Wildlife: Between Bozeman and West Yellowstone, Montana there is a long canyon. In the very early dawn this morning I saw a flashing light ahead and thought of cops or accidents -- it was a diamond-shaped sign with the silhouette of an Elk in the middle framed by the occilating glow. I was watching carefully for wildlife anyway, so I saw a massive Elk bull plus a nearly as large Elk cow about 100 yards off the road, walking between sandbars and islands in the Madison River.
Why was the light flashing? Was it a coincidence? On the return trip in the afternoon(see below) I saw a series of battery-powered solar-recharged motion detectors set up for about a mile or so along the road near that same location. Another sign declared it was a test zone.
Other wildlife sightings today -- Red-Tailed Hawk, Rough-Legged Hawk, Vultures feeding on dead Deer. Some very broad-winged Ravens. A sapphire-like Stellar's Jay just before sunrise.



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Weather: Couldn't ask for better driving conditions -- sunny and dry all the way.

Charity Alert: The Hunger Site Six charities are helped by computer clicks.

In The Community: Road Trip! The last Winold Reiss picture made it home safely to Jackson Hole by 11:30 A.M. After eating and getting an espresso, I started my mad dash back to Kalispell. I had planned to drive all the way to Missoula today, but I underestimated how long it would take me to complete the round-trip between Bozeman and Jackson -- eleven hours. Tacking five to six more hours onto that driving west in the blinding late afternoon and humping unlighted side roads on a moonless night might just kill me -- literally. I'm staying in BOZEMAN.

Media Watch: In the car it was a day for JAZZ! I bought a double CD of classics from the Blue Note Records catalogue in West Yellowstone. Almost every cut was FUNK from the late 50's and early 60's -- especially Herbie Hancock's Watermelon Man. On that long dark run through the canyon this morning I listened to two CDs of Taking Heads' hits. I prefer their work with my friend, Parliament/Funkadelic stalwart Bernie Worrell, but some of that stuff before and after Bernie's tenure is first-rate.
Chicago just won the first game of the World Series at home 5 to 3. Their relief pitchers did a good job in the 8th inning holding onto a one-run lead after the starter put two men on base with no outs. The White Sox scored an insurance run when it was their turn, and their closer smoked the over-eager Astros at the top of the 9th.