Sawtooth Mountains

This was the biggest trip I took this  summer.  I went into the Sawtooth Mountain Range in Idaho  to Redfish Lake, Stanley, Salmon and then back home.    This trip had some special meaning to me for two reasons.  One it is the longest trip by far, I have been on since I got my little "Flying R" mini trailer and two--I will explain that later.






I love this little trailer.  It is well built with  1/2  inch plywood. Nice tires and axle. While there is no kitchen there is storage in the back for my camp stove, pots and pans, etc., but I really don't cook very much when I travel.  I usually keep my food in the jeep for convenience. It is just the right size for one person.  I have a DVD player, although I rarely use it, a heater and  fan for when I can hook up to electricity.

So anyway, I left Tuesday morning with the idea I would make it into Redfish Lake for the first night.  The first leg of the trip is about 300 miles, which is a pretty hard drive. That is about the longest drive I did in Iceland. Part of it was on Freeway, which I hate and the other half on state highways.

The trip there was pretty much uneventful.  I did pump gas out of this little baby somewhere between Sun Valley and Redfish Lake.  It really made me smile and it was pump first pay later.  I think it was in the small town of Galena.

Which was lucky, because I had about a quarter of a tank left.  I meant to get gas in Sun Valley but forgot. (I bought a cute bird house there instead.)

Redfish Lake really is as pretty as everyone says.  A good portion of it they keep roadless.  I found one campsite in the least desirable campsite of the bunch and I was glad I found a place.  This is Tuesday people, why are the campgrounds so full!   This was my camping spot the first night in the Mount Heyburn campground. Nice campground, quiet, shade and a clean  outhouse.

               
It was about four so I ate some flat bread, some cheese and a little chicken salad.  I really don't eat much when I travel.  The sunset was Ok but there were no clouds so really not all that spectacular.  I got up to take the sunrise and still no clouds, but this one was a little bit better, because the mountains faced South and there was a bit of Moon.

Redfish Lake Sunrise

I was going to spend another night at Redfish Lake, but decided to try Stanley Lake for the next night.  Stanley Lake is not far from Redfish Lake and is more secluded and less busy.  For one thing, there is not a lodge at Stanley like there is at Redfish, so there are only campers there.  I am hopeful I can find a great place to camp.

I love Stanley.  What a small unpretentious little town.  And by little I mean little, less than 100 people who live there full time.  Of course, there are more people in the summer months.  Stanley is right on the intersection of three  great scenic byways in Idaho--Ponderosa Pine, Sawtooth. and Salmon River.  I will be traveling on the Sawtooth and the Salmon River.  The Ponderosa heads to the Boise area, and I will not be going that way.  There is rafting, horseback riding, climbing etc.  Lots of outdoor stuff.

Stanley Lake is heavenly and I found a great spot.  Right next to the lake and looking right at McGown Peak.  I had to turn pretty tight to get into the campground, But I am getting really good at backing this baby up, thanks to my son who gave me a lesson before I left.  Now I am not afraid of finding a campsite because I don't need a pull through.    

So on the agenda today is finding natural hot posts to sit in.  I bought a book at the Redfish Lake Lodge  called  "Hiking Hot Springs in the Pacific Northwest."  Are there are a lot in the Stanley area.

  So here I go.  

   

First hot spring on the list that I visited is called Boat Box or Elkhorn Hot Spring.  If you didn't have directions or know this was there you would not even have an idea that it is just off the road.  The directions in this book were extremely accurate.  

      

Boat Box Hot Springs  is pretty hot. The book said 136 degrees.  First you have to put the end of the hose in the tub, then use the green bucket to put in water from the Salmon River.  You have to put in quite a few buckets of water to get the temperature right.  It was just a bit too hot, but I sat in anyway.  I am guessing it was at least 110 degrees. One of the the things I don't like about camping is not having a shower so let me tell you, this felt pretty nice.  The Salmon River Road is just to the left of the first picture, but the bank is so steep that you can not see the tub from the road.  This one reminded me of a community hot tub I sat in in Iceland.

The next spring I found was called Basin Creek.  It wasn't far of the road, just a 5 minute walk but it did not look nice enough to go through the effort of getting in and fixing the rocks.  If I had been with someone else to help share the load, maybe.

Basin Creek

Me at Sunbeam Hot Springs
Swimsuit required!

The next springs was a really nice one. Sunbeam Hot Springs.   This was also just off the road, and in the past had been a bathhouse.  Part of the old  bath house is still standing and has been restored somewhat.  There is also a restroom here, so I didn't have to change in the jeep or keep my wet swimsuit on.  This one is very hot, but it is easy to adjust the temperature by moving the rocks to let more river water in.  There were several people sitting in this one.  The gravel where I was sitting would get pretty hot and I would have to adjust my weight.  This one is probably my favorite of the trip.

Sunbeam Hot Springs.  I took this the next morning when there were
no people there.  It looks unassuming, but it is very nice.

After sitting in these hot springs I was on an adventure to find the Land of Yankee Fork.  I remember reading about this when I was in 4th grade studying Idaho history.  I was looking for the ghost towns of Custer and Bonanza.  First stop Bonanza.
The cemetery at Bonanza was one of the prettiest and well kept broken down cemeteries I have been to, if that makes sense.

Headstones in Bonanza

And perhaps hauntingly beautiful are the many headstones with a simple carving "Unknown."  I reflected on the many people who died while taming the Great West.  Those who perhaps made their fortunes and then lost them or maybe never even won them at all.  The men certainly, but also the women and children who followed their Husbands and Fathers into the "Unknown."

 
                                                           

The next stop was the Yankee fork Gold Dredge.  Talk about Ecological damage.  Holy cow.  5 miles of  dredge tailings all along the stream bed and the road.  This dredge was active until the 1950's.  It pulled out over 1 million dollars worth of gold and silver.  But alas, it cost just about the same amount to operate it, so really no profit.  To see the damage this machine created is incredible, but it is also incredible to see how the land and the environment has found a way to keep thriving.  Recently there have been some reconstruction of stream beds, mostly to help spawning salmon.

The Yankee Fork Gold Dredge is huge.  This photos on the left shows one of the ponds that has been created by the dredging.  Different groups have been working on getting rid of these kinds of ponds so the salmon can swim upstream and spawn.    






                              Next was the town of Custer.   

And then back to Stanley Lake--Back past the Sawtooths

Stanley Lake and Mt McGown--Evening Light

Stanley Lake--Morning Light

This day will prove to be more adventuresome than is even usual for me.

The next stop is Bowery Hot Springs, but man did I get confused about the directions in my little book "Hiking Hot Springs in the Pacific Northwest."  I ended up at the "Livingston Mine"  which I found out later is  huge toxic mess.  This must have been a pretty extensive mine because there were  miner cabins still standing.  As I drove closer to these cabins, I thought I saw a huge sign on the roof that said "Trump" but then I thought no that is weird.  As I drove closer I kept reading "Trump" and sure enough when I got to the building it said,                                                                   "Trump."

These buildings are owned by a crazy person a local said.  There were all kinds of no trespassing signs and hundreds of small (two feet tall) towers made from piled rocks.  Of course I didn't trespass.  These photos were taken from the road.

I am very determined when I am looking for something and I wanted to find this hot spring.  The next part of the road I went on was craziness, but I kept going.  Oh my what a rough road.  I have to say the jeep and the trailer did great.

This is the top part of the Livingston Mine.  And I am walking around this toxic dump looking for a hot springs!  LOL!  One of the reasons I got confused--(Not lost because I knew my way out) was because the landmarks and general directions were similar on this road as the other road.  "Drive for 2 miles and you will reach a gate."  And there was a gate.  Anyway, I spent a good portion of my day climbing upward ever upward.  And at last the road ran out and here is where I ended up.

Not sure what little lake this is, it is not listed on a map.  I would have missed it if it wasn't twirling and dancing like Julie Andrews.

I am up here at the top of the world it seemed.  the wind was blowing and the wildflowers were blooming like crazy.  I felt like Julie Andrews in the "Sound of Music" and I started to twirl and  sing "The Hills are Alive With the Sound of Music!"

The white spots you see are flowers.

The photos really don't do it justice.  It was mid day which is never a good time to take pictures, but I will keep the picture in my mind forever.

It was worth a wrong turn and for  a small moment in my life, I was Julie Andrews!

My awesome rig!


So back down the Mountain I go.





AND finally after driving horrible roads and conditions all day.  I finally made it down the right road and found Bowery Hot Springs.

Was it worth it?  It was a pretty cool hot springs.  El Natural.

 
It was a very long day, because of my slight detour to the top of the mountain and I still had a few hours to drive.



My next stop was Sugar Loaf Mountain and Yellowjacket Lake.  I have a cousin Kevin who has lived in Salmon and done a lot of backpacking in the area and I asked him to tell me the most beautiful place he has been to in the area.  He told me Yellowjacket Lake.  So I am off to find it.

  I stopped at Valley Junction at the intersection of 75 and 93 right across the street from the museum Land of the Yankee Fork.  They have a great burger grill, something you wouldn't expect from a small convenience store.  I saw some guys there getting a burger and asked if they were local.

 "Have you been to YellowJacket Lake?" 

 "Nope never heard of it, but I've heard of Yellow Jacket Mine." 

 So I bring in my map and they help me find the road to get started on. 

 "Can I make it there by dark?" 

 "No I don't think so."

"Is there any place to camp along the way."

"I think you could find a spot to pull over."

"Is that your rig out there?"

"Yea."  ( I love it when people call me jeep and trailer a "rig" or an "outfit."

So off I go to find Panther Creek Road, which turns into Yellowjacket Lake road.

Here's where I pulled off to camp. It was almost dark when I got there.  I was tired and "Olive" was tired as well.

       I needed to wake up at 4:30 to make it to Yellowjacket Lake for the Sunrise.  

I got there at about 10 minutes before the sunrise.  There was still snow in the campground and one lone camper.  Usually I stop to say hi, but I could tell that the sunrise was going to be phenomenal because of the way the clouds were moving.

                             Sorry about the watermark.  All of these photos are mine and not yours to copy.

Kevin was right--It was absolutely one of the most peaceful places I have seen.  I took many photos for the next twenty minutes and then the magic was gone.  The thing about being a landscape photographer is you have to be willing to get up very early.  Often times tourists won't even get going until 9-10:00 and by then the best light is gone.  That's why my family doesn't like to travel with me on my photo adventures!



I also drove to the Bighorn Crags campground, which is another beautiful spot on the edge of the Frank church Wilderness Area.  These places are very isolated and with really rough roads to get into them, but the solitude is amazing.




When I got to the campground it was completely empty. I saw a sign for Golden Trout Lake so I decided to walk to it. It's only a .5 mile hike ya I can do this. I got on my crocs, but I am thinking this isn't going to be bad the trail's pretty good. As I walking down, almost straight down, I am thinking this is going to be rough coming back up. Here I am in my crocs, didn't bring any water and I have my heavy camera bag.

The lake is beautiful and I start hiking back up. I am on the trail, at least I think it is the trail. "Is it the trail?" "I'm not really quite sure. Maybe this is just a game trail." The last thing my husband said to me was, "Don't get lost and don't let a bear eat you." So that starts to go through my mind. "Am I lost? Am I going to be able to find my way? Is a bear going to eat me?" And I started hearing noises.

I am walking straight up the mountain. I have no water. I am not going to make this. I am on the wrong trail. I am going to die and a bear is going to eat me. And two years from next fall a deer hunter will trip over my femur bone and land face first in front of my skull and he will scream like a little kid. My only hope is that the bear will devour the crocs as well, because I know that my family could never come to terms with the fact that I was wearing crocs will hiking in the mountains.

I don't want to die. I want to live. I want to live. Keep pressing forward, Roxie. Keep pressing forward. Oh this is so hard.

And then I look up and I see...the hood of my jeep. Yea, I am saved; a bear didn't eat me; I am saved. My husband was wrong. I didn't get lost and a bear didn't eat me. And in those 5 minutes I lived, died, was eaten by a bear and lived again.

Getting pretty good hooking the trailer up!


















And then this happened.

 Thank goodness it didn't happen when I was on that horrible road yesterday.  I am not sure I could have changed it on the steep rocky parts and it would have been a long walk out.  I only saw one other person on that road and it was the guy at the campground, so I was pretty sure no one would come to my rescue an help me.  So put on my flashers and  changed it.  No problem just an annoyance. 

I got back in the jeep and was putting lotion on my hands and I thought maybe I had better look in the mirror and see if I had smudges on my face. I noticed I had not put on any mascara and like to at least put on mascara, because my eyelashes are thinning as I age. I still had my flashers on and I was applying my mascara when I man drives up the road. He slows down and looks at me and gives me the funniest look.

After he drove by I realized he didn't see me changing my tire. What he saw, was a woman in the middle of nowhere, with her car flashers on, applying makeup. LOL

After changing the tire I drove on Panther Creek Road for over sixty miles going 20 miles an hour.  Do you know how long it took me?  A very, very long 3 hours with no spare tire.  

Finally made it to Salmon and the wonderful people at Les Schwab were able to find me a nice set of used tires so that I could make it home.  The place to go if you need tires in Salmon.  It was like the community hub.  Old men coming in to have their wheelbarrow tires fixed.  Ladies needing a flat fixed.  Kind of fun to watch.

I spent the next two nights at this great RV park in North Fork called the Wagonhammer. Very nice.  When I first registered they had me in a spot between two huge motorhomes.  Their bathrooms could have fit in my little trailer.  The attendant was kind enough to move me to a more suitable spot.  It had nice bathroom facilities and this facility is 

SPOTLESS

.http://wagonhammercampground.com/

For the next day and half I drove up and down the Salmon River Road--No hurries.  The speed limit is 35 miles an hour and no one rushes.  Lots of Rafts going down the River and then up the road on the top of trucks and trailers.

In 1983 I went on a backpacking trip down the Salmon River.  This was the start of my adventure seeking which is one of the reasons I wanted to go back.  This store in Shoup Idaho I remember seeing through the van window and I have always wanted to go back.  I love this store and the old fashioned gas pumps that still work.

The other thing that fascinated me were the cabins on the other side of the river that could only be reached by boat or a pulley cart.

 Serviceberries and Thimble berries

And these beauties

You've gotten love COWBOYS!

     I met another solo woman traveler.  We had so much in common is was freaky.  This is how she travels.  Jeepster!

On the way I traveled through the homeland of Sacajawea.  I have read many books about her and I would say she is my number one historical hero.

This is her home land.

One more hot springs. Tendoy Hot Springs.  This one is very nice and is maintained by the BLM and is even in use during the winter months.  There are changing rooms and the whole nine yards.  It is used mostly by locals and swimsuits are a must.  Unless you're a local and an old man and in that case I guess you do what you want.  Should have taken a picture!

And a parting shot for on the way home.  Watched this tv show often as a kid and even got my kids addicted to it when they were younger.

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1O8LWr4LwUBLRukFUC__2Lav-N8I&usp=sharing

Closing words from Thoreau

"It's not what you look at that matters, it's what you see."