MONTANA BISON RANGE

 Connie and I took a drive up to the Bison range near Dixon, Montana for our Sunday Drive.  I had ridden in the range a long time ago but had never driven through it.  It was a great place to visit.  We saw Bison, whitetail deer, and antelope.  Almost got to see some bears but we were a few minutes late getting to the top of a ridge line. That ridge line is called "Bitterroot Ridge" for a good reason - lots and lots of bitterroots grow there.  And of course that plant or flower is the official flower of the state of Montana.  We have a lot of them around our place but not as many as that ridgeline has!  Anyway, I would recommend driving the the range if you are ever near there.  And spring is a good time as there are a lot of flowers in bloom.  

A few buffalo just grazing along.

Two old bulls wondering why we stopped to take their picture.

The Clark Fork River to the south of the range.

They recently had a bad windstorm that blew down a lot of trees.

Connie and Zeph headed down Bitterroot Ridge.

The Bitterroot flower.

A whitetail deer watching some folks walking along.

The Mission mountains.

Very interesting description of Lake Missoula and what happened when the glacier left.

Looking south from the top.

A fat antelope.

More Bison.  The range is now under the management of the Indian Tribes in the area.

CORVALLIS MEMORIAL DAY PARADE

 The Corvallis American Legion has put on a Memorial Day Parade in the little town of Corvallis, Montana for years.  It is not the biggest parade in Montana but is billed as the biggest little parade in Montana!  This year I had the honor of being the Grand Marshall of the parade.  Got to ride in an old WWII jeep with my beautiful bride Connie and my nephew Carl drove us.  After the parade we go up to the Corvallis Cemetery and our Post members and some dignitaries read the hundreds of names of Veterans who are buried there. They go back to the Indian wars!  Then we go down to the bridge over the Bitterroot River and one of the ladies throw a bouquet of flowers into the river to honor those sailors and seamen who are interned in a watery grave.  Quite a ceremony!

 

Carl driving Connie and I in an old WWII jeep at the front of the parade, well we were after the color guard of course.

 

 

Elaina who threw the wreath into the river with her Aunt Connie.

Deb and Carl.

The color guard waiting for other members to show up.

Color guard getting ready.

Spectators.

Elaina getting ready to throw the wreath into the Bitterroot River.

Here are a few other pictures from back when I was in the Air Force.

A picture after returning from a mission picking up a pilot that was shot down in northern Laos.

A mission in Utah where we picked up a survivor from a helicopter crash.  That is me up in the cockpit.