Bridger Canyon Lodge

October, 2002 Progress Report

"Buy land, they're not making it anymore."
"Don't wait to buy! Buy now and wait!"
- Mark Twain

"I might be movin' to Montana soon
Just to raise me up a crop of
Dental Floss."
- Frank Zappa, Montana

Gary made a quick trip to Bozeman to investigate a number of issues, including permits to access the highway, possible building sites and driveway placement.

As can be seen from the photos, the land is varied, with dry "high chaparral" sage, groves of Aspen, dense coniferous forest, and a year-round creek running down the middle.

Note: In the following, "waypoint" refers to a reference point logged in a GPS that can be downloaded to a computer and used to precisely locate things on various types of maps.

(click on pictures to view larger version)

0001A.jpg Looking at the property from a vantage point up Kelly Canyon Road. The forested gully in the center of the picture is about the center of the upper quarter section. Yellow Aspen can be seen along the creek gully leading off to the left.	0001B.jpg Looking at the lower 36 acres from Lower Bridger School. Cows are grazing on the upper slopes.	0001C.jpg The view along Highway 86 looking west along the lower 36 acres. The proposed driveway access would be just beyond the diamond shaped sign in the center of the picture.
0001D.jpg Looking east. The driveway access would be just this side of the diamond shaped traffic sign.	0002X.jpg Waypoint 3: Looking north. Dave Crawford (engineer) and Dianne Click (Realtor) standing near the point where the eastern fence of the quarter section (i.e., the 160-acre portion) intersects the fence of the lower triangular portion (i.e., the 36-acre portion).	0003X.jpg Waypoint 3: Looking south. Note Kelly Canyon Road. If any of this seems unfamiliar, you may want to review the August photos and check out the aerial photos.
0004X.jpg Waypoint 3: Looking west. Drinking Horse Mountain is at the upper left; it essentially marks the division between the city of Bozeman and the beginning of Bridger Canyon. The generally straight line along the bushes up the center of the picture is the southern boundary of the quarter section.	0005X.jpg Waypoint 3: Again, looking south, from a slightly different vantage point south of the waypoint.	0005Y.jpg Waypoint 3: Looking south west, from a slightly different vantage point. Dave's Suburban is parked on the road near where the quarter section and 36-acre portion join.
0006X.jpg Waypoint 3: Looking south east. The grassy area is the high area of the 36-acre portion.	0007X.jpg Waypoint 3: Looking south from a point closer to the quarter section. Note Kelly Canyon Road.	1002X.jpg Waypoint 4: (Barn Site) Looking north west.
1003X.jpg Waypoint 4: (Barn Site) Looking north north west. Mount Baldy and Bridger Peak in the background.	1004X.jpg Waypoint 4: (Barn Site) Looking east.	1004Y.jpg Looking south south west toward the Barn Site from Bridger Hills Road. The site is behind the trees at the left of the picture.
1004Z.jpg Same as the previous photo, but zoomed in on the trees near the Barn Site.	1005X.jpg Waypoint 4: (Barn Site) Looking south east.	1006X.jpg Waypoint 4: (Barn Site) Looking south east. Note Kelly Canyon Road on right.
1007X.jpg Waypoint 4: (Barn Site) Looking south south east.	2002X.jpg Waypoint 5: (Access Road) Looking south east, back toward the Barn Site. Note the cow path. This is where Dave thinks the road to the site should go.	2003X.jpg Waypoint 5: (Access Road) Looking west. A nice grove of Aspen. There is probably water at the surface here.
2004X.jpg Waypoint 5: (Access Road) Looking northwest, down the cow path. Aspens on left, Dave and Dianne on the path.	2005X.jpg Waypoint 5: (Access Road) Looking back up the path from further down.	2006X.jpg Waypoint 5: (Access Road) Looking down the path from further down. This is where it would switch back from the existing "road".
3002X.jpg Waypoint 6: (Bottom of Western Ridge) Looking approximately north up the ridge on the western half of the quarter section.	3003X.jpg Waypoint 6: (Bottom of Western Ridge) Looking west. Drinking Horse Mountain left of center.	3004X.jpg Waypoint 6: (Bottom of Western Ridge) Looking south west.
3005X.jpg Waypoint 6: (Bottom of Western Ridge) Looking south south east.	3006X.jpg Waypoint 6: (Bottom of Western Ridge) Looking south east. The property to the right of the fence belongs to Papke. The grassy ridge just below center is in the 36-acre portion. Place Creek is in the gully this side of the grassy ridge.	3007Y.jpg Waypoint 6: (Bottom of Western Ridge) Antelope!
3008X.jpg Waypoint 6: (Bottom of Western Ridge) Looking north east up the western ridge.	4002X.jpg Waypoint Top1: (Lower Knob on Ridge) Looking south east.	4003X.jpg Waypoint Top1: (Lower Knob on Ridge) Looking south south east.
4004X.jpg Waypoint Top1: (Lower Knob on Ridge) Looking south. Kelly Canyon to the left. Compare the dead tree with view from below in 3002X.	4005X.jpg Waypoint Top1: (Lower Knob on Ridge) Looking west. Drinking Horse Mountain obscured by tree near center.	4006X.jpg Waypoint Top1: (Lower Knob on Ridge) Looking north east across saddle up the ridge. Baldy Mountain, Bridger Peak and Saddle Peak in the upper right. Note another grove of Aspen to the right of the saddle; another sign of water.
5002X.jpg Waypoint 7: (Further up the Ridge) Looking south east from a possible building site.	5002Y.jpg Waypoint 7: (Further up the Ridge) A better picture looking south east.	5003X.jpg Waypoint 7: (Further up the Ridge) Looking south, back across the saddle. Note the grove of Aspen on the left, and compare with 4006X.
5004X.jpg Waypoint 7: (Further up the Ridge) Looking south west, further right from 5003X.	5005X.jpg Waypoint 7: (Further up the Ridge) Looking west south west, further right from 5004X.	5005Y.jpg Looking from Bridger Hills Road south west toward Waypoint 7. Note the Aspens on this side of the clear space on the ridge and compare them with 5003X.
5006X.jpg Waypoint 7: (Further up the Ridge) Telephoto looking west. There are three deer, but only one is readily seen.	5007X.jpg Waypoint 7: (Further up the Ridge) Looking north west up the ridge.	5008X.jpg Dianne walking down the trail through the forest from Waypoint 7.
5009X.jpg Further down the trail from Waypoint 7, headed to Waypoint 8.	6002X.jpg Waypoint 8: (Bridge across Place Creek) Water pours out 18" culvert pipe. The creek is fed by a spring not far above the property. It still flows well in early October with no significant precipitation since early summer.	6003X.jpg Waypoint 8: (Bridge across Place Creek) Long shot of the culvert.
6004X.jpg Waypoint 8: (Bridge across Place Creek) Looking up the gully.	8001A.jpg 35 inch, 19 pound Mackinaw Trout caught in Lake Tahoe, September 2000. The ruler above the mounted fish is exactly 12 inches long. It should make a nice decoration for a wall in the Lodge.	8008X.jpg Just in case someone thinks the ruler is a fake, here is where the trout resides until I can get it hung up on the wall.