Category Archives: From The Air

Snake River Plain & Craters of the Moon: A Drive By

Craters of the Moon National Monument in winter.

Craters of the Moon National Monument in winter.

I drove from Helena, Montana to Boise, Idaho to get between work locations. It was one of the longest drives I’ve ever made between two job sites. The drive is beautiful, through the mountains south of Butte, MT and then west hugging the mountains along the north side of the Snake River Plain. I added a short stop to see Craters of the Moon National Monument. This is not an every day drive. Most people will never make the drive across southern Idaho. I’ll probably never do it again. That’s why I wanted to highlight it. Below is a photo tour of the drive with a brief discussion of the geology of the Snake River Plain and Craters of the Moon. Continue reading →

From The Air: Yellowstone To Missoula

I always try to get an airplane window seat, particularly when flying over the mountain west. The dramatic changes in geography can be stunning. Flying over the Midwest is not as interesting. I’ve taken countless photos out the window of an airplane of geographic features and man-made structures that stand out. I even make sure I have the window seat on the right side of the plane. Sit on the wrong side of the plane and you can miss all the cool stuff.

The below photos are a perfect example of a great window view flying over the Rockies. Here’s a window seat view of the beautiful Rocky Mountains between Yellowstone National Park and Grand Teton National Park in northwest Wyoming and Missoula, MT. These photos were taken during two different flights at different times of the year. One from Denver to Missoula and the other a return trip. Enjoy Yellowstone to Missoula from the air.

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That’s the Grand Tetons at the top of the photo, seen while flying over Yellowstone Lake. I had my face buried in my phone and almost missed an aerial view of these iconic mountains.

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