The Bull River Valley, looking toward the Cabinet Wilderness Area...One of my all time favorite places. It's roughly an hour from my front door to here-which is about the same distance as Spokane. Naturally I'd much rather spend as much of my time as I can in this area...
I tell my friends that this is where God goes to think...Considering recent world events, I bet He's been spending plenty of time here lately...
Highway 200, near the Idaho/Montana state line. Some of the prettiest ranches I've ever seen are in this area. But you have to know which "off the beaten path highways" to explore to find them...
Looking toward the proposed Scotchmans Peak Wilderness Area. The tracks are run by Montana Rail Link and sadly since Rocky Mountain Rail Tours quit running last year, the only way to see this area is by vehicle...bicycle...or...
Yep that's right-horse! In this case a fine team of draft horses...
This is the main drag of Heron Montana...click to enlarge and you'll spy a whole boardwalk full of loitering locals with not much better to do than wonder about the guy taking pictures with his digital camera...
The top of this peak has a forest service look out on it...
Not too bad a view to wake up to...This shot was taken near Heron. Here the Cabinets form a narrow gorge with the Bitterroots and the Green Monarch Range...
So just to help you get your bearings, this photo was taken looking back into Idaho...Once the Clark Fork River flows into Lake Pend Oreille, the river changes name to the Pend Oreille...About 200 miles upstream, the watershed is fed by the Black River (think Missoula)...The headwaters of the Black/Clark Fork/ Flathead extend all the way to Southeast of Butte, Montana and also cover Glacier National Park. The Flat Head River joins the Clark Fork near Paradise, Montana...
Unfortunately the Black River has experienced tremendous pollution from the mining industry. A large percentage of the water table around Butte is ruined from mining tailings, chemical contamination and large heavy metals pollution... But Butte does have a great museum located there dedicated to preserving our fine history of prostitution here in the west. Its run by a former male escort. Talk about diversity.
Anyway what's happened in Butte with the mining industry really sucks. And you'd think that with all the abuses of the mining industry, the Bush Administration would think twice about giving the go ahead for a new mine in the Cabinets. The Rock Creek Mine project has been stonewalled by local, state, and federal judges while the Bush administration relentlessly tries to push the project forward. It is incredulous that a mine would be proposed for a potential federal wilderness area, one that has been proposed by congress for three decades...
If you think this area is worth preserving why not join our effort? Here is where you can go to help: http://www.scotchmanpeaks.org/index.html
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