My lifestyle, travel and motorcycling blog, focused on places to go and rides to try, with Michigan as a starting point.
My closest getaway is the nearby Pioneer Mountain, so on a recent sunny and warm Fall day, I went in search of the colors of the season. While I didn’t locate a big area of birch or larch that was blazing orange, there were a few patches sprinkled in the pine.
There may be a few weeks left to try and do better. Otherwise, it will be photos of snow covered mountains.
Grand Vista day park, along the Scenic parkway.
There is something decidingly odd about Butte. While it is nestled in a very pretty corner of Montana along the Continental Divide, most of the folks I've met and talked with never mention the largest and most obvious feature -- the enormous open pit mine known as the Berkeley Pit. It is not the largest mine in the US, the widest, or even the deepest. It is, however, the most poisonous. My point isn't to relay all the science, if you are really interested, I've found this site has a very honest and detailed review: Pitwatch.
I think I will adopt what appears to be the more common practice in the area. I will go about my recreation in the areas surrounding The Pit. You don't really have to go far in any direction to become distracted. If you drive more than an hour however, what you'll quickly notice is that mining is not just a Butte thing. It is all over the West, in Montana, Wyoming, Nevada, Utah (location of the deepest mine), and Minnesota (location of the largest).
I don't think people are ignoring the obvious. And recently, the former mine owners, and local & Federal governments have agreed to clean up some aspects of the Pit and surrounding waterways. Everyone is watching and hoping for the best.
All you need to do near Butte is look the other way. In this image, I am only turned about 1/4 of the way. And all you see is green mountains with snow-covered peaks.
The Maud S Canyon Trailhead is easy to get to and offers a nice 4+ mile loop up the Rockies on the Western slope of the Continental Divide. At the top of the loop is a spur that goes another few miles to link up with the CDT. And link up, as in uphill in a very steep, set of switchbacks. Regardless of whether you only do the loop or proceed higher, can can look across the valley and see most of Butte, and also down into The Pit.
As Montana folks ease towards June, we stop worrying about snowstorms and start worrying about bears. At least I do. Wandering along a skinny trail, moving through heavy brush towards a meandering stream, it is hard not to think, “Hey, if I were a bear, where would I be?” I wonder the same thing every time I come across a flat area, with a peaceful pond - “Hey, there should be a moose in that pond!” For some reason, never a moose.
The nice thing about hiking along a stream are the sounds. A little bit of a breeze through the trees and the rush of water heading downstream. No people. No noise. It is my weekend goal. To disappear into the woods.