Grand Tetons From The West

When we think of the beautiful Grand Teton Mountains, most of us remember views we have seen from the eastern side, looking west from Jackson Hole or Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming.  Linda and I decided to visit the Teton Valley in Idaho, on the western side of the mountains.  We planned to get there by driving through Star Valley and Swan Valley, Wyoming, but a big spring snowstorm changed our mind about crossing the high mountain passes.  Instead, we drove an extra 100 miles around the storm to Rexburg, and arrived from the west.

The storm was clearing as we entered the Teton Valley on Highway 33 and stopped at the Teton River.  This view shows the small city of Tetonia in the distance with the magnificent Grand Teton mountains as a backdrop.  This photo is an HDR image created from three photos, one properly exposed, and the others two stops over and underexposed.

The Teton Valley is on the Idaho / Wyoming border.  After settling in to a beautiful log cabin in Driggs, Idaho, we drove west across the Wyoming border past the small town of Alta.  At this high elevation, the trees were just starting to leaf out in the middle of May.  The air was remarkably clear after the storm passed through, and we were lucky to find this gorgeous view at the John O. Sessions Overlook.  Later, we were told that days this clear are extremely rare.

We spent several days exploring the area, and at the end of our trip looked for another view of the mountains.  The Teton Valley used to be entirely agricultural, but now houses are scattered everywhere and it is rapidly losing its rural look.  We searched back roads for a country view of the mountains, and finally found this farm north of Driggs near the Idaho / Wyoming border.  I think it is in Idaho.  There was a pretty good sky and the shadows on the Tetons gave them a very different look compared to the previous sunlit view.
There is a lot to see in the Teton Valley area.  I don't think it will ever become another Jackson Hole, but it is changing fast, so if you want to see it, I suggest visiting there soon.

Groundbreaking at Bear Lake Memorial Hospital

We are a long way from a big city hospital here in Montpelier, Idaho, so our small rural hospital is an important part of our community.  Fortunately, it is an excellent hospital with great doctors and a community spirit.  But, the patient rooms are 50 years old and have two beds per room.  Two million dollars had to be raised in order to upgrade the rooms, which seemed like an impossible task for a city with just 2600 people in a county with a population of just 6000.  We did it, and the groundbreaking was held on April 3, 2014.  This may not be a great photo opportunity, but it is such an important event for the community that I had to share it.  Hospital administrator, Rod Jacobson welcomed a large crowd, told about the vision and fund raising efforts, and thanked contributors.

The variety of activities used to raise money was amazing, including recycling abandoned cars (rust to rooms), raffling a restored Volkswagen donated by Patricia Talcott, and Auxiliary volunteers earning money at a Thrift Store, annual snowball dance, and more.

Three large checks were presented for $200,000 by the Hospital Auxiliary, $200,000 from hospital employees, and $1,400,000 from individual donations, including one of $500,000 from Ted and Liz Schmidt.

Several groups took turns breaking ground, starting with hospital board members and officials.

The hospital Auxiliary took a turn.  My wife, Linda is fourth from the left.

Photographically, this isn't the most interesting post, but as an important local event and a source of community pride, it is hard to beat.

Winter in Bear Lake Valley, Idaho - 2014

On January 18th I posted photos of the amazing hoar frost we had here in the valley this winter.  This was an exceptionally beautiful winter in the Idaho end of the valley, so now that spring has arrived, I thought I would post a few scenic photos from winter days that didn't have that gorgeous frost.

The Rearing Pond in Montpelier Canyon is a favorite photo stop, but I don't think it ever looked better than on this day.

Conditions could be harsh, and this scene on the edge of Montpelier was a challenge because of strong winds and blowing snow.

One morning in late winter I saw these low clouds and hurried down the street to this abandoned house.  I think it was a great subject for a black and white photo.

The Bear River between Georgetown and Nounan was beautiful when the ice started to melt and the transition to spring started.  Most people are ready for spring, but I will miss the clean beauty of winter in the Bear Lake Valley.

Artist Point, Yellowstone

The Sharp Shooters Camera Club had a field trip on February 8, 2014 to Yellowstone National Park.  We reserved a snowcoach and left from West Yellowstone, Montana on a snowy day.  The snowcoach took us along the Madison River and across the park to the Canyon area where one of the stops was at Artist Point.  The driver was worried that we wouldn't be able to see much because of the storm, but the snow eased up when we arrived at the Canyon.

Artist Point was thought to be the location where Thomas Moran created a famous painting in 1872.  It was named by park photographer F. Jay Haynes about 1883 and the name stuck, even though the painting was actually done at Moran Point.

Our view was straight down the magnificent Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone toward Lower Falls, which were about a mile away.  The wind was blowing hard, and photography was difficult with snow blowing toward the camera.

Notice the yellow color of some of the cliffs that gave the park its name.

As we zoom in closer, the Yellowstone River and Lower Falls become easier to see.

Finally, the third photo shows a closeup view of the 308 foot falls, which were partially frozen.  An inverted V of water along the left edge drops down to a huge mound of snow and ice at the base of the falls.

The trail back to our snowcoach was a snow-covered uphill walk along the canyon wall.  It was interesting to look down on the rocks and trees in the deep snow.  This tree was the only one to survive the steep cliff and snowdrifts in one area.

If you don't mind a little cold and snow, a snowcoach tour is a great way to see Yellowstone.

Hoar Frost In The Bear Lake Valley

The Bear Lake Valley has a few days each winter when hoarfrost turns surfaces brilliant white.

Frost requires a good source of moisture, like the fog seen behind this tree, and when the moisture condenses directly to ice, frost is created.

As the frost grows larger, it becomes hoarfrost, and it can cling to nearly everything, creating masses of delicate white crystals.

There were several very foggy, cold days this January, resulting in beautiful scenes like this country lane in Montpelier, Idaho.

This is the same tree as the previous photo, taken after the fog cleared, with Old Baldy mountain in the background.  As long as the air temperature is low and there is no wind, hoarfrost can stay for days.

Simple objects like this barbed wire are transformed by a thick coat of hoarfrost.  These photos were taken in temperatures ranging from about -7 to +20 F.  All were taken in early morning before the sun and wind could destroy their delicate beauty.





Arches National Park, Utah

This is a flashback to a trip Linda and I took to southeastern Utah last October.  We were exploring the red rock country from the Green River area to Monument Valley in northern Arizona.  One evening we drove into Arches National Park to photograph the late light.  Arches is located near Moab, which is the perfect place to stay to explore several state and national parks.

It is nearly impossible to find unique photos in Arches National Park.  The place is so beautiful that I can't imagine how many photos have been taken there.  After entering the park, there is a steep hill to ascend, followed by this magnificent sandstone ridge called Park Avenue.  As the sun descended in the west, shadows from another ridge were outlined on the huge formations of Park Avenue.

Continuing on, we soon came to Balanced Rock, another site that has been photographed thousands of times.  As the sun continued to drop in the west, the rock took on a bright glow.  Pretty, but what could be done to make it different from the average tourist photo?  I decided to fill the sky with this rugged old tree as a companion to the beautiful red rock.

We really weren't very far into the park when we turned down a side road to the Windows area.  The scene was changing fast as the sun nearly touched the horizon.  When I got to North Window there was a crowd there watching the moonrise through the arch.  Just a couple of years earlier, I had the good fortune to photograph a sunset here when I had the view to myself.  Anyway, I kind of like having people in the picture to add human interest and scale.  By now, the very low sun had turned the reddish brown rock a glowing orange-red.

Just a few minutes later the glow was gone.  I turned and looked toward the west in time to see the sun disappear, giving me a quick silhouette of Turret Arch to photograph.  Magnificent!

I barely scratched the surface of all there is to see in Arches National Park.  The road goes on for miles past several more arches, and there are trails to many more.  I've learned from experience that this is one place where early or late light is the only way to go for most images.

Firefighter Training, Montpelier, Idaho

I noticed smoke coming from a red metal box in a vacant lot near the edge of town and stopped to see what was going on.

Volunteer firefighters from the Montpelier Fire Department were training in a flashover box.  Sensors showed that the temperature inside was 298 F, while outside it was below freezing with light snow.

A fire was started inside the box and controlled by opening and closing vents.  Notice the fire hose going into the box through a hole on the right.  The men entered the box in full safety gear and learned how to read the behavior of the fire and smoke.  Once in awhile I would hear an alarm go off that meant someone had run out of air, and they would leave the box.

Other fire agencies were invited to participate, and several were there.  These guys are volunteers, and I am amazed at what they do to protect the community.  I want to thank them for allowing me to hang around and take pictures.