Tuesday, September 23, 2008

Beyond the houses

Our Pocatello walk continued from the old neighborhood, called Indian Hills, across the highway and down toward the river and the Edson Fichter Nature Area.

After I was in Pocatello a couple years ago I posted pictures of this area here and here. It is a place I love to visit as it really reminds me of my childhood and the beauty of the country where I grew up. The Nature area was named for our family friend, Edson Fichter, a biologist, writer and artist. He was quite special and this beautiful place is a fitting tribute.

The trail winds through the valley, along the Portneuf River. At the end of the valley is the Portneuf Gap, the opening in the mountains where the river flows through. The Oregon Trail comes through the Gap and up this valley, as well as the Union Pacific rail tracks.

The dusty blue-grey Russian olive trees grow along the riverbank. I recently learned that they are an invasive, non-native species, but I still think they are beautiful.

The tangy, sharp smell of sagebrush is one of the best smells I know. I wish you could smell this photo!

This kid said he had caught a few trout that morning.


Those are the railroad tracks over below the lava cliffs. Eventually a train came through.

Growing up so near these tracks taught me to sleep through all kinds of train noises. Train whistles in the night make for great dreams.

3 comments:

  1. Like you I love the color and even the shape of Russian Olives. We planted them around obnoxious utility boxes at our house in LaGrande. Boy, did they grow.

    I didn't get back to SE Idaho this year. Thanks for the pictures, especially the sagebrush. They brought a little of "my own Idaho" to me in Delaware.

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  2. What beautiful country, Terry. I love the sound of a train whistle - my earliest memories are of hearing the train on the tracks a block away - we moved when I was five, but I still love that sound. However, I am terrified to drive over RR tracks but that's another story. The train whistle is a rare sound now - there is no train in my town.

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  3. Maybe that's why I have such weird dreams.

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