On to the "City" of Buhl, along the Old Oregon Trail / Idaho 30. Buhl is the "Trout Capital of America," founder in 1906 and is quite quaint. The population is around 4,400...

An old theater in Buhl, converted to a Mexican Restaurant...

Balanced Rock, a bit west of Castleford, is as its name states - a wind-eroded stone formation that is over 48 feet tall and 40 tons, balanced precariously on a pedestal only 3 feet by 17 inches! It's a bit of a climb up the hill to actually reach it and it is literally in the middle of nowhere, but a very cool formation nonetheless...

Back in Twin Falls, Elevation 486 offers good food...and the best views of the Snake River Canyon (see next 2 images). Please Click here to watch a Paraplane fly by from just above the dining terrace seen in the next image! The Route 93 bridge just upriver is the only one in the US that allows parachutists, etc. to jump without a permit and there is a landing strip in the canyon below for such. A summer dinner here in early evening is not to be missed when in Twin Falls!!!

This is Canyon Springs Golf Course in Twin Falls, with the Snake River flowing alongside. The view is once again from Elevation 486. You don't need to dine on the terrace to enjoy the view, as there is a walkway below, easily accessed from the parking lot!

Odd rock formations abound at Castle Rocks State Park near Almo, not far from the Utah border

The images themselves explain this incredible landscape, about 90 miles northeast of Twin Falls...It is a huge area of lava beds where NASA astronauts actually have trained...It's also designated an International Dark Sky location, as you will see in a bit!

The lava flows began about 15,000 years ago and only ceased 2,000 years ago. The monument covers about 75 square miles...

This is the spot where we were able to set-up to photograph the night sky, along the Loop Road...

Many wildflowers are able to grow in the lava-rich soil from May through August!

Colorful lichen covers many of the rock formations...

This is "Inferno Cone" - with our shadows cast in the early evening sun (twilight does not disappear completely until at least 10:30pm in early summer!).

Above and below: Formations known as "Splatter Cones." A 7-mile, mostly one-way paved loop takes you through the park and most all of its sights.

White wildflowers grace one hillside along a spur road off Loop Road, popping up out of the lava/soil after spring rains arrive...

Flowers will pop-up in the strangest places along this foreign landscape!

Note: These night sky photos are best viewed on a PC screen, as smartphone screens may not reveal the color and fine details of the star field images!!

These images were taken between 10:30pm and midnight, using a tripod & cable release, with the DSLR set at wide-angle, f/4 for 15 to 20 seconds on bulb. ISO setting was either 800 or 1600 to allow for the least digital noise. At about 11:40pm, the moon began to rise, pretty much killing the "Dark Sky" designation... We were the only ones in the area that evening and the sky was glorious, as you are about to see! The beauty is something everyone should experience...

Above and next two below: What appears to be a slightly orange cloud in these shots is actually the Milky Way - billions of stars only visible with a time exposure! The brightest "star" in the frame above and below is actually the planet Jupiter...

A glorious star field...

...and the moon as it rises in the east about 11:40pm!