The Colors of Fall.

The mountains close early here in Idaho. Often the snows begin in late September, so many of the small roads, parks, and businesses shut down for the season right about now. We just found this out, so we decided to make a quick, impromptu trip through the Sawtooth range in the middle of the state before it was too late.

We left early for the planned eight-hour drive, right about sunrise.
A front was blowing in from the southwest, so the morning clouds were
magnificent masses of pink and gray and orange.

We wound deep into the mountains along the south fork of the Payette.
On the banks of the river, the undergrowth was turning golden.

Aspens dotted the hills with flecks of gold, orange, and red,
startlingly bright against the deep green of the pines.

As we got closer to Sun Valley, the aspen groves
got bigger and brighter.

Until finally they painted whole hillsides with intense swathes of color.

We emerged from the narrow, winding roads of the mountains to
wide valleys flanked by the jagged peaks of the aptly-named
Sawtooth range.

We visited tranquil Redfish Lake just before it closed for the winter.

The visitor's center and most of the campgrounds were already shut.

Climbing the pass over to Sun Valley.
(BTW, the last three panoramic images (other than the reflection shot)
are each composites of four or five separate shots assembled and
blended by Photoshop's Photomerge feature.
Did I mention that I love Photoshop?)

After Sun Valley, the road back to Boise crosses the flat, bleak
plains of central Idaho to the poorly-named Mountain Home,
where there are no mountains, but many homes. The road
may have been less than scenic, but the approaching
front made for some spectacular cloudscapes.

Finally, just outside Boise, we hit the rain. We were pelted
by an intense squall for about five minutes, then it passed
and we made it safely back to civilization.

Be sure and click to read the sign.

P.