The Sawtooth Mountains and the Salmon River. Idaho

I got some good advice from a friend in Boise and traveled up RT 21 from Boise thru Idaho City, an old mining town and up a curvy road towards Stanley ID. There was lots of evidence of forest fires and I now have a whole new appreciation of what it must be like trying to fight them in that type of terrain. I crossed a couple of passes at progressively higher elevations with the highest at 7200 ft or so. The mountains that surround the passes go up to 10,000 ft or so. I had started in Boise at about 2500 ft (I think)

About 15 miles from Stanley you come out on to a high plain and there is some farming but it is sparse and looks very dry. Steve had suggested that I turn south for a few miles to Redfish Lake. It is apparently the spawning ground for the Sockeye Salmon and they are a protected species and have been since 1991.

The lake is beautiful and there were campgrounds and people in the lake swimming.
The drive from there to Challis ID where I spent the night follows the Salmon river or at least some of the branches of the Salmon river. At some points it is in a significant gorge and at others spreads out.




 

                                                        Note the lack of guard rail!!

The road passes thru Clayton ID with a claimed population of 23! Not much else to be said!

 












Coming in to Challis there is evidence of irrigated fields and I think they are growing alphalpha (how do you spell it anyway!). I have not seen any dairies (there are LOTS of huge dairies in Idaho) so maybe they are growing and selling to those dairies. I know in some places they export the alphalpha to Japan!

Challis is not a very exciting place but certainly the business center for the area and the county seat.

I took a walk this morning and it presented a couple of random photo opportunities. Enjoy

No doubt here as to what they mean!!

Idaho Travel Trailer

Back on the road

Well after a hiatus of about 9 weeks I am off traveling again. This is a fairly short trip to Idaho and Montana. I will be gone about 3 weeks.

I went to Atlanta to see the family for the weekend and particularly to see Gavin off on his great adventure. For those that do not know he is going to New Zealand and Australia for about a year to travel, work and have some fun. Hopefully the economy will recover and when he returns there will be better job opportunities for a well traveled and mature young man.

Gavin left Atlanta about an hour ahead of me and I flew to Boise Idaho as jumping off point for an adventure in the mountains of Idaho and then about 6 days in Yellowstone National Park. I have a former colleague and friend who quit work, sold her house and bought an RV. She has been living in West Yellowstone for about 3 months now and will leave for Texas in early September before the real cold sets in. She has had numerous visitors and I am lucky to be included in that number.

My planning for the trip has been less than stellar. I booked the flight, a rental car and my first night in Boise (as I arrived at 9.30pm!)I am going to wing it and see where I end up until I get to Yellowstone on Sunday afternoon.

I will do a separate post for the travel part of the first day.