A two-lane state highway heads north from Boise into the mountains. For several miles the road follows the Payette River through a narrow, twisty-turny canyon. During the summer months, this road is a motorcyclist’s delight. During winter the road ices up in those sun-shaded curves beside the river, turning it into a white-knuckle affair. It’s hard to focus on the road ahead with the river dancing through pillows of snow and ice, beckoning eyeballs to stray sideways. There are pullouts for slow cars, but invariably, the snowplows have stacked the snow so high that it is nearly impossible to even see the river, much less to photograph it.
The canyon opens into lovely, pastoral Round Valley, which is just as breathtaking as the canyon. I’m often a passenger or have a passenger when traveling this road; much as I yearn to stop to admire the scenery, I don’t do so.
One recent morning I left home before the sun rose to drive solo for a skier meetup at Tamarack Resort which perches in the mountains west of Round Valley. I had to stop!

The sun crests the hill casting a magical spell
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Looking south from the bridge over the Payette River

Looking north from the bridge. I was struck by the frost encrusted twine that dangled from a power line above.

Between skier rescues, patrollers frolic like puppies.
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Apparently Laphroaig Scotch is not all the popular among skiers. We left it where we found it.
Beautiful pictures! I can see why you were anxious to stop along the way. Too many times we drive by those scenic lookouts. We should stop more often.
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Yes, I can’t count the number of times I’ve been on that road with others in the car. My heart is screaming, STOP! But my mind tells me not to be an ass, just appreciate the view as you go. It’s a real battle of internal willpower.
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I love the backlit trees on the hill across the river. Such scenic snowscapes to have around you and enjoy. I happened to read your “reviews” of some of the blogs you follow. Thank you for the compliment.
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I was pleasantly surprised by that backlit shot. It was such a glorious morning. My heart was really singing.
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So descriptive. Brilliant photography. Have come to expect nothing less from the Rangewriter!
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Thank you, Karen!
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Beautiful scenery.
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Thanks!🤗
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I love your Winter photos. I haven’t seen snow since 1994.
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Ha! Thank you for directing me back to this post. Today, at 37C these photos look particularly special! I really love snow. Even the year that we had so much snow it was dubbed Snowmageddon, I still got excited every time it began to flutter flakes again.
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