Our final day of touring in Idaho :-(
We left McCall and headed south on a scenic drive
that would take us into the heart of the Boise National Forest. We
backtracked a bit over some territory we covered on Wednesday, but split off
that route after about an hour and headed east toward Lowman. The roads
were windy and bordered by fast-rushing creeks. Just amazing
scenery. We stopped near Lowman at Pine Flatts Campground. Trails
led to natural hot springs along the ice-cold Payette River. I was amazed
to see rivers of hot water cascading down from the hills above the river. Imagine waterfalls of warm water! After hiking over some rocky riverside
we reached a pool of hot water where we relaxed and enjoyed the hot water
pouring over us from the hill above as if it was a hot shower. I saw
swimmers braving the fast currents of the river as it twisted its way through
the gorge we were in. I studied their routes and the currents and
eventually got in the river myself a couple of times. It was so much fun
to cross the river agains the currents to make it to an area where the water
swirled in a circle bordered by rocks on 3 sides. We enjoyed watching two
dogs retrieve sticks in the icy waters unfazed by the current. I could
have stayed here forever.
After leaving the hot springs, we drove east and
then south through some steep peaks and switchbacks topping mountains about
8,000 feet high. We stopped briefly in Idaho City. It once was one
of the biggest cities in the pacific northwest. But the mining boom has
come and gone. Many original buildings still stand and we enjoyed seeing
them from the outside. The town appeared to be overrun by drunkards in the
saloons, so we enjoyed an ice cream and moved on after this quick
stop.
Once back in Boise, we grabbed seafood dinner and
watched the first half of the big Boise State football game. I wonder what
it would have been like in the city if it was a home game. There was so
much hype for this away game at the University of Washington all week. We
fell asleep during the game and flew home in the morning. I just
looked it up and was sad to see the Broncos lost to Washington 38-6.
I miss Idaho already.
Pine Flatts Hot Springs A+
Idaho City C-
Boise State Football Hype A+
Performance D
-- POSTED BY JON
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