May 28 (Saturday): Sawtooth Mtn Hike, Salmon River Scenic Byway

Those who know me know that I love my Starbucks.  While we love the little town of Stanley (population of something like 63) with good places to stay, many great restaurants, an ice cream shop, an amazing outfitter that puts Outdoor Ventures to shame and friendly people, Starbucks is not yet on the horizon.  This is the local stand-alone espresso stand.
We are up early this morning to be able to get in a six mile hike in the Sawtooth Mountains along Fishhook Creek near Redfish Lake.



We even find a tree that seems ready made into which to carve our initials.
This is the "prize" at the turn around point on the hike looking directly up into 10,229 foot Heyburn Mountain and 10,470 foot Horstmann Peak.
Resting ...
and posing on the way back out.
Our drive today is from Stanley to Salmon.  All of the drive is part of the Salmon River Scenic Byway following the Salmon River.  The Salmon River just outside of Stanley.
We get one more look at the Sawtooth Mountains before leaving Stanley.  Did I mention that we loved Stanley?
The drive, especially the early part, was absolutely jaw dropping and scary.  The normal width road had absolutely no shoulder and no guard rail with the Salmon River immediately adjacent.  At times even the white line disappeared into oblivion as the lane got even more narrow.
Another view of the Salmon ...
from a roadside turn out.
Overnight tonight is in the carriage house of the Greyhouse Inn B&B about eleven miles outside of Salmon, ID.

See you tomorrow on our way to Lolo Hot Springs, MT.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Seljalandsfoss, Skógafoss, Dyrholaey, Arnardrangur, Reynisfjara, Vik I Myrdahl

Image
It has been a big day.  Lots of driving and lots of stops.  A couple of waterfalls both very different from the earlier waterfalls.  Churches and more churches.  I hope that you don't get tired of churches.  And the black sand of the southern coast. As I'm driving to our first waterfall, I spot a church out in the country.  I stop.  It is Braeoratungukirkja.  Seljalandsfoss is a really cool waterfall.  It is a 220 foot monster. As you get closer it is even more impressive. But the really cool thing is that you can walk behind the waterfall.  The spray from the waterfall is impressive.  You will get soaked.  Guide books warn about ruining camera equipment.  So the Nikon goes back into the car and I don full rain gear.  There is no way that I'm not doing this.  You may laugh but my iPhone 12 Pro is submersible for 30 minutes and it has wide angle.  This is what it looks like. Skógafoss is 200 feet high and 80 feet wide.  Guidebooks warn that the hard part of photographing her
Read more

Reykjavik, a photography walk

Image
I'm out for a walk around Reykjavik on this, my penultimate day in Iceland.  Perhaps to make up for Iceland's long and dark winters, houses of Reykjavik are painted lively colors.  It is not Nyhavn but it is very pretty.  I pass a children's playground which I also find colorful and pretty. I have noticed that Icelandic houses usually have absolutely no landscaping.  Not much grows in this latitude.  This house in Reykjavik is an exception. Reykjavik has a park with a lake, also with landscaping. The park has sculptures I guessed that this one was called "blockhead".  I was wrong.  It is called "unknown bureaucrat". I'm thinking that this is either Lancelot or Elaine (you have to be from Iowa State). Reykjavik City Hall has been built out into the lake which was controversial at the time. After a break at Te & Kaffi, the Icelandic version of Starbucks, ... I am off to the National Museum of Iceland ... which has many exhibits on the history of Ic
Read more

Iceland Here I am

Image
It is not necessarily easy traveling this close to the pandemic edge.  I jumped at the chance to book this trip in mid-March when Iceland announced it was re-opening to vaccinated Americans without quarantine.  I had a difficult time booking and keeping hotel reservations as hotels kept closing.  I didn't understand why until yesterday when I discovered that after Iceland re-opened, they quickly closed again, then re-opened in April and the rules are still changing.  It was like playing whack-a-mole to find an open hotel.  But I am ecstatic about being able to be here.  Today's blog is more about traveling and less about Icelandic photos.  They will come.  Be patient. Delta has one flight a day to Reykjavik and it is from JFK.  Delta has only one flight a day from MSP to JFK to make the connection and that flight leaves MSP in mid-morning.  So I am off early Tuesday morning when my driver arrives. I find myself elated as I walk into the SkyClub at MSP.  I have never been so hap
Read more