#4: [27-May-13]

#3: [05-Jul-03]

#2: [26-May-01]

05-Mar-2001 -- I've been on vacation in Eastern Idaho visiting a friend and taking photographs of the area. I departed my friend's house this afternoon for a little road trip so I could take some photos of the Grand Teton Mountains near Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Afterwards I'm going to Yellowstone National Park to take photos for a few days. I checked and there was a confluence that was just a little out of the way, so I decided to attempt a visit.

I stopped en route to eat at the Sub Station in Swan Valley, Idaho. I ate there while out taking photos a few days ago and enjoyed it so much I had to go back. The owner, Lynn Ricks, told me I would think I had died and gone to heaven when I tasted one of his subs. When I took that first bite, I thought I heard the angels sing. Lynn was a great guy to talk to and he directed me to several places I could go to take photographs. If you're ever passing through Swan Valley on your way to the Grand Tetons or Yellowstone, stop by and visit. Lynn will be happy to suggest places to eat and things to do on your journey. Bring your appetite and try out one of their subs. I saw a "Kitchen Sink" pizza on the menu as well. Next time I go back, I'm going to try that out.

I left Swan Valley and continued south towards Etna, Wyoming, the nearest town to the confluence. The drive through the mountains was very nice and the landscapes were breathtaking. The day was unseasonably warm and the sky was blue. There was a lot of snow on the ground still, but it was melting, so the road was a little sloppy at times. I thought I was a dead man when I ran over a bowling ball size rock that fell from the mountainside. It made an awful noise when it hit the underside of the car. Luckily, I straddled it and didn't hit it with my tires. Otherwise, I would have definitely been a statistic.

I was able to drive to within 0.2 miles of the confluence. That was good, but not good enough because the area was fenced in and there was a few feet of snow on the ground. I decided to try to find out who the landowner was. After knocking on a few doors, I was told the landowner was Ms. Wanetta Clark. I got directions to Ms. Clark's home which was about a mile away. I drove over to ask their permission.

Ms. Clark and her son, Mark, were really nice folks. After I explained what I was doing and had their permission to go, I asked what was the best way to get out there (thinking it was probably with snowshoes). Ms. Clark pointed at the snowmobile. Until a few days ago, I'd never even seen a snowmobile, so I was inwardly excited when Ms. Clark asked Mark to take me to the spot. I hopped on the back and off we went. We had to stop and open up the cattle gate and as we were doing that, a cow jumped through the barbed wire fence. That cow wanted on the other side of that fence bad! Evidently this wasn't a big deal to Mark because we jumped back on and took off towards the confluence.

It was fun zooming across almost a mile of snow-covered pasture. After passing the confluence and having to double back, we stopped and I took the photos. Mark took mine standing next to the snowmobile.

We got back to the Clark's home and I thanked them for their hospitality. Ms. Clark wanted to know if I was going to come back in the summer when it was pretty and take some more photos. I told her I was on vacation and couldn't come back that soon, but someone might. I can't imagine it being any prettier than it is right now. I hope someone does go back because I'd sure like to see those photos.

Danny Strickland