03 Apr 13. Returning from our Vegas trip to pay a second visit to the Craters of the Moon National Monument we were met with snowfall that had preceded us by one day. The mountains in the area were all displaying a fresh coat of white, and as we got closer and closer the amount was increasing and the surrounding countryside ever more beautiful. We paralled, I believe, the Pioneer Mountains as we approached the park and every mile promised what we hoped would be a most spectacular park environment. By the time we reached the outskirts where we stayed, we found just two rooms available in the entire town. One was totally unacceptable and the other just barely but it was across the street from a nice cafe so it worked out O.K. Listening to our waitress you would have thought the 10 - 12 inches of snowfall the previous day to have been the Blizzard of '09 so we had a good laugh at her expense. The next morning we left early to get a good run on the park but found our access severely limited due to the inability of one park ranger to drive in the snow. I did get to do a nice walk in one small area, took a lot of images from the same spots I had 9 days earlier to illustrate the change in just that short of time, and spent a hour plus in the visitors center which was very worthwhile. The shot I'm sharing was taken on the prior day's approach and I think is of the Pioneers. D300; 18 - 200; Aperture priority; ISO 400; 1/500 sec @ f / 8.

03 Apr 13. Returning from our Vegas trip to pay a second visit to the Craters of the Moon National Monument we were met with snowfall that had preceded us by one day. The mountains in the area were all displaying a fresh coat of white, and as we got closer and closer the amount was increasing and the surrounding countryside ever more beautiful. We paralled, I believe, the Pioneer Mountains as we approached the park and every mile promised what we hoped would be a most spectacular park environment. By the time we reached the outskirts where we stayed, we found just two rooms available in the entire town. One was totally unacceptable and the other just barely but it was across the street from a nice cafe so it worked out O.K. Listening to our waitress you would have thought the 10 - 12 inches of snowfall the previous day to have been the Blizzard of '09 so we had a good laugh at her expense. The next morning we left early to get a good run on the park but found our access severely limited due to the inability of one park ranger to drive in the snow. I did get to do a nice walk in one small area, took a lot of images from the same spots I had 9 days earlier to illustrate the change in just that short of time, and spent a hour plus in the visitors center which was very worthwhile. The shot I'm sharing was taken on the prior day's approach and I think is of the Pioneers. D300; 18 - 200; Aperture priority; ISO 400; 1/500 sec @ f / 8.