This summer

Looks like doing the digital caricature thing is going to be a way bigger headache than I had imagined. I may be doing things by hand instead. While making a list of supplies needed I realized that the last time I did this was in 1992 and the list of supplies was way shorter.

Montana, Day 2 (part 2) on the scenic route to Washington State

 10 miles down the road from where I left the dog...

Sorry, some of these did not get edited correctly. I dunno why...

Most of my drive through the Rockys looked like this... I took so many photos of this river I decided that the photos I took did not do it justice as they all kinda look alike from photos. However when you are there, each bend in the river looks prettier than the last!

By this time, I was THINKING about trying to find a place to camp for the night. This is where I wish I would have camped. I had a nice time where I was but this would have been ideal... That is a fire pit by the treeline next to the river. Mmmmmmm.... Would have been reallll nicccce.

That's all for a little while. I'll post more later maybe. Hope you liked checking them out.

The beginning of day 3, Montana to Washington

I stayed in a place called Lolo, which was south west of Missoula, (which I liked quite a bit) I had decided to take a leisurely drive across Idaho on Rt. 12 which I assumed would be pretty scenic. (UNDERSTATEMENT...) So anyways, I started out driving out of Lolo around 11:30. 12 is the Louis and Clark Trail, which I thought was pretty cool so I stopped here and there to read the historical markers and such. I went to the site of a L & C campground called 'Traveler's Rest', a Nez Perce indian battleground and had just gotten to a National Park where there was something or other to see, I don't remember why I decided to go there...

I had just gotten there when I saw a flash of white and black fur cross over the drive to the parking lot and go up the hill into the woods... I called for him and tried to feed him and he wouldn't come out. I started up the car and pulled around an embankment and saw him come towards the food in my mirror so I got out and eventually coaxed him into eating more, playing a little and cuddling in the car with me after about 2 hours.

I don't know how he got there but where he was was pretty remote. There wouldn't have been anybody around there for a long, long time. It was very cold too and it looked like he had been abandoned several weeks ago. I took him to the nearest populated area, around Lolo Springs Resort where there were a handful of people hanging around the 'pool' and had to leave him there. It broke my heart but he was much easier around these people than he was with me at first so I hope somebody took him home and took care of him. Obviously I flew to Montana, had a rental car and about 3 days of travel, work and hotel rooms ahead of me. He would need shots, a bath and a huge carrier at the very least for me to have taken him home. I am really upset about it but at least I got him to relative safety. The nearest town after Lolo Springs was about 200 miles away in the direction I was headed and I was planning on traveling about 300 that day at least.

 I find stray dogs along the road all the time and I have actually saved a few by calling animal control and having them taken away. I know what they probably do with the dogs and I told myself last time that the next dog I found I would rescue for real. Keep it in the car, take it home and either keep it or find it a home. It really breaks my heart that I couldn't bring this lil guy home as a friend for Dewie to play with. Last I saw him he was tagging along with some guys who were probably going to smoke some pot on a hiking trail and playing with another dog that they had with them. He looked very happy. I hope he still is. If I could go back and get him right now I would!

Montana, Day 2 on the scenic route to Washington State

I love all of the subtle colors of winter that mostly people just take for granted as being 'grey'. If you look back over all of these photos you'll see a variety of brilliant color accenting the shades of grey. This is a big inspiration of mine when I paint landscapes and one of my favorite things to notice when I am driving cross country in the winter. I couldn't get a good photo of them but there where these beautiful leafless trees that had bright, bright yellow branches. They were really spectacular in front of the purple/blue mountains but they were usually near houses or telephone poles and I didn't think it would make that fine of a photo. More tomorrow or maybe even tonight!

More Montana!

First of all, the reason I am in Montana is for work, so here are some of the caricatures I drew on Tuesday. All within around 60 seconds each. 

These are the bluffs around Billings. It's pretty cool. The ridge overlooks the city and there are trails all over the place up there. Very cool view of the city too.

It was a very pretty trip to Butte, where I stayed. Wasn't impressed by Butte, but the scenery was pretty at least.

I'll have wayyyyy more pretty pictures on Friday (or as soon as I can upload them!)