The RV camp was quiet when I got up. No one seemed awake yet. I was tired but Sadie whined so I let the dogs out to pee. Another black Lab was walking alone along the dirt path, so I quickly called the dogs back. I didn't want an early morning barkfest!
The site manager, Rex, was not in the office when I got to shower and wash clothes, the two things I needed to do. I'm on my last set of shirt and pants! The showers weren't opened yet and the laundry room took only quarters with no change machine, so I quickly washed my hair in the sink and left. I wanted to explore the little town of Salmon in the morning, with no urge to hike far or wide or even drive for long. Minnie looked tired from yesterday's hike and moved slowly, so today was an off day. The rivers around town would be today's excitement. Sacajawea is from this area and I wanted to get a feel for the land.
But first I needed coffee, and came across a cute little yellow house called the Rise and Shine place. My three-shot cappuccino was exquisite, as well as my breakfast burrito. Several men were outside talking about Trump, one had a large black and tan German Shepherd Dog, a three-year-old female that came right up to me to sniff my dogs. What a gentle spirit she was, tall and filled in and quiet. She sniffed everyone who came by. The owner, who had moved from Alaska several years ago, bought the dog from a breeder in Challis, just south of Salmon. What a well-behaved dog! I wish Sadie showed that kind of gentleness around people.
I sipped my coffee inside as I overheard the two older men talk about Trump. Unlike Washington in which I saw many Trump signs in yards, I haven't seen any in Idaho or Montana. I haven't seen anything for Clinton, either.
The morning warmed up fast and I didn't want to waste too much time sipping coffee. I took the dogs on a short walk around the river island park before driving again north on US93. The highway north of Salmon meanders along the Salmon river, past lush green fields, dairy farms, more camping sites and some river rafting companies. I didn't see any of these last night driving in the dark. What a beautiful drive, as the canyon became higher but steeper. I turned around a mile from the Montana state line and now wanted to explore a creek trail. All I saw were signs to access the rivers.
I took the North Fork road a bit to let the dogs get to the water. The North Fork wasn't as crowded here, and the river was calm where I pulled over for a few rounds of fetch. Just a half mile down river, though, the current picked up as the river snaked downhill, gaining momentum. I turned around in the community of Indianola, where 1910-era buildings are used as a firefighting point and a memorial stands for two fallen helicopter jumpers who perished in a 1985 fire.
The dogs enjoyed the water but it was getting hot now. The hills here were dry and trailless and I was in no mood to explore these. I wanted something more shaded and challenging, but today turned out to be more about driving through expansive valleys. It was a nice change from yesterday.
I stopped in town at the Bertram Brewpub. The beer there was good! I had a hazelnut ale and a lost trail ale and ordered a Gut Buster burger with two patties, bacon and cheese. The dogs got the second patty and the bacon, and I split the last of my patty with them. That was their lunch for the day before we drove on in the direction of Idaho Falls via ID28, the Sacajawea Scenic Byway.
This was a scenic drive, but I was tired. I had the AC on high to keep the dogs comfortable, but at one point I had to pull over for five minutes when I almost fell asleep. I pulled over at a cattle trough and windmill with "Petticoat Junction" painted on the reservoir tank. This was a .4 mile leg stretcher. Clouds were darkening to the east and north of me and when the wind kicked in 30 minutes later, I pulled over to let the storm pass, a wind storm more than a rainstorm. ID28 is a narrow two-laner; there is little room to spare in a collision.
The mountains to the south were getting taller and snow capped. I could see the Tetons rise in the distance! Wyoming was closeby. ID28 ends at I-15, which I took into Idaho Falls, my destination for the night. With two hours of daylight left, I took the dogs on a circular walk around the Green Belt along the river and near the LDS temple, clocking in 4.6 miles and a few dips in the Snake River. Minnie has now swimmed in both the Snake and the Salmon Rivers of Idaho. The Snake River is not very clean in Idaho Falls. The trail is littered with Canadian Goose poop, reeds, and some litter. The trail is also used by a lot of people. The area was getting a lot of people out to the water.
The historic district is along the Snake River and the multiuse trail. Lots of chain restaurants and some fancy restaurants line the area. There's definitely all the amenities of city life in town, so what do I do? I google for a 24-hour laundromat and find a coin-operated one on First Street. I ended up spending two hours here, washing two loads (including the wet and dirty dog blanket again) as I wrote in my journal, looked at Amazon and updated some Facebook comments. A grizzly had attacked a cyclist near the KOA campsite in West Glacier yesterday afternoon, a sow with two cubs. So now that means the bear will be hunted down and killled and the cubs will be orphaned. Glad I wasn't in the area when that happened.
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