Evening at the Bend

One of my favorite overlooks of the Yellowstone River is in Paradise Valley, Montana, an aptly named landscape featuring a backdrop of the rugged, Absaroka Beartooth Mountains. Here, this great river meanders through a giant oxbow, lined with cottonwood trees and, during low water, gravel bars.  At some point during a distant spring flood, the Yellowstone will straighten herself out, cutting through the narrow places in these bends, signaling that she has become an older river. Standing above the water on a steep bluff while taking this photo, I liked thinking about all the changes there have been here, and also the ones that will come. This is a beautiful, early-winter scene featuring pastel clouds, ghostly cottonwoods free of summer leaves, a hint of color in the river, and gorgeous, sunset light on the Absaroka Range. It's a true 2:1 and is offered in a variety of sizes all the way up to a stunning 8 feet long.  Each piece is signed and numbered.