Two Days in the Treasure State

We were sad to say goodbye to Custer County’s snow capped mountains but continued our trip north, spending the day driving along the Salmon River on the Salmon River Scenic Byway. We stopped for second breakfast in the small town of Salmon (no we didn’t order salmon) and were allowed to sit at a table apart from the other patrons. Idaho has now entered stage three of Rebound Idaho. It felt great, sitting at a small table, drinking coffee with a handful of unmasked strangers.

Our destination for the day would have us exiting Idaho and camping at River Edge RV Park, outside Missoula, MT. We will only be in Montana a couple nights, before heading back into the panhandle of Idaho. The park, as it’s name suggests, sits in a grove of pine trees on the banks of the Clark Fork River. It sits between interstate 90 and a train track. I know that sounds awful, but it’s actually quite nice, and perfect for our needs as a “just passing thru” spot.

Diner in Salmon, ID

The White Cloud Mountains

The Sawtooth Mountains were a new discovery for me, twenty-five years ago, but the unexpected gem, on this visit, ended up being the lesser known White Cloud Mountains; located across the valley from the Sawtooths. Unlike the Sawtooths, which shoot up like the Teton Mountains, in full view of Highway 75, you can’t just step out of your car and snap a selfie in front of the White Clouds. You have to hike into the backcountry to experience their beauty. The mountain range is located in the largest roadless area in the Lower 48.

We were a couple weeks too early to hike to the top of any of the 150 peaks ( at 10,000 feet elevation) that make up the White Cloud Mountain range, but we did push through some snow, leaving footprints proving we’d made it as close to the top as anyone else this season! One week is not nearly enough time to explore this amazing wilderness.

The Sawtooths

I think we all understand that feeling of satisfaction upon discovering something new, rare or unusual; and sometimes it’s even more satisfying if it’s not on anyone else’s radar. The teen wearing the t-shirt that says, “my favorite band hasn’t been formed yet,” resonates with many of us. The discovery of the newly discovered can be very rewarding.

I experienced that feeling over twenty-five years ago when Mark and I flew out west and did a backpacking trip in central Idaho’s Sawtooth Mountain Range. Snowcapped mountains, alpine lakes and picturesque hot springs were brand new discoveries for a girl who had never traveled west of the Mississippi. Today, I find myself back in this striking landscape and I’m relieved to say it hasn’t lost any of it’s magic!

Most scenic disc course; Stanley, ID

Slate Creek Hot Springs 

Family and Falls

The Snake River is almost as iconic, in southern Idaho, as its famous potatoes. Iconic rivers sometimes inspire iconic bridges and the Perrine Bridge, in Twin Falls, is certainly one of those. It was the highest bridge in the world, when it was built, in 1929. Today, it is a popular spot for BASE jumping. BASE jumping is the recreational sport of jumping from fixed objects, then using a parachute to land safely. BASE is an acronym that stands for 4 categories of fixed objects to jump from: building, antenna, span and earth.

As it’s name suggests, Twin Falls is also home to some pretty impressive waterfalls. Shoshone Falls (referred to as the Niagara of the West) is really stunning and the park that bears it’s name has a cool rim trail that is definitely worth a short day hike. Not only do you get panoramic views of the falls and river, but you also get to see the spot where Evel Knievel attempted to jump the Snake River Gorge on a rocket/motorcycle in 1974.

Sometimes it’s nice to abandon your camper (leave it safely parked on an Air Force base) and take a carefree trip, to visit family in the area, and see some cool sights along the way. Thanks to Jan and Greg, in Pocatello, we had an incredible three days, and even took  a short ride in Greg’s new toy!

Unexpected Surprises

I love unexpected surprises. Today was supposed to be an ordinary resupply day, in Boise, but a message from, Randy and Chris, old friends from our Washington, DC days, resulted in a rendezvous, at a rest area, on I 84. We hadn’t seen our friends since they moved to Seattle over five years ago! What a wonderful, unexpected surprise to see their new Airstream, meet their new pup and catch up on old times.

A couple of other things I want to make note of, in the context of unexpected surprises. A goal of mine, on the road, is to see things I’ve never seen before and hopefully learn about things I didn’t even know existed. On this trip, one of the strangest sightings we’ve had, was a giant spider, along the roadside, outside Carson City. It’s constructed out of an old Volkswagen Beetle and doesn’t seem to promote any particular business. When I did some research, I learned that artist, David Fambrough made four of the sculptures, in 1979, and placed them in obscure spots around Nevada.

Another unusual thing we noticed, when we got close to Winnemucca, NV; almost every pickup truck we saw had a flag with an X on it attached to the truck bed. At first I thought they might be protesting the Governor’s “stay at home order” but after inquiring, I found out the flags were safety flags for worker’s vehicles that travel on active mine sites.

Idaho Afterall

When we planned this trip, the objective was to travel up the California/Oregon coast, then cross into Idaho. We love sand dunes, so the first place we made reservations, in Idaho, was Bruneau Dunes State Park. As everything closed down, and we found ourselves sheltering in place in Nevada for two months, it never occurred to us that we might still end up in this part of Idaho. Bruneau Dunes is actually still closed to overnight camping, until the end of the month, but open for day use. The Air Force Base Fam Camp, where we found an open campsite, is only 25 miles away. When we realized that Thursday promised to be a rare all day rain, we grabbed our raincoats and headed out to explore this unusual phenomenon. (Dune hiking on rainy days is usually better because the sand is firmer and easier to climb on.) These particular Dunes are the result of the Bonneville Flood (one of the largest floods in the world) that occurred 14,000 years ago at the end of the Ice Age. The Dunes include a 470’ dune, which towers above the desert floor, and two lakes at their base. Our goal was to hike to the top of the highest dune then around the lakes. It was a challenging, beautiful  hike but perhaps the most important aspect of the experience was the justification we felt, about the decisions we’ve made to continue with our trip, despite the variety of obstacles in this socially distant new world.

Leaving Nevada

After more than two months camping in the Silver State, we find ourselves saying goodbye, as we make our way to Mountain Home Air Force base in Idaho. It’s been a wild ride here, in Nevada, but probably not “wild” in the context one usually associates with Vegas or Reno. We visited the three most populated cities, in the state, where gambling is legal, and didn’t have the opportunity to pull even one slot machine handle, but we have had a blast; all things considered. From the high desert to the Great Basin and the Alpine lakes of Tahoe we say, “ Thanks for the memories; until we meet again!”

As a footnote: Nevada comes from the Spanish word meaning snowcapped.

Closed for Covid

One last Lake Tahoe Rim Trail view

Tahoe and the Carson Valley

Lake Tahoe

We were sad to leave the tiny town of Dyer, but with our food supplies running low, we realized we needed to move on to a bigger town where we could resupply without taxing the small market at the RV Park. We originally had reservations on the Nevada side of Lake Tahoe, but those were canceled/refunded when the park decided to delay opening until the middle of May. Thankfully, some friends we met, camping in Dyer, told us they were from Minden (in the Carson Valley outside Lake Tahoe) and recommended a local park where we could camp. We love Minden and its sister city Gardnerville, not to mention the quaint town of Genoa; Nevadas very first settlement in 1851.

Lake Tahoe is just 20 miles away and on our first trip there, we were pleased to discover the 165 miles that make up the Tahoe Rim Trail (a long distance hiking trail that forms a loop around Lake Tahoe) weren’t closed and allow hiking and biking. What a breathtakingly, beautiful place! We also discovered an awesome disc golf course outside Carson City so we will have plenty of outdoor fun to keep us busy the week we are here!

Disc Golf Course - Dayton, Nevada

Peak Bagging

Today’s adventure involved putting our truck in four wheel drive and heading up a dirt road called Trail Canyon, in search of Boundary Peak trailhead. Boundary Peak happens to be the highest natural point in Nevada at 13,147 feet. Because the White Mountains are still white (with snow) we knew the odds of getting close to the top were slim but we decided to see how far we could get. The first couple miles were relatively snow free but as the elevation increased so did the snow. We began post holing (falling thru the snow) as we reached a saddle but managed to climbed to the top of the ridge at a little over 11,000 feet. It was then I realized “what goes up must come down.” I did a bit of glisading (sliding on my booty down a snowy steep hill) and escaped unscathed. We didn’t bag the Peak but had a great time giving it a go.

Ready to climb

View from the ridge line