Annual Autumn Escape to Montana

A fall expedition to Montana to visit my sister has become a tradition. It's a good time to get away: the garden is all done, and the snow (usually) hasn't yet arrived. This year the timing was perfect for witnessing an amazing display of fall colors along the way.

My route took me over Lookout Pass. Shortly after crossing over into Montana, the splash of bright yellow larch needles against the dark green firs and pines really caught my attention. But I was on the freeway, and there was no place to pull over and take pictures. Due to road construction, the first exit was blocked off, as was the rest area. A few miles down the mountain I finally was able to pull over in a turnout and take the above photo. I promised myself I'd do a better job on the way home.

A scenic overlook near Polson provides this great view of Flathead Lake and the Mission Mountains. It was a crisp, gloves-and-hat kind of day.

One day while I was visiting, we all went for a drive along the east shore of Flathead Lake. It's an area well known for its cherry orchards. This photo shows one such orchard in its fall colors. The buildings were in the way of my photography, but I didn't think I should just go walking around them to get a better shot. There were people over there, and I didn't want to be a bother.

This irrigation canal winds along not far from my sister's house. I often take a walk alongside it, and have probably posted pictures before. The water was perfectly still on this day, providing a great opportunity for photos with reflections.

I walked around the bend in the canal to get this shot. I was wishing I had a proper camera with a telephoto lens to better zoom in on the mountains in the background. If my cell phone can do that, it's news to me.

Not really any fall colors in this shot, but I love the blue of the sky and the perfect reflection in the water. I don't know how to use filters or edit colors, so these photos are simply what I captured with my cell phone. Interesting that the reflected blue is so much deeper than the actual sky.

On my way home, I didn't have to deal with closed exits due to road construction. So I stopped three places to take photos. This one was at the tiny town of Saltese, looking across the freeway at the hillside.

My second stop was Exit 5 on I-90, to the "Taft Area." There are no services , just an electrical substation, road maintenance and construction equipment, and a dirt road leading to a trailhead for the Route of the Hiawatha bicycling trail. I drove a short distance up that road to catch the above view.

Nearer to the freeway entrance, this little stream ran under a one-lane bridge, which I stood on to take the photo. I couldn't find a way to avoid including the substation in the picture.

My third stop on the Montana side of Lookout Pass was at the rest area. I hadn't made up my mind for sure to pull over there, but then the construction cones veered over into my lane and I found myself headed into the rest area whether I wanted to or not. So I parked and took a couple of photos. Interestingly, I saw 4 other vehicles that were mislead by the cones, only they just barrelled right on through the rest area and back onto the freeway.

I enjoyed a very relaxing five days at my sister's house. I find it very difficult to slow down my pace at home; there's always something that I want to do, or need to do, or ought to do, and I just keep living in fifth gear. Going to my sister's allows me to slow down and take it easy. As usual, we drank lots of tea, worked a jigsaw puzzle, did some knitting, played a few piano duets, and visited plenty. It was very refreshing, and I feel ready to tackle life again.