Mesa Falls, Henry's Fork, Snake River, Idaho

Cyndi and I took a detour to view Lower Mesa Falls on the Henry's Fork of the Snake River on our way to Yellowstone National Park.  How very awesome.

Above is Lower Mesa Falls.

Fireweed Chamerion angustifolium

I call this one, "I love my iPhone."  Both Cyndi and I got iPhones on a shared plan, and Cyndi often claims to hate it, and says it is very expensive (which it was).  But she's often seen holding it up to scan the scenery, and I'm often caught talking to mine.

I'm not trying to do some product placement here, and have not had the chance to try out the competing products.  I'm just saying, to see us becoming one with our technology is an interesting journey and raises a lot of questions.

I needed a cell phone with pager capability for work.  That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

You can really begin to get an idea of how big this waterfall is when you view the image below full size by clicking on it, and see that there's a second observation deck beyond the first, one that is right at the top of Upper Mesa Falls.

The cascade is about 200 feet wide, and the vertical drop is 114 feet.

Halverson Lake

On my day off Cyndi and I traveled down to the Snake River Canyon and walked the short trail to Halverson Lake. This is a photo of the lake, on a bench at a bend in the Snake River. The Snake River is over at the base of that far hillside.

The sun was low on the horizon and many insects were flying in the warm spring air as new green buds swelled in preparation for springtime blooms.

Sagebrush was mixed in with the dry grasses and large boulders.

On the way back we saw this Loggerhead Shrike, and we also enjoyed the songs of a Rock Wren and multiple Canyon Wrens.

Arriving at the car by the Snake River right around sunset, we were surprised to see this Muskrat on our side of the river. It's about two feet from nose to tip of the wiry tail, much larger than I thought those things were ... but how would I know since I've never seen one until now.

Birds of Prey National Conservation Area

Southwest Idaho has one of the highest concentrations of nesting raptors in North America. The Snake River plain is habitat for rodents that the raptors prey upon. With springtime weather here, I decided to go visit the Birds of Prey and Snake River canyon.


This lizard was sunning by the overlook. It would occasionally do a couple of push-ups to show off its orange belly.

Looking down into the canyon gave the opportunity to see this Red-tailed Hawk from above as it cruised looking for prey.

On the way home I saw this Rough-legged Hawk flying at eye-level. Usually I see them high in the sky and the photo only shows their underside.

I went there looking for Sage Sparrows, but the only photo I got was from a great distance. I'll have to do better next time. Sage Sparrows only live where there is sagebrush. Though it is hard to imagine, their habitat is fast disappearing due to encroaching development, fire, and conversion to agricultural uses.