Anniversary Trip to the National Bison Range, Part 1

This is taken from barely inside of the National Bison Range, facing southwest. This is the Flathead River. The haze that can be seen is from wildfires, mostly in Idaho. Smoke in the air in September is common in Montana. This is actually clear compared to most years. Last year at this time and from this location, you wouldn't have been able to see the river.

This is the same river as the first picture, taken to the northwest. Both pictures are taken barely inside of the NBR. The row of light green vegetation near the bottom of the picture are trees and bushes growing along one of the streams that flow inside this refuge.

This picture also shows Flathead River, but it was taken about two miles up the road. It isn't difficult to tell that we gained quite a bit of altitude quickly. There is actually a bison in this picture, but the distance is so great that it is hard to see and it looks like a mere speck.

This is several miles beyond where the last picture was taken and quite a bit higher, overlooking Mission Valley, an extension of Bitterroot Valley. There is a bison in the image, pointed out by the arrow. The interesting thing is that this is to the right (north) of the last image.

This picture was taken in the same spot as the last one, but is facing almost due north. This is most of the rest of Mission Valley and it shows the agricultural fields. The mountains in the far distance give an idea of the magnitude of this valley, which was all lake bottom during the last ice age.

There is a lot of terrain like this in the high country of the NBR. Draws like this were created by a combination of glaciers and water runoff. The picture doesn't really show how steep the draw is, however. To give some idea, the trees in this image are about 75 feet tall.

This might give a better idea of the steepness of these draws. This is the same draw as in the last picture. The distance from where I'm standing to the bottom of the draw is about two miles. What makes it deceptive is the fact that the tops of the distant mountains are about 50 miles away.

This is the same draw from a different angle. Both the steepness and the size of the draw are more noticeable in this image. Imagine what people thought when they saw this for the very first time. Actually, if you ever visit, you'll probably have much the same feeling as they had, way back then.

As amazing as it is, this still isn't from the highest point in the refuge. It is close, however. The actual highest point is reached only by foot and the highest point that can be reached by car is only a few hundred yards away.

Now, try to wrap your mind around this: At the time of the last ice age, this picture would have been taken from an island in prehistoric Lake Missoula. Most of what is seen in the image would have been underwater.

This is only the first part of this photographic journey.