About a month ago, photos taken around my home in the state of Ohio were posted in the Buckeye Photo Gallery.  Today’s gallery brings an invitation to visit Montana’s Big Sky Country, which is my native state.

This past summer (August, 2024), my camera enjoyed a journey filled with capturing the landscape around Madison County in southwestern Montana.  On the left, the Madison River flows downstream from the river’s canyon exit.  Its destination will be the headwaters of the Missouri River, located near the community of Three Forks.  The photo on the right looks downstream on the river, as one moves away from the canyon.  The weather conditions were very windy, and fortunately, the camera remained steady.

An hour’s drive from my hometown of Billings, takes one to Carbon County and the town of Red Lodge.  Both photos capture scenes found on main street.  The photo on the left features the Carbon County Courthouse.  On the right, the corner building has been repurposed into a retail shop on the ground floor.

My wife and I always enjoy visiting the city of Bozeman, which is home to Montana State University.  This community was home to me during my college years (1974-1978).  While Main Street has changed a great deal from my time, the atmosphere remains welcoming with a vibrant commercial district.  The Rockford Coffee Roasters welcomed us for mid-morning refreshments with our youngest Montana daughter and her two-year old son.  Across the street sits the venerable Ellen Theater, which opened in 1919.

Enjoy the contrast of these two photos.  Taken during the summer of 2023, the photo on the left captures a smoky sunrise above the Billings neighborhood where I grew up.  The final photo was taken during the summer of 2021.  A rest area outside of Billings, along Interstate 90, shares a bit of humor as well as functionality for its canine visitors.