Henry, Idaho

Linda and I spent an afternoon with our neighbors, Connie and Larry Hymas, exploring Henry, Idaho. The old town dates from 1884, and in its day had a big influence on western history.  There is still a cluster of 6 or 7 old buildings left, including the old Henry Store.

The building was built in 1908 after an older store burned down, but it has been closed for a few years now.  Henry isn't a complete ghost yet because there are a few modern houses and trailers, and an RV park serving nearby Blackfoot Reservoir.

This beautiful old granary is a remnant of the agricultural past here.  Four concrete pads were probably the foundations of other granaries that have disappeared.

An old mower, half hidden in the grass, is another clue to the town's agricultural history.



Henry was the location for one of the first great rodeos of the west.  It was called the "Henry Stampede and Stockman's Reunion".  Horses were trailed all the way from Jackson Hole, Wyoming to buck in this famous event.



Now, this old house sits on a hill above the old town.  Oddly enough, derelict hookups from an abandoned RV park are scattered around the lonely building.



We didn't meet anyone at all here, but an old dog showed up to lead us through the quiet town.  She seemed glad to have company for a change.

Easter Cantata

Linda and I had a wonderful experience the evening of Saturday, April 7.  We both sang in an Easter Catata titled "We Stand All Amazed", by Sally DeFord.  The event was sponsored by the LDS Church in Montpelier, Idaho and was held in the Montpelier Tabernacle, under the direction of Neil Harris, and with piano accompaniment by his wife Shirley.  Members of all churches in the area were invited to participate, and I represented the Bear Lake Community Presbyterian Church.  98 people performed, which is huge participation for our little valley.  We had practiced this challenging, beautiful music since January, and Neil and Shirley did an amazing job perfecting the presentation.  The music told the story of the last week in the life of Jesus Christ and the resurrection, and it was so emotionally charged that it was difficult to concentrate on singing.  We often saw people in tears in the audience.

PHOTO BY BRUCE GRAYUM



The presentation included several soloists, two flutes, three violins, and a pipe organ in addition to the piano, narrator, and conductor.  I think this powerful music will be remembered here for a long time, and the event should promote unity with the various religions in the Bear Lake Valley.  We were proud to be a part of this, and it will be one of the highlights of the year for us.

Fall Creek Falls

The snow and ice has disappeared early this year, but the countryside hasn't started to green up yet along the Snake River near Swan Valley, Idaho.

Just a couple of miles off the main road, Fall Creek drops off a cliff into the Snake River.  Fishermen have the best view as they drift down the Snake in their fishing boats.

Anywhere else, these falls would be a tourist attraction with trails, guard rails, parking lots, and souvenirs.  They are totally undeveloped.  There are no signs to help you find the place, and you need to be careful around the unprotected cliff edge.

The view from the cliff is largely obscured by brush and trees, so it takes some effort around the top of the cliff to get a decent photo.  Morning light would probably be best to photograph spectacular Fall Creek Falls.

Mountain Goats

Mountain goats are often seen in the Snake River Canyon near Alpine, Wyoming.  It isn't unusual to see a few fairly close to the road in winter, but when we were there, they were a long way up the mountain.

Several members of our Sharp Shooters Camera Club have taken beautiful close-up photos of these interesting animals, but I wasn't so lucky.  However, I was extremely fortunate to see a huge herd of over 75 goats grazing their way across the mountain.  The snow had just about melted, so I suppose they were taking advantage of the bare ground to find food.

The herd was scattered over a wide area and was gone in about a half hour.  This huge herd was probably a nursery group of nannies (females) and kids.  The billies (males) usually form much smaller groups and keep to themselves.  These photos show just a small part of the widely scattered herd.  As the weather warms up they will head for higher elevations and won't be seen again until next winter.         

Cattle Ranch Sleigh

Much of the ranch work in the Bear Lake Valley is still done with horse-drawn equipment.

I visited the Hulme Ranch to photograph cows being fed from horse-drawn sleighs.  Chad Hulme drove one of the two sleighs.

The sleighs are used in winter to travel over snow and ice.



A farm dog, Mollie, watches Chad bring in his sleigh for a load of hay bales.

It was a gorgeous morning with no wind and temperatures in the twenties. Perfect for photography.


Jon Peterson drove the second sleigh.

I hitched a ride and was amazed at how well the horses were trained.  Jon could tie the reins to the post in the foreground and control the horses with verbal commands.  Photography was fairly difficult because of the lack of room on the sleigh and a rough ride on the frozen ground.

The big hay bales are sliced into slabs 6 or 8 inches thick by the baler before they are tied into blocks.  When the sleigh gets to the cows the twine is cut and slabs of hay are pushed off to form a long line of feed.

Mollie loves being with John on the sleigh and keeps a really close eye on the cows.  My thanks go to Jim Parker for inviting me on this shoot, Chad Hulme for letting me photograph work on his ranch, and Jon Peterson for putting up with us photographers.

Fire Dance in the Snow

Linda and I watched a Tongan fire dance in the snow last night.


A large number of people crowded the beautiful home of Dr.Charles and Elaine Merrell to have dinner and watch Elder Fotu demonstrate a dance typical of his culture in Tonga.


Elder Fotu is a Mormon missionary assigned to Montpelier, Idaho and the surrounding area.  The Merrell's invited community members of various faiths and backgrounds for a wonderful evening of friendship.

1/8 second, f4.5, ISO 400 

Elaine Merrell had showed us some beautiful photos she had taken of a fire dance, so we were eager to see Elder Fotu perform.

He was certainly not used to the cold of our mountain city, but was a good sport and thrilled us all with a spectacular show.  He was standing in a snow bank, there were light snow flurries, and the temperature was in the 20's. We didn't have much time for photos because the dance lasted just a few minutes.  It took a tremendous amount of energy and was very tiring for the performer.

His remarkable performance included fire eating.


1/45 second, f4.5, ISO 1600


                 1/30 second, f5.6, ISO 1600

I tried several techniques in the short time we had for photos, and was glad I brought a flashlight so I could change camera settings.  Flash lit up snowflakes and they looked like bright spots in images.  I like the yellow glow from the fire better than the white light of the flash and have not included any flash images in this post.  ISO settings higher than 1600 improved detail in his face but produced more noise than I liked.  Next time I will try a slower shutter speed to produce a more abstract blur of fire.

Linda and I want to thank Elder Fotu for introducing us to one part of his culture.  We enjoyed meeting him. We also thank the Merrell's for a wonderful, unique evening.

Cisco Beach Wave Ice

Bear Lake went through huge changes over the past year when the water level rose at a record pace and reached capacity for the first time in many years.  Trees and other plants that had been growing on the dry lake bed for years started to die off as they became submerged.

Many of these trees were just off-shore at Cisco Beach on the east side of the lake in Utah.  Waves that often keep the lake from freezing splashed against the dying trees and formed unique ice shapes.

Sometimes the splashing water ran down the trees and formed bell-shaped ice formations.



Photography was a challenge here.  Strong wind, freezing temperatures, and icy uneven footing made it an interesting day.  I plan to go back again soon!


Bear Lake is located half in Idaho and half in Utah.  Our home is 20 miles north of the lake in Montpelier, Idaho



Millions of shoreline bullrushes also died when the water rose.  These reeds washed ashore and were hit by the freezing waves.



Encased in ice.  Nature's beauty can even be found in dying plants in freezing weather.