Grizzly Bear Up Close

Photo by Ken W. Hall

Photo by Ken W. Hall

Photo by Ken W. Hall

It is three degrees below zero today.  The sun came out mid-morning and it is awesome.  It is expected to drop to twenty-two below tonight.

Ken was in Bozeman this past weekend.  Here is what he had to say about the photos of the grizzly bear you see in the above photos:


I spent this past weekend in conjunction with my affiliation with the Madison River Foundation at the annual Bozeman Sports Show in Bozeman.

The Show dates  were  January 28, 29 and 30.

The bear's name is "Tonka". He has just recently turned five years old and weighs 500 lbs. His is now half grown.

The owner, Dexter Osborn got Tonka at 6 weeks old from a zoo in Georgia.

Tonka has numerous tricks he performs upon commands from Dexter. He throws his head back and bares his teeth, he stands vertical on his hind feet and waves, he takes food from Dexter's hand.   And upon the command "Yoga" he lays on his back with his front paws, which are enormous, holding his hind feet and rocks on his spine as if in a yoga position. It is a real show stopper!

Seeing an animal such as this in such close proximity truly shows what a small part as humans we play in the drama of life and its perfection.

Enjoy,

Ken

The Madison River Today

The Madison River has settled back into its banks.  An ever widening channel has opened and the water is flowing freely.

I took this short video off the bridge near Lions Park this morning.  Lots of ice is floating in the water. And as you can tell the highway is dry and remains free of flooding for now.

Temperatures remain in the thirties with strong winds that make it feel much colder.  We had a little sunshine this morning.  Tomorrow is expected to bring more sunshine with temperatures in the high thirties. 

The weather man reports these are above normal.  He also predicts snow for Sunday.

Interesting January

Photo by Penny Hall   Snow Wednesday Morning

Photo by Penny Hall   Snow Wednesday Morning

What an interesting January we are having.  On Wednesday morning we woke to snow.  About six or so inches fell.  

Thursday morning our thermometer read eight degrees.  The wind howled Thursday and Friday. 

Friday night it was about thirty-two degrees when we arrived at our local movie theater.  After the movie it was snowing again.

This morning there were a few flakes of snow falling with only a slight breeze,  Now the sun is shinning. It is thrity-seven degrees and the wind barely brushes your cheeks.

The snow is melting rapidly.  Temperatures are in the high teens and low twenties at night freezing all the melting snow.  The weather man is predicting temperatures in Bozeman to reach into the low forties this next week.

 

It's Raining

Photo by Penny Hall  Madison River from Lions Park

Photo by Penny Hall    Madison River from Lions Park

Photo by Penny Hall

Photo by Penny Hall

It is thirty-eight degrees and raining in Ennis today.  I drove across the river to check on the highway situation. 

As I crossed the Madison River heading toward Cameron I noticed a significant channel had opened and the river was flowing more freely along the south bank.

I traveled further to investigate the area where flooding occurred on the highway.   The ice that formed a barrier on the guard rails is melting but the road remains clear.  There are some water puddles and the road is wet from rain.

Traveling back across the river I stopped at Lions Park. I walked to the river's edge and discovered another channel opening up on this side of the river.

The weather is expected to remain pretty much the same all week.  We are loving the warmer temperatures.

Just Some Local News

Photo by Penny Hall

Ken and I love Mexican food.  We were delighted when the new Taqueria Las Palmitas arrived this winter.  It is authentic Mexican cooking at affordable prices.  We are encouraging all our friends to support them this winter.  We would love to see them thriving this summer.

Speaking of summer there are plenty of residents dreaming of summer.  The ice jams on the Madison River caused police to notify residents near the river to be prepared to evacuate.

Highway 287 south flooded again yesterday as deep as eighteen inches in some places but was clear today.  Heavy winds are bringing warm temperatures and moisture that will begin as snow then turn to rain.  This could cause more flooding.

Returning from the grocery store today I was stopped by the highway patrol at the highway intersection.  They were cautioning people not to travel 287 south of town due to high winds and blowing snow making visibility zero.

Friends of ours live in that area.  They reported being snowed in due to major snow drifts.  A snow plow made way for them to get out and in a short time later the drifts were four feet deep and they were once again unable to leave home.

The high today was twenty-eight.  Tomorrow it is expected to reach as high as thirty-eight.  What strange weather patterns this winter.

Ken Hall's View

Photo by Ken W. Hall

Photo by Ken W. Hall

Photo by Ken W. Hall

Photo by Ken W. Hall

Wednesday morning Ken left early to explore the flooding situation.  The guard rails were covered with ice forming as cars and trucks passed through the water that flowed over the highway the day before.  The road itself was icy but relatively free of flowing water.

Ken ventured into Lions Park where Christmas decorations were affected by the ice and snow.  Although the park was flooded and covered in ice he managed to reach the Madison River.

The ice jammed up under the bridge caused the river to gorge and overflow its banks.  It looks like it will be some time before temperatures will moderate enough to thaw the ice. 

Temperatures rose as high as forty degrees by yesterday along with strong winds.  This morning it is ten degrees and tiny snowflakes are falling.  I am glad I get to stay inside today.

New Experiences

Photo by Penny Hall

Photo by Penny Hall

Photo by Penny Hall

The skies displayed a beautiful range of colors as the sun went down New Years day.  Temperatures began to climb above zero again with highs mostly in the teens.

By Tuesday morning the wind was blowing strong making the eighteen degree temperature feel closer to zero.  By the time we reached Bozeman to take a friend to the doctor it was twenty-two degrees and partly cloudy.  The office was located next to a popular cross country ski area where local skiers took advantage of the near perfect conditions.

When we arrived back home late afternoon we decided to check out the report we received early morning from a friend that the highway between the bridge over the Madison River and the turn off to Jeffers was flooded.  The river gorged due to an ice jam at the bridge and was flowing over the highway.

Just as I attempted to take a photo Ken drove through the one foot deep water causing it to freeze immediately as it hit the windshield.  It has been several years since the water has crossed over the highway.

Ken hurried back to document the situation yesterday morning.  I will have more photos for you in a day or two as seen through his unique perspective.