#13 We found a Gem!

For Richie’s birthday, he wanted to do some gold panning and fly fishing. He didn’t find any gold, nor did he find any fish but he did find a gem. And that gem, glittering, gleaming and twinkling in the beautiful sunlight, was Idaho.

We crossed into Idaho through Jackpot, Nevada, and set up camp at Salmon Falls Creek Reservoir, south of Twin Falls. It was Independence Day weekend and we were hoping to get a glimpse of how the Americans celebrate. How lucky we were, for a large group of friends and family had gotten together to party and included us in their program of activities. They had brought with them a whole host of toys, such as a speed boat, wake board and tube, paddle boards and kayaks, and dirt bikes and ATVs. Randy who had owned most of the equipment, welcomingly said, “What’s mine is yours, just take what you like and enjoy”. We certainly did and of course enjoyed their company too. The fireworks display that they had prepared for the Saturday night was a wonderful highlight and we were thrilled to be able to experience an authentic 4th July. Thank you so much guys!

We stocked up on supplies in Twin Falls and made sure we visited the Shoshone Falls, the second largest waterfalls in North America (after Niagra Falls of course). It was a scorching hot day and jumping off the rock into the water was very tempting.  The view was breathtaking and reminded us a lot of the Rheinfalls in Switzerland.

That very same day, in search of cooler temperatures, we headed up to the Sawtooth Mountain Range and camped a couple of days in the peaceful sun valley near Ketchum. Even Ernest Hemingway liked it, spending his last few years here. His body now rests in peace in the nearby cemetry.

Rested, recharged and our tummies full with banana bread and rib-eye caveman-style (we baked with the Dutch Oven again, and put the meat straight on the coals), we drove on to Stanley, the outdoor capital of the Sawtooth Mountains. We had lunch in an outdoor bar and restaurant, and decided to check out Custer, an old mining town which now remains as a ghost town. The ghost town was one of many to visit in Idaho, and this one was very well maintained. Old school houses, homes and saloons still stand there, and a display of the gold mining machinery and blacksmith equipment that were used, scatter around the town. There was much to read up on, including the tragic history of three children who died in the 1890 Avalanche and were buried under a small patch of land in the town.

Idaho has around 130 soakable hotsprings and we decided to try some out on our way to Boise. We found some dotted around at Kirkham Hot springs and upon our arrival, the Ranger advised us to take a dip in a couple of secluded ones. We could see why they were empty. The water was simmering at a good 60 degrees celcius. Definitely too hot for us, not to mention little Zoe! Taking a few steps down to the river, we hit a more balanced temperature, and sure enough a few 30 or so people too. Nevertheless, we enjoyed a nice soak, and our evening spent nearby up the river, with an enormous campfire illuminating all the stars, was unforgettable.

Our drive to Boise, where we stocked up on groceries, was beautiful. We were on our way to Silver City, another Ghost Town. The journey would have taken us too long in one evening, so we set up camp on the way at Snake River in the gorge of Swan Falls.

The next morning, we rose early (very rare for us), and potholed up the 13 miles rough road to Silver City. We were surprised to find that most houses were still inhabited by family members of former goldminers, at least in the summertime, and much of the land is still privately owned. It is part of U.S. history and did give us a glimpse of what it was like here 150 years ago, but unlike other ghost towns has very few iconic buildings to read up on. Just before we were about to leave, we got chatting to another truck-camper couple, Pim and Michelle, who were spending the night in one of the only four campsites in town. We got on so well, we changed our minds and anchored there too, spending a lovely afternoon eating appetisers in the creek and grilling ribeyes and singing songs around the campfire.

It was Richie’s birthday the following day and having learned that it was his wish to go fly fishing and gold panning, our new friend, Pim, invited us to his house in Riggins right on the Salmon River. It turned out that his son, Johann, a professional Fly Fishing instructor out of Maui, Hawaii, was back in town and could show Richie the ropes. Richie was thrilled! We put it in our diaries and our plans changed course. As we now had a week to kill, we decided to check out the sand dunes at Bruneau and we are sure glad we did. We camped on a beautiful lake just outside of Bruneau and had it all to ourselves, well apart from sharing it with the white pelicans that is…We love Idaho!

The dunes of Bruneau did not disappoint. We arrived for sunset and climbed the great heaps of sand in the soft golden light, leaving our footprints behind. Richie flew the drone and Zoe had a blast running through the powdery grains of sand.

All that was left to do, was purchasing a fly fishing pole, reel and flys and head up to Riggins. Four stores later, we found all the gear for a reasonable price. Fly fishing sure is an expensive hobby.

The three hour drive up to Riggins was a pleasant meander through green pine forests, lakes and mountains. The more north we travelled, the more alpine the scenery looked, you can imagine our surprise then, to suddenly reach large boulders, and a much more canyon backdrop when pulling up in Riggins. We had hit a different climate zone and the weekend spent with Pim and Johann was hot. Thank goodness the Salmon River was within reach and gave us plenty of stunning beaches to go and cool off at.

Pim and Johann bent over backwards to give us a good time. One day was spent on a fishing boat trip, the next a white water rafting excursion (Abigail and Zoe did stay behind for that one), and our final day; searching for gold! For evening meals, we had catch of the day, ribeyes and a shepherds pie, followed by fruit crumble for dessert! It felt good to be baking again (Abigail)! The nights cooled off, and a few beers were had around the campfire in Pim’s back yard. The weekend was memorable and it was great to meet Pim’s family and friends too. Thank you guys for giving us a fantastic time, until we meet again!

It was time for us to hit the road again. With a freshly serviced truck, and fully stocked up on everything, we made our way to Elk City, the gateway to the Magruder Corridor; a 113 mile dirt road through the biggest wilderness area in the lower 48. We really were the largest vehicle on the road, and although there was very little traffic, it took us three days to get into Montana. The campsites were awesome with deer roaming around, and there was lots of firewood to be burned. Richie caught some fish in the creeks…Johann would be proud.

Montana: It is funny how each state has a different vibe. Even though they may look similar at first glance, they really are different to one another. Montana showed more resemblance to Switzerland; it being a mountainous state with lots of tourism both in winter and summer; and things got a little more pricey too! Not to mention Richie’s 2-day fishing permit…that cost three times as much! We also noticed a big change in terms of COVID restrictions. Some attractions were still closed to the public and masks were pretty much mandatory everywhere.

After some fly fishing in the Bitterroot river in Darby and after running some errands in Missoula, we made headway towards Glacier National Park. We found awesome camping just half an hour from the gates of Glacier, right on the North Fork Flathead River, with yet another perfect beach for swimming and building sandcastles. With many roads still being closed in Glacier National Park (the Blackfeet Indian Tribe, for example closed the East Entrance to the park due to COVID), we and about 200’000 other people drove over the Logan Pass and back. It was beautiful, although not too novel for us, but with all the tourists and traffic, we decided to call it a day and leave the park after lunch.

We stayed at two more lakes (it was scorching), before crossing back into Idaho. We had missed the famous potato state. We drove up the panhandle until reaching the Canadian border, just for the fun of it! That place was eerily quiet, with not one car passing through. Even the gas station was closed. We followed the Kootenai river south and overnighted at a boat ramp, where we spotted a bald eagle, not for the first time on this trip, but the first time on camera. The bear, by the way, is still a no-show!

Wild camping in Idaho is a camper’s paradise. We have been so spoilt by the amount of breathtaking remote places on offer (and ample firewood too), that we struggle to remember each campsite we stayed at. One that did stand out however, was the location overlooking Priest River, as the following photos illustrate.

…and we couldn’t forget our last campsite in Idaho either. For two reasons; firstly for its beauty, so beautiful that Richie took his drone out to film the drive there (the 25 mile gravel route along the Pend Oreille lake), and secondly because he then lost it. Luckily modern technology has created a device that can fly back to its home point in emergencies, and that’s where it crash landed, unharmed…phew!

As we draw to a close, we reflect on why Idaho has found such a special place in our hearts. Is it because it seems to be the perfect place to spend summer time in (and we are sure Winter too, with all its ski opportunities and snow mobiling)? Or is it down to the welcoming and relaxed people that we have met? Whatever it is, we just sense the freedom the people still enjoy and are glad that most people don’t even know where Idaho is, let’s hope it stays that way.

It turns out that, not only did we find our drone again, but we have also found a hidden gem.

Thanks for reading, we’ll meat you around the world!