September in Montana along the banks of the Yellowstone River is a special time.
September heralds the end of what is usually a brief spell of hot weather and signals the shifting of the seasons towards fall. However, this summer the hot weather was not a brief cycle. By Montana standards it was a major heat wave coming on a full month early, about mid June, with way to many days of 90 degree weather. The heat wave came after a winter of minimal snows and left the landscape exceptionally dry. Forest fires across Montana and neighboring states brought smoky skies and hazy vistas that we’ve endured now for several months.
But September’s refreshing work is at hand and the signs of fall are beginning to appear. The mornings are cool with a few touches of frost and a little color is showing in the foliage along the river. The sage is blooming and the rabbit brush is putting on their umbrellas of bright, yellow flowers. The birds are flocking and on the move.
For me the highlight of the year is the season of Indian Summer. It generally is under way some time around the cusp of September becoming October. If beauty is in the eye of the beholder, then my eye delights at the beauty of this indeterminate season. Indian summers are not a promise. From year to year Indian Summers longevity or even its appearance is variable. I can recall Indian Summers of long and mellow duration. I remember, too, early -20 degree cold snaps that browned the foliage before the yellows, oranges and reds had a chance to bloom.
In a perfect scenario a snowstorm will come some time after the middle of September. The storm is the sign that fall is officially here and bears a prophecy of the winter to come. But it will pass and a time of frosty mornings and afternoons of the loveliest golden sunshine imaginable prevails. All the while the colors of fall foliage intensify along the river and on the mountainsides. The colors against the back drop of snow-trimmed mountains and sunshine glittering on the rivers shimmering surface presents the best the landscape has to offer.
But always the season is touched with the bitter sweet. The scenery is so lovely that you want to hold onto it. You must savor it fully because it is short lived and the arrival of falls boisterous winds can suddenly tear it away. Here’s hoping we have a fine Indian Summer this year.
Denise and I are watching and waiting. When the season begins to peak we are off to the Tetons; a five hour drive south through Yellowstone Park and on to that grand display of mountain splendor. We will be taking it all in and the camera will be clicking. New material for the winters painting.