On July 2nd, Ann and I left Kalispell at our usual time…O’dark-thirty…for the Idaho leg of our summer travels, to visit Justin (our youngest) in Boise, Idaho. Our last trip took us across the narrow panhandle of Idaho, this time we would drive through the center of the state, taking all the slow roads we could find….and we found a lot of them. Our first slow road actually started in Montana south of Darby. Darby holds many memories of when I was young (six decades ago) of fishing small creeks, evenings swimming at “The Plunge” hotsprings, bringing the cows back with the aid of Uncle Kenney’s dogs, and the “Trapper Peaks” near his house:
I don’t know if it’s common to gain an interest in history as one grows older, but Ann and I have both found a fascination with local histories. Three years ago, after selling our business we did extensive travel (at least for us it was extensive) and were able to take backroads and found many interesting historical places to visit on our way:
Cataldo Mission, Bannack, MT (ghost town),
Wallace, Idaho (historic bordello museum)
and not least Butte, MT (historic mining city).
The road we chose took us over Lost Trail Pass, which is historic in its own right from mining to Lewis and Clark. Our first area of interest was a ghost town called Gibbonsville, an old silver mining city in the narrow canyons of the Salmon River drainage north of the town called (of course) Salmon, Idaho. The was the first of our many ‘bushwacking’ tours on dirt single-track roads and we loved every minute of it. We never did find the actual site of Gibbonsville, but we had a nice lunch near a burbling creek in the sun and let the dog run unfettered through the brush. Actual evidence of the mining activity was horrendous…huge tailing piles were unmistakeable in the narrow confines of this small valley and even after all these years it was still an ugly gash on the face of the lush mountain landscape. UGLY.
From Salmon, Idaho there are two highways which eventually get us where we wanted to go, Highway 28 (a state highway) goes through a breathtaking high desert plateau that we had traveled once before. It’s elevation is nearly 7000 feet and the road is lonesome. This is the highway where I actually laid on the asphalt and shot pictures of the mountains in the distance….not a car in sight and it was that way for most of the time we were parked on the roadside. As I said…high and lonely.
Highway 93, the other route, is the route we chose. It follows the Salmon River, to its headwaters in the Lost River Range, to Challis, Idaho and on to the recreational mecca of Stanley, Idaho (Population 100 according to the 2000 census). However, before we drove to Stanley, we bushwacked to another historic ghost town called Bayhorse, Idaho, which is a brand new state park in the Idaho park system. It was a very nice visit, despite the rain storm we had to wait out during our time there. The state has done an excellent job of developing this historic site, with rails and trails, informational signs and RESTROOMS! Heh. The terrain was rugged and beautiful. One other tidbit about this area (and state) is that it is a SERIOUS area for four-wheelers (ATV’s)! Bayhorse, Idaho:
The Wells Fargo Building
Bayhorse Mine
Remains of Charcoal Kilns
We arrived at Stanley, Idaho and promptly grabbed a motel room as it is a BUSY place in the summer. As we found out later, Stanley has activities for all seasons…this according to their city maintenance supervisor, James Denhart, a Stanley resident. After settling in at the motel we scoped the town for eateries and were pleased to find a great place off the main drag (on Wall Street, believe it or not) called simply enough, The Bakery. The name shouldn’t fool you…they had gourmet dinners AND great baked goods, AND outdoor dining. I highly recommend it.
Stanley is situated at the base of some of the most beautiful mountain peaks in existence today…the Sawtooth Mountains, often called the ‘American Alps’. Stanley is the only place in the US where THREE national scenic byways intersect. An incomplete list of Stanley’s activities:
Rafting Experience the 1-Day family-style river trips on the Salmon River Stanley is the jumping off point for Idaho’s Famous Middle Fork and Salmon River of No Return.
Climbing World Class Climbing in the Sawtooth Mountains
Hiking Trails to over 400 high mountain lakes in the Sawtooth Mountains
Mountain Biking Everything from smooth single track loops to technical trails. So many options it can be confusing. Pick up a map or hire a guide to find the best trails in the area
Fly Fishing The Salmon River and upper Middle Fork
Trailrides Great trailrides through the Sawtooth Mountains
Snowmobiling
Cross-country skiing
and last but not least, Hunting
James Denhart, the maintenance supervisor for Stanley, told us that the town has activities for all four seasons but warned us that the winters get pretty chilly at times…like down to -50 degrees at times. So cold that it snaps power poles, as they found out a couple winters ago. They were without power for two days, but the town pulled together and found shelter for everyone. That’s the nice thing about small towns
Does this give you any idea how beautiful this place is?
After dining and taking pictures of the stormy skyline we headed back to our room and listened to the motorcycle people clomping around until the wee hours of the morning…which wasn’t so bad because it made it easier for me to be noisy at O’dark-thirty when we left the next morning….heh.
