The area around Galena, Idaho is a recreational dream. Lots of dispersed camping, rivers, trails for biking& hiking and gorgeous views. Had a great time with Rose& Steven and their friends.

I left the Galena area 7/19/20 to head for Craters of the Moon.

Today 7/20/2020 I drove to Swan Valley stopping at a rest stop that overlooks the Snake River. Peregrine Falcons flying all over the place. Truly spectacular!

I am heading back to Lakewood, Colorado. It is hot and I am taking my time hoping the heat will subside!! See you soon Colorado!

Pooping in the woods, Forest, Mountains, meadows, fields, etc. WE ALL poop! Part of life and usually we have a toilet , potty, or restroom available and we all know what to do. Do you know the rules about “pooping” outdoors when a potty is not available? I assume each of you do know! However, a recent event has shown me that clearly NOT everyone knows how to poop in the woods with health in mind. Of course pooping is a natural process and your body can Poop anywhere a human chooses! Today as I sat in my camp chair , under my awning by a flowing river I heard a noise and saw a kid across the river behind a bush , about 40 feet away. Through the bush I watched this boy pull down his Shorts and take a poop. ( I deleted shit and will only use non offensive language – but truly this is all shitty to me).Part of me watched wondering if he was cleaning up at the river bank  But when I saw him wiping himself I knew he had pooped right beside the river. As he pulled up his pants I headed for the road to meet up with him at the nearby bridge. As the kid was coming up to the bridge his dad in a car heard me tell the kid. Don’t poop by any river, lake, etc! It WILL wash into the river and the pristine river is now contaminated with human waste. Here are the guidelines to pooping in the Forest.

1. Do not poop near water.
2. Dig a hole At least 6 inches deep to cover your poop & toilet paper.
3. Do not poop near water! 
4. Or use a container and move the poop to a toilet or trash can. 
5. Do not poop near water! 

On our way to Ketchum we drove a pass from Chilly to the top of a pass along the Lost Creek. A tree slowly falling was a highway for Black squirrels to get across the river.

As of today July 13,2020 we are hanging out in campgrounds outside of Ketchum, Idaho. Taking advantage of post offices, great bike riding paths, cell service.

In a day or two We are heading to Stanley, Idaho where the lakes are plentiful, the green greener and the mosquitoes are a pain! Plus there is NO cell coverage at all so this will be my last post for awhile.
This will be my last leg of my travels with Rose & Steven. I will be heading back to Colorado by Monday !

One of the highlights of this trip happened at a campground along the Salmon River between Salmon and Challis, Idaho.The Salmon River moves quickly through Canyons and meadows. Our camp was across the river from tall jagged cliffs.

Swallows, peregrine falcons, pigeons, kingbirds, robins flew around the cliffs. Steven noticed the first sheep on the top of a ridge and Rose noticed the mama and baby sheep.
I got my binoculars while Rose & Steven took pictures with their great camera.
I felt like I was watching an episode of Animal Planet.

For at least an hour we watched Mama and baby descend from the mountain top, find their way to the river and then return to the top of the ridge using a different route.
After Mama & baby left the rest of the herd showed up. We watched another 8-15 sheep find their way through rock slides and tasty trees to get a drink at the river.
this adventure will Stay with me for a long while.

Up the mountain from Gilmore is Meadow Lake a gorgeous spot in The Salmon Challis National Forest. Nice campground, beautiful scenery and cool summer weather

If you noticed I tend to post blogs several at a time because I post when I have access to the internet on my phone. Idaho is NOT known for their cell service which is good & bad. Being in the woods without service is nice to get away from it all but over the last few weeks we have been without cell service or internet 80% of the time. Today I am sitting in a riverfront park outside of Ketchum/ Sun City, Idaho where I am getting 2-3 bars on my phone.

We left “the Little Eddy” on July 7th and headed to Rexburg to get new house batteries for The van, a haircut, gas and food for a longer adventure. We headed north to check out the charcoal kilns and Gilmore, a ghost town. I should say former ghost town since lots are being currently sold for $4,499.00. People are buying them and RVs, campers and small buildings are creating a no ghost town!

We broke camp on the Teton Creek On Monday July 6th. I Took a drive to Paradise Valley to try to charge my house batteries which have been acting up for the last 5 days. The entire area is full of natural surroundings- the Teton Creek flows into the Teton River which is a haven for water activities- boating, paddle boards, kayaks, inter tubs, etc.

The reason we are back is the Teton River! Rose & Steven are avid paddle boarders and I can shuttle them and their equipment up the river. Moose are common here and they have seen many on the river. When they got off the river last night they pointed out a bull moose on the other side of the river. We watched for 20-30 minutes before he disappeared into the bushes. Gosh they are huge animals!

I left The Little Eddy campground on Thursday July 2nd to meet up with Rose&Steven ( who had been in Idaho Falls dealing with tires) and several of their friends.

we camped along the Teton Creek with lots of other folks celebrating the holiday.

Rose and I took a hike up the canyon. The creek was amazing along with waterfalls. I really like Idaho!

Today, Tuesday 6/30/20:

This morning Rose&Steven drove into the big city to handle tires, oil changes, haircuts, etc. I drove from Mud Lake to Driggs, Idaho to secure a camping spot since this weekend is the Fourth of July. Driggs is 50 minutes from Tetons National Park.
Tire issues are keeping Rose&Steven in Town tonight so I videotaped the chosen spot so they could see the area.
NOTICE the lights on my van! Picture taken at 1:02pm. It is now 6:30pm and I just remembered the lights!

I spent last night worrying if my Compact battery cables had enough power to start my van. I worried that the Teton River would flood and I could not get out of here. I worried that I would have to call Steven & Rose to pick up some regular battery cables.

This morning I got out the instructions and was full of gratitude when my compact battery cable started my truck quickly. I danced!

First time seeing a bird bronco ride another bird. I have seen many small birds go after birds of prey- usually protecting a nearby nest.
This event was different when the small bird landed on the top of the hawk and was pecking away. The birds were riding together for at least a minute.
Very exciting for us humans on the ground. Most likely exciting for the hawk!

Pictures taken by Steven / Rose Pon