Adventures in Smoke, Trip Down Memory Lane. ID, WA, MT 8/15

Main goal of our trip was to visit with Rochelle, my friend since we both went to cosmetology school together in 1969.  Who would have ever though we'd both end up in Idaho.  She lives way up North in Rathdrum.  We hadn't seen her for many years and it was time.

Headed out of Boise up Hwy. 55 North toward McCall along the Payette River.  Saw some crazy kayakers - I talked to the guy in this picture and he said the river was Class 5, but he assured me he had been down this section many times.  I'm sure I sounded stupid when I said "be careful." 

Smokey valley on way to McCall

Rest stop in Riggins, Idaho along the Salmon River

Native American history

See the old road, "White Bird Hill" was quite 
a challenge in the old days

We stayed in Pullman, WA and went over to check out the university there. Nice college town. The drive to Pullman was wonderful, seeing all the fields that have been cut. It is a lovely, rolling hill area.

Around Grangeville, ID, wheat fields were so pretty.

You can see the smoke here, Eastern WA

I loved the patterns from mowing

Sculpture at WA State University at Pullman

Super football town, WASU Cougars

School mascot

Seeing these all over the country as we travel

Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church

Spokane, WA

Our favorite breakfast place in Spokane.

John finished every bite.

Rochelle and I met at Cosmetology School in 1969.

Very North Idaho

Rochelle and I had breakfast at the "The Old European Restaurant"  We both tried something new (and delicious) - Danish Aebelskivers.   Oh how I wish they had a restaurant close to us.

Next over to Montana, more smoke everywhere. Visited the state capitol in Helena. Got a chance to see our full time RV friends we met in FL a few years ago. They have had some great adventures and it was so fun to catch up with them for a few days.

Another great breakfast and lunch place, Helena, MT.  

We ate three meals here.

Off to the State Capitol.  No bright sky, still in the 
smoke from fires everywhere in the West

Driving the Golden Spike, 1903 

This is not Promontory, UT, but the No Pacific Railroad - 2nd Golden Spike

This capitol was so rich in art - paintings, statutes and stained glass

Custer’s Last Battle 

 My friend Lenore.  Fun to tour capitol with her and 
her husband, Rick (our photographer)

Montana Historical Society Museum - excellent and chock 
full of Native American culture, the West and I learned so much.  We actually had to go back the second day for me to finish.  
One of my favorite history museums.

Museum contains 50,000 artifacts

Grizzly claws are astounding

Chair for chief, foldable for travel

Nice view of Helena

Great sculpture at a school

Cathedral of St. Helena

Saturday Market Downtown

Beautiful veggies

Such nice fresh produce and flowers.  Great baked

goods and crafts too.

Info booths in the park

Built in 1920-21 as the headquarters of the Algeria Shrine, 

this remarkable Moorish Revival style building, with its 

towering minaret. Now Helena Civic Center.

Had fun checking out the market

Had to go back to the museum the second day so I could 

see the gallery of art work by Charles Russell "Cowboy 

Artist", 1864-1926. They had an amazing collection.

Made the trip to Butte through smoke again so John could see the mining museum.  Nothing spectacular, but it was interesting.

They had some wonderful specimens

The Orchestrion is a generic name for a machine that plays 

music and is designed to sound like an orchestra or band.  

They are rare and it was interesting to see one.

Locomotive

Wooden Wheelbarrow

Another old locomotive

Orphan Girl head frame

View of Butte, MT

Mine head frame, there are 

several around the area

Stopped here, a very sad history

and part of the Nez Perce War*

After the green there are a row tipi poles as a memorial

I left a Peace Rock here.  This was a very

moving and sad place.

Back to beautiful Idaho

Headed to my favorite places in the world, the Sawtooth Mountains. We spent two night in Stanley, Idaho along the river. We made a little trip up the road to see the Yankee Fork Dredge. We've seen it before, but we just love to see it and think of the history and all the gold that was taken out of that river.

Our little cabin was on the banks of the river

Pretty river

Taking a moment in the Sunbeam Hot Springs

It was boiling if you didn't get a mix of river water.


Yankee Fork Dredge - very interesting to tour

We've been here three times and just love it.

Dredge bucket line

A huge machine with one job, extract gold.**

I bet John would have loved to work on this dredge.

That is a big bucket

Interesting clouds

Visited with some friendly horses along the road.

Idyllic (minus smoke) 

A smokey summer to remember

"State Wide Fire Ban"

Another view from Red Fish Lake Visitor's Center

Sockeye salmon spawning

This was a first for both of us - so cool.
Some young folks told us about this.

Stream where fish were spawning

Red Fish Lake

We've spent many sweet days here.

A favorite of Idahoans - Red Fish Lake

Fun place to camp, rent a cabin, tour lake, fish, boat, kayak, hike.

We could hear our neighbors breathe, not ideal

Jutting out of nowhere.

Pink trout delicious, a great dinner in Stanley.

Poof, puff clouds

I was photographing the mountains and there, right in front of me, was a fox. I clicked, he stopped,  I clicked, he stopped, and again.  It was so cool and my camera noise helped me get pictures.

I can't recall anything more beautiful

 Upper view of Stanley Lake

We put Cori's ashes here, he would have liked it here.

Doggie paddle

A lovely spot
We've canoed in this lake - lots of memories


 Stanley Lake, Stanley, Idaho

Great Egret

 If I get to pick what my Heaven looks like I want it to be 
Stanley, Idaho with the Sawtooths, fences, river and meadows.

You can see why they are called "The Sawtooths"

One reason for this trip was to photograph my Sawtooth Mountains and it was sad that the smoke hazed out all photos.  Must be that I have to return another time.

I love the pole fences in the valley

Oh, how I yearned for clear sky

One of my favorite pictures.  Love the angle showing 

the fence in all its glory and strength

Serene

Hope you were able to use your imagination to see bright, blue, clear Idaho sky.  Also, hope you didn't get sick of fences

On the road, sadly leaving my favorite place.  We have so many memories of our camping trips up here, canoeing, boating and gold panning.  A wonderful trip down memory lane.  But time to move on and was so happy that we were able to make this trip to visit old and new friends, see a new capitol, the gold museum and dredge.  New adventures await us and we are ready to see what's on the other side of the United States in our new state, Florida.  We spent 28 special years in Boise and I don't regret one minute of it, especially the good friends we have.

Fall is in the air

* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nez_Perce_National_Historical_Park
** http://yankeeforkdredge.com