Sofer's garden tour

Thanks for sharing your and Karen's hard work. So enjoyed it.

Holly -

I have the Tiger Eyes sumac. It does fine for me, though it'd be more spectacular if I had more sun. I don't think you'd have any problem with it. You can find it at lots of nurseries locally.

I could have a round up any time and we have lots of space and housing to have many visitors. I would love it. I am home July 7th through19th. And August 8th through 23rd. Any body wants a round up I am ready. If you would want an early time May 16th through the 7th of June. Let me know you wonderful people from up north. The Pac NW forum has a hard time leaving the city. LOL

Steve - it would be so much fun. Thanks for the tremendous tour - I know I'll come back to this thread again and again to look at your beds and formulate new ideas.

Hope you're on the mend.

As a native Montanan and current Midwesterner who's trying to buy a house in Rose Lodge OR, I've been haunting the PNW forum for awhile. You know, there is a train, the Empire Builder, that comes up the West Coast & crosses through Glacier on its way to Chicago.

It stops in Whitefish, hint hint to all you West Coasters!

Your tour was magnificent. Rivaling Laurie's but on whole different (what?) world?
I've been to Whitefish and Big Bear and it is truly God's home or hangout. And Big Sky, I believe it.

Who dares to go after these last two? Not I with my little postage stamp size lot.

it be barren outside right now.
At least Steve has snow on the ground to make it sparkly-white-pretty.

Yes the train comes from east and west and ends up 15 minutes north of here. Whitefish Montana is a wonderful place that you looked at in the Ski area photo.
How about a swim?

I've ridden that train several times, though heading farther east than Montana. It is a beautiful ride.

I used to get off in Havre, where my dad would pick me up, or Whitefish, where friends would. Sleeper car is DEFINITELY the way to go. And you get a view of Glacier that is not available any other way.

If you DO host a roundup, and I happen to be moving cross country, any chance I could get a little Airstream up your mountain?!

Great and beautiful tour, Steve. Makes me miss Montana, and the pines. I love the smell of the trees on a hot day. That is a smell that is ingrained in my being and always brings back great memories. Next time I'm in your area visiting family I'd love to stop by. Glacier is one of the most beautiful places on earth. If anyone is in this area, you must drive the "Going to the Sun" road through the park.
You and Karen keep up the good work!

Isn't it the 'Going to the Sun' highway outstanding?

This is it to the left of the photo. Going to the sun.

and another

Summerkid - get on out here where there are some mountains!!

That last picture is super. THat would be a good yard feature.

Oh, I know, Katie ... if my dog & I really want to whoop it up, we have a choice of walking through a cornfield across the street, or the soybean field up the road.

hmmmm.... That's not my idea of good options Kid! Sounds as if you need a trip out west!!!

OH, a LOT of catching up to do on this thread! Many, many beautiful photos and nice posts to read. Sofer, the place you and your darling wife have created is just a little slice of heaven on earth, isn't it??? How peaceful and beautiful it is. I think my favorite is the Sophie garden with the heart shaped cross section of wood and the heart shaped rocks. I'm always amazed at how many people look for those, sort of like 4-leaf clovers. In the photo that shows a complete view of that bed, there is a very nice grass to the left. Do you have any idea what that grass is? I do love it~! Nice of you to bring your friends from the Rockies and beyond along for the tour!

OMG Steve.....even your rock gardens are spectacular!! Karen is one talented lady.

Smart, too. Look who she picked!

LOL :)

I HAD to show DH these pics. We were going to travel the 'Road to the Sun' a few years ago, on our trip home from our son's in OR. We were pulling a pop-up and somehow, I missed the notice about not being able to pull it on that road until we got there. We had to leave it at the base and then pick it up. That messed up my plan to go in one side and out the other. Had to come up with another route. LOL.. Anyway, - all that to say - it is spectacular, but DH was worried at how the road actually stays put. Absolutely beautiful. After we got home to Jersey, I said that my favorite state to travel through was Montana. We stayed overnight in Libby.

Oh, Steve, you did a wonderful job on that waterfall!! To have a feature like that in your garden, well, that is just too good!

That is so inviting, I want to just lie stretched out on that slab of rock and let the water run by - please don't remind me that it is glacial outflow and cold as begeesus - because it just looks heavanly.

So how long a drive is it from Seattle to the Montana big sky country at Soferdig's place?

About 10 hours, Pixy.

Hey its only 6 hours from Calgary providing the Going To The Sun Highway is open.

yeah, you're probably right. i wonder why it would always take us so long when i was in college in Missoula.

Ten hours isn't too bad! I wonder if I could afford to meander out that way during spring break with my kid? I will have to ask him if a roadtrip with mom would be okay. He would love to see part of Montana, and so would I.

Summerkid - I grew up in Fairbanks, Alaska, which is 360 miles north of Anchorage. Anchorage is literally "nestled" in the mountains and we travelled there enough that I knew the differences between the rolling tundra and small hills where I lived and the icey slopes of the Mountains.

When I was in highschool, I met some friends of a friend who were from Chicago. They were amazed at the "mountains" in Fairbanks. That's when I realized how flat it must be in Illinois . . .

Sorry guys I have been en route to Juneau and worked my butt off yesterday. Just catching up.
Melissa the grass in the Sophie bed is a Karl Forster. The drive for me from Seattle is 8 hours but most people take 9. Quite a beautiful drive once you get into Idaho though. Please come over Melissa and anyone else to visit. Lots of room. Garden starts to be nice in May and ends in November.
Jan the trip to going to the sun road is just hanging on a few places and the park service is going to close the road soon to make it a much safer route. Right now its pretty good but needs repairs all summer.
Laurie I too enjoy the roar of the water and blissfully lying on a bolder in the sun. Your quite right that the water is freezing. But we real men still take a dip and swim when we are warmed up.
Kathy the big mountain in Fairbanks still amazes me. Denali (McKinley)

Ooooh. Back at work in Juneau already? Sounds like you've mended from your surgery. It is so beautiful in Kalispell - thanks again for the tour.

Denali (or Mt. McKinely as it was in my day) is pretty darned awesome. The park was much smaller in my day - not so easy to get in and see things. And we didn't head down to it unless we were on the way to Anchorage. The entrance is 120 miles south.

OMG, backpacking in Denali, I felt overawed. We were in an area of no trees, just vast, hilly tundra. Nothing to climb if you see a grizzly! Which we did, at a reasonable distance. And you don't hang your food bag, as there are no trees to hang it from. You stuff it into a stout canister and stash it where you'll (hopefully) find it the next morning.

All those habits I developed over years of hiking the Greater Yellowstone-- they were mostly irrelevant in Alaska. What an amazing place!

Sounds like a great trip, picante. It truly does seem like the Last Frontier, doesn't it? Changes all the rules.

I too enjoyed my trip into Denali in May I had 2days of gorgeous weather and rode my bicycle that I bought for 10 bucks 30 miles in the road because it was not open yet. I saw many grizzlies moose, caribou, fox, and even got a good picture of a wolf on that trip. The sun set only for 3 hours and was up again that time of year so I had a lot of time to hike and sit in the tundra and keep pushing my mouth closed with my hand. everyone should be lucky enough to the the big mountain on a clear day. WOW!

So loved your tour Steve, to have all that wonderful scenery around you. So love it. It makes my heart happy to see the love you have done in each and every place. for beauty and the animals. I give you a hats off. Well done my friend.

Sorry I got behind, Have had issues at home, no worry all is well. I hope.

Now who is next on the list of tours??? Rach, Kathy, RC. Don't be shy. even tho Laurie and Steve blew are socks of. we still have are special places and love them.

I won't be doing mine until summer - not enough pics. I redid several areas the last 2 years, so they are still in the juvenile stage.
I was hoping to have my PNW garden ready to go for spring, but there are 2 large Miscanthus needing new homes. That will take some energy & warmer weather.
I cannot imagine attempting it again - it was a bear the first 2 times, and they are bigger yet. If anyone wants Miscanthus "Yaku Jima" in sizable clumps, let me know. At this point they measure 5-6' h X 4-5' wide. Happy to share.

I will probably be lost to you guys for 5 days I am going into the wild tomorrow to do a clinic in Wrangell. I don't know if any wifi available. Hope so. Snow burying the place up here in AK hope I can get back once I get there. So exciting seeing another Alaska famous place. I will let you know what happens. Steve. Bring on the next one Rachel.

Enjoy!!

That was a lovely lovely tour, Steve.