The Beaver Moon – November 25-27, 2023

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November 26, 2023

Peak illumination of November’s full Moon, known as the Beaver Moon, will occur early Monday morning, Nov. 27 at 4:16 AM eastern time.

What is a Beaver Moon

During a full Moon, the Moon is positioned opposite of the Sun, placing the Earth between the star and our lunar satellite. Because of this position, the side of the Moon facing the Earth becomes fully illuminated by sunlight.

The Moon will appear full for three days, from Saturday night to Tuesday morning, but it will only appear at its brightest for a brief period of time.

The brightness will allow you to see the Beaver Moon with the naked eye. If this is how you’ll be viewing the full Moon, it’s recommended to give your eyes plenty of time to adjust. Depending on your eyesight, you will be able to see large impact craters on the moon.

You might also consider using binoculars or even a telescope.

Let’s hope that our skies are as clear on Sunday/Monday nights as they are tonight so that we can take a good look at the Beaver Moon.

November’s full Moon is known by a number of names. The name Beaver Moon is rooted in November being the time of year when beavers begin to shelter in their lodges for winter, according to the Old Farmer’s Almanac.

Parade of Lights 2023 – Great Falls, Montana

By

Alan

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November 26, 2023

Who doesn’t just love a good parade?

This years Parade of Lights in downtown Great Falls should be one for the record books.

Of all of the years I’ve been attending the parade, I don’t think I’ve ever seen as many people as I saw there tonight.

Parade entry:

The skies were fairly clear, temps right around 33 degrees, and we’re just a few days away from the full Beaver Moon.

The crowds were huge by comparison to other previous years and a lot of folks were dancing to the sounds of Christmas.

This years parade was a long one indeed and featured some new folks.

Les Schwab Tire Center came to town earlier this year and showed up for the parade and the United States Postal Service showed up as well.

Santa Claus showed up right on time to light the tree at the Civic Center.

Photos of the event:

Frozen Missouri River – Great Falls, Montana 2019

By

Alan

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November 25, 2023

Anybody that’s been around Great Falls long enough knows about the Missouri River that flows through town.

In the winter it has the tendency to freeze over and it can pose some pretty dangerous conditions for those who choose to tempt fate by crossing it on foot.

Trouble with a frozen surface with water flowing underneath is that you just never know when or if you’re going to fall through and be swept up under the ice.

I took our son down to the river to help educate him on the potential dangers of the Missouri River when it freezes.

Here’s the video he made while we were there:

The Missouri River is the longest river in the United States, flowing for 2,341 miles from its source in the Rocky Mountains of Montana to its confluence with the Mississippi River near St. Louis, Missouri.

When a river freezes, it may appear to stop flowing, but there is usually still some movement beneath the ice. This movement is caused by water currents and thermal convection.

The best advice with regard to our portion of the Missouri River is that when it freezes, it’s best to just stay off of it.

Old man with a cane

By

Alan

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November 25, 2023

Old man with a cane walks slowly past the front of my house twice a day like clockwork.

I can set my watch by him.

Today he went cruising by my house on an electric three wheeled bike doing 25mph.

Guessing I might need to buy a faster watch.

Overlook at Hardy Creek

By

Alan

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November 24, 2023

Sometimes we might take for granted the area we live in — case in point here would be the overlook just off the interstate south of Hardy Creek.

For all of the times we’ve traveled between Great Falls and Helena it always seemed that I’d make a mental note of stopping at that overlook to … well … overlook.

On the way to an appointment in Helena yesterday I made sure to leave in enough time to stop at the overlook that’s situated just off the southbound side of the interstate. Walked up the narrow path, climbed the stairs leading up to the rock cliffs, and took a look. It’s actually a rather beautiful area and I don’t think the pictures really can do it justice. Looking at it all in real time is preferred.

Interstate 15 was built pretty much through the mountainous cliffs and as a result, there can be some rather spectacular views from the very top looking down into the canyon. If one were to look close enough toward the bottom you might see the route of the old US91 highway (now called the Recreation Road) running along side of the Missouri River.

There are tons of little off-the-byway areas to look at around the area and the overlook just south of Hardy Creek is just one of those areas.