My 2015 photography year began on January 10, the 3rd having been way too cold for the club's photo safari. Roger, Steve, and Wayne took the bait I dangled about seeing eagles west of Pocatello. We dawdled en route, checking out a former owl nest just past Simplot's belching white clouds, and taking the extra lure of hoarfrost riming the trees at Willow Bay. Eagles there were, yes, in the tall trees on the Neeley Loop Road, and the men found other attractions there, like signs, a farm truck, and a horse or two. My main goal was to reach the eastern (free) entrance to Massacre Rocks State Park, a trail that at least two of the others hadn't discovered before, where we all enjoyed a walk in the waning afternoon light.

Photo Safari Day in February promised--and meagerly produced--rain, so only one person e-mailed and none called to say they weren't coming. The sun shone warmly (it was warmer outside than my house had been inside since October) in a mostly-clear sky, so out I went into the afternoon, alone.

On Valentine's Day, a Prius-load of women went to Craters of the Moon National Monument for a 7-hour lark; after the sky cleared and the day warmed up a bit, we joined a sizable stream of other adventurers in trekking the one set of trails that was open; the rest still were blocked by a snow-covered road.

On March 7, Wayne, Tracey, and I set out in search of wildlife, and in short order came to the 60+ bird flock of game department planted turkeys foraging not far from the road to our local ski area. I took no photos there or from the porch of the ski lodge, but began getting interested as Tracey and I made our way down the hill and then again after lunch as we worked in the Garden Creek Gap, past Hawkins Reservoir, and back to the highway near the village of Virginia.

On April 4, Tracey and I headed south again, finding nearly a half-dozen blooming native plants on Red Hill, exploring a narrow trail in Goodenough Canyon, returning in mid-day to Garden Creek Gap (as we'd noted in March that we needed to do), and skipping stones in Hawkins Reservoir. Saw snipe and cranes in Marsh Valley.

April 28--A day's drive with Peggy and Roger to American Falls and Massacre Rocks yielded several springtime images.

The Photo Safari on May 2 was a trip with Becky and Sandra to several favorite stops on the south side of American Falls Reservoir, and a lively exploration of the birdwatching trail at the American Falls fish hatchery.

May 7 and 8 -- The camping trip for which Roger, Peggy and I had reconnoitered earlier was wet some of the time, but not always. We stayed at Massacre Rocks State Park, walking into the hills to see Oregon Trail ruts and up and down the river, and also visiting Register Rock.

May 9 found the native plant society group out searching the wooded hills for mushrooms; we found precious few of those, but did enjoy splendid balsamroots and several colors of violets.

May 12 gave me some time with the Austrian Copper roses in my yard in the sunshine after a rainshower, and May 13 netted a few more photos of Craters of the Moon during a New Knowledge Adventures bus trip.

On May 24, Peggy and Roger brought me to Paris Spring to see if it was still there (yes, although it will take time to repair the swath where Monsanto buried a pipeline last year); I heard and saw the American Dipper (water ouzel), so conditions can't be all bad.

Camping alone at Paris Spring May 29-31, I picked up a few more images, and then drove south into two more canyons, Bloomington (new for me) and St. Charles, to check out campgrounds. In Bloomington Canyon, I got as far as the snow let me, and found views in several directions across Telegraph Flat.

June 3-5 -- Peggy, Roger and I enjoyed camping and hiking at Craters of the Moon. Veiled skies kept the heat down and the light in our favor, yet didn't rain on us.

On June 10, in the midst of packing for a 3-week stay in California, I went on a New Knowledge Adventures bus trip to Twin Falls and Cassia Counties, Idaho, and brought in another image of Shoshone Falls, with low water levels.

June 12 to July 3 -- After a day of packing, my '87 Vanagon and I departed for 3 weeks of adventure. The first stopover was at the Chukar Park campground outside of Juntura, Oregon, but no views inspired photos there this year. The first photo honor went to the four snowy peaks poking above the desert between Burns and Bend, Oregon. My image shows only the 3 Sisters, because the view of the 4th peak was garbled by utility poles and lines. My heart was set on nabbing images from Crater Lake National Park, so I was pleased to reach there (just) before sunset. The next morning's view of Mount Shasta pulled me to a stop as I traversed from Dunsmuir to Red Bluff, California. Then during the whole two weeks in residence in St. Helena, I got one of the cameras out only once, for a mushroom on an oak log. I tried with other mushrooms in other places, but only this image worked. At the end of that stay, I zoomed south to visit four more national parks in the 4+ days I had available before returning home. I worried for the car, the cameras, and myself in my un-cooled VW crossing California in 108-degree heat (and Idaho in 105 degrees), but somehow, we all survived!

July 15-21 -- A joyous return to Living Waters Ranch in Challis brought in a few more images from Garden Creek canyon and from a tiny campground below the Mackay Reservoir dam, also in Custer County, Idaho.

August 11-14 -- A short vacation with Roger and Peggy near Redfish Lake, Custer County again.

September 19 -- I was leading the native plant society's annual "fall colors" trip, so I couldn't take any photos on the way up the trail, but coming back down, I did sneak in a few.

October 3 -- It was the day of Scott Kelby's World Wide Photo Walk, and I went, but didn't find my club's members, as unknown to me, the location had been changed. But never mind, I still got a few images.

November and December -- No one came to any of the year's subsequent photo safaris. But Marijana and I returned to Mexico, this time to Chacala and Guayabitos, in the state of Nayarit.