Mud Lake - - - Photos 2-6

Well, here we go again... The days grow shorter, the temperature drops, and the leaves begin to change... We're on the cusp of another long and cold winter. We, here in Teton Valley, ID know what that means: Make the most of those precious few warmish days remaining. September and October are halvsies months. Half summer, half winter, and you never know what to expect day to day or even hour to hour for that matter.
In the past few years, as the summer season ended, I have felt a sense of dismay at not being able to spend as much time in the warm sunshine after spending my workday inside behind a desk. But maybe that is because I didn't utilize my summer season enough. I cannot say the same this year. This year, after an absolutley whirlwind summer of completely exhausting myself time and time again, I guess I feel more content about things. And autumn truly is a wonderfully spectacular time of year so I'm trying to enjoy it as much as possible.

I went for a run after work today. The weather was seasonally cool in the mid-fifties and the sun played peek-a-boo behind a small bank of clouds as it set lower and lower in the sky when I left my place and set off on my run around 6:20pm. About 20 minutes later and over 500ft up, I arrived at Mud Lake, a shallow depression about 50 yards across and maybe a foot deep, that somehow manages to keep at least a small level of year-round stagnant water that more closely resembles pond scum and cow manure than actual water. The hoofprints and cow patties along the trails in that area come from the many scattered herds that summer in the area. From my front door in Victor, ID, it's one flat mile along gravel roads to the trailhead. From there, it's a steep steep mile up over 500ft of two-track to the "lake" located in the low foothills of the Teton Mtn Range one mile due east of Victor. It's a quick, convenient run I can do from my house and although the "lake" may not impress much (or at all), it still makes for a great evening jaunt. Here are some of the photos I took. (I think I somehow managed to grab a couple of shots that actually make this place look more welcoming than it actually is!)


Mud Lake (somehow this looks more like a lake than it actually is)

Victor, ID

The Beginning...

Where I come from... the air is clean and clear... the temperatures swing 135 degrees between seasons... the trails are unmarked and unmapped... and getting lost should be the goal. That way, when it happens, and chances are it will, you'll feel like the outing was a success. Yes, this is where I come from. Not originally, of course, but most recently, this is where I come from.

Lewis Lake, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming

Like cornbread and chicken at a sunny summer picnic, sometimes things come together just the right way at just the right time. This is what I came up with. In a private, impromptu, and certainly non-legally-binding ceremony held in my living room in front of my laptop, a union was made tonight between the habitually time-hogging, endurance athlete inside me that gets virtually daily attention and the suppressed, ignored, and largely forgotten photographer that has rested quietly in my subconcious mind waiting patiently for the opportunity to jump into action. I guess I finally felt the inclination to begin my first foray into the blogging world and this is hopefully a start to what I intend to be an outlet for that stifled little photographer hiding inside me and a perfect mate to that crazy, endurance athlete. Sooooooooo... Here is the first of what could someday, maybe, just maybe, become a collection of my outdoor adventures, little life experiences, deep heartfelt thoughts, wonderful and reflective memories, and personal intimate inner feelings. Well, maybe I'll just stick with that first one. And maybe the last.

The photo I've posted here was taken much by happenstance as I just happened to be driving south through Yellowstone National Park one July evening and had to stop at a pullout along the road to take in this spectacular sight of the sunset over Lewis Lake. This is one of my favorite places to be during sunset as there are typically cloud remnants left over from the thunderstorms earlier in the afternoon which play with the rays of sun shining from low on the horizon. It's also a calm lake (good for reflections) and it has a number of interesting features along the shoreline such as the rocks you see in the water here.
I hope to soon be posting more photos from near my home area (currently Victor, Idaho) as well as places I have traveled, but for now, at least I can say I have started. More soon! Oh yes... much more... very soon...