Winter Fog

This has been a cold foggy winter with some hoarfrost and beautiful soft light.  I showcased hoarfrost in my January 28, 2014 post, so this time I will show a few photos of the fog that creates the frost.

December 21, 2019 started out as a very foggy morning here in Montpelier, Idaho.  It was just 10 degrees (F), so I had to psych myself up to grab my camera, bundle up, and go outside before the sun appeared over the eastern hills.

I didn’t have to go far.  The cemetery and adjacent golf course are nearby where the fog was rolling in.  The sun barely appeared through the fog over the snowed-in golf course.

Naturally fog and a cemetery work well together to create an eerie atmosphere.  The subdued light and extreme cold tend to create blue light.  I converted some of these images to black and white to present more neutral tones.

There are fields on the north side of the cemetery where this fence and the irrigation lines in the first photo seemed to stretch into infinity.

Here are some tips for taking photos in these cold damp conditions.  Batteries die in the cold so I keep one in an inside pocket or in my fairly warm truck.  Don’t keep your vehicle too warm because cold lenses will fog up when you get in out of the cold.  Try not to change lenses or your cold camera mirror can fog up.  Fingers get painfully cold in a hurry so I use warm mittens with fold-off finger covers.  I hope this helps your winter photo adventures.

Please respect my copyright and do not use my photos for any purpose without permission, and probably a small payment.

White-faced Ibis

Bear Lake National Wildlife Refuge in southeast Idaho is home to about 5000 white-faced ibis in the spring.  The birds breed in colonies in the bulrushes, and the refuge has one of the largest nesting colonies.

Just outside the refuge I came across lots of birds flying in and landing in the deep grass of a hay field.  They eat aquatic insects, earthworms, larvae, and so on, and often find food in damp soil.  I’m not sure why they were gathering in this field.

It was fun watching them glide in and disappear after they landed.  They just kept coming, and every once in awhile a few would poke their heads up to see what I was doing.

I have no idea how many were hiding there, but they tend to congregate in huge colonies.  I was lucky to be able to watch these interesting birds.

Please remember to ask for permission to use my copyrighted photos.  They are available for a small fee.

Ant Basin, Idaho

The Bear Lake Valley is bordered by National Forests on two sides.  Recently my friend, Jim Parker showed me some high country on the west side of the valley that was new to me.  Since then, I drove back to the same area with my wife, Linda, and again with another friend, Bruce Grayum.

My favorite location on this drive is a ridge in the Ant Basin area (Caribou County).  It is an open T shaped rocky knob with an amazing view toward the next valley to the west.  There were thousands of Indian paintbrush in bloom; hundreds of times more than I have seen anywhere else.  I believe that the eroding rock of the mountaintop created soil that must be ideal for paintbrush.

There were plenty of other wildflowers too, like this lupine.  All of these photos were taken in a small area at the top of the T.  On the third visit I intended to shoot more on a flower covered hillside at one end of the T, but the paintbrush were fading and a thunderstorm chased us away.

Most of the paintbrush were orange or red, but I did find one sulphur paintbrush.

This shows how the flowers were growing in pockets of soil between the rocks.

The roads to Ant Basin are dirt and rock, with some mud after rainstorms.  They are narrow and steep in places, and the climb is about 2300 feet above the Bear Lake Valley.  The rocky knob is not a good place to be in a thunderstorm.

The Indian paintbrush were a wonderful backdrop for other flowers like these lupine.

We saw a variety of wildflowers along the roads as well, and they changed with the elevation.  There was also wildlife including deer, hawks, and one uncooperative weasel.

I haven’t explored anywhere near all the roads in our nearby National Forests.  I need to get out more.

Please note that my photos are copyrighted and should not be used without permission.

Greater Sage-Grouse

Jim Parker has been responsible for some of my best adventures in the Bear Lake Valley, Idaho area, and this one is near the top of my list.  Every spring the greater sage-grouse gather together and put on a courtship display in areas called leks.  These are relatively clear areas in the sagebrush where groups of males can do their best to attract the females.  The lek locations are not publicized to avoid conflicts with people.

Jim is really good at tracking down interesting things to photograph.  He picked me up at 6:15 AM and we drove to an area where he had seen grouse the previous day.  It was well before sunrise when we got there, and there were no grouse.  An hour or so later, the sun came up and we saw a few in the distance.  They were easy to see because of their bright white collars.  Jim put his truck in 4wd to drive across country where we found a lek with dozens of male sage-grouse.

The males put on a wonderful display, fanning their tails, strutting, and inflating air sacs in their chests.  Sometimes their heads almost disappeared into their feathers because the air sacs were so big.  They deflate these sacs with an audible POP, which I suppose is meant to be irresistible to the hens.

We were very close to the action, but most of the males didn’t seem to care and continued with their displays, but the females kept their distance.  After a half hour of watching and taking pictures we left, and we hope that the cautious hens came to the lek in response to these remarkable displays.  Just one or two dominant males will mate with all the females, so presenting an impressive display is really important.

The greater sage-grouse was considered for placement on the endangered species list, but that would have had a big impact on ranching, oil and gas exploration, etc.  An effort to improve sagebrush habitat had a positive impact on sage-grouse survival and avoided placement on the list, at least for now.

Please note that my photos are copyrighted and must not be used without my permission.

Eagle Nest

Bald eagles are fairly common here in the Bear Lake Valley, but they usually disappear after the snow melts.  But, for the first time, I found a nest in a dead tree.

I got permission to access the private property where this is located, and learned from the land owner that the nest has been occupied for at least three years.  The eagles turned out to be fairly tolerant of photographers, and would occasionally stay on the nest, but more often would leave.

Would the eagles raise a family this year?  On my fifth visit I saw just one eagle, but she landed on the nest as if sitting on eggs, so I was hopeful.  It was interesting watching her land.  She flew in low and fast then soared straight up and stalled over the nest where she could settle down easily.

Today, on my sixth visit, there was just one eagle, and I think the other has gone away.  This one perched on the branch instead of the nest.  She flew away and returned in a few minutes with a small kill, but ate it on the back side of the tree where I couldn't get photos.  She made no effort to sit on the nest or share food, so I don't think there are any eggs.  Perhaps a recent storm with 65 mph winds ended their nesting for this year.  I look forward to checking next year to see if they return.

All photos are copyrighted and must not be used without permission.

Bear Lake Valley Fog

Every winter, there is a week or so of heavy fog in the Bear Lake Valley.  If the temperatures are cold enough we are treated to a display of hoarfrost on the trees and fences.  Some years, the temperatures stay low enough to allow the frost to build up over several days to amazing thickness, as I showed in this 2014 post:
http://rosswalkerphotos.blogspot.com/2014/01/hoarfrost-in-bear-lake-valley.html

So far, this year has been a little different because the temperatures have warmed up enough in most places for the frost to melt in the afternoon.  So, every night a thin layer of frost starts to accumulate in the fog over again, but we haven’t had the very thick hoarfrost like last year.

But the fog is still beautiful, and a challenge to photograph.  My autofocus had difficulty with many scenes because objects are so indistinct.  Setting the camera on a single spot focus helped when I placed the sensor on the most distinct area I could find.

I walked around the edge of the golf course in Montpelier, Idaho, then a little way up a steep hill in fairly deep snow, and had the place to myself.  There was more frost here than in some other places, perhaps because the hill blocked the sun quite a while.

Later, Linda and I went out for a ride, looking for more fog scenes, and enjoyed this barn in Bloomington, Idaho.  The fog helped clean up the background clutter, and added some nice frost to the tree.

These big fog events can totally fill the valley with fog, and I had never seen it from above the clouds, so we drove to Garden City, Utah where we could find an overlook.  I wanted to go on an old abandoned road that has a great view, but it has been blocked off, so instead hiked along a ridge in fairly deep snow to get this view.  It is hard to believe that big, beautiful Bear Lake is buried in those clouds.  It was fun to see the valley from a new perspective.

These photos are all copyrighted.  Please do not use them without my permission.

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.

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.





Flying Over Bear Lake Valley

Every year the LOTOJA bicycle race passes through the Bear Lake Valley.  It is the longest sanctioned one day bicycle race in the country, and it goes from LOgan, Utah TO JAckson, Wyoming - 206 miles.  I was invited by a friend, Jim Parker, to photograph the event from the air, and he asked Rodger Sorensen if he would give us a ride.  Rodger brought his 1979 Maule four seater from Soda Springs to Bear Lake County Airport.  It was great.  No TSA, check-in lines, tickets, baggage, or hassles.  The first thing they did was take off the door so I could get a better view!  I had the back seat next to the non-existent door, and Jim sat up front with a small porthole to shoot through.

The weather was heavily overcast so the light wasn't too great.  I set the camera for a high ISO, opened the aperture all the way, checked my seat belt, and started shooting.  We found the racers on the highway from Emigration Canyon to Montpelier and got a few photos.

There is so much to see from up there.  Rodger took us as far as Copenhagen Basin summit, then turned back toward the valley.  The ride was incredibly smooth and he gave us a steady platform for photographing scenes like this farm.

We flew over the valley and continued east over the Preuss Range to the Geneva, Idaho area, then turned south toward Bear River.  The fields, creeks, river, and irrigation ditches made wonderful geometric patterns.

Near Pegram, we passed a train as it went under some power lines.  I thought the towers added an interesting perspective for the view from above, and the sun came out for a moment.

We flew over this beautiful green field with its single red tractor.  I could show you a lot more, but we returned to Bear Lake Airport.

After a perfect landing, Jim and Rodger replaced the back door and posed for a photo before Rodger took off for the return trip to Soda Springs.

What a great experience.  Thank you, Rodger and Jim for a wonderful morning and a smooth flight.  I would fly with these guys anytime.

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.

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.