Twenty Two Miles

Each morning as I drive by Ross Creek Ranch, I think, I really want a picture of these gorgeous cottonwood trees, so this morning I put my camera in the car. I drive twenty-two miles before I get to the freeway and there are a lot of pretty things to see in that stretch. I’m afraid I got carried away with the camera.

I took the first picture was as I left Sierra Ranchos valley, then I drove several hundred yards.

I stopped to take a picture at the ranch of what our grandson Kiernan used to call the giant wobot (robot) twees - I don't get the robot part. A couple more turns, and I stopped again.



I saw ducks swimming in the pond and couldn't resist the cattail reeds. Those are actually docks though I have never understood what they're supposed to dock.

And then I drove a couple more turns for a picture of the tree that was the target of my "hunt," and hurried back to the car. Better get a move on. Don't want to be late. But wait - are those horses down there?


I'm getting carried away. How many times have I pulled over already and I haven't even gone two miles. Last picture. After all, I was only going to take one.


This picture doesn't count because I only stopped the car, rolled down the window and took a picture of the open-range cattle. It's kind of late in the season for them. They're usually gone by now, probably in somebody's locker.


I couldn't resist this picture, since I had the camera in the car. It was one of those, "While you're at it..." That's Dogskin Mountain in the background. It's a unique USGS map in that they printed it on a 7.5 minute map scale but for some reason they didn't print it as two maps, so it's on the same large paper as their 1:100 maps. If that sounds confusing, it is. Try to find it in a library map case. In the almost hidden middle is Bedell Flat. We call this spot Bedellview. It's a 6,000' pass on our way home and very dicey winter driving. This is a perfect example of Big Sky Country.


This is White Lake and my last picture before the freeway. An astounding number of birds have made the lake their motel as they migrate this year. Most are already moved on, but if you make this picture big, you will see that the line left of center is actually birds gathered on a spit. And now you see why I don't mind my commute.