My "Neck of the Woods" - Autumn

You don't have to go far from home for adventure and beauty.   These scenes are within a one-mile radius of my house.

"Wandering is an inexpensive ticket to another level of being..."
         -  Ann Zwinger,  from The Nearsighted Naturalist

"Be careful going in search of adventure - it's ridiculously easy to find."
-  William Least Heat-Moon

There's no place on Earth like the American West, where one can experience a wide variety of absolutely stunning places and adventures.  The west has expansive spaces, solitude, jaw-dropping scenery - so spectacular, in fact, people come from all over the world to experience it.  Hear the roar of Vernal Falls in May in Yosemite National Park, stand atop the narrow sandstone fin on Angel's Landing with Zion Canyon spread far below, or feel Virgin River's current against your legs in Zion's narrows with rock walls towering far above.  The infinite Western Experiences list goes on.

The scenery doesn't have to be as dramatic as this, though, to be memorable.  The sea of sagebrush extending to the dark, flat basalt plateaus of the Great Basin can seem monotone at first glance, but walk through it during spring wildflower season, smell it just after a rain, watch a herd of antelope run swiftly by, or watch the sage grouse lek mating ritual;  suddenly this "monotonous"  place becomes spectacular.

For a few days last autumn, I treated myself to wandering with my cameras.  For me, it's a practice in meditation and like naturalist Ann Zwinger says, "another level of being."  What a luxury it is, if you are a nature lover, to have the time to "see" the natural world around you, to follow where it beckons; a bird song, a path, colors, the dark spot under a bitterbrush, or a hill top scattered with bunches of bright yellow flowers of the balsamroot waving in the breeze.

Here are a few images from "my neck of the woods."  I'm lucky to live where nature is so close.  But beauty is close to most of us if we just take the time to see.  A Boise foothills trailhead is within a mile of my house, as well as two farms where one can buy and learn about native plants.  My only limitation for this adventure was that all images are captured within a one-mile radius of my house.

This post received a few comments from friends that I thought worthwhile to mention.  One was that "Mother Earth is a gift."  So true, and to me a gift I will always have.  Also, some of the best images are captured "near home, where your familiarity can lead to shots that others would not see."

For more Boise photos, check out Gallery --> Boise.

Northwest Boise foothills on an autumn afternoon

First snowstorm of the season

Sunny but chilly ride through sagebrush

Rosaceae

I wonder what I will find this time!

Artemisia tridentata in bloom

Gardening/Botany books at Draggin' Wing Farm
Two outdoor libraries within one mile of my house - this is a special place, indeed!

Earthly Delights Farm next to Draggin' Wing Farm

Sunset at Draggin' Wing Farm

Alpenglow lighting Draggin' Wing Farm

Textures and colors - native vegetation of the Boise foothills

Huge sagebrush just up the hill 
​I wonder how old it is.....

Horses' hoof prints, rabbit brush and clearing fog

Another incredible Boise sunset