Ptarmigan The hen was protecting her chick, which was making it's way away from us into the brush. Mom stood her ground and growled at me if I got too close.

Fuchia Fireweed

Silent Sentinels Trees burned by the Robert Fire of 2003. At one point the fire was so intense that flames reached a height of 500 feet. 2003 marked the fifth year of a five-year drought, and became one of the worst fire seasons in Glacier National Park history. That summer more than 136,000 acres burned in Glacier. That’s 13% of the park!

McDonald Creek Cool clear water brings out the colors of the river rock.

Rainbow Rocks Taken standing in the middle of McDonald Creek.

Hanging On Wildflowers were still in bloom in September. The water flow in McDonald Creek was low this time of year, which allowed us to climb around on the rocks along the bank.

McDonald Creek Potholes Potholes are formed by fast-flowing water swirls where fragments of stones and pebbles carried by the river whirl around, drilling circular depressions into the river bed. The flowing water keeps the fragments in motion, constantly wearing away the sides of the depressions. These gradually become deeper and wider to become potholes.

Starry NIght Over Lake McDonald We drove out to the shore of Lake McDonald one night to get this picture. Fortunately we found a good spot to climb down in the dark. The brown on the far shore are trees burned by forest fires. June was ringing the Bear Bells the entire time hoping to not surprise a bear in the dark.

Fiery Moon Caught the moon just as it was coming up over the mountain. If you look close you can clearly see craters on the right side of the moon.

An Inviting Path Trail to McDonald Falls. Looks like an enchanted forest.

McDonald Creek

McDonald Creek Cascade Short waterfall in McDonald Creek.

Swirl The water has carved out this swirl in the rock.

Intimate Landscape I have Grand Landscape images but sometimes the close up intimate compositions are interesting. Plus, you won't find a million versions of the same shot on the internet.

Avalanche Falls An interesting waterfall that is difficult to shoot. The park service has made this waterfall very accessible with a boardwalk, paved path and a bridge. I had to share my spot on the bridge with many people who shook my camera when they walked across the bridge.

Two Medicine Lake from The Scenic Point Trail. A few days later we took a boat to the far end of the lake and then hiked up to Upper Two Medicine Lake, which you can just see in the distance.

Wild Goose Island in Lake St. Mary This is one of those photos that you can see a million just like it. It was taken from a roadside pull off where we had plenty of company.

Mountain Reflections This was down the hill from the spot where everyone takes the Wild Goose Island shot. This little pond was surrounded by grass and one side was full of dead trees sitting in the muck. I was able to stand on the dead trees to get this shot. I wonder how many people take the time to come down here for this outstanding view.

Jackson Glacier Another of the shots everyone takes. This was from a roadside pull off. One of the few glaciers remaining that can be seen from the road.

Going To The Sun Road This is a shot few people have the opportunity to take. They were working on the road and stopped traffic for 20 - 30 minutes. We were able to get out and walk around a section where there are normally no places to stop. This is a panoramic shot providing views of the road coming and going.

Colorful Rocks We found this a short walk behind the Avalanche Picnic Area where Avalance Creek flows into McDonald Creek. These rocks are only 1" - 2" in size.

Final Blooms Fireweed along the trail to Hidden Lake. We were surprised by the numbers of wildflowers still in bloom in September.