Sheep Herder's Wagon

Sun Valley, Idaho

This is not your typical sheep herder's wagon that

 looks more like the Conestoga Wagon of the pioneer days.

  

He bought it from a sheep herder in Utah who was retiring.

The sheep are in the high country nearby.  The herders and their dogs will be bringing them down through here soon before the snow flies.  I saw a crew making repairs on a corral nearby during one of my rides.  I think I'll miss it as we have to move on this weekend.

Idaho Mormon

Cricket that is...

Thanks Beans for pointing it out.

Vintage Trailer

Sun Valley, Idaho

On my morning walk I came across this classic down the way from us.

I love seeing old travel rigs restored, lovingly cared for and still on the road.

I'd like to see what they had done with the inside

 but no one was home at the time and they left early that evening.

The Invisible Logging Road

Sun Valley, Idaho

During the day I would sit in camp looking across the valley and see this zig-zag line going up the mountain.  For sure it had to be an old logging road.  If I could find the road it would be easier going climbing the mountain.  So I set out to do that one day.

Most of the slopes are of this 45 degree angle, not that easy for an old man.  Also I would like to point out that the lighter green colored landscape isn't easy to walk through.  It is made up of dense knee high sagebrush, stickery weeds and thick grasses.

I opted for the shallower slope leading into the forest where there is no thick ground cover plus being in the shade is a plus.  I climbed into the forest, angled to the left, crossed the open ground surely thinking I would find the logging road.  It was nowhere to be found.  I didn't know if I was too high up or too low.  I gave up and fought my way through the dense open growth back to camp disappointed and hungry.

I thought about it some and felt if I could find where the logging road comes out onto the asphalt road that would be smarter.  I rode my bike up the road and found what I thought the only likely place it could be.  The next day I set off on foot up the paved road.  The 'likely place' fizzled out right away.  

As I climbed into the woods all I had to choose from were animal trails.  

I worked my to the right back out in the open and there was no logging road, again not know if I was too high up or too low.   Disappointed yet again I sat in the shade at the base of a big tree, ate my protein bar, drank some water and enjoyed the view.  I wasn't looking forward to beating the brush back down but at least gravity would help me along.  As I descended I kept looking back at the big tree to get an idea where I took my break.

That's us right in the middle of the photo.

  

Here you can see an x.  That is the tree where I sat down for my break.  I had been sitting right on the so-called "logging road"!  Now I felt better knowing that there never was a logging road; that the zig-zag line was nothing more than the natural slope and ledges of the mountainside.

But you wouldn't know that by looking at it from this angle on the valley floor.

Dangerous Roads

Sun Valley, Idaho

We are camped off of Trail Creek Road out of Ketchum/Sun Valley.  After a few miles of pavement out of town the road begins to climb then the asphalt ends.  From there it gets steeper and narrow all the way to the summit at 7910 ft (2411m) about 6.5 miles from camp.  I rode to the summit on the little bike (50cc) I had two years ago, and again on this trip with the Honda 90.  Much easier with the Honda.  I wondered how long the entire road was all the way over the mountain and on down to Hwy 93.  I Googled it.  Well one of the first hits was on this website www.dangerousroads.org .  I don't think so, but it makes for good reading.  Anyways, 40.8 miles.  I would drive it in the RV except for two points: 1. It is very narrow in some sections on the west side where we are and if someone was coming down as we were going up, there'd be a problem.  2. the gravel is made up of very sharp edged rocks and would really do a number on the tires.

Riding Gracie back I put-putted real slow along the edge

 looking down into the canyon just to see what there was to see.

At this point there was something crumpled up against the trees part way down.  I didn't have my binoculars with me.  I went back another day also with my better camera.

Looks it might be a car.

                                                                       What do you think?

This is zoomed in all the way.

If so, this is where it went off at, where Gracie is parked.

I was wondering where the big boulder in the background came from for there were no others all along that side of the road all the way.  I looked up.

Oh.  I don't think I want to linger here any longer and I moved on.

A Walk in the Woods

Sun Valley, Idaho

There is nothing as soothing for the soul than the sight and sound of a flowing creek in the forest.

This sign is wrong! 

 I have three pairs of wool socks that are well over 20 years old!

In fact I wore one pair for this hike.

So there!

Sun Valley

Sun Valley, Idaho

Not wanting to be an added statistic to the rocky mountainside of Arco, we said goodbye to Scar, Ruby and Honey's Park and headed off to our next destination, Sun Valley.

If you were with us two years ago this is where we met up with our fellow traveler Angela and her cat Dresy. You may remember us tearing apart her RV trying to eliminate a half a dozen mice that had been riding along with them for a couple of months. 

You can just make out The Little House on the Highway, 

the white speck beneath the notch in the mountains.

The first photo was taken on a dirt road high up on the slope of that far mountain looking down the valley this direction.  I rode Gracie up there.  Not suitable for RV's.  Barely so for a passenger car.

The plan is to stay here for a couple of weeks at least.

No bugs, perfect weather in the high 70's and no neighbors.

What more could we want?

Honey's Park - part 4

Arco, Idaho

Here is the camp host and owner, Scar Honig Stigr.  That really is his name.  He'll show you his ID if you wish.  Scar is a disabled veteran having suffered a stroke from an old army injury, which is his sole income, whatever that is that the government gives to disabled veterans.  Despite that he offers his place for people to stay and camp at for free.  He told me the longest anyone ever stayed was six months.

You know how high school classes paint their year numbers on things...so that is my thinking when I mention the numbers upon the mountainside across the highway.  With all seriousness Scar says "Each year the town keeps track of the number of people who die of boredom here."
 I can't imagine camping here for six months.

His neighbor, the KOA Campground.  He tells me how some people come in to his place and get upset, even mad. "It's free. What are you expecting?" he says.  Honey's isn't about protesting against the KOA.  He's simply catering to those who can't afford, don't want commercial or just want a different kind of camping experience.  You're in your big fancy motor home, have everything you need and the guy is offering you a place to park with free electricity and wifi.  Why get mad?  What I liked about it was the guarantee I would not have to listen to someone's generator.  They're not allowed.

Although it was only us and the guy in the white van there, based upon reviews I read on various camping apps (which is how I found Honey's on freecampsites.net) sometimes there are a lot of campers here and everyone writes about how they had such a great time sitting around the fire, having potlucks and just hanging out with Scar and Ruby.  Don't forget the free beer.

The next morning Ruby was feeling fine and up and about.  Scar had her on a long lead and I know he did so because he knew I had Beans.  That was thoughtful.  They walked by and Ruby gave a long series of hound dog howling.  Beans just sat there and stared at Ruby with a why all the commotion? look.  Stupid dog.  Of all the writings Scar had around his place, this was my favorite. 

Honey's Park - part 3

Arco, Idaho

The park owner has a hound dog named Ruby.

Here's Ruby.  She wasn't feeling too well.  She had eaten something she shouldn't have.  

The camp host thought she had went over to the neighboring KOA Campground and someone there gave her something to eat.  I thought Why don't you keep her here and not allow her to roam?  I didn't ask.  He added "She digs these holes to lay her ass in.  They are Ruby's ass holes."

Gotta keep in mind this guy's sense of humor.

  

These signs were all around.  Nevertheless the guy loved his dog more than the world.  I saw him lay down in the dirt beside her and talk to her.  The park is named after another dog, a golden lab, that was his daughter's dog who he cared for when she went off to college.  The dog had had a rough life before being rescued by the daughter and he would take the dog for walks in the park in town.  Although homeless himself at the time he vowed he would buy some land for the dog to call her own and that is how he came by this place and named it for Honey, the lab.  Honey suffered an aneurysm  a few months afterwards and died.  She was only five. 

   

I thought the green bus was Ruby's home.

But no.

He offers it for people to stay in if they don't want to stay in their tent (think rainy weather or really cold outside).  Some just stay in here for the experience.  

Incidentally, there are no restrooms on the premises.  And he doesn't want you digging holes in the ground or peeing in his "yard".  So if you are a tenter you have to walk the few hundred yards through the stickery weeds, cross over the barbed wire fence and use the restroom at Jack's Truck Stop Travel Center next door.  Or hop in the car and drive into town for the city park's 24 hour restroom facility.  There is always your pee bottle so #2 would be the only real issue causing you to make a midnight drive.

Honey's Park - part 2

Arco, Idaho

So we got settled.  Just park anywhere...I guess?

It wasn't like they were packing them in here. 

 My neighbor, the one and only other tenant.

The camp host compound.  

Guess I should walk over and say 'Hi'.  See if I am parked in an okay spot too.

Notice the green box along the side of his bus.  That is his refrigerator.  You can help yourself to free beer inside.  All he asks is you replace what you take.

On the way over to say Hi I was stopped by this sign.  

Yeah, I stood there for the longest time. 

It left me scratching my head trying to make sense of it.

He offers free electrical hook-ups but there is no water or dump facility hook-ups.

Then the sign made sense. If you park and block the hookup (not using it) then someone else can't plug into it and its not costing him any money to his electric bill.

It was all part of his sarcastic sense of humor.

He also offers free wifi with a password not hard to remember.

Yes, it worked and was fast.

Honey's Park - part 1

Arco, Idaho

After leaving Camp Perfect I needed to do some food shopping in Rexburg and then stop at a laundromat I used two years ago in Arco at an RV park.  Our next destination was too far to drive after all of the errands so I found a free place in town to stay.  Better than paying $44 at the RV park.

I darn near missed the sign to turn in at.  

Hard to tell here but the HONEYS sign is about three by ten inches in size.

Guess its down this dirt alley...?

Yep, there's the sign.

Hmm...an information board.

Oh! I guess I better read it.

Now if you Google that term its ambiguous as to the meaning depending if you read it as one word or two.  One word, not nice.  Two words, okay.  

Being as he used a capitol W we'll give him the benefit of doubt. 

Personally, I like the one word interpretation.

Good grief!  The writing is so small.  I can barely read it.

I was trying to read it from the driver's seat.  I didn't want to have to climb out.

Didn't matter, I could't make much sense of it anyway.

No worry.  I have no intention on driving any faster than that on this rough pot hole laden road.

State of the art security system.  

That's a good sign.