Secret and Celebrated Story and Photos by Michael Stubbs One winter, Dave and I visited the yurt without Rusty. He was recovering from an injury and needed someone to knock snow off the roof and perform general maintenance.
A One-Pot Wonder By Gary Oberbillig I am certain that my fondness for one-pot cookery is not only because it makes dishwashing easier but because it fuels my vivid memories of the Dutch oven on the sagebrush campfire
In a Beleaguered League of Writers By Amy McClellan Photos Courtesy of Idaho Writers’ League In 2016, the once-mighty Idaho Falls chapter of the Idaho Writers’ League (IWL) vanished. It happened so abruptly that some members were stunned
Ups and Downs on the Long Road By Les Tanner Take a look at this,” Randy said, taking out his phone and scrolling through its contents until he came to the frame he wanted. He turned the phone
A Newcomer Learns Ranch Lingo By Bobbi Phelps Photos Courtesy of Bobbi Phelps In 1980, suburbanite Bobbi Phelps moved to the four-thousand-acre Wolverton family ranch in southern Idaho’s Twin Falls and Cassia Counties. Her book, Sky Ranch: Living
Early Cattle Drives through Idaho By Billy Jim Wilson In 1879, the year after the Bannock War that pitted U.S. troops against Bannock warriors of southern Idaho and Paiutes of northern Nevada, cattlemen in eastern Oregon began to
Noted British and American composer Tarik O’Regan visited Idaho last year in preparation for a new work commissioned by the Boise Chamber Music Series. He got a good look at the southern half of the state, which not
Rediscovering “Agricultural Improvement” Trains By Thornton Waite When I moved to southern Idaho in the mid-1970s, I continued a longtime interest in the history of railroads by researching the history and growth of the industry here. It soon
Riding in a charter bus full of food and travel writers from outside the state, it was hard to keep my mouth shut. All I wanted to do was tell backstories. Continue reading
My interest in Idaho’s night skies is a passion born of necessity. Landscape photography rather famously has a very short amount of time in the morning and evening when the light is most favorable for pictures.
I am most often at work during the day, which usually limits my available time for photos, and one such evening I found myself arriving at a location a bit too late for a good picture. I decided to just sit and watch the stars for a while before loading up my gear and heading home. After night fell and some time had passed, I noticed that I could easily make out the faint Milky Way and decided to adjust my camera and take a shot anyway. Mecca! An Idaho treasure previously unknown to me had suddenly been discovered. I could hardly believe the amount of light and detail I was able to capture from the very little light I could see. What had begun as an unfortunate circumstance for landscape photography wound up being just the push I needed to find a new passion for what I call “Nightscapes.”
More research revealed why I was able to capture the amazing night sky of southern Idaho. The combination here of high altitude, low light pollution, and a landscape covered in dark rock offers a view of our night sky many people throughout the world will never have the opportunity to see—and for a photographer, this fortunate combination allows the light of billions of stars to come shining down with brilliant clarity. That was the reason I could make these images with only the stars as my light. Continue reading
