End of Summer Roadtrip!!!

Roadtrip to Idaho August 11th-15th

This is a late post, but Jo and I had such a fun time on our end-of-summer roadtrip, that I figured it would be a perfect way to start this blog. With summer coming to an end, Jo and I decided that it was absolutely necessary that we take one last roadtrip. All we knew was that we wanted to camp, so we figured we'd head off to Idaho. Why Idaho? you might ask. Hmmm. Not exactly sure of that myself. We'd both heard that it was a beautiful state, so we thought "why not?" That, and we really like potatoes!

Day 1

We got off to a pretty early start Tuesday morning. We decided to kick off the trip by taking the very scenic Highway 34 through RMNP. It's a very nice road that winds it way through the alpine, eventually descending to a town called Grand Lake. All very pretty, as expected. After a quick thrift store stop in Kremmling where we got 3 knives, 2 books and a windbreaker for less than $4 (LOVE that!) we kept going and eventually stopped for a quick picnic lunch in Steamboat. This would have been an uneventful lunch were it not for the operatic music floating eerily on the wind as we ate...

Jo, doing what the little wooden man says and having fun. As usual;-) This was a little funpark close to where we ate our picnic lunch.

A quick tribute to the ULTIMATE roadfood: peanut butter, bagels and bumbleberry!

We had the good fortune of visiting the infamous town of Craig, Colorado (this time during the day, and without two feet of snow on the ground!) Yes, dear Craig. The town whose name will always evoke images of creaky hotels with pubic hair on the walls. In fact, we did try to find The hotel, but, alas, we were unsuccessful.

Highway 40 between Craig and Dinosaur was long, dry and dusty. There was a brief glimpse of a coyote running in a field, which was quite interesting, but otherwise quite uneventful. Lots of talking and laughing and listening to music to pass the time. Jo's such a perfect roadtrip partner!

Just after Dinosaur we hollered our way past the state line, as is tradition, and headed into Utah, although the scenery didn't change too much: lots of dry, open sagebrush land. Standing in contrast was Vernal, Utah, a town filled with pink dinosaurs, more pink flowers than I've ever seen in my life and lots of Mormon shops.
Pink flowers EVERYWHERE!!!!

We passed through he Uinta Nat'l forest (the prettiest part of Utah that day) on our way to Heber City, where we grabbed a quick bite to eat at a little taqueria before finding a place to sleep for the night. We fully intended on disperse camping each night, but as it was getting late, we settled on paying the $12 fee and camped at one of the first campgrounds we came across after leaving Heber City.

Highways we took: 34, 40W, 40/189N, 32E, 150N

Day 2

Good Riddance, Shingle Creek campground. You were a nice little campground and I know it wasn't your fault there was a duo of obnoxious little brats screaming there heads off as if they were being gutted alive running around at 7:00 a.m., and that their dad was an irresponsible jerk who didn't seem to care that his nasty little spawn were ruining the otherwise lovely morning, but you have to understand why I won't miss you.



Movin' on... Jo and I decided that it would be best for both of us if we ate breakfast elsewhere, so we left our campground pretty early and picked a sweet little spot next to a happy little river and ate our breakfast there. So much nicer than having to listen to the Devil children.

While driving up 150 in the Wasatch Forest, we pulled off when we saw the signs for Provo falls. A very pretty waterfall that was a good opportunity for us to stretch our legs. I've pretty much decided I need to start collecting waterfalls, since I love them so much.















Jo, striking a manly pose in the woods. Thanks, babe, for being so good about striking these ridiculous poses when I ask you to. Wait, I don't think I did ask you to do this one...nevermind.


Both of us really enjoyed the drive up 150, but soon enough we were approaching the border of Wyoming. As soon as we left the forest the landscape started turning into grassland again, which is always a good indicator that Wyoming is coming up:-) We didn't linger too long in Wyoming. We did stop at a grocery store in Evanston. There's just something I love so much about stopping at random grocery stores to stock up for roadtrip supplies. In our case, we knew that we would be camping soon, and we wanted to make sure we had enough food to hold us over for a few days. Canned chili, apples, baked beans...mm mm good! Then we were on our way, back into Utah.

Both of us were really excited to see Bear Lake, which is a huge lake that draws lots of people to it for activities like boating and waterskiing. We had already driven through a lot of dry land, so the prospect of lots of water was a welcoming one. I'm bummed we didn't have time to stop and splash around in the water, which looked so blue and inviting. The lake went on forever as we followed 89 north. We did, however, make time to stop and pick up a basket of raspberries at a little roadside stand. Apparently the climate around the lake is perfect for berries, because those were the best raspberries either of us had ever had. Yum! I want some right now.


Soon after getting the raspberries, we made it to Idaho! Woop Woop!



I lovelovelove caves, so even though we were a tad bit behind schedule we decided to make a detour to visit the Minnetonka Cave in the Cache National Forest. Unfortunately, the tour was a 90 min. wait, so we drove 30 minutes, then turned around. We did, however, find a nice spot to have lunch, so it wasn't a complete fail.

What are you thinking about here, Jo?




At this point, we realized just how far we had to go, so we pretty much buckled down and just drove. We decided to pop back into Wyoming and pass through Jackson, just because (it should've only added 20 minutes, but it added much more because of traffic.) The drive was beautiful; the Greys river was spectacular-very wide and strong. We saw a bald eagle flying around on our way to Jackson- that's always pretty awesome. Also, we saw the first of many raptor nests up on a telephone pole. They are huge, made with lots of sticks they mound up for their little chick. We also saw the Tetons, which were just as spectacular as we've heard. After switching states once again (back into Idaho!) we pretty much hoofed it through lots and lots of fields of waving wheat. At this point we were both getting tired and we would have been able to appreciate the landscape more if we didn't want to get to our campground. As it was, we just snapped a few pics out of the car...




The rest of Day 2 was driving, until we finally made it to the Targhee National Forest. Woop!

It was late, and we were tired, so after driving around back roads in the forest for a bit, we found a place to call home and settled down for the night.

Highways we took: Utah: 150N, Wyoming: 150N, 89N, Utah: 16N, 30N, Idaho: 89N Wyoming: 26/89, 22W, Idaho: 33N, 32N,



Day 3

We woke up and were soooo happy that we were camping, which is one of our favorite things to do. It was beautiful weather, the sun was coming up, and we were ready to get out and explore the Targhee. Off in the distance we could here cows mooing to one another, a sound that became familiar to us, as there was a herd who had taken a liking to a field not too far from where we were camping. Cows in the National forest- what can you do?

One thing about the Targhee is that it was soooo full of late summer wildflowers. Absolutely spectacular! Our campsite was located in the woods and adjacent to a big meadow. The road leading off from our "driveway" led to the mouth of a river at a point called Warm Springs, which was not at all warm (more on that later.) We decided to go check out that area first to see if Jo was correct in thinking he had seen a trailhead the night before.

There was indeed a trailhead, but we decided to do an early morning hike the next day to see if we could spot some wildlife, so we left to check out other areas of the Targhee.

Flowers, flowers everywhere. We found fields while we were driving the backroads. While exploring, we disturbed two big cranes, which flew off angrily, making there raucous sound as they went.



Awwwww, wook at 'em all!


This was an area we called the nursery because of all the cute baby trees. Yes, baby trees can be cute.



We had seen signs for Lower and Upper Mesa Falls, so we definitely had to check those out. Try as we might, we could not find the trail down to Lower Mesa Falls, even though we could see it from the viewpoint far ahead. It bothered us both tremendously.

We did have more luck with Upper Mesa Falls, which was very accessible due to a wooden boardwalk that ran along beside it. The shot below is a pic of the waterfall, which was quite large and very loud. The mist coming off it felt so good.

The Targhee didn't have as many trails as you'd expect, but we did find one that looked promising: the Bear Ridge Trail. It was a pleasant trail, and much easier than Jo and I are used to. One thing about living so close to the mountains is that you start to expect steep inclines on any trail you choose. This one, however was flat the whole way, which was a nice break.

Just a sample of the many wildflowers on the trail.




This wasn't Bear Ridge, but it was close. The view was pretty awesome. It was a hot day, so I wish we could've been closer to the river, but oh well. The river down below is the Henry's Fork.












Walking in a field of pretty little wildflowers brought out a side of Jo that I hadn't seen before. His step was lighter and his wrist flimsier. He also clicked his tongue a lot before talking, which he doesn't normally do. Just fabulous!









If it wasn't for us, this tree surely would've fallen and blocked the trail. Good thing we were there.

Below: another shot of the Henry's Fork. Kinda' pretty, huh?

Dirty car!

After the trail, we headed back to camp for some well deserved dinner. The canned food and fruit tasted so amazing- I love that about camp food, especially when you've earned it.

Both of us had books, so we pretty much hung out, talked and read. It really was a nice way to wind down.

Day 4

We woke up to the eery, beautiful sound of cranes calling in the distance. Very hard to describe- a haunting, somewhat hoarse sound that we listened to for a good ten minutes before finally getting up. Very cool.

The plan was to get up early so that we would able to do a hike along the Warm river. We were hoping to spot some wildlife (Confirmed Sightings) in the wee hours of the morning. We got up around 6 and walked the ten minutes down to the trailhead. It was early, the air was crisp and we were so ready to check out the Canyon Springs Trail, which looked gorgeous. Also, with a name like Canyon Springs, we were sure there would be an awesome surprise waiting for us at the end.

The trail ran along the river. When we started the trail was pretty well marked and we walked on our merry little way, but eventually the trail started petering out. Not to be daunted, we pressed on, even when the trail all but disappeared, leaving nothing but tall grass in its place. The thing you have to realize is that it wasn't just tall grass. It was tall grass that was soaking wet. Meaning that soon we, too, were soaking wet, from the waist down.

We were keeping our eyes out for some good CS's, but all we saw were some cool hawks flying around.

We were good and determined to find the elusive Canyon Springs, so we decided to keep on going, sans trail. We pressed on, hoping that we'd find the end of the trail around each bend of the river. Alas, it never showed up. With soaking wet feet, I finally threw in the towel, and Jo agreed. At this point we were in a huge thicket, and we decided to go ahead and have a warm breakfast of oatmeal while we were there. We had seen a fork in the trail a ways back, so we decided to head back and try it out. We wanted to find Canyon Springs, dammit!

BTW- Jo, I'm so glad you found your glasses!

The way back wasn't as bad because the sun was shining on our side of the river. We took the fork in the trail, which ended up taking us through a sort of valley that was filled with grasses and flowers. This looked promising, as it was kinda' a canyon, so we set off, full of fresh hope.

Yeahhhhh. Um, we walked for at least 45 mins, and we got pretty much nowhere. Don't get me wrong: the hike was gorgeous and the grouse or whatever it was we saw protecting his ladies made it well worth it, but I neither of us understood why the rangers would put up a sign for a canyon springs that didn't exist. False advertising!

Oh well...it really was a beautiful walk through that valley, so we couldn't complain.

Oh, and a suggestion for the little grouse thing:

If you didn't cluck so loudly and did like your lady friends were doing and hid in the long grass, we wouldn't have even known you were there. So don't get all huffy and clucky because people who don't get an opportunity to look at little grouse things that often stop to admire you, alright?

P.S: you were the best CS of the day.

Movin' on: the day before Jo and I had decided that we were going to rinse off in the waters of Warm Springs. And, while we're on the subject, let's talk about Warm Springs. Warm Springs is not warm. Actually, it's anything but. Just wading in it the day before had made both of our feet turn bright red and tingly. The same person who put up the sign for Canyon Springs must have named Warm Springs. That being said, Jo and I thought it would be a good idea to rinse off in the freezing water. Don't ask me why. We had already scouted a good spot for "The Dunking," as it came to be known, and since we had both committed, there was no way we were going to back out

So, here it is. We are standing on a little beach and pointing to The Spot where It occured. Basically, both of us did a push up into the freezing water on the count of three. Damn that water was cold. My scalp is tingling just thinking about it. But, oh my, did it feel good to grab some soap (biodegradable, of course) and rinse off days worth of road grime in the clear water. We both felt so clean and refreshed after we had done the deed. I can't wait to do it again!

Yeah, right.




This is Warm Springs. Jo loved the river that flowed from it. We were there early, so we had it to ourselves. Later, fly fishermen would come and try to catch the fat and lazys that inhabited the river.




It really was very pretty.







After getting back from the trail, it was (sadly) time to pack up our home and hit the road once again. We were torn between staying the whole day and driving a marathon on our last day, but in the end we decided to split up the drive and camp in Wyoming for our last night, since we wanted to check out the Wyoming Range.

Notice the bear poles above the fire pit.

So, we said our goodbyes to our wonderful little campground, and the Targhee, and hit the road once again.

Aw, the wide open road beckoned! We backtracked through the fields that we had already driven through, but this time I made Jo stop so I could get some pics. This one is an important pic because Jo is standing in what we later found out is a field of potatoes. Very appropriate for Idaho, right? The harvest wouldn't be until the end of September, so these guys were just getting nice and fat down in the ground
Wheat fields went on for as far as the eye could see. The wind made the wheat dance, which really was beautiful to watch.

Jo, hiding from me so I wouldn't take anymore pics.


These guys were working on some fresh roadkill on the side of the road.

We stopped along the way to indulge in what is a rare treat for us.

Icees!! Yum! All that sugary goodness!

These charismatic spuds live at a drive-in movie theatre we passed along the way. We turned around after passing it because we figured that since we couldn't eat fresh Idaho potatoes, we might as well take pictures with oversized cartoon-like Idaho potatoes, right?

The pic to the above was interesting to take, since Jo had to push the little timer on the camera, which was propped up on the roof of the Jetta, then run like crazy and try to jump up on that truck, which was pretty high, and pose, all in less than 10 seconds. It was fun to watch.

We wanted to see what the Wyoming Range was all about, so we nipped into Wyoming at the junction at Alpine. After a quick grocery stop, we passed into the Bridger-Teton National Forest along Greys Road, which followed the Greys River. Very beautiful road, which seemed hugely popular with RVers. We found a quiet little spot to camp, and settled down for the night.

This was the Greys River. Such a pretty river.

Day5

What's up with cows in National forests? There was a huge herd walking down the road when we woke up in the morning. So weird.

The best part about our campground was the view of the river. We were hoping to see elk or moose in the meadows below, but instead we saw a herd of cows. Oh well. We'll take what we can get. Jo caught one of them as it crossed the river.

As it was our last day, we had to pack up for the last time. After getting everything in the car, we continued on the Greys River Road, which was a fantastic drive. Big parts of the road were gravelled and rutted, so the going was slow, but we had lots to look at so it was fine. Probably the best part of the trip was watching the river grow, in reverse. What started out as a huge river gradually got smaller and smaller as we gained elevation, until eventually it was just a small stream. I've never seen anything quite like that and it was pretty awesome to see.

After the Greys petered out, we followed the La Barge Creek until we hit highway 189. After a quick stop to see Names Hill, which was a big piece of mudstone carved with the names of many pioneers from the time of 1843-1869 (during the Oregon/California Trail) we continued on beside the Fontenelle Resovoir. This stretch of road turned out to be one of the coolest on this trip. Not because of the Res, which was big and pretty to look at, but because of the birds of prey who lived and nested around it. The telephone poles that ran beside the road were topped by huge nests every third pole or so. I'm kicking myself for not getting pics. Jo and I took to peering eagerly at each nests as we passed to see if it was occupied or not. But the most awesome sightings were the ospreys that we saw atop a couple of poles, one after another. Both had been fishing and were in the process of snacking as we passed. The second osprey we passed was clutching a fish that was still flapping. It was a pretty awesome sight to see these guys, which aren't as common in Colorado.

Speaking of birds of prey, it is definitely worth mentioning that we saw an absolutey gorgeous Golden eagle in a desert landscape just before the Seedskadee Wildlife Refuge. We spotted it hanging out on a small building off the side of the road, and had to turn around to get a better look. I'd never seen one before, and the thing was HUGE. Definitely the largest bird I've ever seen. Spec-TAC-ular! It got uncomfortable that we were watching it, and flew off.

The rest of the trip was fairly uneventful. The weather, which had been perfect up to this point, got cold and rainy as soon as we joined up to good ol' I-80. I do have to say that, for the first time ever, I saw a complete rainbow. That's right. Full on half-circle, baby. The pic below isn't it, but one of the many rainbows we saw on the ride back.

All in all, an excellent trip, full of lots of talking, laughter, cool sights, and birds of prey. An excellent way to start this blog!

Roads we took:

Greys River Road, 189 South, 372 South, I80 E, I25 S