Ride~About: Montana’s Unique Pryor Mountains

pryor mountain road

What a great idea. We have the maps and a free day, so leaving at 5am we journey three hours east to the unique Pryor Mountains. They are very different from what we expect in Montana that boasts of the Rocky Mountains in the west and the Great Plains in the east. Rather than the glacier-carved granite of the Rockies, the Pryors are an island of sandstone, shale, and limestone reaching up from the prairie high enough to including spectacular limestone canyons. The Pryors are not only geologically unique, but culturally, ecologically, and meteorologically as well. What an unexpected and beautiful landscape!

You’ll love this drive . . .

SNAP*Shot: Mountain Goats

There is one thing about mountain goats; they really blend into their surroundings. Considering they were about 10 yards off the road down a slight slope with a nearby parking area, it didn’t seem possible that no one saw them, but no one stopped. I don’t think people knew what we were photographing so intently as they drove by. We loved it!

blending-1784

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SNAP*Shot: Eared Grebes

eard grebe2-7504

What a surprise! On my morning walk around Cattail Lake there were six pair of Eared Grebes. I have only ever seen them in Yellowstone but here they are. I know they nest in colonies, so maybe six pair could be a colony? I’m so excited that we may have baby Grebes close to home this year! The young ride on their parent’s back for the first two weeks of their lives. What a sight that would be! Let’s see what a little research turns up.

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Sugar Sand Dunes

The Gulf Coast is beautiful, but walking away from the beach to the other side of the sugar sand dunes there is a beautiful area that has salt marshes, sand live oak shaded walkways, a rare dune lake, and beautiful scenery. Are you ready to go for a walk in Grayton State Park? There’s an inviting entrance–let’s go.

sand live oak trail

Continue our walk