Saturday, October 26, 2024

Our favorite little town

 Choteau Montana...just something about that place . It's not like the rest of the State isn't friendly and welcoming it's just that in this town it's unmistakable . We're waiting at a crosswalk and in the middle of the light controlled intersection and a guy driving a one ton dually and pulling 5 tons of Hay pulls to stop and waves us over...and smiles.  Our waitress at the unbelievably affordable John Henry bar / casino / restaurant says " whatchya doin in Choteau " and we tell her that we love her town and come to bird watch at the Lake often, when we mention Alaska she says " my husband right there works in Alaska, ya wanna visit with him " ? ...and so it goes in Choteau Montana.

So we're up at  cold thirty as usual to be at Freeze out Lake to watch the birds lift off . Well, fall bird watching is complicated  by a few things, one of which is hunting season . Wouldn't ya know that they'd have a hunting season for Swans here in Montana and guess what kind of birds were the only ones present  ?  Yup, Tundra Swans and they 'lift off' real good when they're being shot at . I was pretty proud of myself for getting this shot as the Swans were at the farthest side in the farthest off lake. I set my old trusty Minolta on the tripod and then used maximum digital zoom with the time to hold the camera steady. Walla.

Of course the Lakes and management area are a ( yawn ) State Park and of course State Parks come with State Park policies soooo......During hunting season all the roads have gates that are locked closed. This area is huge and some of the hunting and viewing areas are way to far away to walk so it begs the question. If it's legal hunting and there are enough birds for harvest why make it so darn hard on the park users ? People that know me know that I easily find fault with State Parks . This time I think I've been real gentlemanly with a little constructive criticism . MP and I were disappointed that this vast eco system was basically closed but we'll be back to see the birds off in the spring when it's open.  
One thing they're good at with State Parks.....Signs. Look at how big this area is, can you imagine walking to the far side of that lake ?

I'm a fish / boat / music guy and agriculture is new to me, and I'm impressed . If I hadn't ventured north I think I would have found myself a place in this Montana lifestyle. There's an energy in the morning just like there is on the harbor floats as the boats are prepping to leave, you can feel it, it's money, it's culture , it's the American way.
I took this shot driving through Fairfiefd. I think it's a gorgeous scene, the symmetry of it especially. It was a cool morning and hour after sun up and truck after truck was arriving to unload. On the other side of the bins train cars were being loaded. It was bustling with activity . Wish I could tell you what they were loading and where it was going and well....I've got a lot to learn about Montana. But so far I can tell you this for sure, we love this part of the State.


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