“Where the deer and the antelope play”

In contrast to the mountain scenery that I love so much, there’s another side to Montana; the huge plains east of the divide. Every October I travel to the east side for an antelope hunt, and while I consider the mountains around my home to be nearly unparalleled in beauty, the vastly different scenery of the plains has its own appeal.

The Musselshell river valley with the Beartooth Mountain range (at the north border of Yellowstone) in the background:

It’s because of views like this that Montana is known as the “Big Sky” state. (Looking east toward the Dakotas.) This is 350 miles from my home near the Idaho border.

It’s no wonder that the survival strategy of the antelope utilizes excellent vision and incredible running ability.

There are occasional breaks in the amazing flatness of this land, but little to provide cover or hiding places for them, and yet the number of animals living here is astounding. While simply driving along a 50 mile stretch of US Highway 12 on my last trip I counted 149 deer (both white-tails and mule deer live here) and 175 antelope.

While our camping area in the low land along the river does little to shelter us from the incessant wind, it is certainly easy on the eyes!

Follow the yellow (“green“) brick road

Los Angeles Mayor Villaraigosa is pushing a project designed to supply 10% of the city’s electrical power needs by importing solar, geothermal and nuclear power from southeastern California and Arizona, theoretically at least, replacing coal-fueled power.

Besides the monetary cost is the environmental cost of constructing an 85 mile “Green Path” of electrical transmission lines through Big Morongo Wildlife Preserve north of Palm Springs, Pioneertown near Yucca Valley, Pipes Canyon Wilderness Preserve and a corner of the San Bernardino National Forest before crossing over the Cajon Pass and connecting with existing power lines in Hesperia. Of course, environmental and conservation groups oppose this plan because of its disruption to the environment.

Here is the story from the LA Times.

My editorial comments:

1 – The Mayor should be commended for at least making an effort to make use of renewable power to replace highly-polluting coal-fired power if it actually replaces it and is not just an expansion of energy use.

2 – Conservation and Environmental groups might look for an acceptable compromise on the power transmission route, rather than simply oppose the existing proposal.

3 – Nowhere in the story do I see a proposal by either side to use less power. Isn’t that one of the foremost solutions to the whole issue? It seems to me that sooner or later we will have to learn to just say no !