A life changing event.

Welcome to my Blog. My name is Wendy and this is an account of how an event in someone’s life can make a change in your life also. I have always loved to take pictures and my husband(Larry) always wanted to learn to fly. So it all started on February 3rd, 2005 when Larry was given a package by his employer that contained a certificate for his flight training. My husband and I do most every thing together, so when we met with the flight instructor and learned that I could ride along on Larry’s training flights, this new journey started. February 17th was Larry’s first flight lesson and I went on all of them up to his first solo on April 4th, and he received his pilots license on May 23rd.
With a license in his pocket, we had to start looking for an airplane, the right airplane, and being new to the aviation world, we needed help. Because of our love for the mountains, wildlife, and scenery, we knew we would be flying in backcountry terrain. With the help of some knowledgeable friends, we chose a high horsepower 182 Cessna with big tires. We started enjoying our new plane June 16th.
Flying the Flathead Valley and surrounding area is a privilege. Being this close to Glacier National Park, Yellowstone Park, the Rocky Mountains, the Bitterroot Mountains, the Swan Mountain Range and the Mission Mountain Range, gives us some breathtaking views and awesome picture taking opportunities,we thought we might try our hand at taking some aerial photos. Taking wildlife photos might prove to be a little more difficult form the air. We fly over the Bob Marshall Wilderness, Great Bear, and Scapegoat Wilderness. We have enjoyed scenes of the Chinese Wall (Continental Divide), peaks of Glacier National Park and the emerald green or deep blue waters of high mountain lakes cradled in snow covered peaks. Often seeing moose, elk, and bear feeding in lush green mountain meadows undisturbed as we fly over snapping pictures in the mist of the early morning sun as it starts to warm this seemingly untouched and wildly beautiful part of this content. Seeing the sites we see when we are out taking aerial photos arouses our curiosity to the point we have to go explore these places, often getting some good wildlife photos as well as scenery photos. At times we cannot help but to soak up some of this beauty first hand, smell the roses, and catch the little things that cannot be seen or experienced from the air. An elegant mountain wildflower, a ruffed grouse in the trail, a calf elk hidden so well by mother nature, or the simple beauty of a cascading waterfall, or the wonders created by the scene of a old barn or a collapsing old log cabin, what’s it doing here, the answers hidden in its greying walls. We are lucky to be able to enjoy these things, so if we can pass some of this enjoyment on through our beautiful scenery,wildlife photos, aerial photos, or any other photos, we are happy to do so.