The Ruby

Find a map of Montana, put your finger on Elk Lake then move it up and slightly to the left. This should put your attention on a little place called the Ruby Valley. Ever heard of Virginia City, Robbers' Roost, Lewis and Clark, or the Beaverhead River?

The Ruby Valley is the land of cattle and beautiful mountains, gardens and flatbed trucks, sweet cafes and garden stands, hay (as shown) and the steady pumping of field irrigation, mining and fishing. Fishing is quality and sought after here. R.L. Winston Rod Co. sits unassumingly but neatly at the edge of tiny Twin Bridges producing it's coveted bamboo and boron/graphite rods. There's an art gallery in Sheridan boasting one of the neatest collections of Airforce related paintings I've ever seen. Granted, I haven't seen many =). Cows are everywhere; big, sleek, beautiful, happy cows eating and sleeping their way through the day in lush, green fields. The rivers, and there are three near Twin Bridges, are small. That is something I had to get my eyes used to. The Santiam River in Oregon is a small river for the Willamette Valley, but is much bigger than the rivers here. "Here's the creek, but where's the river?" was my thought on first sight. As Lerrina explained, the closer one is to the source, the smaller the river is. Right here, we're really close to the headwaters of many of these rivers. This afternoon is an 'empty' day. It's my day off, and having worked on matting a cool Tim Cox print I have to think of something fun to do. Right now my mind is working on trying to figure out a good reason to head to the Ruby for the rest of it...