Shoshone Falls In Twin Falls, ID & Niagara Springs In Wendell, ID

The Beautiful Shoshone Falls

Spectacular! This is the best word I can muster to describe Shoshone Falls in Twin Falls, Idaho. Jack and I visited the area on Sunday and spent four hours viewing the falls and hiking the area.
Here is some information about the falls from the Visit Idaho website

Shoshone Falls is among the most spectacular of natural beauties along the Snake River. At 212 feet, the falls are higher than Niagara Falls.

We ate lunch at Centennial Park with the Perrine Bridge in view to the west and the waterfall to the south of our picnic table. I don’t know the name of the waterfall, but it was fun walking behind it. We got a bit wet, but it was really cool to watch that much water rushing right over our heads.

The visitors center area at the Perrine Bridge offers some great views of the bridge, canyon and the BASE Jumpers. While we were there, we saw four guys parachute off the bridge and safely land in a small meadow area just below the bridge. My little camera just couldn’t get in close enough or shoot fast enough to catch the action – and it makes me wish for that $700 camera I have my eye on.

Then we were off to find Niagra Springs. After driving awhile through the Idaho farmland, we made our way to the edge of the canyon rim and found an intimate and extremely beautiful park.

Again the Visit Idaho website best sums up what we saw – “Tumbling down the canyon side at 250 cubic feet per second, Niagara Springs is a sight you won't soon forget. The churning, icy blue glacial water is a National Natural Landmark and part of the world-famous Thousand Springs complex along the Snake River. The park provides a great opportunity to drive into the 350-foot-deep Snake River Canyon. Once inside the canyon, you'll find year-round fishing in Crystal Springs Lake.”

All I can say is “Great Weekend – Great Adventure” Until next time – happy travels.

Another view of Shoshone Falls
A closer view of Shoshone Falls
Jack above Shoshone Falls
A rainbow over the Snake River Canyon next to Shoshone Falls
Perrine Bridge -- famous with BASE jumpers
A waterfall in Centennial Park in Twin Falls
Standing behind the waterfall
Niagara Springs State Park
Crystal Springs Lake at Niagara Falls State Park

Steens Mountains, Malheur Wildlife Refuge & Alvord Desert, Eastern Oregon

The Steens Mountains

Hooray! I just marked off number 100 in my book of “1,000 Places To See Before You Die – US and Canada”

I visited the area April 3-5 during the 28th Annual John Scharff Migratory Bird Festival in Burns, Oregon. The tour was limited to 30 people and we had a BLM geologist with us who helped explain what we would be seeing.

The title in the book for this area reads – High, Wide and Lonesome – and it most certainly was – put spectacular in its own right.

Here is a quote from the book that sums up the area. “In Oregon’s southeast corner, on the edge of the Great Basin Desert, is a dramatic land of extremes. Rising above this austere landscape is spectacular Steens Mountains, a 30-mile-long uplifted fault block nearly 10,000 feet high at its peak. Its broad west flank, marked by huge glacier-cut valleys, rises gradually through aspen groves and alpine meadows, whereas the east face drops precipitously to the alkali flats of the Alvord Desert nearly a mile below.”

Because of snow, I was only able to skirt around its base, but I plan to go back in September or October to the lookout point, which you can drive to while the aspens are in all their fall glory.

I was also able to go through the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge. “A major stop for migratory birds on the Pacific Flyway and a birding mecca of the Northwest. Nearly 300 species visit the refugee, waterfowl, shorebirds, songbirds, and raptors most drawn by the oasis of lakes streams and marshes in the otherwise parched region, remnants of the Ice Age lakes,” according to the book.

And we saw lots of birds. My best shot though is of the great horned owls. I went on the trip for the scenery, but if you’re into birds, this is the place.

We also took a 7-mile diversion on a dirt road to Mickey Hot Springs. This was well worth the side trip as we saw active fumaroles, mud pots, steam vents and a dormant geyser all with the Steens Mountains in the background. It’s a very active geothermal area and the water temperatures reach over 200 degrees.

As we kept driving, we dropped down into the Alvord Desert Playa. This is a Pleistocene glacial melt lake that is approximately 8 miles wide and 12 miles long. The strong winds are well known in the area as glider enthusiasts and wind sailors often frequent the region. Also of note, the women’s land speed record was set here by Kitty O’Neal in the 1970’s.

The area is rife with wildlife. We saw bighorn sheep, pronghorn antelope, deer, blue herons, cranes, ducks, geese, pheasants, and a ton of lesser-known birds that I didn’t know, but my new birding friends pointed out to me.

The area is also home to lots of wild horses and we saw a herd during our drive through the area. I checked the BLM website to learn more and it said, “there are a 1,000 wild horses roaming within the eight Herd Management Areas in the Burns District. These horses are feral horses meaning their domestic ancestors turned wild. Once excess wild horses in Oregon and Washington are gathered from the range, they are brought to Oregon’s Wild Horse Corral Facility for preparation for the BLM’s Adopt-A-Horse Program.”

We filled our day from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. and there was so much to see. I ended the evening by going to a hot springs in the town of Crane, which we had passed earlier on our route. I started my soak in the privately owned Crystal Crane Hot Springs, which is a natural outdoor spring reservoir, just as the sun was setting. The 101 degree water was a nice welcome to the 38 degree, clear cool day.

As chance would have it, I had the reservoir all to myself. It was awesome to watch the moon and stars fill the dark night sky and to be able to see stars as far as I could see. When my hour was up I hopped in my car with the “moon roof” wide open, music playing from the CD, totally relaxed and thought to myself, “Life Is Good!”

Check out these websites about the area.

www.cranehotsprings.com
www.fws.gov/malheur

www.malheurfieldstation.org

http://www.blm.gov/or/districts/burns/index.php


A Great Horned Owl

Another great horned owl nesting in a tree
Mickey Hot Springs with Steens Mountain in the background



Wild Horses
One of the many hot pots at Mickey Hot Springs
Another hot pot

Las Vegas Sights

I couldn’t help myself while I was in Las Vegas – I just had to take a few photos of the iconic hotels and just miscellaneous things that caught my eye.

One of my favorite places is the Bellagio and the conservatory. It’s always changing and is always beautiful. I also love their ceilings, as you will see from the photos I’ve taken. My favorite is the lobby of the hotel which says on the website that it “features 2,000 dynamic hand-blown glass flowers peering from high above their spectacular ceiling stage. Allow your senses to take flight as your gaze ascends to appreciate this vivid piece of creative expression commissioned by world-renowned artist, Dale Chihuly. This piece de resistance is the quintessential complement to the welcoming lobby awaiting your arrival.” I always take the time to sit and look at the detail – it’s just amazing.

So hope you enjoy the photos.
New York, New York Hotel
Paris Hotel
On the NY NY building

The Bellagio
Paris Fountain
Bellagio flowers in the conservatory

A main entrance ceiling in the Bellagio


Another ceiling view in the Bellagio
In the conservatory at the Bellagio

BODIES -- The Exhibition

Thought I’d add a few more photos from the Las Vegas trip. I had the chance to go the Luxor and see BODIES – The Exhibition. It was really unique and very interesting. You’re not allowed to take photos inside, so this is a photo from the website and information from their web page. Check it out!

From their website, "to help you see what a body really looks like on the inside, this Exhibition uses real human bodies that have been preserved so they do not decay.

A human specimen is first preserved according to standard mortuary science. The specimen is then dissected to show whatever it is that someone wants to display. Once dissected, the specimen is immersed in acetone, which eliminates all body water. The specimen is then placed in a large bath of silicone, or polymer, and sealed in a vacuum chamber. Under vacuum, acetone leaves the body in the form of gas and the polymer replaces it, entering each cell and body tissue. A catalyst is then applied to the specimen, hardening it and completing the process.

http://www.bodiestheexhibition.com/

Red Rock Canyon, Las Vegas

Just a few miles outside Las Vegas, you’ll find Red Rock Canyon and it’s 13-mile scenic drive. I went on a recent tour in March where I learned more at the Visitor’s Center about the area, it’s wildlife, rock formations and former inhabitants.

If you’ve looked at the photos I posted, you’re probably wondering why the rocks are red, orange and tan? Well according to their website, “more than 600 million years ago, the land that would become Red Rock Canyon was the bottom of a deep ocean basin. Over time, changing land and sea levels resulted in the deposition of both ocean and continental sediments that became the gray limestone found at Red Rock Canyon today. About 180 million years ago, a giant sand dune field formed over what became the Western United States. Powerful winds shifted the sands back and forth, forming angled lines in the sand. Over time, the sheer weight of the layers of sand compressed into stone. This formation, locally known as Aztec Sandstone, is quite hard and forms the cliffs of Red Rock Canyon. Exposure to the elements caused some of the iron-bearing minerals to oxidize. This oxidizing process can be more easily thought of as a “rusting of the sand,” which resulted in red, orange and tan colored rocks.”

I really liked our tour bus driver as he parked the bus and took us on a short hike into the area. He pointed out lots of native plants, natural springs, and pictographs of handprints on the rock walls. That was really cool. I wished I had taken a photo as a keepsake and to share with you.

Their website gives a quick refresher on the two types of rock art. “Rock art comes in two varieties, petroglyphs and pictographs. The difference between the two types is the manner in which they were made. Petroglyphs were pecked into the surface of the rock. Pictographs were painted on the rock. In Red Rock Canyon, a coating of dark "desert varnish" on lighter sandstone provides the perfect medium for petroglyphs, which are the most common of the two types of rock art found at Red Rock Canyon. If you want to discover some petroglyphs firsthand, the Red Spring area has a wide variety of different styles on the cliff face's and fallen boulders.”

Another interesting aspect I would have missed if not pointed out by the very knowledgeable driver, were the roasting pits. The best description about them is given again from their website, “roasting pits are perhaps the most common cultural resource found in Red Rock Canyon. Roasting pits are circular areas of fire-cracked and whitened limestone. They can vary in size from ground level circles five to six feet in diameter, to huge piles several yards high with large sloping sides. Roasting pits were used to roast various foods such as agave hearts, desert tortoise and possibly other plant and animal foods. The limestone was gathered, heated by the fire and then used to cook the foods. After prolonged heating, the limestone was raked aside and replaced with new rocks. This process caused the circular ring of rocks to grow with use. There are several
roasting pits at the Willow Spring picnic area, including one of the largest, in southern Nevada.”


I wish I would have had more time to spend exploring the canyon and it’s many trails. If ever I’m in Vegas again, you can bet I’ll be visiting this place again.

Check out their website for more information.

http://www.blm.gov/nv/st/en/fo/lvfo/blm_programs/blm_special_areas/red_rock_nca.html