Finishing vacation photo album

I arrived home safe last Saturday, tired and with lots to do. It's taken me most of a week to upload the last of the pictures. We begin with scenery of various central Montana mountains and valleys.








The yellow-flowered plants are grown as crops and I think it's rapeseed.


Rapeseed is named for it's Latin name which marks it a member of the turnip family, not for a violent crime. Rapeseed oil is good for cooking because it's healthy and low in acid, but it needed an image upgrade. So the folks that grow it in Canada renamed it CANadian Oil, Low Acid, or canola. Cleaver of them, eh?


I really like the pictures where a barn or buildings gives the mountains some scale.



Lower Big Hole River. I was lazy setting up camp and didn't take a picture of it, but that's my fire ring so obviously I was camped near the fishing.


A fellow a hundred miles away, over by the Madison, described this place in detail and talked of all the trout he caught fishing from this little island in previous years. I've been told this year the spring was late and wet. I'm guessing in dry years it might be possible to actually walk on this island. I waded out next to it and caught lots of fish.


I did the last of my fishing here on the lower Big Hole, downstream from camp. I caught several medium sized rainbows on dry flies that last morning before I headed toward home.


RL Winston Rod Company in Twin Bridges, Montana, makes fly rods I can't afford.


I drove through this pretty valley somewhere in central Montana.


I only stopped in Billings for fuel, but I snapped a couple of pictures. I mentioned before that I heard a politician in rural central Montana express concern about the fast growing population in Billings and other Montana cities, and his concern for maintaining the western culture of the state. He might be comforted to know that the sophisticated, cosmopolitan city folks in the "Magic City" as Billings is known, think there is an x in the word "espresso."




Lots of classic cars and trucks in the West. Most went by to fast for pictures but this one was stopped for fuel. Beside it is a pot of flowers, at a gas station. I kept meaning to take pictures of some potted flowers and that's a poor picture and a poor specimen. I noted in all the mountain areas, homes and businesses had lots of potted flowers that were colorful and beautiful and healthy, and often overflowing the pot with blossoms.



I made a quick stop for a look at these stoned presidents. It's a national monument, could we cut some trees? I know Teddy Roosevelt was all about conservation but he looks like he's snorting cedar.



Clearer view from closer, after the sun came out.



A final sight seeing stop at Falls Park in Sioux Falls, SD on Friday afternoon and made it to Omaha in time for supper. For that meal, I met a dear friend for conversation over Mexican food, my first restaurant meal of the trip on the last full day. The food was good and I joked about the luxury of the flush toilet and hand sink, but the highlight was the company. I had coffee with other friends on Saturday morning and then drove home.

So that's my trip. I was gone 19 days. I had great fun fishing, saw some absolutely beautiful country, spent most of my time alone, made a few bad decisions, ate right, slept comfortably if not enough, and generally had a wonderful time. While I don't have specific plans to take another solo vacation next year or anytime soon, I wouldn't be opposed to doing it again. I would even do it again in the same places, some year after I see all the other places on my list. My wish list for differences next time would be very short: a better camera, and more weeks to spend travelling.