Cherish is my favorite word, and I cherish the ability of turning the routine into a beautiful moment.
Nature creates in me, a spiritual and meditative time to bring peace, harmony and balance, into an otherwise ordinary day~
Mary Howell Cromer







Thursday, October 31, 2013

Leaving South Dakota and Heading Into Montana~



I am going to enter 2 posts each week so as to complete our journey entries before the holidays.

Ok, so I usually fuss at the husby to no avail...
I will say STOP and he will say I CAN'T!
And so, I just keep on taking images through the passenger side window, and sometimes through the drivers side as well. 
As you shall see in a future post, I have even taken images through the side view mirror...well if it works...worth the try ;)
When I saw the 2 horses fighting, I made my plea and this was what I got...not too shabby.
Later while enjoying a light snack, and walking the dogs, I spotted a Bald Eagle hunting from a tree near a stream...now that was pretty sweet!

Remember to double click on the image, to view a larger slide show of the images shared
 


I am linking up with Mary for:
"Mosaic Monday"


at:
 




and

 
 
I am linking up with Stewart at:

   Wild Bird Wednesday
        (http://paying-ready-attention-gallery.blogspot.com.au/)

 

I will also be linking up with Sylvia at:
SkyWatch Friday
 
I invite you to check out more 'Skywatch Friday' posts from around the world at:
http://skyley.blogspot.com/
 


This journey I took lots of images of old barns and this was probably my favorite of them all. 
That Montana sky showed in all of it's glory~
 
 


Besides Colorado, Oregon, Washington and Wyoming...Montana is also a front runner when it comes to a place to escape to and just enjoy the wildlife and nature. 
Even if you are driving along, you will surely see the captivating beauty. 
We were in Montana several days, as we traveled to and from Washington~ 
 
 


This  structure actually belonged in my Hoh Rain Forest bunch, but it ended up here in the editing process, and so...here it is~
 


I would never be able to count all of the Western Red-tailed Hawks that we saw.  Sometimes when I thought that is what they were, they turned out to be Harlan Hawks, or possibly even a Broadwing, but they were all absolutely stunning~
 


On all of my structures for these post entries from our journey to the NW, I have edited a single click on the HDR...ish affects.
I liked the way they turned out...brought them to new life~
 


We heard a lady say that she sure wished that she could travel back East to see the Autumn colours and I was blown away. 
The Autumn colours out there were simply glorious, especially against the snow capped mountains~
 


Another Western R-THawk
 


I told the husby that the streams here reminded me of those found in the Rocky Mountains National Park at Estes Park, Colorado, and he reminded me that we were still in the Rocky Mountains when in Montana too ;)
 


TexWisGirl of The Run*A* Round Ranch Report
 I hope that you are liking these ;)
There will be more in coming posts~




Trains are everywhere out West and many of them are double deckers and my 4 grandsons love them. 
 I took over 250 images of trains and other transportation vehicles and machinery while on this trip to do something special for them too~
 
 
 


Rock Pigeons flew up from gathering grain in a recently plowed field along the highway~
 


There was just something endearing about this single young calf laying alone in the sunshine one afternoon, that captivated my heart~
 
 


A Red-tailed Hawk looking for a meal over Montana, and then beneath it, yet another one hunting from a low perch~
 


We did not see so many Pronghorn Antelopes this trip, as we have in the past~

31 comments:

  1. Mary, it was wonderful traveling with you on your blog and seeing all this beauty through your eyes. The high rock bluffs and those flaming autumn trees with the mountains in the background blew me away!

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  2. I can't believe what absolutely gorgeous stunning pictures you got -- I think I enjoyed your roadtrip more than I did my own --- the pictures are certainly better here! You really captured Montana 'big sky country' perfectly...I think anyone who hadn't ever been there would now have a good feeling for what it is like driving along. Wonderful pictoral travelog Mary.

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  3. I can just hear that conversation through the open windows - "Yes, No, Please, OK for 2 minutes, etc. Montana, Wyoming, Colrado - names in western movies brought alive and real by your pictures Mary. Love those barns and the snowy backdrops of the Rockies. Thanks for the trip out west Mary.

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  4. such gorgeous colors and beautiful terrain. yes, i love the barns, too - especially the cool-shaped one!!!

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  5. They are beautiful pictures, what can I say, precious.

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  6. Absolutely some stunning photos - the scenery, the birds, the skies, the colors....Magnifico, and love the collages too!

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  7. Very beautiful photos and post for SWF!Thank you for sharing and have a nice weekend.

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  8. Beautiful series of photos, Mary! I enjoyed traveling with you! The Autumn colors and mountains are some of my favorites. Have a great evening and weekend ahead!

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  9. Hi Mary, I enjoyed your beautiful photos again today. Such gorgeous scenery and beautiful old barns. What a wonderful trip you had. Blessings, Pamela

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  10. The barns are fantastic! They have some great surrounding scenery! Beautiful fall colors, too. I like the horse shot! You certainly saw lots of hawks. The eagles are wonderful!

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  11. Gorgeous mosaics throughout! Such wonderful shot of all things under the sky!

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  12. That sure is interesting trip. Images are fantastic as always.

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  13. What a wonderful road trip you are taking me on. These are places I will not visit in my lifetime so it is wonderful your sharing your visit with me and the other bloggers. All those heavenly barns...the mountains...the animals...the landscapes..and hay bales with fringe on the top...I am in heaven.

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  14. I love these pics,thanks for sharing. I have never been to Montana and probably never will so I am so happy to have discovered your blog!

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  15. a LOT of beautiful photos and composition !! I find interesting your photo of horses fighting, the little blur give a feeling of action, not so bad at all.

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  16. Mary, thank you for taking us along on your travels. You've featured some GORGEOUS photographs in this wonderful post. I said, "wow" about ten times while scrolling through these images. Truly breathtaking!

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  17. The "I can't stop the car now" syndrome is terrible - but then again my wife suggest my driving is terrible when I keep looking for birds!

    Enjoy the journey.

    Cheers - Stewart M - Melbourne

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  18. Stunning views and photographs. Your favorite barn is amazing...I don't know why the wind hasn't blown it over by now.

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  19. I hear you about husbands and driving while we're trying to get photos. Mine can't seem to grasp the 'drive slower' method. More fabulous photos, thanks for sharing.
    Judith

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  20. beautiful images Mary. Thank you for taking us on tour. I had to laugh at your comment about asking your hubby to stop and him saying "I can't!" - I can relate to that so well. It happens to me often! The best drive by pics always seem to be on that bit of road where they just can't pull over! Great drive by pics Mary. I have some taken looking back through the side mirror too.
    Happy travels, and have a lovely week.

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  21. Those are lovely photos Mary, and I especially love the eagle. Our eagles are just now down at the ocean for the winter and it's such a treat to see them. :)

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  22. Hi Mary,

    Such beautiful images. Love the barns and the haystacks. So much to see, and when you are driving by it all, you wish you could take it all with you; I understand! I gave up asking my husband to stop for a shot, sometimes it was just too difficult and time consuming to do so.

    Gorgeous scenes, as always.

    Poppy

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  23. Your collages are stunning...each and every ONE of them.

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  24. Gorgeous scenery. Thank you for sharing your journey with us all.

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  25. Hi Mary!

    The west is so beautiful this time of the year, isn't it? I have yet to visit Montana but someday I will! Your photos are lovely, especially the autumn trees in front of the snow capped mountains. I take many many photos from the moving car, just as you do--lol--glad we bot have fast camera shutters!!

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  26. You have captured the essence in all of it's glory. You should print this series into a personal book and save it to read on those days when you feel like you need something more in life ... this has to be the epitome of nature and man living in harmony. What a blessing this trip had to be for you and for us as your sharing has been a delight. Thank you so much ...

    Andrea @ From The Sol

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  27. Those are some fantastic views! The hawks are just lovely.

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  28. beautiful country and lovely photos. I would love to explore some of the barns but have an aversion to snakes...........so probably not for me.
    Janice

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  29. Oh Mary
    Your photos are the next best thing to visiting the states for me - Montana looks an amazing state - oh those magnificent mountains!
    I always love to see those gorgeous unpainted barns - such character.
    Your birds are always the highlight for me, I love those red tailed hawks - you're an amazing photographer Mary!
    Shane x

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