Alpine Tundra and Streaks of Rain from the Brooding Clouds Getting Near the Top of the Beartooth Plateau.
….In This Northwest View, We Can Pick Out The Gorge Which Has Our Road Up From Red Lodge.
…. “ I look over my shoulder for one last view of the gorge. Like looking down at the bottom of the ocean. People spend their entire lives at those lower altitudes without any awareness that this high country exists.“
On Beartooth Highway, 1.5 Straight Line Miles SouthSouthEast Of Rock Creek Vista Point First Roadside Rest Area, ~14 Miles South of Red Lodge, MT. In the /\ Above /\ Photo, between the grassy tundra and the far distant darker mountains, lies Rock Creek Canyon, the U-shaped North-South main valley in which the melt water flows to Red Lodge.
….At right we see a second deep cut. This is a closer and smaller side-canyon essentially running Southeast to Northwest. This was the Wyoming Creek Canon that you saw a close-up of in the 12th photo previous. We are going away from the gorge and moving South. In the NEXT PHOTO (AND LATER) we will see more views of Rock Creek Canyon, but from a distance.
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…. NEW TOPIC1: The tinge of blue at right is where the clouds will later open. This is West, and to keep oriented, you should remember this direction, since even more “blue patches of sky” will appear in forthcoming photos. …. The tinge of red in THIS photo and NEXT, is because this is the direction of sunset and the end of the day is approaching.
….NEW TOPIC2: “the ocean“ and “the bottom of the ocean“ are Master Motifs in The ZMM Book. The Idea of a Master Motif has been discussed in Previous Photos. And the above two Italic-ed Words you will see more of in Forthcoming Photos.
….NEW TOPIC3: “Canyon” is a Spanish word used more often in the Western USA. A canyon is a narrow water formed cut, typically rocky with steep sides.
….By Contrast => A Valley is a Norman French term more often used in the Eastern USA. A valley, also a water formed cut, is typically “V”-Shaped with more gently sloping sides and green with vegetation.
….By Contrast => A canyon with very precipitous sides (walls) is a gorge. In ZMM, the word “gorge” is used twice in ZMM => a) The above passage (on page 110), and b) Once more in reference to a dry rocky cut in Oregon’s "driest country yet.“.(on page 288)
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(Photo = 106-0620 ...... ZMM Page = 110 ...... WayPt = 136`|k|' 9554ft)