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Scenes from Big Sky Country (2003)
A smaller SceneSet of images from a day spent in the area near Bozeman, Montana. Blue sky panoramas, dramatic cloud formations and fiery sunsets show why Montana is called "Big Sky Country".

Pretty Parking Lot Upon arriving in the Bozeman, Montana area for the first time, accompanied by my wife and then-two-year-old youngest son, I was struck by the majesty of the mountains all around us, set off by a brilliant blue summer sky. Pretty Parking Lot
Road through Hyalite Canyon We took this road through the Hyalite Canyon to get to the hike towards Grotto Falls. In retrospect it was just another road, not even really in the mountains, just near them. But at the time it was a lot of fun. :) Road through Hyalite Canyon
Grotto Falls At the end of a short hike we came to Grotto Falls, which was our destination. (My wife Robyn and I are waterfall nuts. :) ) I believe that this is both one of many cascades bearing the name "Grotto Falls", and also one of many falls in the Hyalite Canyon. Grotto Falls
Hyalite Reservoir -- South View Having only been in Montana for a few hours, I found myself wanting to take pictures of every wide open scene -- they all fascinated me, since things are so much more Hyalite Reservoir -- South View
Hyalite Reservoir -- East View Another view of the Hyalite Reservoir (see previous image), this time taken looking east. This is actually only part of a much wider panorama -- it's always amazing just how big everything is out west! I had fun shooting around the reservoir, but I'm pretty sure the gentleman and his dog on the beach were having a lot more. :) Hyalite Reservoir -- East View
First Montana Sunset It was at sunset on our first evening of the trip that I first began to understand why they call Montana "Big Sky Country". We have nice sunsets back home, but rarely anything that approaches the grandeur of what I experienced that night. First Montana Sunset
Burning Sky This photo was taken the same evening as the prior image, as the sun was actually going down. The golden tones gave way to a fiery red, and I zoomed in to capture the sun in her fading glory. Burning Sky
Afterglow I've learned both from others and from experience that the sunset doesn't end when the sun goes down. That was never more true on this particular evening. As the sun sank behind the horizon, its parting rays gave one last gasp of brilliance, lighting up the myriad patterns of high altitude clouds arcing overhead. No photograph could really capture the feeling of seeing it, but I hope this gives you some idea. Afterglow
Feathers of Sunlight As lovely as the sky was the preceding evening, it was just as amazing the next morning. At around 6 am, I went downstairs to get something from the car -- only to find myself running back upstairs quickly to get my camera! Feathers of Sunlight
Daybreak Panorama On the second day of our trip, my wife had a half-day of meetings in Bozeman. (Hey, not fun, but that Daybreak Panorama
Evergreen Hillside Another big difference between the mountains of the West and the area I call home is all the evergreen trees -- my home forests are mainly deciduous. Evergreen Hillside
Road to Big Sky Country We saw a variety of interesting cloud patterns on this particular day, and they seemed to change almost by the minute. This was just a simple shot of the highway as I approached the Big Sky area. Road to Big Sky Country
Lone Mountain Valley Lone Mountain is the centerpiece of the area around Big Sky, Montana, and this was the first image I took as I approached it. In the foreground is another evergreen-swathed valley and some very nice-looking chalets that I could never afford to stay at. :) Lone Mountain Valley
The House on the Hill I can imagine what it must be like to live in this house. And my wife has every intention of ensuring that imagining it is all that I do. :) The House on the Hill
Road to the Mountains As we got closer to Lone Mountain, I set off to explore some of the roads going up into the mountainsides. Most of these are very steep and lead to fancy ski resorts and other recreation areas. Road to the Mountains
Lone Mountain and Wildflowers Now we were getting rather close to Lone Mountain. I took this simple shot from the side of the road, with the mountain accompanied by seasonal wildflowers. Lone Mountain and Wildflowers
Big Sky Cloudscape Once we reached the Big Sky area, I took my son on a gondola ride up to the top of the mountain. He was a bit young to appreciate the journey -- as I recall, he was mesmerized by all the fallen trees on the mountainside, and kept saying "tree fall down!" Nice memories. :) Big Sky Cloudscape
Lone Mountain Summit The gondola drops you half way up the mountain, in what is called the "bowl area", at an elevation of 9,047 feet. It was noticeably cooler up there, compared to the valley, though the air didn't seem substantially thinner. Lone Mountain Summit
View from the Top A different view from near the top of the gondola ride on Lone Mountain, this time looking back towards the Big Sky valley. View from the Top
Diagonal Vision Another shot from the gondola, this time taken on the way back down. I used the steep diagonal line of this slope to complement the approaching storm clouds. It began raining not long after we got back down to the valley. Diagonal Vision
Gallatin River Ripples After my side-trip to Big Sky, I returned to collect my wife from Bozeman and we set off for Yellowstone National Park (the subject of another, much larger SceneSet here at DesktopScenes.com). The Gallatin River runs along the highway that connects Big Sky and Bozeman. Gallatin River Ripples
Gallatin Range Panoramic The road to the entrance of Yellowstone National Park in Gardiner takes you through a long valley that runs along the back of the Gallatin Range. Gallatin Range Panoramic
Yellowstone River Overlook A peaceful shot of the Yellowstone River taken just a few miles outside the park. The clouds were very cooperative for this one. Yellowstone River Overlook
Dusk over the Gallatin Range This panorama was taken looking towards a stormy-skied Yellowstone from the north. Dusk over the Gallatin Range
Dark Clouds on the Horizon A fitting close to this SceneSet -- Big Sky Country showing its stormier side. This was taken late in the day near the entrance to Yellowstone National Park. Dark Clouds on the Horizon

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