Capturing the Art of Nature
Silver River Power and Beyond
Zebra striped rock exposed in a narrow river gorge is always very pretty
Category
Serendipitous Discoveries
2017
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Zipping through the back-country roads has been very interesting over the years but after a forced absence for several months one gains a new appreciation for slowing down and exploring a single spot in more detail. This was Geoff’s and my first trip into the hills since Christmas! It has been a long span but life sometimes gets in the way of recreation. Hopefully we will be out again after a much shorter gap next time. For our return to the hills we decided to visit the East Harrison and the new power dam in particular.
Our adventure began shortly before 9am when Geoff arrived at my house. We then scrambled to get the truck loaded with our equipment all the while hoping that we hadn’t forgotten anything in our long absence. Once loaded we were off to our regular coffee shop and gas station, followed by an extra stop for some quality beef jerky. Then a stretch on the highways before the start of the FSR. Once onto gravel it felt like coming home. We just enjoyed the drive north along the side of the lake making only the occasional stop for a few photos until we reached the site of the new power dam.
Upon arrival we parked in front of the gate which blocked our way across the river and threatened us with surveillance. Being the compliant and agreeable sorts that we are, we decided to stay on this side and just explore the old river bed where we could gather some photos of the area. It had once been the most beautiful part of the river but the new dam took that view away, so now one must make do with shots of the striped rocks below the dam area. It is still pretty but I noticed that not only was the scene gone but so was the amazing turquoise water that once flowed here, at least there is still some water. After scrambling over the rocks for a while we returned to the truck and continued north to where the road re-crosses the river heading up Shovel Creek.
Directly beside the bridge crossing the river was a pullout which we backed into and there we ate lunch. It is a lovely spot next to a narrow deep gorge that the river runs through. Just upstream is a small waterfall that one can get up close and intimate with. We cooked our soups and soon were enjoying the warmth of a nice meal in the hills. Once done with eating, I started gathering photos and made my way upstream to the waterfall, there I was able to try a number of close-up angles of the water. It is a very loud roar as the water drops between rocks in a very narrow gap. But lots of fun gathering some pictures.
Once I was done with the falls, we returned to the truck and started on our way back down to the Pine FSR. We were surprised to find a new locked gate just in from the start. This was very annoying but there was little we could do, so we just decided to head on out for the day. It had been so refreshing being out here even if we didn’t do all that much exploring.