Eagle

We travelled through a beautiful rocky canyon in Hardy.    The Missouri River winds it's way through the canyon, and we saw this Eagle perched above the river near the Hardy bridge.  He was waiting for the perfect lunch to swim by.   The feathers on his head ruffled when the breeze kicked up and he took flight, soaring over the water.   

Mountain Goat

The rocky cliffs of the Hardy Canyon make the perfect climbing spot for these gorgeous Mountain goats.  We saw this gentleman and also several others majestically looking down at the surrounding lands.  We were so excited when we saw them we stopped in the middle of the road  (note to parents: yes we were safe about it : )  We felt so fortunate to have seen them.  It really made our day. 

Great Falls Flag

We took a walk at a park we had not gone to yet on the west side along the river.   

The Missouri river was beautiful with the sun shining down on the ice.   

The snow was nice and crunchy under our feet and the dogs had a blast running.  

One thing cool about the snow is that you get to see the tracks of all the animals.  

We saw one track with 3 huge bird talons.  

We are still wondering what bird that was.   

But there were deer and rabbit tracks and lots of cool smells! (per our dogs...)

Great Falls Rabbit

Local rabbit.  He entertains the kitties, and Gator...

Frosty morning

Eureka Lake at -2 F degrees.   

It was absolutely beautiful with the frost on the trees and the sparkles in the air.   

 It feels brisk when you breathe, and it actually is fun to be outside.  

(With the warm gloves and boots Kim got me.) 

 The dogs had a blast playing in the snow.   Gator slipped when she was going after her ball and did a complete roll over.   She got up more excited then ever and ready to play!

These pics are of the frost crystals growing on the frozen lake.

The car even had a frosty racing stripe.

Interesting thing was when we went 20 miles up the road (into the mountains) it was 29F, 

yes 31 degrees warmer.  

On the way home it was still -2F here at the lake.

Sunrise

We live on the east side of Great Falls and the Highwood and Little Belt Mountains surround the horizon.   The sun popped up above the mountains just as we were driving to work, and Kim captured the moment at a stop sign.

Rocky Mountain Front Montana

The Rocky Mountains loom as we drive closer to Kim's parents.   In the winter, the snow brings out all the  intricate details of the crevasses and peaks.   There is a field close by to Punky and Caron's that we've been running our dogs for over 20 years when we visit.  We have pictures of Shetara, Ginger and Samantha in this same spot.   

Black Eagle Dam, Great Falls, MT

We were driving home when brilliant blue water caught our eye.  We had to stop.

Down below the water flowing over the dam had become partially frozen making strange formations that almost looked like rennaisance sculptures.  It's difficult to see in the movie, but it was spectacular.

Below is a video of Black Eagle Dam and river looking towards Giant Springs.

New Year Camping

We decided to go camp in the camper at Eureka Lake for New Years.  

There was a good chance to see the Aurora Borealis.  

The Aurora Borealis did make an appearance, white streaks that shot up into the sky in the early evening.

When it got close to ringing in the new year it was a green glow.    

But we have seen better and the hunting continues!

Mother Nature did give us a nice pink show on the horizon at sunrise New Years Morning.

In the dark we couldn't tell what  the strange object was in the middle of the lake.    

It ended up being someone's Christmas Tree.   

There were footprints all over the ice.   Interesting tradition.

We decided to take a walk along the lakes edge.

Eureka is actually a Reservoir used for irrigation.  

They are still adding water to the lake, so the edge of the ice is not frozen.

The pups really had fun romping along the lakes edge.

It was fun walking among all the sparkling snow.