The first stop along our Rocky Mountain road-trip was Idaho. While here, I got to photograph the landscapes of Salmon Idaho, the isolated scenes allowing my photographic muscles to flex as much as they could. There needn’t be restraint nor concern about sharing the composition with others.
Sacajawea Historic Byway
September 22nd
As I left the hustle of Boston and Salt Lake City behind me the only thing that lay ahead of me were mountains and empty roads. Salt Lake had nothing but clear blue skies, a good omen for the trip ahead of me. Once I reached Mud Lake things began to change.
Slowly, thick and stormy clouds began lining the horizon I was racing towards. Waiting for me at the summit of this road was a gentle snowfall – emphasizing the loneliness and peace of the empty byway, with the only thing to hear being my breath and the silence of a piece of snow falling on my camera. Then a shutter click.
Beginning my descent on the other side of the summit, I was hit by heat. That same snow-front melted into a pounding rainfall, before eventually teetering out into overcast clouds meandering along the mountain-tops forming the walls of the valley. It made for excellent photography and even better atmosphere.
Once the storm was behind me, the light illuminated the foreground I had reached. It was at this point I got my favorite photograph of the day.
After this shoot, I checked in at my motel in Salmon, had dinner and rested up. The next morning would be my first sunrise of the trip and I wanted to be well-rested after such a long day of travel.
September 23rd
The air was cold and patient as I left the hotel. It lay waiting to see what the first people coming out of their homes on this new dawn would be doing. The chill had frozen over my car and I climbed in with nothing but frost and my own breath to see.
As my car began to slowly make tracks upwards I reached an over-look which faced back towards the town I’d just driven from. I realized quickly that the view from there wouldn’t be something I could work well with. As I return to my car, I noticed the gravel beneath my feet and pivoted.
This road – not the mountains it brought you to – would be the first subject of the morning.
As I drove down into the town I’d just escaped from I realized that I shouldn’t go away from the river and towards the mountains, but follow the current upstream into the fog. The warmth of the sun was making the cold breath on the air steam up and roll off of the river banks.
These were my favorite shots of the morning.
Once I had reached the head of the river-fork, I was greeted by the most intense sunlight of the morning. In addition to shooting this scene as much as I could with my digital cameras, I also took a film shot. You can find it below this shot. The rendition of the colors on the film is amazing, and the fog looks just as good there as it does on my Fujifilm digital sensor.
Conclusion
After walking back to my hotel – and getting a bite to eat I hit the road with Montana in my sights. I pulled off and snagged the final shot above. The rest of the drive was exhilarating.
I drove with anticipation, ready to see Glacier National Park and everything it was famous for. Dramatic light, incredible wildlife, and unforgettable mountain-ranges. It delivered on all-fronts, with the sunset I saw in Glacier this same day being just as beautiful as the sunrise was over the landscapes of Salmon Idaho. But let’s pause here.
That story can wait for when I write about my time in Montana in the next chapter. To make sure you don’t miss it, subscribe to my newsletter. See you in the next one!