Beautiful River
by Robert Bales
Title
Beautiful River
Artist
Robert Bales
Medium
Photograph - Photo
Description
Out for an early morning drive to get the early light on this very peaceful looking river. It was taken a little distance from the Black Canyon Dam.
The Payette River is an 82.7-mile-long (133.1 km) river in southwestern Idaho and is a major tributary of the Snake River.
Its headwaters originate in the Sawtooth and Salmon River Mountains at elevations over 10,000 feet (3,000 m). Drainage in the watershed flows primarily from east to west, with the cumulative stream length to the head of the North Fork Payette River being 180 miles (290 km),[1] while to the head of the South Fork the cumulative length is nearly 163 miles (262 km). The combined Payette River flows into an agricultural valley and empties into the Snake River near the city of Payette at an elevation of 2,125 feet (648 m). The Payette River's drainage basin comprises about 3,240 square miles (8,400 km2). It is a physiographic section of the Columbia Plateau province, which in turn is part of the larger Intermontane Plateaus physiographic division. The South Fork of the Payette has its headwaters in the Sawtooth Wilderness, which is part of the Sawtooth National Recreation Area.
The principal tributaries of the Payette River are the North and South forks. The North Fork drains about 950 square miles (2,500 km2), beginning north of McCall and flowing into Payette Lake. The North Fork exits at the southwest end of Payette Lake at 4,990 feet (1,520 m) and flows south in the "Long Valley" of Valley County toward Cascade. It then flows into the Cascade Reservoir, then continues south, accompanied by Highway 55.
The South Fork Payette River drains about 1,200 square miles (3,100 km2), originating on the west side of the Sawtooth Wilderness beneath the 10,211-foot (3,112 m) Mount Payette. It flows past Grandjean and down to Lowman, along Highway 21. The shorter Middle Fork Payette River parallels the lower North Fork 10 miles (16 km) to the east, flowing south and joining the South Fork just southwest of Crouch. Further east, the Deadwood River parallels the Middle Fork and empties into the South Fork just west of Lowman. The main stem of the Payette River is shown on USGS topographic maps as beginning at the confluence of the South and Middle forks.
The North Fork joins the Payette at the village of Banks, at an elevation of 2,790 feet (850 m). The main stem flows south from Banks for 15 miles (24 km) to Horseshoe Bend, then west into Black Canyon Reservoir. Below the reservoir's dam, the river flows past Emmett and Payette, then empties into the Snake River at the Oregon border. The Payette River has an average annual discharge into the Snake River of 2,192,000-acre-foot (2,704 km2) of water.
Uploaded
January 21st, 2014
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Viewed 2,004 Times - Last Visitor from Ottawa, ON - Canada on 03/28/2024 at 12:26 AM
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Comments (65)
Warren Photographic
This is a wonderful shot. It makes me long for another trip to America, and its beautiful scenery.
Daniel Ghioldi
Beautiful photography, great color and lighting. The water mirrors always give great prominence to the photographs. Congratulations Robert, it's a great job.
Hanne Lore Koehler
Fantastic capture of this amazing beauty, Robert! What gorgeous colors, light and details in this magnificent composition! L/F/T
Steve Henderson
A Beautiful River indeed, Robert, with the colors of the trees and sky reflected in the calm, tranquil water. L/F/Tw/G+/P
Frozen in Time Fine Art Photography
Nice image! Did you pull out the telephoto and shoot the crane next?
Elizabeth Briggs
Very peaceful. The varying interests in the photograph are mesmerizing! I particularly am intrigued by the water. L/F/Tw
Music of the Heart
Perfect and Glorious, Robert!!!! The rocks and hills, the colors and reflections are incredible! LFT
Connie Fox
Beautifully done, Robert. Love the reflections, natural colors, and lines that lead one through this peaceful scene. L/F
Robert Bales replied:
Thanks Connie for the wonderful review on the river photo and the LF!! This is one of my favorite place.
Joan-Violet Stretch
Love this looks like the Lake District in Cumbria great lighting and detail l/f p FB
Robert Bales replied:
Thanks Joan and it is always nice to have photos remind you of a place you know!!
Jerry Cowart
Magnificent shot. One of my favorate things to shoot are streams and rivers. Your capture great. l/v/t