952 June 10, 2023 Idaho Is Full Of Surprises!
The town of Filer was preparing for Filer Fun Day as I took my morning walk. They were setting up food trucks and yard sales. There is going to be a car show, a rodeo, and fireworks. We are not staying. We are moving on.
When I think of Idaho, I think of potatoes and beef…until we crossed the Snake River Canyon. We rode over the bridge and pulled into the scenic overlook. We got out to walk. It was quite beautiful!
We didn’t see this parachutist take off but we did watch him land near the river. We saw him pack his chute and then trudge up the steep bank.
Indeed, as we drove out of town, there was lots of farmland and hayfields and steerage yards. We took the Sawtooth Scenic Byway, Route 75N.
We saw jagged lava fields strewn with sagebrush where open range cattle grazed.
We stopped for breakfast and we could see rugged snow-covered peaks looming in the distance.
We arrived at a great valley in Bellevue. My phone issued this message: Flood Warning Affected Area ahead. Proceed with caution. There were no road signs or closures though the fields were swampy and the diches were brimming and running fast.
Hailey and Ketchum were quaint, upscale, western mountain villages. There were miles of paved bike/snowmobile trails along the road, following the path of the rushing river.
We entered the Sawtooth Recreation Area and began to look for potential camping sites.
We stopped at the Frostbite Flats Trailhead and walked to Boulder Creek. The air here smells fresh and is crisp and clean. I read later that this portion of Idaho has the cleanest air in the lower 48.
The wildflowers are lovely.
Two military jets buzzed by not that far above us.
We continued our drive on the winding road flanked by tall pines. There were patches of snow as we climbed to 8,700 feet.
We stopped at the Frank Church Scenic Overlook.
From the overlook, Tim spotted a road in the valley below. He decided he really wanted to camp down there! We found Salmon River Road and parked the RV. We saw a sign for a campground in 4 miles.
We need to scope it out before venturing down this dirt road. We walked for a while and then Tim went back and got on his bike.
He passed a ranger who said we would have no problem getting to the campground with the RV. He also said there was dispersed camping. And so, we drove about 3.5 miles and found such a beautiful spot.
We sat outside by the creek for most of the afternoon and evening.
After dinner, we took the Jeep and took all the rough and rocky trails.
The last road took us up the mountain where we had a terrific view of the valley below.
We are so glad that we did not take the interstate. GPS told us that there was a 24-minute difference in time and the highway route was 80 miles further. It will take us longer timewise to travel this way but we would have missed all of this incredible scenery!
When Oliver was a baby, we took him to the Atlanta Aquarium. He was not yet able to walk. When he saw the first tank of fish, he got so excited. I was holding him on my hip. He kicked his fat little legs and pointed. He wanted to see more!! That’s how I feel here. I can’t wait to see more!
