Way to go, Idaho!

[kcowyo]

I returned to Idaho, for 8 days around the 4th of July. In particular, Stanley, Idaho - population 100.

I first visited Stanley in the summer of '95 (...gawd, has it been that long?) and fell in love with the place. Tucked deep in the Sawtooth Mountains on the Salmon River, it is a river rats dream. Fly fisherman, kayakers and rafting companies dominate the area. Completely understandable...


The Sawtooth Valley -

Stanley on the Salmon River -

I have tried several times over the last few years to get back to Stanley, but huge wildfires kept me away. This year the rains have kept the fires so far, at bay. I was able to do a lot of poking around the various lakes in the Sawtooth Valley; Alturas Lake, Pettit Lake, Stanley Lake and Redfish Lake. They are all a treat for the eyes and the perfect spot to relax, wet a line, float a canoe, read a book and reflect on the good things in life.


Stanley Lake -

Sunset on Redfish Lake -

I didn't accomplish very much while I was there, which was pretty much the idea. I had hoped a sportsman's paradise such as this would have had an amazing collection of ExPo type vehicles, at least a Four Wheel Camper or two. Sadly, I saw very few. The local adventure vehicle du jour by a wide, wide margin was the third generation Toyota 4Runner, in stock trim with a Thule or Yakima cargo box on the roof. I could have photographed a hundred or more of those... The river raft and kayak was the other top choice for getting into the heart of the area.


Rafting on the Salmon River -

I spent the majority of the week enjoying the peace and quiet. I visited with a few other campers, read a couple of books, drank a bunch of Shock Top - a nice Belgian White and watched the daily afternoon thunder showers from the safety of the inside of the camper. It was exactly the type of trip I wanted to do there, just being...


Campsite near Stanley Lake -

Double Rainbow -

Campsite on the edge of Redfish Lake -

Unlike my trip into Idaho, last year on the 4th of July, which was a clustermess of vampire-like mosquitoes, obnoxious tourists, sweltering temps and a nightmare evening trapped in Idaho Falls, this year was a serene and comfortable escape. I couldn't have enjoyed myself more or found a better place to celebrate our nation's birthday and the heart of Idaho.


The Sawtooth Range -

 

[chnlisle]

He's done it again folks!!!

Thanks KC

 

[Barko1]

Drove North on 93 along the Salmon on my way to Alaska but no pics like these!

 

[Phil]

Whoooo !

Awesome pictures You must tell me what type of camera do you use

 

[Alaskan Snowbirds]

Hey KC,

Very nice post, really enjoyed it.

Thanks,
'birds

 

[DLN]

Very nice kc, wish I was there now.

 

[Marc]

KC,

As always ... Very,very nice.

marc

 

[kcowyo]

Thanks guys for the nice replies. I hope maybe this little write-up puts Stanley on your radar. It's way out of the way, but well worth the drive. I know our host Dirty Dog, has the same fondness for the Sawtooth Valley as I do. And this year, I got exactly what I needed there. Peace & quiet and memories. Maybe even a little inspiration too...

I wanted to also mention two other tidbits from our trip. First, I purchased my camper 3 years ago from a gentleman in Sun Valley, Idaho just 60 miles south of Stanley. My original plan when picking up the camper, was to spend my very first night in it in Stanley. However, it was Easter weekend, which in Idaho, is still the dead of winter. The snows were heavy and the roads were bad so I had to postpone my plans to head north. I was very disappointed at the time and have tried often over the last few years to get back. So in some ways, this was a homecoming trip of sorts as I drove the camper back through Sun Valley (wish I could've remembered where the seller lived, I might have popped in) and I got to see Stanley again for the first time in many, many years...

Secondly, and this has been a long time coming, we finally marked off our 100th night spent in our camper on this trip. I have been chasing that night seemingly for a year as we took a few trips over the last 12 months without the FWC, and have been stuck in the mid 90 numbers for a year. I don't know why that matters other than now I can totally justify buying the camper and spending the money it cost me at the time.

So now we're at 102 total nights spent in the camper (I log each night & location in a journal) and the break down for those nerdy types like me who like this kind of stuff is as follows:

Utah - 23 nights
Montana - 22 nights
Wyoming - 21 nights
Colorado - 15 nights
Idaho - 10 nights
California - 8 nights
New Mexico - 2 nights
Oregon - 1 night

Not bad for 3 years but not our total time on the road either. We have a roof-top tent we purchased last year and took it out for 10 days through Arizona, Anza Borrego, Death Valley and across Nevada. And then there was the lame-o road trip for a week in Colorado last March...

So now we begin the countdown to our 200th night in our little FWC, as we have no plans of getting rid of it (need to replace the hammered linoleum though...) or upgrading to a different type of RV. The Four Wheel Camper has consistently been the most reliable and durable piece of camping equipment I have ever used. As my children get older, we may be forced into stepping up into a more spacious Hawk, but for now I expect we will always be a loyal Four Wheel Camper customer.

.

 

[DirtyDog]

Great report KC! Last time I was in that area is the time I saw you up there. I've been meaning to get back to the area (easily a top 10 destination for me), but you know how it goes - so many places to go and so little time.......

Congrats on 100! I like your journal idea I may have to try something similar

 

[gsbfree]

Great pictures!...and sounds oh so relaxing! This is one of our favorite areas to visit and explore.

There are some great areas to explore near Stanley. I'd recommend anyone visiting the Stanley area to spend a day and tour the Yankee Fork Dredge http://www.fs.fed.us/r4/sc/yankeefork/pointsofinterest.shtml. There's also several backcountry motorways that are full of history if you have a longer day or two to explore http://www.fs.fed.us/r4/sc/yankeefork/custermotorway.shtml

 

[RJones]

KC,

Great report and pictures! I'm headed that way next Saturday for a week with fishing gear.

 

[craig333]

Dang, thats a lot of trips. I won't keep a log. Too depressing.

 

[SunMan]

Sick shots...good to see the T-100 out & about again.

Great looking trip. You're givin' me the itch.

 

[seldomseensmith]

So now we're at 102 total nights spent in the camper (I log each night & location in a journal) and the break down for those nerdy types like me who like this kind of stuff is as follows:

Utah - 23 nights
Montana - 22 nights
Wyoming - 21 nights
Colorado - 15 nights
Idaho - 10 nights
California - 8 nights
New Mexico - 2 nights
Oregon - 1 night



Beautiful pics and great report - makes me miss the Northern Rockies in a good way... 'course I don't miss the 11 months of winter I see by your list of places you stayed that Utah tops the list, followed by Montana and Wyoming. IMO, your taste is impeccable

 

[kcowyo]

Awesome pictures You must tell me what type of camera do you use


I use an Olympus C4000, a simple 4 megapixel camera. Released in 2002, it's ancient now by digital camera standards and I would love to move up to a nice DSLR, like the Nikon D40, but I'm still happy with the results of the l'il Olympus for now. I recently changed the photo software I've been using from Photo Impact, to Gimp and I like it a lot. Photography has been a real long learning process for me, but I make the results more fun by always trying to put myself in the most beautiful locations out west. That way hopefully, the beautiful subject matter compensates for my meager skills.


http://www.fs.fed.us/r4/sc/yankeefor...interest.shtml[/URL]. There's also several backcountry motorways that are full of history if you have a longer day or two to explore http://www.fs.fed.us/r4/sc/yankeefor...motorway.shtml[/URL']


Great links and info. My original itinerary was going to continue from Stanley, up to McCall, Elk City, a portion of the Magruder Corridor trail, and the Lolo Motorway. But when I reached Stanley, and saw the perfect weather and found a lakeside campsite, I decided to skip all of that driving (for now) and just stay there. But yeah, there is still so much more to see up there....


....next time your at Pettit you can take a side trip to Yellow Belly Lake about 5 miles from Pettit and you can make it in your truck and camper a very remote lake The 4x4 road dead ends there and you can camp at the end with just a few yards to the lake if you have a yak you will be the only one on the lake!
You got us pumped to go,still 2 weeks before we leave,we get a whole 2 months up in the Sawtooths!


You lucky dog... 2 months in the Sawtooths?!? I would probably never come back. Well, until the snow started piling up anyway... Great tip on Yellow Belly Lake. I saw it on the map but didn't look for an access trail. Next time. By the way, the library in Stanley has wi-fi if you need it. Hope you two have a fun & safe trip Les!


Great report and pictures! I'm headed that way next Saturday for a week with fishing gear.

And yet another lucky dog! You should have a great visit. The river is running pretty fast but there were still a lot of folks out fishing. The bugs weren't even too bad which was surprising, given all of the rain they've had. For what it's worth, beer was cheaper in the Mercantile than at the gas station next door. Same beer, but a buck or two cheaper per 6 pack. These things matter. Oh, and some nice free camping on the road into Stanley Lake in the Elk Meadow Loop turn-off. Hope you have a fun & safe trip too!


I see by your list of places you stayed that Utah tops the list, followed by Montana and Wyoming. IMO, your taste is impeccable


I agree, lol! Gotta "wander the west", right?

I had a great trip planned for last Fall, circumnavigating the Great Lakes to add some mid-west flavor to my stuff but we had to postpone the trip. Still want to do that someday. I also want to head to the Baja peninsula someday too. And just last night, the lady and I were discussing changing up our annual November trip to Death Valley, to perhaps returning to Washington and the Olympic Peninsula and Olympic National Park. I'd love to see Port Townsend and Neah Bay again.

And I will freely admit to padding my count by including our one night in Oregon, as we actually stayed in the camper, but parked in my Father's driveway. He was renovating his guest room/office when we visited, so we stayed in the camper. But it was Thanksgiving in Tillamook, and the temps were below freezing, so that's how I justify it!


We are already planning our next trip, which sadly will not include our camper, as we have a wedding to attend in September in North Carolina. We have decided to extend our stay there to 10 days as I will show the lady my home state including the Outerbanks and the Blue Ridge Parkway. Unfortunately we'll be flying in, but we may rent an RV when we get there to tour the Tarheel state.

Thanks again to everyone for the positive feedback!

.

 

[davinski]

KC:

Nice write up and nice pics. It just goes to show, it is the photographer not the camera that makes the phots.

Everytime I read one of your writeups it just makes me want to ditch work and hit the road. Stanley.....will have to look that one up...

Thanks!!

Dave in Seattle.

 

[DirtyDog]

Stanley.....will have to look that one up...


Since you are in Washington, I'm going to go out on a limb and state that there is no place more amazing than Stanley near your location. Truly a must go destination. We'll have to do a rally up there some time.

 

[davinski]

Rally????


Hmmmmm some planning might be in order....

Dave in Seattle

 

[gsbfree]

Truly a must go destination. We'll have to do a rally up there some time.

Great idea! Would love to see a rally in the Stanley area next year!!! How far would WTW folks drive for this?