Snake River waterfalls

The winter / spring 2011 water season is the wettest since we moved to Idaho.  Here in the Bear Lake Valley our precipitation is 151% of normal.  That means that the waterfalls along the Snake River will be blasting until the flow is decreased when the water is diverted for irrigation.  Linda and I drove to Twin Falls on Friday to explore the area, and on Saturday morning photographed Perrine Coulee waterfall and the only survivor of the original Twin Falls.  Then we met camera club friends Dave and Lynette Bower for lunch and together explored fabulous Shoshone Falls.

                                    
                                                
Perrine Coulee Falls drops 197 feet over the rim of the Snake River Canyon at Centennial Park.  The park is one of the few places in the area where you can drive into the canyon to the river.

The city of Twin Falls was named for similar "twin" waterfalls.  One was destroyed when the Snake River was dammed for a hydroelectric plant in 1935.

The surviving Twin Fall roars through a basalt slot in the Snake River Canyon.  In a dry year, or when the river is diverted for irrigation, its spectacular 125 foot drop will be reduced to a trickle.

SHOSHONE FALLS

The crown jewel of waterfalls in the Twin Falls area is spectacular Shoshone Falls.  Don't miss the chance to see it during a wet spring, but if you wait too long it will be a disappointment.  When this photo was taken it was flowing at the rate of 9200 cubic feet of water per second!

This waterfall is 212 feet high which is higher than Niagara Falls.  There are great viewpoints from a city park, but protect your camera gear because everything will get wet from the spray.  The falls produce beautiful rainbows on sunny afternoons as seen from this more distant viewpoint.

Spring Transition

A change is coming to the Idaho high country.  Spring, also known as mud season, is starting in the Bear Lake Valley and the surrounding high country.  We have had a lot of snow and when it melts we put up with mud until the run-off subsides.

Just a few days ago the hills east of Montpelier still had snow, and I photographed this small herd of elk from our deck.  Now most of the snow is gone and the elk have left for the back country.

A young moose in neighboring Star Valley, Wyoming was content to rest in willows near the Salt River and let us take pictures.  Once in a while she nibbled a twig as we watched.

As the snow melts and bare ground appears, migrating sandhill cranes and Canada Geese look for food in fields where cattle are being fed.  These were seen between Montpelier and Ovid, Idaho.

Photographers, grab a long lens and come to the Bear Lake Valley to look for wildlife!

The winter of 2011

The east has gotten all the publicity for their big winter storms this year, but the west has also had a lot of snow.  So far, no really big storms, but a steady accumulation has made life interesting.  We got 33 inches of snow in February in a series of storms that blasted the Bear Lake Valley.

We went to the historic downtown area of Montpelier during a break in the daily snowstorm. Snow must be plowed to the middle of the street where it is stacked until it can be hauled away.

Of course you need to dig out your car before your trip downtown.

We drove north about five miles where the beauty and history of the valley appeared in Bennington, at the Mose Wright cabin.  Imagine raising 12 children in this tiny cabin in snowy conditions like this?  Mose Wright was my wife's great grandfather, a Pony Express rider, and Idaho state legislator.

Winter Wildlife

This has been a cold, snowy winter in the Bear Lake area.  Winters like this tend to drive the wildlife out of the hills to lower ground where food is easier to find.  We have had deer in our back yard eating our shrubs, and twice moose have spent time in town.  There have been plenty of opportunities for wildlife photos.

This bald eagle gave me the evil eye from a tree near Laketown, Utah.  I photographed an eagle just one tree away from this one a year ago.  Could it be the same bird?

A Mountain Cottontail at Cisco Beach didn't seem too concerned as he tried to keep a bush between us, and I finally got a few shots before he left.

Mule deer are everywhere, like this four point buck near Pegram, Idaho

Swans and ducks seem suspended in the mist of a warm farm pond in Round Valley.

People around here don't always sit at home with their feet to the fire during winter.

  Grab your camera and come to Bear Lake!

Go Jump In The Lake!

Linda and I photographed the second annual Bear Lake Polar Plunge on January 12th.  Dozens of people lined up for the chance to jump into Bear Lake at the Garden City Marina in Utah to raise money for Primary Children's Medical Center.

The water was nearly freezing temperature, and jumpers needed to dodge the floating chunks of ice.

A costume contest added to the fun.

Most people decided to get out of the water quickly.

Chariot race photos

Chariot races in Wyoming?  Every January chariot races are held in Afton, Wyoming on Saturday afternoons.  The races are a straight line sprint using two horses pulling a home-made chariot down a dirt track plowed out of the snow.  We always enjoy our 50 mile trips to Afton and have a regular routine with stops at Rocky Mountain Seafood, Alan's Photo Store, and Dog Eared Books.



These photos were taken on a warm day during a rare January thaw, creating a muddy track that made for interesting photos.



Notice the horse on the right with all four feet off the ground!

Each race takes about 23 seconds.  A fairly slow shutter speed blurs the background and emphasizes the speed.

Rookie blogger

This is my first attempt at blogging.  My wife, Linda, just had foot surgery so we are tied to the house for awhile.  So, it is a great time to experiment with a new project.  This blog will be primarily about photography.  Linda and I met at a camera club in California, the Alameda Photographic Society.  After moving to Montpelier, Idaho we started the Sharp Shooters Camera Club and started displaying our photos on-line as http://www.hisandhersphoto.com/.  Montpelier is in the beautiful Bear Lake Valley in southeastern Idaho, and it is a photographers paradise for anyone who loves the outdoors.  I hope to show a photo or two here whenever we go out on a shoot, and also post some of the activities from our camera club.  We love to explore the west to photograph out-of-the-way places, wildlife, ghost towns, and more.