My Billings Gazette

 Hot weather, cold water. That was the formula Saturday on the upper Stillwater River from Buffalo Jump fishing access site down to Cliff Swallow.

This upper section of the river isn't runnable in a raft once the water drops - it's too rocky. But right now it's nearly perfect, plenty of water to create some great whitewater. The scenery is hard to beat, as well, with the snow-capped peaks of the Beartooth's shining in the distance to the south.

I saw turkeys and mule deer on the drive up the canyon. Lush, green grass carpeted the hillsides. The scent of wild rose highlighted sections of the river and Indian paintbrush was blooming along the river bank.

If you feel comfortable paddling whitewater, check it out while you still can. There are also three rafting companies, Absaroka River Adventures, Adventure Whitewater  and Beartooth Whitewater that can take you and your out-of-town guests down the river for a reasonable fee if you don't have your own boat or are worried about braving the whitewater. If you're looking for information on whitewater outfitters in other areas of the state, check out Travel Montana's Web site.

Maybe I'll see you on the river. I'll be the guy with the big smile.

These photos along with several others were e-mailed to me recently. The e-mail said the bear was shot in the Siuslaw Unit west of the small town of Crow.

According to one post I found on the Internet, the bear was taken May 9 by hunter Jake Tidball. As one blog poster noted, if this was how big the bear was in spring, how big would it have been by fall?

I've left a message for Oregon Fish and Game to try and track down more info. I'll let you know if I hear more, especially if it's a new state record.

As I was searching the Internet, I found this old story published in The New York Times on another big bear taken in Oregon years ago. It's worth a read.

With the Bighorn River flowing at 12,300 cfs Friday at St. Xavier, you've got to be wondering what the fishing is like.

According to one guide I talked to, the fishing was great, although the floating was fast. But that was back when the flow was at about 7,000 cfs. Our recent fishing report says the usual suspects are working, but it's got to be tough fishing with the water running with a full head of steam and bank to bank.

According to a story by The Gazette's Lorna Thackeray, the flows in the river are the highest they've been in 14 years. Quite the swing from those low flows of the drought years.

Anyone have any first-hand reports?

Every summer I feel a need to mount an excursion into the wilds of  Montana.

Over the years my family has been subjected to rafting trips during high water, bug-infested backpacking routes and roadtrips that inflamed emotions with wrong turns and bad campgrounds.

With gasoline prices again apporaching my unaffordable mark, and with the downturn in the economy at home, I've been mulling the idea of an adventure tour right here in Billings.

It was one of those ideas that popped into my head in the moments between waking and crawling out of bed. The kind that always seems worse the more you apply logic to it. What if, I thought, people could do a multidimensional activity right here in Billings, without buying gas and spending hours cooped up in a car.

Since I'm a water lover, my first thoughts turned to a float down the Yellowstone River from Riverfront to Coulson parks. To keep the cost low and the watercraft transportable, it could be done via inner tubes. By buying an extra tube and strapping a mountain bike on it, the loop could continue at Coulson.

Riding uphill on the Heritage Trail System, adventurers could proceed to Two Moon Park or Sacrifice Cliff for a hike.

After that, riders could bike down to SteepWorld climbing gym at 208 N. 13th to work out some other muscles and get high ... on the wall that is. 

Then saddle up for a ride to the top of the Rims for a tour of Black Otter or Zimmerman parks. Billings Rod and Gun Club members could detour for a round of archery, skeet or sporting clays. The facility is also open to guests, as well as the public on Sundays.

To wind down, how about some folf in Pioneer or Diamond X parks. If you haven't had enough water, stop by the Big Splash water slide on the way back to Riverfront, the starting point, to complete the self-propelled loop.

Another option could include golf, though that would obviously have to involve the use of a car unless you can carry your clubs and ride a bike at the same time.

Granted, doing all of this in one day isn't possible unless you're an extreme athlete, but you could break it up over a couple days or several weekends and have a blast without leaving town. What's more, you could add to your adventure vibe by making stops at local cafes, coffee shops, breweries, museums, stores or ice cream shops - something you can't do in the great outdoors. Or, if you really want that outdoorsy feeling, you could even camp out at the local KOA.

So there's a rough outline of my plan of attack. Anyone else have suggestions of where to go, what to do, or where to eat and drink during an adventure around Billings?

And how about a good name for the tour? The best I've got so far is: the Billings Adventure Tour (BAT), and then we could print up T-shirts or bumper stickers that say BAT man or BAT woman for those who complete the challenge.

Any takers?

I just got off the Madison River Saturday after a three-day float trip in the minimalist Alpacka Rafts, rafts made for one person and light enough to backpack.

The Madison was howling, somewhere around 4,000 cfs through the Beartrap Canyon, making the big rapids unrunnable, so we portaged around those.

Tune in Thursday for the full story on these cool little rafts that resemble bathtub toys, but are extremely durable and versatile, and my trip down the canyon and on to Headwaters State Park.

Anyone else, besides the high school kids who attempted the Yellowstone, been out on the rivers?