Stoddard Campground was a hidden treasure in Idaho.  It was supposed to be a one night stopover on my way to elsewhere.   A lot of these little out of the way campsites are becoming surprisingly pleasant.  I was apprehensive because the review said ATV campground – read – NOISY!

But surprisingly not.  It was quiet and lovely.  I ended up staying a few nights instead of the one night stop over I had planned.  All the ATV campers were in one area and had strict rules for while they were in the campground.  And the ATV trails were far enough off to not be heard.  Walking around the park provided me with these beautiful restful scenes.

One of my readers gave me insight into this particular forest.  David Robinson let me know about the Aspen forests.  “Did you know all those trees share a common root system as one huge organism. If you want to thicken the stand of trees you cut a few down and it sends up twice as many as replacements.”

Aspen tree groves are all linked to each other.  I had no idea about this hidden network of root system that is tied to the healthy community of aspens.

Campground beauty in the trees and foliage.

I approached both of these shots with a different eye.  I liked the one above because it had the textures of the foliage on the ground,  the dark evergreens to strengthen the image and the pattern of the aspens throughout.  Because I cropped  it with the rule of thirds it gave it more dynamic interest.   Next, I brought it into Photoshop for a bit of post processing.  I strengthened the color intensity of the ground foliage and brought the whites in the aspen bark back to where it should be.

Sometimes cameras don’t give you what you saw in the original scene, especially cell phones.

The second image to the left is much different to me.  I positioned the leading line of the dead tree in the middle to bring the viewers eye into the scene.

Again, a short stop in Photoshop strengthened the greens and gave the white bark back its beautiful white contrast. If you don’t have Photoshop, and would like to get it, please follow this link.

You can have a subscription to it for under $10 per month for personal use and it is well worth the price if you are interested in making your photographs better.

If you use this link when you purchase, it helps support my blog and travels at no extra cost to you.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This third image I liked because of the size and strength of the evergreens.  The circumference of the trunks was a stark contrast to the aspens.  The bit of brightly colored fungi on the side of the trunk gives a  bit more interest.

I positioned the tree so that the viewer could get grounded by seeing the bottom of the tree trunks and enough of the branches to get a sense of the scene.

By positioning the aspens in the back, it shows that they are secondary to the true focus of the image, instead of competing for center stage.

Next, a quick edit  in Photoshop was done to strengthen the bark texture, the intensity of the greens and the yellows. Crisping up the whites again gave this image what it needed to turn from snapshot to an image that your eye wants to linger over.

Hidden treasures in Idaho – Opal Mining

While I was here, I tried my hand at mining.   Ha ha ha!!

I always have loved opals.  The colour variations, the way they catch the light and the beauty of the gem had always made it a favourite.  So when I found the Spencer Opal mine not even 20 minutes from camp, I made it a priority to visit.

You don’t actually get to go into the mine, that it too dangerous for them apparently.  But there is a great big pile of rocks that contain raw opal and you pay $20 to go in and mine for however long you want.  Armed with a bucket, a water sprayer, gloves, and a shovel, in I went.

They give you a five-minute lesson on finding opals in the pile.

I think I needed more like an hour.

I was one of the first ones in, found a promising spot on the pile and sat down to dig.  One of the workers came by with a sample of raw opal to help guide me in finding my hidden treasure.

Next, I dug down two feet. I was intent on finding a magnificent piece of opal!  Digging, examining and spraying bits of rock with water to bring out the shine occasionally, afforded me nothing more than wet gloves.  By using the water, you are apparently more able to recognize the opal in the rock.  Still nothing.

Moved to another spot.  Repeated procedure.  Nothing.

Meanwhile around me was a younger couple, maybe mid 30’s and they were chest high in their rock digging.  All the while letting each other know that they “found another one!”

Even young teenagers were finding opals.

But for me – NADA.  Zip.  Zero.  Nothing.

When my backside wore out from sitting on rocks and my back gave in from bending over, I went with my measly 4 small rocks that I knew deep down were nothing and went to check out.

Yep, I was correct.  Nothing.

I went to give back my sample opal piece and I think they took pity on me.  They told me I could keep it.

Ugh.  Pity Opal.  Yes, here it is:

 

 

 

Hidden treasures – treats in Dell, Montana

Onward to a small town , Population 53, (yes, that is not a typo) to get a treat I had heard about from a fellow traveller.

He told me to be sure to stop in Dell, Montana at the little schoolhouse turned restaurant, for a cinnamon bun.

Well, after my opal mining fiasco, I figured I deserved a treat.  So I stopped here and got one of the largest sticky buns I had ever layed eyes on.  Almost 6” in diameter and at the outrageous price of… wait for it… $2.00!  It really was a hidden treasure!

Apparently this little restaurant is quite a thing in the area.  You should check it out if you are near there.

Calf-A Restaurant, Oregon Shortline Rd., Dell, Montana

Onward to my next gorgeous adventure!!

Thanks for reading. I hope I expand your view of the world and give you a few tips for creating your own gorgeous images.

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