To the Potato State!
On June 1, we headed into the Potato State of Idaho. We spent our last night in Washington in Clarkston, WA, on the Snake River. Across the river was Lewiston, ID. We were on the same path that Lewis and Clark had taken. We found a Walmart that allowed overnight parking, close to the river. We both woke up to a horrible stench we assumed was coming from our sewer pipes inside the camper. I got up and poured water in the sinks and drains, hoping that would resolve it. After no relief, we decided it must be the river. We headed out early to get away from the river, but as we drove, we realized we were traveling right alongside it. Forty-five miles later, we stopped for gas and the air was clear with no smell, and we were still traveling along the river. I mentioned it to the cashier, and he said he used to live in Clarkston. It wasn’t the river—it was a paper mill, and it was like that all the time, but much worse at night. I suppose the people there are just used to it!
As we traveled across the state, we were enchanted with the beauty of Idaho. We were constantly following a river, stream, or channel, and in the Sawtooth Mountains or rolling hills. The state has several natural hot springs, so we decided we’d find a couple. A park ranger told us about one that was 38 miles away and that it was 1.8 miles from a small campground on 16 Mile Road. So we headed out, ready to relax in a naturally fed hot spring on the Salmon River.
What he didn’t share was that the one-lane road was weaving and winding up a part of the Sawtooth Mountains with drop-offs. Did I mention the one-lane road was also open to two-way traffic? Fortunately, we only encountered one car coming our way. We had to back up to a spot on the road where we could pull off a foot so the car could get by. After that, whenever we came to a switchback, we went around it at two miles an hour just to be sure there wasn’t someone coming the other direction. Not much fun, but we really wanted to find the hot springs.
We continued on and ran into a road crew with three dump trucks working on repairs. We only had to back up a short distance because they knew how to maneuver safely out of our way, and we continued our search for the hot spring. We finally found the campground and clocked 1.8 miles from there but couldn’t find the hot spring. We were determined after coming so far on such a sketchy drive. We found a small pull-off and backed up, forward, back and forth until we could turn around and go back to the campsite and start again.
As we headed back to the campground, I saw a bicycle strapped to what looked like a railing. After turning around at the campground, we went back to the area where we had been able to maneuver the van around and parked. We walked to the area where the bicycle had been, and looking down, we could see the hot spring. We hiked down, hopped in, and enjoyed the view of the river, the mountain, and the forest in front of us. Very glad we didn’t give up and got to enjoy such a lovely spot. Thankfully, on the ride back to civilization, we didn’t encounter another car, and the road crew was at a spot where they could manage to let us squeeze by.
Always following Beth Monroe, we saw she was in Idaho at her brother’s. We were headed to an area an hour from her, so she decided to meet us at Redfish Lodge near Stanley the next day. We found a free camp spot on the river for the night and met her for lunch at the lodge five miles away. What a great family fun area! We ate, hiked, and enjoyed the fun folks were having on the lake. Always great to find Beth on our adventure. We ended up staying at Sockeye Campground a couple of miles from the lodge for two nights. We could ride our bikes to the lodge area on their nicely paved trails.
We found another hot spring area but were disappointed it was actually a big swimming pool that piped in the hot spring water. It was a campground with lots of people. They wanted to charge $18 for us to enjoy it. Just not worth it after experiencing the secluded one in the mountains, so we just continued on to find a new place to land for the night.
We both agree Idaho is totally underrated and should be considered a destination of adventure for hiking, camping, kayaking, and fishing.
As we left the state and headed into Montana, we stopped for lunch in Darby, MT. Of course, I had to get that in a picture for my Darby!
We found a fantastic camp area about an hour from Missoula. It has six paved sites and is free for up to five nights. Tonight is our third night, and we will move on tomorrow. It’s on a river surrounded by forest and mountains. We hiked the trail above the river yesterday. The views were spectacular. We met a new friend, Aury, who joined us for dinner and a couple of rounds of the 7s card game. The campground has no amenities, and we don’t have enough fresh water in our tank for anything more than dishes and flushing, so we bathed in the snowmelt water of the river. Tim was brave and went all in. I took a solo cup and poured water on me. I washed my hair, and when that freezing water hit my head, it gave me an instant headache. Tim had to pour while I, as quickly as possible, scrubbed the soap out. Meanwhile, both our feet were freezing. At least we are clean, and even though it was painfully cold, the aftermath was refreshing.
Headed out tomorrow for Missoula. Our Churchill neighbors, John and Robin Koehler, have family there, and we were fortunate to meet them in 2023 at their cherry farm near Glacier National Park. We had a great time with Mike and Heidi that year. We have kept in touch and are headed to their home in Missoula to stay a couple of days. We have an appointment Wednesday for the van to get an oil change, tires rotated, and a safety check on the brakes. Glad to have a friend who has camper hookups at his property. It will be nice to have a real shower and be able to get caught up on laundry. Jokingly, he sent me a list of his amenities, and he even offers shuttle service to our service appointment if needed. You’re awesome, Mike. See you guys soon!