RV travels with Rich and Judy: Woodhead Park, Cambridge, Idaho; July 14

We headed out to Woodhead Park from our overnight in Weiser to look for a spot for breakfast –

parking being critical when we have the RV behind us. The Country Coffee Cabin in the little town of Midvale, Idaho was just what we were looking for and more than we expected. It wasn't particularly busy – after all, it was nearly 8:30 and folks around here get started early – but our waitress was friendly and quick with the coffee, so we were happy. We got our meal and were pleasantly surprised. Rich had ordered an omelet and I had the cowboy breakfast. Rich's omelet was beautifully prepared and tasty, and my breakfast was enough to feed three people. It had sounded reasonable on paper – two eggs, hash

browns, bacon, and a biscuit with sausage gravy, but the reality was giant-sized. Believe it or not, it was as good as it was big. No, I didn't eat it all, but Rich helped me pare it down by eating half of the biscuits and gravy. Yum!

There was an older gentleman sitting at the table next to us and after listening to him talk, it sounded as though he was a local, so once his table mate had left, I explained we were staying in Hells Canyon for a week and asked if there was anything he thought we should be sure to see. He had been in the area most of his life and

he told us about Kleinschmidt Road, which, handily starts right in the canyon. We put it on our “to do” list. On our way out the door, I spotted a tray of cinnamon rolls and having had a yen for a good one we anted up the five bucks and headed on our way. I had planned on using this 6” square pastry for two nights of desserts, but of course we had a bite just to try – marvelous. (It did make it for two nights of desserts, believe it or not.)

We wound around the mountainous landscape, past cattle ranches, rocky outcroppings, and

along miles of forested countryside. The landscape changed abruptly just before entering Hells Canyon area – barren desert mountains loomed above the Snake River which, as its name implies, twisted and turned through the surprisingly beautiful scenery. We entered the park, owned and maintained by the Idaho Power Company. Idaho Power has four lush, modern campgrounds (including wi-fi) throughout the canyon and three dams. We were in the southernmost campground and the nearest to a town of any size. The camp sites were fairly small and close together, but the park is geared

toward hikers and boaters, so most folks aren't in camp other than to sleep.

Hells Canyon (historically without the “'s” but sometimes with it), is not a recognized geographic place, but according to “Hells Canyon” by R.G. Bailey, it starts 90 miles south of Lewiston, Idaho and extends 40 miles south to a point near Oxbow, Oregon, but that is not a unanimous opinion. It will, however, give you an idea of just where it is. During the late 1800's, it was called Box Canyon or Snake River Canyon. I found a book about life on a sheep ranch in the

area during the 1930's, “Home Below Hell's Canyon” by Grace Jordan which I found very interesting. I love to read books about an area we're going to visit – it seems to enhance the whole experience.

Hells Canyon is considered the deepest canyon on the North American continent. The deepest part of the canyon is seven miles downriver from the Hells Canyon Dam, one of the narrowest points of the canyon. Here the canyon plunges 7,913 feet from the 9,393 summit of He Devil Mountain to the mouth of Granite Creek, 1,480

feet above sea level.

Construction of the dam was quite an ordeal in this inhospitable region of towering granite peaks and, for all intents and purposes, no level ground. Once a bridge was built in 1962 across the Snake River at Oxbow, Oregon, the two-year long task of building the 23 mile long access road was cut along the base of the cliffs on the Idaho side. Once the road was built, a 40 x 40 foot tunnel was driven 1,800 feet through solid rock to divert the water during the construction process. Helicopters were used to move tools and

equipment into place and to erect transmission towers. Once it was time to pour concrete, the operation proceeded day and night, six days a week, until 700,000 cubic yards of concrete had been poured. Despite the cramped working space, the concrete for Hells Canyon Dam was built to the full 330 foot height, 1,000 foot length in only sixteen months. It produces 1,166,900 KW, twice a much as the rest of the Idaho Power hydroelectric system.

The drive along the river, past the dams, to the north end of the road where we found the visitor center for the area was mind-boggling. The high

mountains looming over the winding river made us feel insignificant but the scenery was breathtaking. After we stopped at the visitor center, we turned around and retraced our drive to the turn that took us up the side of a mountain on Kleinschmidt Road on a narrow dirt road that scared the daylights out of me! The view was amazing, although when I look at some of our pictures and remember a car passing on that little road, I do get queasy again. On the way back to camp we stopped in Council, Idaho for lunch.

Prospectors in the 1860's and 70's used the trail

through the area to reach the boom towns of Florence and Warren. They saw large Indian trade gatherings which the prospectors thought were council meetings, hence the town name. The railroad came to town in 1901 and that boosted the town's prosperity. Council was the closest railroad point to the newly-discovered Thunder Mountain gold strike and thousands of fortune seekers passed through. The story that caught our attention happened in 1904 – a piano was dragged out of the Tank and someone played “There's a Hot Time in the Old Town Tonight” while two buildings burned! I guess it always