Wednesday morning we headed south once again on US 95 toward
Riggins, ID where we checked in at the Canyon Pines RV Resort for the night,
before unloading the Jeep and heading up the National Forest Service’s Seven
Devils Trail – an 18-mile climb to a summit viewing platform more than 8,300
feet above sea level. The “seven
devils” are mountain peaks. At the
top is the NFS forest-fire observation post named “Heaven’s Gate”.
Our daughter commented on hearing where we went “you went
from Hell’s Canyon to Heaven’s Gate in one day?” Yes, we had to agree.
It was in the low 70’s on the mountain top but upper 90’s in the valley
below. We enjoyed a quiet evening.
Thursday morning didn’t start out too well – while cleaning
the windshield of the motor home, checking the tires, etc. I noticed that the
left-rear tire on the Jeep was flat!
No use crying about it, that’s the price we paid to see the views
yesterday on a lousy road. Changed
the tire out with the spare, and then repaired a small hole in the tread with a
kit we brought for just such a purpose.
Got a late start around 11 AM as we resumed our journey south along US
95 climbing and descending for the rest of the day. Just northwest of Boise we passed through the little town of
Weiser, ID – hometown of our friend John Kirk at home.
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| We have been to several Lewis & Clark museum's on this trip |
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| Headed south out of Lewiston, ID on US 95 |
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| About 100 miles from Boise we encounter road work |
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| Then a very steep hill with 4 runaway truck ramps |
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| More than an 8% downgrade for about 10 miles |
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| We now encounter the Salmon River - "The river of no return" |
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| Traveling along the Salmon north of McCall, ID |
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| Our afternoon drive of 18 miles |
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| Gravel roads headed up more than 8,000 feet |
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| Nearing the top the road gets narrow and rough |
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| NFS Observation Station |
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| Peaks of the Seven Devils are visible now |
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| Fall foliage is present at this elevation |
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| Grandeur in every direction |
We rolled into Boise just ahead of some fierce thunderstorms
getting settled at the Riverside RV Park in Garden City, ID. The storms brought heavy rain, wind,
and hail but we escaped any damage at the park.
Friday we did some cleaning, checking the tire pressures, a
little Jeep work, and other odds and ends in preparation now for the press
homeward. This afternoon we
traveled about 75 miles southeast to visit Bruneau Dunes State Park to look at
some desert sand dunes before returning to Boise. Tomorrow we plan to head east to visit the Craters of the
Moon National Monument. Then it’s
homeward bound 1,600 miles. Our route
will take us to Salt Lake City, Cheyenne, North Platte, Kansas City, and
finally Dardenne Prairie.
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| Off to a late start at Canyon Pines RV Park |
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| A rainy morning as we head south on US 95 |
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| High country on US 95 |
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| Approaching Weiser, ID |
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| We pass through Weiser - hometown of a friend |
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| Sign as we pull into Riverside RV Park in Boise just before storms |
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| Sand dunes in south central Idaho |
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| Bruneau State Parks dunes |
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| Snake River valley provides a green swath through desert |
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