Taking the Bad With the Good~

I am nearing the end of my vacation holiday journey made in September shares.  

I have one more to do next week and then it is on to other things.  

Thank you so much for those of you who have enjoyed the photographs these past few weeks, as well as the tales.  

I have a big tale this week too.  

A tale with a huge sigh and healthy price tag at the end of it!!!

Come along and let me tell you how this all came about~

Remember to double click on the first image, to view a larger slide show presentation after you have read the narratives~

I will be linking up with Judith for:

www.lavendercottagegardening.com

Mosaic Monday

&

Stewart for:

   http://paying-ready-attention-gallery.blogspot.com.au/

Wild Bird Wednesday

Old relics, just like me;) 

The caboose sits outside a museum in Missoula, Montana.  

I would imagine that what I am sharing below is some kind of old jail and stockade, and possibly a fort of some sort.

All were taken from the Interstate and there were no identifying signs anywhere~

As we were enjoying our drive East, we had arrived near Crow country near the Montana and Wyoming borders, when the husby saw this Golden Eagle in the middle of the median, eating carrion.  

We drove until we could get turned back around, as we wanted to try and get the Eagle to leave this very dangerous area.  

Where the bird was, it was only about 6' wide.

It took a bit of driving to get this done, but our mission was accomplished and it was daunting too.  

As the Eagle tried to gain flight from the tight area, diesel trucks and other vehicles were much too close, to the birds wingspan. 

 It did make it to safety though and the meal it left was now covered as well~

The mountains and fields, so majestic~

This Great Pyrenees had made it to an Interstate exit, slowed down and actually crossed the 4 lanes to get to the sheep in it's care across on the other side~

Pronghorn Antelopes doing their best to avoid the hunters after them~

There is just something intriguing to me, when I see the old ranching paths...it makes my mind wander on so many different levels~

I am very grateful that we had safe travels and that I had gotten many wonderful photographic memories to bring home and to share.  

However, we all know the feeling...just waiting for that National Geographic moment and this was my big chance...or so I thought. 

A Golden Eagle passed right in front of our car in Crow Indian country and Bill pulled over and I was quite excited!!!

Once I was out of the car, I simply stood in awe of what I was witnessing.  

A Golden Eagle soaring in the same current as a Red-tailed Hawk.  

It was absolutely amazing to observe this odd friendship, or at least acquaintances flying together, sometimes with bellies up and talons on the ready, just in case.

With camera in hand, I was clicking off the images in rapid shooting mode and as the two birds drifted closer and closer, I could just tell these were about to be my big ones.

I said to the husby can you see them, they are moving towards us.  

I just kept shooting the images, and actually got in the car before they were finished with their show, and we had a long way to go.

Once in the car, I looked at the viewfinder to see the images.  

Nothing, there was NOTHING there.  

All very bright white!!!

Going backwards 42 all bright white blanks and then I had 77 nice shots, but far in the distance...SIGH !

I know my camera shoppe number by heart and rang them up.  

They were clueless as to what had happened.

Once we returned home, I took the camera in and they felt the shutter might be ready to break.  

The 42  HUGE SIGH!!! images that were white had crazy numbers going all over the place.

The OVEREXPOSED images could not be recovered...

SO I got a new camera...a Nikon D 7000.  

Costly but working on learning all that it does.

The clerks decided to run the special card to see how many images I had taken with my Nikon D-90 the past going on 4 1/2 years.

The camera is rated for 100,000!

I had taken 460,906 images!

I was due a new camera~

In South Dakota, the roads turn a mauve pink~

We had no time left to stop at the Badlands National Park.  

I took these images as we drove past the entrance~

The land was changing quickly now.  

Fields of grain looked so beautiful~

Ha ha the truck above was hauling hay and a bale must have been unbound as the hay began to get all over the road and cars.  

Once we arrived home a couple of days later, the husby would find remnants in the car engine area~

Sunflowers grow in many areas of the Dakotas and surrounding states~

 Monarchs follow the same pathway, for hundreds of generations~

Hey moo cow, whatcha doing ;)

Power the old with the new, made fun for you, and one very muddy car~

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: 

 http://dearlittleredhouse.blogspot.

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~