Today was a fairly short trip, as I was returning to Boise after my ramble through the mountains, valleys and farmland of eastern Oregon, Washington State, and Western Idaho. Last night I stayed in Donnelly, Idaho, a “suburb” of McCall (think Ketchum and Sun Valley)
McCall is a mountain resort town that is a favorite of Boise Residents, a hundred and eight miles to the south. McCall is situated on a high mountain lake like Couer d’ Alene, but it seems to have a much smaller summer population. It gets cold in McCall. Snowmobiling is popular, and the local ice skating rink is open all year.
My goal in McCall was to visit the Granite Mountain Nature Gallery for gifts for my grandchildren. The proprietor and owner, by profession a geologist, was helpful. He steered me to some polished turtle imitations that are popular with cub scouts, petrified wood, and other gems. He had some fine petrified shark’s teeth at a reasonable price. and I picked up a couple of nice imitation arrow points. The gallery also features large examples of minerals and expertly mounted butterflies and other insects. The visit was a success.
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State Highway 55 from McCall to Boise is a well constructed 2-lane road that winds through the Boise National Forest. For much of the way the road follows the Payette River. Several sections of this river were perfect for whitewater rafting, and on a hot summer Saturday, the river runners were out in force. There were steel guard rails in some places, but for much of the way Highway 55 rolls along fifty feet or so above the river with only reflective verticle warning markers spaced at wide intervals. Concentration on the road is essential. There were numerous turnouts, which provided an occasional break from driving.
I arrived at Boise in mid afternoon, and visited with Jim for a few minutes.
Today the city of Boise closed some streets downtown and hosted their annual “Twilight Criterium,” a professional bike race. The men’s pro final consisted of an hour and fifteen minutes of riding over a course that covered three city blocks adjacent to the Idaho State Capital grounds. Some local bike racers competed, but several states and countries contributed to the field of 125 riders. The crowd of several thousand people were able to stand just a few feet from the riders, separated by barriers.
The pack of riders stuck closely together for a little while, but then there were lead changes, breakaways, sprint challenges for premiums and other exciting stuff. The summer heat didn’t help the situation, and there were understandably a few DNF’s. The women’s event (which I didn’t see) was won by Skyler Schneider and the men’s event was won by Justin Williams. Both riders were members of the L39ION team from Los Angeles, and that team also placed 2nd in the women’s finals and 2nd and third in the men’s race. A team to watch!
So that was the trip. I really enjoyed seeing the “hidden gems” in this region that the residents know well. I could see making a return trip possibly in cooler weather. Jim said that the Palouse changes from its summer shades of green and brown to a gorgeous yellow as crops mature in the autumn. Fishing generally improves after the summer heat dies down, as well.
Signing off, Mike
Quicktrips 