Hummingbird

Hummingbirds are so small and fast. In order to get good photo opportunities of them, you have to be in a place they will come to and wait patiently. And wait for it... and wait for the right shot. It could take a while and multiple shots before you "the one".

It turns out that, while camping, there was a hummingbird nest inside our camp. I did not have to go far to get some shots of the mother and her eggs. I believe the type of hummingbird is Anna's Hummingbird (Calypte Anna)

The following are photos taken over two days of patiently waiting and listening for the sound of this tiny bomber and her chirps.

Swallowtail Butterfly

How many times have you seen a butterfly and wanted it to land on your finger? It would be cool, and I have thought of it from time to time. Butterflies are marvelous creatures that are beautiful and delicate. 

During a recent family camping trip I found a Swallowtail butterfly that had been hit by a truck. It was in the middle of the road. I went and picked it up and found that it was unable to fly and that its tail wing had been trashed. I took some photos because I had a subject that was not going to "flutterby"before I got a chance to pull my camera out. 

The butterfly did not seem scared and it would crawl all over you, including your face, if you gave it the chance. I did give it that chance and so did my wife. We both learned that a butterfly crawling on your face tickles.

We did let the grounded "flutterby" go in a bunch of wild flowers. 

Horseshoe Canyon, Idaho - Near the Town of Sam

8 photo Panorama. Mt Manning and Horseshoe Creek area seen from Horseshoe Canyon

Not many people know about the town of Sam, Idaho. It was a coal mining town back in the day up Horseshoe Canyon. The canyon is west of Driggs, Idaho. 

When you drive up the canyon you should be able to tell that the road has a smooth constant incline for the most part. This is because the road used to be the railroad track. The train would go up the canyon to load up on coal. Where the line ended there was once a bridge across part of the canyon, so the train could turn around to go back down the canyon.

Around the town of Sam there were many mines. I know this because my wife's grandfather grew up in the canyon and he showed me where many of the mines used to be. He also told me about the railroad track turned into road and many other little treasures. It was in this area that he raised a porcupine as a pet from when it was a baby. It is also the area where his brother sat on a different porcupine one night in the outhouse. There are many stories I have heard and countless others that happened. It is amazing how some of the places in the area got their names.

Horseshoe Canyon is a lovely beautiful place. You get a great view of the Tetons and enjoy the beauty of the area. I highly suggest seeing the area but just know the road is narrow.

24 photo Panorama. Mt Manning and Horseshoe Creek area seen from Horseshoe Canyon

looking west from Horseshoe Canyon at sunset.

 photo Panorama. Mt Manning and Horseshoe Creek area seen from Horseshoe Canyon at sunset.

The Teton Mountains seen from Horseshoe Canyon at dusk

The Teton Mountains seen from Horseshoe Canyon at dusk.

 photo Panorama. Mt Manning and Horseshoe Creek area seen from Horseshoe Canyon at dusk.

Colorful campfire flames.

Quaky (Quaking) Aspen at night.

Hummingbird carving in dead tree.

Salt Lake Valley Panorama

This is a 32 photo panorama of the Salt Lake Valley in Utah. It is taken from the bench of the mountain  east of Red Butte Gardens. It was quite the view and It was no a long hike to get to this point. Lovely.

Salt Lake City and Salt Lake Valley from Wasatch Front looking West. Taken near Red Butte Gardens. In the distance the Great Salt Lake Can be see as well as the Oquirrh Mountains. This panorama is a composite of 32 photos.

I was up taking a little hike after a day at work and The view was quite nice. The clouds were beautiful and you could not ask for better weather. The only down side is that I found the only little cactus on the mountain while I was trying to get into position to get this shot. I found it in my leg and shoe. Cactus in not fun to take our of your flesh. But the good news is I was able to take this panorama!

So when you go out hiking remember to be prepared with water, good shoes, bug spray, etc... and pants unless you have the guts to pull barbs out of your flesh when they do not want to come out.

Oquirrh Mountain Utah Temple

13 months ago I took some photos of the Oquirrh Mountain Temple in Daybreak, South Jordan, Utah. Here is a ten photo panorama from that occasion. It really is a lovely temple. It encouraging to see a bit of light standing out among darkness. There are the lights of the city be you better see that those lights are dim when you see a temple all lit up. I'm sure a host of analogies could be made. It must be admitted that the buildings are beautiful. They truly are.

Coeur d'Alene, Idaho - Beach, Park, Food

Coeur d'Alene, Idaho is one of those places I have fallen in love with because of its beauty. Trees abound and there is plenty of water. We passed through mostly but we found a few treasures to see and experience.

A Little Girl's Red Radio Flyer - Coeur d'Alene City Park, Coeur d'Alene, Idaho

Coeur d'Alene is on the edge of Lake Coeur d'Alene. The city goes right to the waters edge. The lake is great for boating and is actually a great way to get around in the area. Lake Coeur d'Alene extends close to 20 miles to the south. The lake is beautiful and just calling for recreational enthusiasts. Coeur d'Alene also resides near Coeur d'Alene National Forest. The trees grow closely side by side. Once you visit you will want to live there. Granted I did visit in the summer.

Light Coming Through Trees - Coeur d'Alene City Park, Coeur d'Alene, Idaho

Down by the water front there is City Park. The park is in between a beach on the lake and Memorial Field, a baseball field with an old-time feel. The park has huge - no... giant - trees. The trees are tall and have thick trunks. It also has one of the best play areas I have ever seen. It has multiple themes in it. One part my wife liked. It had the mask symbols for theatre and drama. It is a place where you could have your own little puppet show! Almost the whole playground is made out of wood. It is beautiful and adults would find themselves wanting to be a child again. I saw some who couldn't help themselves and had to get in touch with the child inside.

We did see a little girl riding her little red Radio Flyer tricycle in her sun dress. She rode her bike while her father walked along side. She parked the bike so she could go play in imagination made of wood. The bike looked so nice where it was that I had to go take photos of it.

14 photo panorama - Lake Coeur d'Alene Beach, Coeur d'Alene City Park and Beach, Coeur d'Alene, Idaho

After the park, beach, and water front we decided to get something to eat. We looked around downtown Coeur d'Alene but nothing seemed to be what we wanted. There were many places to eat and there were many people in all of them. After failing to find a place we drove around looking for a different place. We finally found a great place called Pepe Caldo Pizzeria on 1606 North 4th Street in Coeur d'Alene. It is a small business and they make pizza, pasta, salads and more! We ordered two calzones and took a seat and played some games while we waited. The whole place was being run by one woman at the time. When we arrived we were the only people but the place had a more people come in while we were waiting for the calzones. The people all seemed to know each other. It was a nice small town feel. After a bit of a wait, which was more than worth it, we got our delicious golden Calzones. The Calzones were huge! HUGE! They were also delicious. DELICIOUS!

Two huge mouthwatering calzones from Pepe Caldo Pizzeria in Coeur d'Alene

We had to be back on the road and after the long day we left late. We ate the calzones in the car and we took a quick photo before we feasted on the delicious food. Writing about it makes my mouth water. We will need to go back just to eat there.

In short I highly suggest to go visit, play and eat in Coeur d'Alene.

Enjoy the rest of the photos from our short stay in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho

19 photo panorama - Coeur d'Alene City Park, Coeur d'Alene, Idaho

A curious squirrel in the Coeur d'Alene City Park

My lovely wife displaying a large and tall evergreen tree in the Coeur d'Alene City Park

Theatre/Drama masks from the puppet show "stage" at the Coeur d'Alene City Park

Puppet show "stage" at the Coeur d'Alene City Park

Radio Flyer tricycle - taken in the Coeur d'Alene City Park

Radio Flyer tricycle - taken in the Coeur d'Alene City Park

Radio Flyer tricycle - taken in the Coeur d'Alene City Park

Radio Flyer tricycle - taken in the Coeur d'Alene City Park

Radio Flyer tricycle - taken in the Coeur d'Alene City Park

Radio Flyer tricycle - taken in the Coeur d'Alene City Park

Lake McDonald and leaving Glacier

Having little time to go through Glacier National Park makes it hard to show everything I saw. For  the time spent I saw a lot. It is one of my most favorite National Parks that I have ever been to. It will be on my list for visiting again.

These remaining images are while heading out of the West side of Glacier National Park. You get to see a tree on a cliff right above the road. There is McDonald Creek and Lake McDonald. There are also some photos of some scenery as we headed to I-90 on our way to Coeur d'Alene.