RV travels with Rich and Judy

Woodhead Park, Cambridge, Idaho; July 14 - 20, 2015

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

helps to have a sense of humor, but isn't it a bit like Nero fiddling while Rome burned?

Time seemed to fly by and after a few walks through the campground and a grocery run, we were on our way to Washington.

Law enforcement around here has some righteous boats!

Council, Idaho

Old steam tractor, Council, Idaho

I love reading the notices in restaurants, grocery stores, etc. in these little towns - I never know what I'll find! Council, Idaho

Monroe RV Park, Weiser, ID; July 13-14, 2015

This was just an overnight between Willow Bay and Hell's Canyon. The park was a strange mix of good and bad – restrooms were spic-and-span but a long walk uphill from many sites. The layout of the park seemed to have had cars in mind, with tight turns and crowded sites. The terrain from Willow Bay to Weiser was a wide mixture of lush, irrigated farmland that changed quickly to high desert, and small, semi-deserted towns. One high point was what both Rich and I believed was a moose bellowing at when we awoke about 6:30 AM. I downloaded a couple of moose call clips and what we heard was nearly identical, so we're calling it a moose. Still haven't seen one, though..

Now on to find some breakfast and to Woodhead Park in Hell's Canyon!

Willow Bay Recreation Area, American Falls, Idaho; July 6-13, 2015

Our drive to Willow Bay retraced our trip to Idaho Falls the week before and then some – lots of farmland, the Grand Tetons in the background, reaching for the sky, and small communities.

When we arrived at the campground, it was a big change from the wild, forested areas we've been in for the last month and a half. In its own way, though, it was a pretty spot – lots of sunflowers, roses, and hollyhocks in full bloom planted in the campground and along the shore of Willow Bay Reservoir, Russian olive trees (an invasive species that has been widely planted in the area with silvery gray-green leaves and black trunks) and willow shrubs (a favorite for moose) abound. There was a cafe and boat ramp, along with beach areas, and a bike path that winds through the park and wetlands. There are birds galore, some of which I identified but many I didn't. We were told by the cook at the cafe that they routinely had a moose cow and baby visit the area just out from the deck – we had high hopes of finally seeing one of what I still think of as a mythical creature. Although we arose the next morning around six AM and spent an hour and a half walking and looking, no moose. The next morning we were awakened by knocking on our front door – the cook had come down to tell us the moose were just off the deck at the cafe. We hurriedly dressed and were at the cafe in less than ten minutes, but by then the moose had left. We once again walked and waited but to no avail. We tried twice more during our week-long stay, but no luck. Moose are still mythical in my book.

I have to insert a nugget of info about the abundant naturalized weed, mullein. We've seen these all over the country, especially in dry, gravelly areas such as roadsides, and most people we talked to feel it's just a junk plant but apparently that's only part of the story. Mullein of many varieties grows all over the temperate parts of the world. The leaves and stems are “furry” and the down, when dried, makes good tinder – it lights with just a spark and before the introduction of cotton, it was used for candlewicks. Years ago, the stalks of one variety were dipped in suet and used as torches. In 1657, it was given to cattle for “the cough of the lung”. One entry I found indicates it can be prepared as a “pleasant emollient and nutritious medicine for allaying a cough, or removing the pain and irritation of hemorrhoids.” BTW - I'm not recommending the use of this plant in any way, I'm just passing on what I've read because I thought it was interesting.

The rest of the week was a bit like our search for moose, unsuccessful. We had a fairly good lunch of fajitas at a little place called Tres Hermanos, went to Pocatello for groceries, stopped at an army surplus store where I immediately got a bad asthma attack due to my bad latex allergy from the rubber smell in the air. That took me out of action for a couple of days, and Rich got sick from something he ate and that lasted a couple of days as well. At least it was the same couple of days. By the time we felt better, it was time to head down the road to Weiser, ID and an overnight at Monroe RV park.