Farewell, Montana

special, extra edition (because I've actually been home for a while and we should wrap this up)

Jul 25, 2022

Day Twelve

My last day in Montana and confirmation of two hitherto elusive critters was my reward. I spent most of it driving and then relaxing in nature at the Captain Clark fishing access site, another free camping spot, in Custer, just east of Billings. I parked about thirty feet from the Yellowstone River. On one side of the circle turnaround part of the dirt drive for the boat launch was my home for the night; on the other side of it was the only facility, which was perfectly serviceable, if a one-holer is something that is perfectly serviceable to you.

My RAV4 parked under a tree on the other side of a dirt circle drive at the boat launch. — My camping site and neighbor’s camper in the background

An outhouse at the end of a sidewalk in a grassy area. — The one-holer

Screenshot of the compass app showing where I was. — 46°4'30" N 107°43’18”W, 2790 ft elevation

Nature did not disappoint. It never does. There is little better than spending an afternoon exploring a spot for its secrets. The flooding that closed down the park left evidence all along the Yellowstone River. At this particular bend in the river, a barbed wire fence marked where the bank used to be and where parts of it had fallen or were falling into the river.

Green grass up to the Yellowstone River where a barbed wired fence is falling into the river. Cliffs in the background. — Farewell, barbed wire fence

In a small side channel, evidence of beavers finally. Don’t know anything about beavers? Here are a few facts.1

There was a beaver pond on “the farm” when I was a kiddo; walking on the dam and finding evidence that beavers had been nibbling on trees always seemed like privileges humans didn’t deserve.

Side channel of the river with a few trees felled by beavers laying in different directions. — Beavers have definitely been here

Tree stump left after a beaver fell the tree. — Beaver finished this one

Trees standing in the water channel but beavers have eaten away at all of them just above the water line. — These trees are done for, but in a good way

Thanks to my campsite neighbor pointing it out, I also got to see a rattlesnake, the presence of whom had been on warning signs, you may recall, from the first day in Montana. It may surprise you to learn that I don’t always have my camera/phone on me and I was not quick enough to get a photo of the first wild rattlesnake I’ve ever seen. Experiences are more than photos. But I did get a fantastic video of pelicans; I’ve named the video “White Pelican Rafting.”

The night had as much action as the afternoon. Par for the course, a jaunt to the one-holer was necessary at about quarter to midnight. I grabbed my flashlight and was out the door. The flashlight picked up a set of eyes on the way to the facility. They looked like they belonged to a raccoon, who scurried off before words could be exchanged. On the way from the facility, however, a wet trail had appeared. (I had to fetch my camera/phone to get this footage, because, as I indicated earlier, the phone is not an appendage.) I also took video to show that the footprints originated in the river. My guess, it was the raccoon who in his panic ended up in the river and then scurried for the grasses while I was indisposed.