The Chick Magnet - Part 2

LC and our elderly friend and I all wandered in different directions, as we eagerly explored our surroundings.

We had begun our quiet ride through nothing more than rock and dirt that makes up so much of BLM land, and suddenly we had found ourselves in this place.

Such is the nature of Wyomings' public lands.

Carter Mountain towered over the terrain as it always does south of Cody, silently studying us.

The canal was far below us, snaking its way through this place and all parts of the Big Horn Basin.

Pine trees dotted the terrain and I smiled as I could hear the crunch of fallen pine cones underneath my feet.

This - THIS - is when BLM land looks so alive.

I was glad to be at this very spot, in this very moment, with two good men...........

After looking out over all things green, I turned my attention to the many rock formations of the area.

This unusual, seemingly out-of-place table top stood towering in front of me.............

Most of the really interesting rock formations I have seen have been in the Northfork, in the Shoshone National Forest section that you must pass through on the way to Yellowstone.

I had never seen anything like these in the Southfork.

Towering monuments of stone.

These were not the tortured, chaotic shaped rocks of the Northfork, that look as though they were once molten hot and then were cooled incredibly fast.

These shapes were more controlled, more predictable, almost more intentional in shape, and as I studied them more closely I realized that they reminded me of formations you would see in some South American country or other.

Deliberately carved, monumental, intended to guard.

The Guardians of the South Fork...............

Continuing further..............

Looking north with Heart Mountain in the distance..............

I took this picture while standing high on a cliff overlooking the canal.

We drove all the way down to the canal and waved to the young family as we passed by.

The young couple with their 8 or 9 year old boy were all target shooting...................

Part of the road had washed out and dropped down into the canal after all the rain we had had..................

After wandering on BLM land for three hours we headed back towards our friends' small cabin.

LC sat behind the wheel from this point on, eager to test out the Chick Magnet............

After spending so much time wandering on open and quiet and wonderful land for so long, all three of us were starving.

We sat on the porch eating food we had brought with us, all the while enjoying each others company and enjoying the quiet of the day.

It was a good trip..................

As long as I live, I'll hear waterfalls and birds and winds sing. I'll interpret the rocks, learn the language of flood, storm, and the avalanche. I'll acquaint myself with the glaciers and wild gardens, and get as near the heart of the world as I can..............John Muir