DAY 42

"Woodbine Thunder" 5x7" Oil on Canvas Board

Yesterday my sister Barb and I took a drive to a very picturesque location nearby called Woodbine to hike, paint and read for a couple of hours, while all the guys headed off for another day of fly fishing on another river/lake in the area. Woodbine is an enticing 45 minute drive from Absarokee with spectacular views at every turn in the winding road through the Stillwater Valley, which passes by one of the few significant mining sources for platinum and palladium outside South Africa and Russia. A clear sky with no rain in sight, we hiked a short distance up the rocky narrow trail into the lower canyon of the Stillwater River that skirts alongside raging waters of gushing white foam, surging over huge boulders through high jagged walls of the gorge. The hike is simply breathtaking. This is where I painted the little painting above. I could have stayed there all day painting in this remote and enchanted setting.

So as all good things must come to an end, today we say goodbye to Montana and begin the long 1,800 mile drive home into the scorching Texas mid-August heat. What a shock that is going to be after spending the past six weeks snuggling up in sweat shirts to stay warm in the mornings and early evenings. We were hoping to pass through the badlands of S. Dakota on the way home but will have to take another route since an event called "Sturgis" is in full gear. Evidently this is the 70th anniversary of Sturgis, so this little town is hosting 500,000 Harley bikers from all over the country. Every hotel, motel and campground for 100 miles is booked solid...nothing against bikers, mind you, but the word detour is flashing big time in my mind.