CLOUDS AND CORNFIELDS

It's official we are now driving South. So that means that we are starting the drive back home. It's not over yet, we still have several more adventures, but it's always a little sad when you realize you are headed back home.

Today when we left Sun Valley it was just starting to rain, again but for the rest of the drive we didn't see any more rain. Just lots of clouds and plenty of corn fields.  Lots of cornfields! 

We pulled into Massacre Rocks State Park about 2:00 but it took a very long time for us to get set up in our site. Both of our sites were so unlevel that Warren and Jim really had to pull out all the blocks and chocks to make it work. At least the wine bottles aren't rolling off the counter, but we are a still a little tippy.

No matter, both sites have great views of the Snake River and there are lots of trails and places to explore. This picture is taken from our site number 34. Can't wait to see what tomorrow brings.

SUN VALLEY GONDOLA

Good thing my folks got out early this morning. Right now as I write this it is POURING rain down on us. Seems like every day around this time it starts raining. It cools everything down, but it sure is noisy on our roof.

There was a plan to bike ride this morning, but Kathe convinced everyone to go to the River Run side of mountain and take the scenic gondola ride to the top. Her thinking was that if we did that this morning, we wouldn't get caught in the rain. Good Plan! It was really a great ride to the Roundhouse area and then they took a chair lift to the tippy top. I only wish the pictures had been clearer. 

Jim and Kathe have skied this mountain several times, but it was much more intimidating without the snow. They couldn't believe it was so steep! 

When they returned to camp, everyone except Jim chickened out on the bike ride. He went alone and had a great ride, returning just as the huge raindrops were falling.

Tomorrow we head to Twin Falls, Idaho and the Massacre Rocks State Park for 2 nights.  

BETWEEN THE RAIN DROPS

It rained again last night. Thunder and lightning and big loud rain drops on our roof.  Doesn't bother me much anymore because I can't hear a thing, but Gianni was upset all night and had to sleep in his crate. When Gianni's not happy nobody's happy, especially in the rain.

Today all the humans were supposed to go on another long bike ride. It didn't happen. My Kathe finally got an appointment to get her hair cut and Kathy and Warren needed a day of rest. Jim was planning to clean the motor home, but when he looked at the weather report that was put on hold.

The clouds were threatening again this afternoon, but everyone was tired of sitting around so they came up with a plan to visit the Sawtooth Botanical Garden. It was very small compared to some of the botanical gardens in California, only about 5 acres. It was quiet and peaceful. Beautiful native and cultivated plants that thrive in the high altitude, and a small stream complete with tiny trout. 

It started to rain again this afternoon, so it was back to camp for everyone. More thunder and lightning and rain now off and on, looks like it will be another noisy night.

WOOD RIVER TALE

Today everyone was up and ready to go on a bike ride by the crack of 11:00 AM. Of course, I got Kathe up before sunrise for a little stroll around the camp ground, but she went right back to sleep. By the time they all were ready to roll the weather was bright and sunny, perfect! The Wood River Bike Trail is about 20 miles long and runs right past our campground all the way to Warm Springs. 

The Wood River Trail is the abandoned Sun Valley line of the Union Pacific which was resurfaced and now used year round by residents and visitors who want to get outdoors. There were people running, walking, and biking today, but they can even use it for cross county skiing in winter.

Everything was going well until Warren noticed that Kathe's bike had a flat tire. They pulled over in the shade and fixed it right away. They kept going until they reached Bald Mountain when the girls decided to turn around and ride back. The guys continued another 4 miles before they rode back.

This afternoon was supposed to be a shopping day in Ketchum. There are lots of little shops to explore, but the thunderstorm put an early end to that idea. It's been raining off and on all afternoon and there is a flash flood warning for the area. How fast can a little dog go in a rainstorm? You'd be surprised!

SUN VALLEY

What a bunch of lazy lumps! Here we are in beautiful Sun Valley Idaho and everybody sleeps in this morning! The original plan was for an early bike ride today, but the weather didn't cooperate. Drizzle, not too bad, just wet enough to spoil the plan.

Dithering around. A trip to the market, a trip to the hardware store, a few phone calls, a few loads of wash, and then it was too late to do anything but eat lunch. My Kathe found a restaurant called, Raspberry, in Ketchum where they had a very delicious lunch. After that, they drove to the Sun Valley Farmers Market at the base of the mountain, but they were so late, most of the good stuff was already sold out.

So, they just drove around the Sun Valley area to see the Ski mountain and all the little shops in town. Here is a picture of the lifts on the Warm Springs side and a look at the river on the River Run side. 

We got back to camp just as the sun finally came out at 5:00 and Jim decided to check out the bike path for tomorrow. Do you think we need to start setting the alarm clock?

KETCHUM

We left our beautiful site at Torrey's RV this morning and I took this picture before we left. On one paw we had the most fantastic site looking at the mountains above the Salmon River. On the other paw we had no cell service for the entire time and almost no internet. Still, we had a great 5 days.

Our drive to Ketchum was supposed to only take an hour, but with all the twists and turns, and a 9,000 foot pass over the mountains, it was more like 3 hours before we got settled into the Meadows. It's not the greatest place we've ever stayed. The sites are really close together, but the Taylors are facing one way and we are next to them facing the other way. We kind of have a ten foot space on grass to share between us. But hey, we're camping!

The worst part of the afternoon was when we received a call from the RV park in Arco, where we were supposed to stay next. They cancelled our reservation because they have a major electrical problem. Panic! 

We made all of our reservations 8 months ago due to the increased number of people on the road this summer. All four of my humans were calling all over the place trying to find a replacement for that reservation. I think they called at least 7 different places and the answer was always the same, NO we are totally booked. Well, we decided to ask the office here if we could stay another 3 days and they were able to accommodate us. Needless to say, that was our only adventure today.  Looking forward to a better tomorrow, after all this is a vacation.

BAYHORSE

We had to get up early this morning so that the humans could start today's adventure. The goal was to visit the BayHorse Ghost town and then to do some fishing at BayHorse Lake.  The ghost town was about 4 miles from the main highway, on a gravel road. The area was named for the first prospectors bay horses!

The discovery of load bearing ore in this area lead to the development of mines here around Challis, Idaho in the late 1870s. The biggest years of silver and lead production for Bayhorse were from about 1882 through the 1890's when a drop in prices led to the eventual shut down of the mines. For many years the area was not open to the public. When it became a unit of the State Park System things were made safe for the public to enjoy this piece of mining history. There were many buildings with photographs and information to help the visitors imagine what it might have been like way back in time.

Next they drove another 4 miles up the mountain to the larger of the Bayhorse Lakes. After a picnic lunch the guys headed to the lake with their poles and the girls sat in the shade watching them fish. The fishing was lots of fun for the guys! They caught 7 more fish bring the total number of fish caught here to 15! They are having another fish dinner tonight and they put the rest in the freezer.