Idaho - Part 2

The next day (June 10th in case you were wondering) dawned sunny yet chilly. Mike braved a wash in the river and then we began our day of unexpected things.

First was the blizzard we got caught in (Snow! In June!) Then, as we were driving along we spotted what looked like smoke by the roadside, this turned out to be steam from a small hot spring trickling down the slope and into the river, it was much too hot and shallow to bathe in though.

Next up was blindly following signs to a ghost town, on the way we kept seeing deep emerald pools and huge scalloped mounds of river rocks.

A huge steampunk style dredging machine loomed through the snow and we decided to take a tour.

This volunteer led museum inside the only complete dredging machine left in the USA took us through the history of gold mining in the area. Despite the cutting edge technology of the 1930's experts estimate that 60% of the total gold was left in the piles of waste. Unfortunately for us the mining rights are still privately owned and doing your own rummaging for gold is strictly forbidden!

After the dredge we came to the ghost town of Custer. This town was abandoned when the gold rush ended but the buildings have mostly been preserved in their original condition. We thoroughly enjoyed sheltering from the cold in the abandoned homes but soon the museum was closing and it was time to head on up the road to Stanley.

Stanley is in part of Idaho known as Sun Valley and is famous for being beautiful, it did not disappoint and the setting coupled with the amazing grocery store put Stanley (pop 67) firmly at the top of our list of dream places to live.

The next day we took advantage of the sunshine (it is Sun Valley after all) by taking an 8 mile hike around Redfish Lake and up the mountain side to Bench lakes, where we saw (and heard! They make a noise even if you are not looking) a tree fall into the water.

We made full use of the laundry, shower and ice cream facilities at the resort and after chatting to a lovely man from Chorley (small world, eh?) we returned to the same free campsite we had used the previous night, an absolute gem of a find as all the others started at $18 a night.

The next day we headed back to Stanley and after another shopping trip we popped into the visitor center, whilst there we learned about the plight of the local red sockeye salmon and the heartbreaking tale of "Lonesome Larry" - the only adult sockeye to return to the once teeming (Redfish Lake was named because the lake would turn red with the sheer quantity of adult Sockeye salmon returning to spawn) breeding grounds in 1992. Now dubbed "the most interesting fish in the world" his story has fueled massive conservation efforts and the destruction of several river dams to help more fish return.

After a brief photo stop at Stanley Lake and lunch overlooking Dry Creek (with some impressive log fencing) we stopped off at Kirkham hot springs.

Listed in the top 4 hot springs of Idaho this geothermal spring tumbles down the hillside before forming waterfalls into the cold river below. As we were lacking the change to pay for the day use $5 a lovely man was so enamoured by our accents that he gave us the change (he also was very keen for us to know that he did NOT vote for trump!). The spring was popular with most pools occupied but after several hours of dam building and fighting the strong river current we managed to create a perfect pool.

Feeling very relaxed, and a little bit gritty, we headed on towards Banks to scope out some white water rafting for the next day. Whilst there we repaid a "Random act Of Kindness" by giving a lift to 2 kayakers who had been left downstream without a paddle! They told us they would be competing in the world championships that weekend, after considering the amount of river traffic this would mean we decided to move on to Riggins to raft instead.

After a night at Cascade Lake, where we'd managed to spot a skunk the night before, we made a brief stop in McCall to book rafting for the next day. We also found a small local corral offering horse rides around Payette Lake.

Our horses, Chico and Callie, did an excellent job at taking us up a hill to view the lake. Both were quarter horses and had the same father, although Chico was half mustang. Happily Amy's back was fine after the ride and we left more determined than ever to do a bigger ride in Montana.

...Girl scouts happened...

Headed on towards Riggins the next day it was apparent the fishing season had begun as every single inch of river bank was being fished from! We arrived early to make sure we were at the right place and as it had a cafe with good WiFi we spent the morning sipping coffee and catching up with reality. Then the afternoon fun began! After being kitted up with wetsuits we were packed into a van and driven a few miles upstream. After a quick "what not to do" talk we were given life jackets and helmets and jumped into an inflatable raft.

In our group were an older couple with their grandchildren who were keen to do the biggest rapids possible! The rapids were gentle to start with the nervous Amy at the back of the raft. After a quick halfway stop at an old rock house the layout of the raft was changed for the bigger rapids, as rafts had been flipped over the day before. This meant Amy and Mike right at the front and the kids at the back. Riding class 4 rapids was exhilarating and terrifying, the guide was surprised that none of us ended up as "swimmers" and everyone laughed when Amy caught a huge wave face on, earning her a "glacial facial".

After debating whether or not to drive out to see Hells Canyon (deepest river gorge in the USA) we decided that we had spent long enough in Idaho and really ought to get going towards Montana.

Our last full day on Idaho was then spent dawdling along the scenic highway 12. Stops along the way included the Lochsa historic ranger Station, a play with a really enthusiastic puppy and the DeVoto Cedar Grove.