Mountain High Vistas

Thursday, May 28, 2015

Our adventures in the mountains continue!  Friends of ours used some modern technology a.k.a. apps on their smart phones, and discovered a road -- unbeknownst to us -- that climbs and winds into mountains close by us. We had no idea such trails existed that were open to the public in this particular area.  Here in Idaho, much of the land belongs to the state, yet much belongs to private owners as well, and sometimes it is hard to differentiate the two.  There have been a few times we were exploring on what we thought was state land, and then realized that it belonged to private owners who wanted no trespassers.  So we have learned to be very careful about where we are, to respect private owners of property.  It can be tricky at times though!  However, our friends found a website of the county that shows who owns each piece of property, and through this site, you can look and see where the private land, and state land is.  This is how they found the road that leads through state land (which is open to the public), and where we were able to see beautiful views of the area we live in.



As we drove up the mountain trail in our 4x4 truck with our friends J & MH, we were enthralled with the wildflowers were putting on the most beautiful display as well!


Love these beautiful yellow flowers!


Lupins abundantly spreading their glory!


A wild rose about to burst forth in bloom...


The most beautiful sight this time of year - when all the wild roses begin to bloom!




 Their fragrance is absolutely divine!  



We climbed up into the mountains higher and higher...

Each turn and switchback led to more amazing views!


It was a beautiful day to be out on the mountains... the fluffy white clouds filled the sky with character, while the sun shone its warm rays lovingly around us.


Each bend and turn in the road was exciting... you just never know what you will see around the bend!


My zoom lens was able to zoom in and capture a closer view...


Can life get any better than this?  Mountain top views second to none!



Finally we reached the plateau, and this expanse greeted us... wow!  What a vista!



Just beyond the plateau was the tip of the little mountainous area we were on.  Can you see the trail headed straight to the top?



We climbed about halfway up to the top before stopping, and realizing we needed better shoes (namely hiking shoes!).


As  you can see, it was a very, very steep trail, almost straight up, and it would also help to have walking sticks too.  You can be sure we will be back soon to finish our climb to the top when we are better prepared! You can see how far we walked (see how far away our truck is!), and we were still nowhere close to the top...


From the halfway up point, this was the view we were able to see.  With the day being so clear, we could see many many miles away!


Thanks to Ronda who blogs at Island Mother, she told me that the correct name for this beautiful flowering shrub is ninebark!  Thanks Ronda!  These grow everywhere all over the mountains, and it is nice to know what to call them now!







More trails could be seen leading around the mountain, and our adventurous hearts wanted to follow them.  However... we decided to save that adventure for another time.





What a beautiful spot we had found.  I can imagine a lovely picnic spread out here with this vista, can't you?  I promise you, we will be back to explore this area further.  My husband has mentioned wanting to tent camp here overnight... now that sounds like an adventure, don't you think!  


For now, our adventure was drawing to a close as the rain clouds began to hover.  As we made our way back down the mountain, we enjoyed the views from the switchbacks, and were thankful to have enjoyed another beautiful day together with our friends JH and MH, and enjoying the amazing world that we live in.  I'm already planning that picnic with the mountain vista... while my husband is planning the tent adventure... there is no doubt we'll try to do both very soon.  :)   




















18 comments

  1. That's very sweet of you to mention my blog. How very useful that your friends found that app. Now you can feel freer to do more exploring. It looked as if there was a fire in that one picture and the valley looks a bit hazy? But maybe it's this tiny screen on my phone. I think a picnic and a camp out sounds absolutely beautiful...

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    1. Yes, technology can be a blessing - sometimes, lol! Yes, we have had some rain, and people are burning bush piles (we burned some yesterday ourselves). It is a beautiful campsite, and we are looking forward to doing that soon :) Thanks for your visit, and I'm glad to mention your blog too! Have a wonderful day!

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  2. What a great place to hike, with all of it's wonderful vistas! I love the wild roses! Camping on a mountain top would be quite an experience.You sure have some neat adventures.
    Debbie
    xo

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    1. We really do live in a wonderfully "unspoiled" part of the world, with so much to explore and see! Thank you for stopping by and sharing your thoughts with me - always appreciated!

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  3. Very pretty photos!

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    1. Thanks Lynne! Hope your week is off to a great start!

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  4. Looks like absolute gorgeous country! I live in NY and have never been west of PA so I can only imagine how this looks in person! Lovely pictures....thanks for giving me a glimpse of your world.

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    1. I am glad you are enjoying glimpses into our little part of the country, we kind of feel it is pretty special! NY is very beautiful too, as is PA :) I hope you are having a great start to your week!

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  5. Beautiful blooms and absoltely breathtaking scenery!! Thanks so much for stopping by!!

    Hugs,
    Debbie

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    1. Yes, it was a beautiful drive, and I look forward to many more of them! I am glad you enjoyed the "adventure" with us from the viewpoint of my camera - hope you have a great start to your week :)

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  6. What amazing views!!! God's country! Thank you for sharing! :)

    On another note, we are hosting a SEASONING AND SPICE MIX LINK UP this week and remember you mentioning a chicken bouillon recipe you make. Would love to have you share with us if you have time! Take care, JES :)

    http://strangersandpilgrimsonearth.blogspot.com/2015/06/share-your-seasoning-spice-mix-recipes.html

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    Replies
    1. Indeed it is God's country! Thank you for letting me know about your new link up. I don't know if I have ever done a post specifically just on chicken bouillon, but there's never a better time than now :) Appreciate you letting me know about it. Have a wonderful day :)

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  7. What a beautiful part of our Beloved Country, you live in!

    Is there anything more lovely, than flowers growing wild....? :-)

    Thank you for leaving comments on my blog.

    I do hope that more and more bloggers, will take up the "Fat Stigma" topic.

    I know for myself, we do not eat in an unhealthy way. We eat organic meat, fruits, veggies, raw nuts, goat cheese. And still I am above a logical healthy weight. In other words, not every over weight person one sees, is gorging on Big Macs and bon-bons. -sigh-

    Tessa

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    1. We do live in such beautiful country, and feel so blessed about that! I am glad you enjoyed the little "adventure" up the mountains with us! It was lovely to visit your blog today, and concerning the "fat" thing... certainly it is a sad thing that people are judged by such a thing. We eat a healthy diet here as well, much like yours, and yet... that 3 letter word just hangs around.. but ... well, I guess we can just believe it is healthy fat! LOL! Much appreciated your visit today, have a blessed day!

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  8. Wow!! this was such a blessing to be able to come with you all on this adventure!! All of the pictures were just beautiful!!! May the good Lord Bless you and your day

    Kelly

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    1. Thank you for your visit Kelly! I am glad you enjoyed our little adventure as well! We take quite a few of these when time permits... and feel so blessed to live in this beautiful spot! I too pray your day continues to be blessed of the Lord :)

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  9. I really enjoyed coming along with you on your adventure! Looks like you live not too far from our daughter, who is near Glacier National Park in Montana.

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    1. Yes, we are about four hours or so from Glacier National Park, and while we visited there once before, we want to go again soon - it is just such an amazing place! I'm glad you enjoyed our little "adventure".. glad to have met you too! Have a blessed and beautiful Monday!

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Your comments are blessings to me, and I appreciate each and every one, they are precious to me! I appreciate you taking the time to comment on my blog... this is what makes blogging worthwhile! Have a blessed day!

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