Raging Rivers

One of Chilean Patagonia's hallmarks is its beautiful rivers. So beautiful and so powerful that a battle is raging between those who wish to dam them up and those who wish to protect them.

At the heart of this battle is the stunning Rio Baker with its brilliant turquoise water, one of the most powerful rivers in the world, with an average flow rate of about 1200 cubic meters per second.

The Baker is hard to describe...words always seem to fall short, and even photos don't do much better.

For more information about what is happening with the rivers in Chilean Patagonia, check out the documentary film, Patagonia Rising or Rios to Rivers.

It's Alphabe-Thursday again, and, as you can see, another visit to Chilean Patagonia is on tap, since we're ruminating over the remarkable letter R.  Be sure to stop by Mrs. Jenny's to see what the other Alphabetarians are up to.

Aaaah...

I love where we live.

Heavenly Day

I often stand all amazed at the beauty of this earth and the great gift that it is to us. Every new day is a new wonder...even days that don't seem like anything special.

As we often do after church on Sunday afternoons, we took the dogs for a walk.

We haven't had a real snow storm for a couple weeks, so the dried grasses are starting to show through again. It makes for interesting abstracts...one of my favorite things to play with.

The creeks and streams have frozen over.

A lone runner enjoyed the cold air and the solitude of the mountains.  

Jake and Albert were up to their usual shenanigans...trying to bite the hub's ankles as he walked, getting their faces covered with snow and chasing each other up and down the hillsides and along the path at full tilt, tongues wagging and snow flying everywhere.

The reservoir has begun to freeze over...seems like it happened almost overnight. The process is not quite complete, but soon the tents of ice fishermen will dot the frozen surface. 

It was another heavenly day in our little corner of this beautiful earth.

Can't Get No Satisfaction

Remember how crazy all the rivers were around here a few weeks ago? People in the canyons were living on the brink of flooding for weeks. And then one day it all seemed to subside, just like that.

I'd been noticing lately whenever I had to drive over the hill that the Ogden River looked pretty serene. So I decided it was time for some water studies...at least that was my intent. Here's the best of what I shot. I'm not really very satisfied with what I shot.

And, by the way, the river wasn't as calm or calming as it appeared from the car. The traffic noise in the canyon was anything but serene and the river was still flowing faster than it appeared, so wading out into the middle of the stream was a bit treacherous. Oh well, at least I tried... and there will be other days.

A River Runs Through It

The easiest way to get to town is to travel down a deep rocky canyon with a river that runs alongside the road. I can't count the number of times I've wanted to kick myself for not having my camera with me. But not today. It was freezing cold and I had left the house later than planned but remembered to grab the camera as I dashed out the door.

The drive is about 30 minutes and the whole time I kept my eyes peeled waiting for that perfect scene to appear. But it wasn't happening. Although it was clear and blue at the house, as I dropped down in elevation it became apparent that there was an inversion in the valley below. The air was hazy and I could see that my imagined photo wasn't just going to present itself like a surprise gift.

Frustrated but determined not to give up, I decided to pull over as I approached the foot of the canyon to see if the river had anything to offer me. I walked back and forth a few times looking at the boulder laden stream below... nothing really grabbed me. Just the "usual" little waterfalls and rapids as the river tumbled downhill. None of the rich vibrant colors that had screamed at me in the fall.

I thought to myself, 'what the heck, I'm here; I might as well try to do something with the water rushing between the ice capped stones'. My fingers were stinging from the cold and I could barely push the shutter button. I grabbed a few shots but wasn't really satisfied that I had anything I'd like.

I should know better... sometimes I just have to put a little space between shooting and editing. Thankfully, today was no exception.