A-hiking we will go

These are my new hiking boots.

They are a Christmas gift from Younger Daughter. I've been using them a lot lately, since Older Daughter and I have been hitting the hiking trails in nearby Heyburn State Park.

Yesterday was one such example. We'd had a couple inches of snow, and Older Daughter wanted to photograph the lake from the height of the Indian Cliffs trail, so off we went.

The trees at the lower elevations had lovely traces of snow.

It was very cold, about 22F, but by the time we hit the first switchback, I was already stripped down to my T-shirt and wearing a sweat band around my forehead. (Ah, the wonders of menopause. I have my own built-in thermonuclear reactor wherever I go.)

As predicted, the views from the top were fabulous.

Way below us, we saw flocks of coots on the water's edge.

This photo shows some of the steepness involved in getting to the top on this hike.

Older Daughter also caught some of the beauty of the scenery on her camera.

The deepwater channels aren't yet frozen.

Mr. Darcy just loves these hikes, but thinks we're not getting from Point A to Point B fast enough to suit him.

On the downhill side, we had to watch our footing on the snowy trail -- especially with an eager dog wanting to go faster faster faster.

Nothing like a hike in cold weather to get the blood warm!

And just for giggles, here's what happens when Chuck Norris goes hiking:

A cotillion of coots

This afternoon while driving past the lake, we saw hundreds and hundreds of coots. They always gather like this during the fall of the year.

It never fails to amaze me to see the water blackened with birds.

Sociable critters, ain't they?

Random pix

Yes, that's a giraffe.  Sort of.  These shots were taken in Spokane the other night when the girls and I got home late.  We stopped at a traffic light which had a used car dealer on one corner.  This car dealer's "schtick" was to put an enormous stuffed animal on top each vehicle.  It is certainly eye-catching!  And, at dusk, surreal.

I was driving on our dirt road the other morning when I noticed mountain bluebirds flitting about.  Normally we get western bluebirds around here, but once in awhile we get the more stunning (because it's all blue) mountain bluebird.

But they're hard to photograph because they flit away when you get too close.  So I set the camera on maximum resolution and just took some shots, hoping I could crop them and see the birds more clearly.  Not the best option, but at least they're visible.

We were driving past the lake the other day when I noticed a huge collection of coots.  They tend to gather in clusters in the fall, and this cluster was enormous - I'm guessing several thousand birds.  So I pulled over to see if I could photograph them.  Not the clearest shots, and I couldn't get them all in one photo because they were strung out in a long line.  (It's the thin black line on the water below.)

We also noticed this funky fungus growing on a tree.  Anyone know what it is?