like snowflakes, and most everything else, there are no two who are identical.
There is a great deal of data to consider in astrology. There are 12 signs, currently 11 “planets,” and 12 houses in the chart. There are 360 degrees in each chart which for each person is divided into approximately 2o to 35 degrees in each of the 12 houses.
How the planets are arranged in these houses and which signs
and their ruling planets are placed in the chart arrangement are the significant factors.
Most significant are the sun sign, the rising sign, and which house is largest, which smallest, and how they relate to one another.
There is a great deal of very pertinent data to consider when
interpreting astrology. Therefore I will wait till you decide if
you will share your birth data information with me before I
go any further.
Happy Trails!
Another great spot Sue.. What causes the lake to drop that fast overnight?
Hi Ron,
The lake level drops during the day, too. I’ve seen the beach wet up about eight inches where the water level dropped and the sand hadn’t dried yet. The water is siphoned off for agricultural purposes, I believe, related to the cattle industry.
Look at the fourth photo in this post. In spring the water is up to where grass grows now, just below those three large bushes. I imagine it is quite a sight at that time of year.
I see in the pictures where it’s been up and down.. the ag. purpose makes sense…be safe..
What a magnificent location! That lake is beautiful.
I can’t help but laugh when you put photos of the crew next to each other. Bridget is always so white and clean, while Spike is always dirty and many times wet. Such typical children! Hard to believe they went on the same walk:)
You’re right about the crew… Two opposites. Spike attacks life headlong, devil-may-care, while Bridget is circumspect and prances daintily through life.
Beautiful as always Sue, I so enjoy your Writing , the Photos and Crew. Thank you again for sharing with us, now if you would just let us know your SS #, we all could share you. My bad, just had to say…
You’re welcome, Diane. Now stop being such a bad girl!
While you’re at it…………….I would like your bank account information.
I just want to check your addition and subtraction…just because you were a math teacher doesn’t mean it’s to the penny.
Beautiful shots, the bird makes the photo, you could wait there for days to get a shot like that, great luck. I know you like to just hang around the camp but since you like photography so much I wanted to let you know there are several old ghost towns in your area. Two, Wickes and Comet, both old gold mine towns, are just south of Helena. Lots of old buildings and mining equipment, great subjects for photography.
If you are interested say so and I will attach a website for ghost towns that uses google maps to show where they are, it also has photos to show what is there..
Enjoy, Alan.
PS. Those aren’t cows, they are “Desert Elk”
Where I grew up we always called them “slow elk”. 🙂
Hi Alan,
Instead of waiting for a bird to land on the rock, it’s much easier to put a plastic one up there. (aww… just kidding.) Thank you for the compliment on the photo. The trick with that photo was getting the right angle. I had to make sure the bird was silhouetted against the mist or it wouldn’t be as visible and dramatic.
Can you put a link to the ghost town maps in a comment here for all to utilize?
Here it is. Note: Not all ghost towns are uninhabited so be forewarned. Occasionally you’ll run into a not too friendly type.
http://www.ghosttowngallery.com/
Thank you, Alan!
Sue
I love your location and as always your commentary.
Have you ever considered taking your photos and having post cards made of pic for each year of travel.
Might make a few bucks and I bet your readers would snap them up.
Ron
Hi, Ron,
I’m happy you like the pics and the words that go with them. No, I haven’t thought about post cards. Sounds like it would take some effort on my part… you know, printing them, storing them, sending them out… ack! work! 🙂
Your suggestion is a very nice compliment though. A few of my readers like to make the photos into desktop wallpaper. I do that.
I love your adventures and your fuzzy butt fur babies! Thank you for sharing them! 🙂
You’re welcome! It’s my pleasure . . .
Hello Sue & Crew~
Your blog inspires me greatly. I sit here (well not actually sit very much..) in W. Colorado awaiting the day in late September when I will drive to Rice to pick up my own PLT…a Patriot. I look forward to launching my voyage of discovery and I am appreciative of your insight and wisdom gained from your boondocking on our wonderful lands in the West. My word is “crampgrounds” for those places that present the illusion of camping….. I too prefer the wide open spaces of discovering that “just right” spot where one can park and have the magic of solitude, silence and space.. I look forward to reading more and creating my own stories to share..
Oh, what a day that will be . . . when you go to the factory and pick up your own “best little trailer!”
Crampgrounds says it all. I, too, prefer to be alone but sometimes one has to stay in a campground in order to be at a special place.
Arriving at a new beautiful campground is a wonderful thing, but it is only a destination. Don’t forget the journey. There is always myriad opportunities along the way for exploration and discovery. Imagine if Lewis and Clark only told us about their arrival at the Pacific ocean, not much of a story. In our modern age of fast cars and big roads we have forgotten about the journey and only think about the destination. That is why I provided the ghost towns website above, It is truly amazing what we miss as we whiz by. I guess the real message here is stop and smell the roses, life is too short.
Enjoy
So many lovely shots can be captured in the early morning and you have it captured with the mist rising off the lake. I love to shoot in the early morning or at dusk when the light is soft and the subject matter whether it be lakes fields trees buildings……….in that sort of light they all take on a different life………magical I call it. I ache for the times when I will have more time to pursue what I love to do. Love all your photos Sue …..none more than the crew enjoying their time with you in such lovely settings…………what a life!!
Hi Glenda! Yes, morning light is the best. And at that time of day one is more likely to photograph wildlife, especially around water. If I could get Bridget and Spike out of bed early…. such sleepyheads!
I thought I missed one of your pictures when someone said they liked your “fuzzybutt”!! Then I read the rest of it….
ewww…
Thanks for the fantastic photos and for sharing Spike and Bridget with us! I love those pups.
You’re welcome, Mary Ann.