A trip outside of Missoula!

So I entered a motor vehicle for the first time in four weeks.  I was sad to let my streak die, but it was good to get more than ten miles out of town.  I felt like I was travelling extremely fast.  It was weird like being in the future.  A new friend from school, Liz, invited me to go feed her horse at a ranch in Florence.  There were three dogs there that were insane and poorly behaved, but they were nice poochies and I liked them.  The dogs and one of the cats followed us out to the river where we had some intense games of catch with only one tennis ball.  

--This is Brego.  He is a horse.  

--Meet Katie.  She was actually the least crazy but also the least photogenic
--The Bitterroot Mountains
--Kitty who followed us meowing constantly
--Kate, Jake, and Earl enjoying the Bitterroot River

--Earl

--The Riv
--Ponderosa Pinage combined with light
--Right after taking this picture Jake had a tough time getting up this ledge and out of the river.  So I ran down and pulled him up by the collar.  I almost fell in because there was nothing to hold on to.  After I got him out he promptly thanked me by jumping on my camera and then kicking sand all over it.  It is operational but there is still some grinding when turning the aperture dial.  i don't think he meant to.
--Moo.  Angus.  You will probably eat one of these guys later.  Pyramid buttes (I think) in the background. Super huge jagged peak.  I wanted to go up there. 

--Back in Missoula.  I got dropped of at school where my bike was.  This is on the bike trail on the way home

--One of the three tunnels they built for me on my commute.  They go under these horrible busy streets so I don't even have to stop.  That was nice of them.  It probably just looks like a tunnel to most, but if you listen to enough death metal you will realize that it is actually the eye of a panther.

Around Kelley Island

Here are a few shots I took while biking around Kelley Island.  Its a nice three or four mile ride through the country outside of Missoula with some good views of the Lolo forest and The Bitterroot Mountains.  The pics are on the shore across from Kelley Island on all the little islands between the stream braids.  

--A snake on some rocks

-- A dead car
--A stream channel
--A reflection
--Slime escaping.

Mt Sentinel

Here are some better shots of Mt Sentinel behind the school.  It is difficult to portray how high it is for just a quick hike right next to campus but maybe these pics explain better than the last ones. 

-- It is a steep hill.  That is the Rattlesnake WIlderness in the background.

-- There is "The Oval" the campus lawn thingy in the middle of the school.
--a weed and a forest up high.

--Looking down on Mt Jumbo

--Missoula and the CF river about 3/4 of the way up

--Make this picture big by clicking on it.  Then look how small the semi trucks are on I-90.  That help get a idea of the hieght.

--almost to the top

--this is pretty much at the top.  My camera battery died right after this picture.  Which sucks because I sat at the top for more than an hour while the sun set and the stars came out.  It would have made really good pictures, but oh well.  I'm sure I'll be up there again soon.  

PS- On the way down it was really dark and way up by that high forest I almost walked right into a deer and it scared the crap out of me.  I figured they would be sleeping.

I know you want to see more pics of the Clark Fork River!

Probably not, but thats about as far as my bike likes to take me.  

It has been awhile since I have put up a new post.  This is a sure sign that school is in full swing.  Everything has been going good so far.  I got a job at the social science research lab as a lab monitor.  "Lab monitor" is code word for "guy who sits there and does his homework while getting paid".  It's a sweet gig.  

Classes are going well.  They are not messing around with the readng assignments though.  I have little time for much else than homework lately.  Luckily my classes are somewhat interesting so it's not too painful.  

So here's more of the CF River by my house...