A heaping third helping of Idaho Pics

I just had to post another set of pictures from Idaho.

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This one below was one of the best ones during the entire 3 weeks I was there. The 2nd day I was there, I drove out of town for just 6 miles and found this scene with superb "golden hour" evening light.

Here's another "dead wood" picture, with those great browns and textures built up over a few centuries.

The Little Lost River Range has its own ruggedness and charm. Bell Mountain dominates the skyline, far above the sagebrush-covered rangelands.

This area of Idaho also has its share of volcanic rock formations that captivate the imagination.

My ski lift ride to the top of Sun Valley Ski Area allowed me to capture these abundant wildflowers at the peak of bloom.

Idaho Bounty

I love the richness of colors and textures in this dead wood shot. I'm still too lazy to adjust my camera to get the best of close-up macro shots. I guess I have to learn all about ISO settings and aperture control, eh?

Despite all that California smoke that found its way into eastern Idaho, there were plenty of days of perfect lighting conditions. This kind of wilderness is certainly no worse than the Amazon Rainforest or Denali National Park. Just different. Different is GOOD!

On my Sunday hike, I was atop some cliffs along the ridge I was climbing, setting up shots when I heard a commotion and rockfall beneath the cliffs. I looked down but couldn't see through the tree canopy. While there are lots of wildlife in this area, including wolves, I figured it was a mule deer or maybe even a bear. I continued shooting for a few minutes until I heard another sound nearby. I looked up and saw this guy looking back at me so, I turned into the sun and couldn't see much at all through the camera. The first shot was underexposed as he was running away so I quickly made a squeaky noise and that caught his attention, somehow. I locked in a different exposure and snapped the shutter, not really seeing what I was shooting. This picture below was cropped out of a bigger picture.

Wildflowers were blooming through the Challis National Forest. Brilliant mosaics of yellow, blue, red and white dominated most of the landscapes, at least for a week or so. Cactus flowers seemed to be the most rare so, when I found these two perfect blooms, I had to capture them.

Not everyday in Idaho was perfect. That morning, I had to get a flat tire fixed on the truck I was using. It happens quite a bit on the angular rocks of Idaho's dirt roads. So I go out to survey some aspen stands and I get 30 miles from town only to get another flat tire on the same tire. Now, only an idiot goes on those terrible "roads" with only 4 good tires. On the way back to town, this thunderstorm forms and provides me with such dramatic landscapes.

This pic below is looking eastward towards the Little Lost River Range, with 11,000 foot Bell Mountain as the most distant peak.

Idaho is MUCH more than just potatos!

The Lost River Range of Idaho is one of the gems of our country but, it is an undiscovered secret to most people. Halfway between Yellowstone and the Sun Valley/Sawtooth country, this exquisite mountain range gets passed by. Dramatic geology, outstanding wildlife and recreational opportunities abound in this natural playground.

There are about a half dozen 12,000+ foot peaks in this range of awesome peaks.

As you go north, the peaks just get bigger and more dramatic. Those trees in the foreground are at least 35 feet tall! Despite my past inclinations, I really have no desire to climb this peak.

In the "backside", there is evidence everywhere of extreme glaciation in geologic history. Long lateral moraines are in plain sight, without trees or topsoil to hide their existence. Massive alluvial fans march unceasingly into the valleys with 10 mile long "soil fronts" inundating everything in its path. A few universities send all their geology students here to look and learn about Ice Ages, geologic upheavals and massive erosive forces.

Of course, you can't talk about this part of Idaho without mentioning the abundant wildlife here. You can find almost every kind of fascinating (and deadly) animals in this country, including moose, wolves, wolverines, elk, coyotes, antelope, mule deer and white tail deer.

While surveying aspen stands, I ran across this nest at about eye level. A normal horizontal shot was pretty boring so I took a chance and held the camera above to get this amazing shot.

The high country here is so dry and not many trees can survive the hot summers and frigid winters. This Limber Pine has incredible earthy brown colors and weathered textures. I took about two dozen shots focusing on these dead grizzled sentinels of the subalpine realm.

Sunday Morning Hike

I took a good long hike yesterday morning in the fabulous Pass Creek area of the Lost River Range in central Idaho. I saw many sights but this video will make you wish you were here with me. Towards the end of the video, while I was twisting to get a decent panning shot, I struggled to keep from losing my balance. A tripod would have been handy but I was quite limited in what I could bring on this trip.

More still pictures later including a proud white tail buck and an acrobatic raven to go along with all that scenery. Also I got some very artsy pics of some anciently superb pine snags