Mule Maneuvers - Missoula, Montana

"There's nothing like a pack of mules to give one a sense of entourage." - Tahir Shah, In Search Of King Solomon's Mines

And there's nothing like a mule-powered wagon ride to undergird a rich appreciation of being in the thick of autumn's crisp, golden glory. At the behest of their well-seasoned driver (sporting weathered fringed chaps, no less!), this team gladly showed off some fancy and tight turning footwork. 

A cup of hot cocoa at ride's end capped off a pretty perfect fall afternoon.

Pumpkin Parlour - Missoula, Montana

“I would rather sit on a pumpkin, and have it all to myself, than be crowded on a velvet cushion.” - Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862)

View From The Riverbank - Vaughn, Montana

“Beyond the Wild Wood comes the wild world,"said the Rat."And that's something that doesn't matter, either to you or to me. I've never been there, and I'm never going' nor you either, if you've got any sense at all.” 

- Kenneth Grahame (1859-1932), The Wind in the Willows

(If it's been a while since you've read this delightful classic, or you've never savoured Grahame's delightful world, brew a cuppa tea or cocoa then click the title link above to access the book via Project Gutenberg and enjoy!)

Remote - Livingston, Montana

"This sudden remote bowl of pasture is called the Tierny Basin - or would be , if any human voice were there to say it's name." - Ivan Doig (1939-2015), This House of Sky, p 23

(Note: This is not a photo of the actual Tierney Basin, which is near the small town of Maudlow, Montana, north of Bozeman.)

Windswept Sky - Livingston, Montana

"...Therefore the storm-wind shall his comrade be,
That strips the hills and sweeps the cowering plains.
October, shot with flashing rays and rains,
Inhabits all his pulses; he shall know
The stress and splendor of the roaring gales..."
- May Gillington Byron (1861–1936), "The Storm-Child"

Shadow And Sunlight - Grant Creek - Missoula, Montana

"Poetry is an echo, asking a shadow to dance." - Carl Sandburg (1878-1967)

Foothill - A Ways East Of Lincoln, Montana

"Some days he climbed over the foothills of indifference to see the landscape of his life and future for what it was: mappable, traversable, achievable." - Dave Eggers, A Hologram For The King

Folded Landscape - East of Lincoln, Montana

"You could look out across that folded landscape and every sense you had told only that this was all the world there was." - from Cold Mountain by Charles Frazier, p 280