New Year's Resolution #3: Get out more

When was the last time I went some place new or gone exploring with Burt? It's definitely time for an adventure! We've had two straight weeks of inversion, fog, and smog, with absolutely no sunshine, so I desperately needed to get out of town!  Here are the scenic byway, ice sculptures, and fireworks pictures from my day trip to McCall, Idaho :).

So my secret is that I have a cell phone holder on my dash. If I plug in my headphones, I can take pictures using the volume control thingy. So today I just snapped and clicked and photographed my heart out... until the battery ran out.

 The drive to McCall started foggy and over cast, but luckily, it also started with four lanes.

In 2009 Chris and I took a day trip to McCall during the summer.  Personally I think I found the spot we stopped to try to take some Christmas card photos. I'd post it, but the sun was REALLY bright and we both have pained squinty eyes.

While the cell phone and the holder and the ear buds were pretty good, sometimes the scenery was just so pretty I had to pull over and explore a bit.

I started with fog, moved to sunny.  Then, BAM!, snow. The bridge is really pretty and very narrow.

Holy crap! Where'd all this snow come from? Can you spot the river? It's hiding!

There was this really great stretch of road where the river was full of huge boulders covered in snow and you could see the current serpentine through it. Sometimes you just have to take the mind pictures and enjoy the moment, you know?

GPS said it would take 2 1/2 hours to get here. Except I kind of stopped a lot, so it took a bit longer.  My first stop was to the Craft Faire, where I found some pretty earrings and some free hot chocolate!  Then I was off with my trusty map looking for the winning ice-sculptures. This baby at the Hunt Lodge Holiday Inn Express is called "Pharaoh's Tomb," where you can actually walk between the sphinx front legs inside the pyramid, won Grand Prize.

This pretty sculpture by The Mill  and Beside the Mill is another big one! It won Most Photogenic and is called, "Guardian Angels Among Us."

This is "The Great Wall" and the 3rd Place winner done by Toll Station Pizza and Pasta.

Trying to find as many sculptures on their 2014 Snow Scupture Locations map was like going on a scavenger hunt but racing against sunset (pictures are a little tougher in the dark!).  I found this 2nd place winner by Krahn's Home Furnishings just in the nick of time! It's called "Wonders Down Under" with all the characters from Finding Nemo,

You know the best thing about winter fireworks? The sun sets at 5:41 pm!

I read an article yesterday on how to dress warm. I got my long johns, my two pairs of socks, my many thin warm layers (long sleeve shirt, pull over, hoody, and winter coat), and my hat. Now what do I do about my frozen chin!?

You see those guys down there setting off fireworks? They are ON the lake!

Driving there wasn’t too bad.  It’s mountain driving, so lots of two-lane roads and switch backs, but it was really pretty. The drive back in the dark?  A bit terrifying!  I made it to McCall including scenery stops in 2 ½ hours.  I drove back to Boise in almost three.  Geesh!  Still, a really interesting and fun adventure!