May/June 2023: Nevada & Idaho

Better late than never for this post. I’m combining the last part of my May travels through Nevada up to Boise, and then some pics from day trips with my sister Alison and family while staying with her the month of June. Brother in Law Joe was there for the first part of my stay, but then headed to WY where his son lives.

I have never seen the very eastern part of Nevada and was pleasantly surprised how pretty it is.  My first stop was at Cathedral Gorge State Park near Panaca, NV (a couple hours north of Las Vegas).  This turned out to be such a great stop with interesting geology.  I don’t even know how to describe it, but the campground is in a valley surrounded by bluffs that have been eroded by rain and wind.  They remind me of the badlands in some ways.  Rain has eroded away so much that it has left small slot canyons to explore. None are super long, and I was mostly limited by how narrow a space I could fit through!  At the end of each little canyon there was a semi-circular shaft going all the way up to the top. This is where the water would pour down when it was raining, and what has formed these odd looking cliffs as the water runs down taking mud with it.  From the outside, the cliffs are all spires and fins of different heights making them look like giant sandcastles. 

There are a couple of trails going around the campground and valley. I chose to a walk up through a canyon narrower than where the state park is located.  The canyon was just as interesting as the cliffs were with all different shapes of rocks and cliffs. Eventually the trail comes to a steep set of stairs that climb to an overlook next to the highway.  What a great walk!

The thing about eastern Nevada is there are no sizable towns. Just tiny little hamlets where you’d be lucky to find a gas station or market.  After the state park, I made my way North to Great Basin National Park and stayed in a campground near the entrance.  Unfortunately, the larger half of the campground was closed because they were afraid the very swollen creek would wash out the bridge going to that portion.  So I had to squeeze my RV in a very small spot. It was a pretty little campground but the weather wasn’t too cooperative. I did drive up the scenic road in Great Basin but the cloud cover got in the way most of the time.  Nice views in this park but from my experience of other parks, I can’t imagine why they felt this should have National Park status.  If you happen to be driving by this park, it’s worth a look-see. Otherwise don’t go out of your way to see it. 

It took me a few more days to make my way through Ely and Wells, NV before reaching Idaho where I stayed a couple nights at a county park in Twin Falls.  The camping part was ho-hum, but the park was wonderful with a walking trail all along the river. 

The weather in Boise was darn near perfect for the month of June. It was 10-15 degrees cooler than normal with a nice breeze.  Normally it’s in the mid-90s in June. The cooler weather allowed us to walk outside instead of the mall, although there were a couple of days where Alison and I did walk the mall (so we could shop afterwards!).  My oldest niece and her family live outside of Boise so I was able to see a lot of them. One weekend my middle niece flew in to spend the weekend.  We spent some time near the Boise Greenbelt along the Boise River where they were having a small art show next to the rose garden. A beautiful setting since all the roses were in full bloom!  We had a great time being together. 

One weekend Alison and I, and my niece Sharon and her daughter Hannah, went for a day trip to Melba, ID where you will find Cleo’s Ferry Museum. The museum told about the Ferry here that took travelers across the Snake River back in the day.  On the property were multiple old buildings containing various collections, one being Medical instruments, machines (including an old iron lung), medicines etc of the Doctor who owned the ferry.  One building was an old chapel. There was a docent here and in other areas who told us the history of the buildings.  I got to ‘ring’ the chapel bell!  In addition to the buildings there are statues and quirky things all over the property.  The fences have birdhouses on each post with a saying underneath.  No two birdhouses were alike.  The nature trail wound around the property showcasing the many things the owner created, like an area with giant animal statues or the family cemetery with a giant rainbow and 3 crosses at the top of the hill.  Around one corner there is a gargoyle statue, and another area houses a miniature gnome village.  One of my favorite parts was watching the many Peacocks strut around cawing loudly.  We had lunch on a supplied picnic table where the Peacocks helped us eat our sandwiches!

Alison and I took a couple more day trips, one of which was to Cascade, ID. I had been wanting to see it as there is an RV Park on the Payette River where you can ‘buy’ a lot for your RV or Park Model.  Cascade is very small with around 1,000 people but it is very close to the resort town of McCall. Cascade benefits from the tourists that come through on their way to McCall’s state park on Payette Lake, or the ski areas of Brundage and Tamarack in the winter.  Cascade is beautiful, green, and pastoral. Pine trees and meadows with the river running through makes you want to ‘Sigh’.  Of course, they have massive winters there which I wouldn’t like. We had such a great time touring the RV park, walking the trail along the river, having lunch in town, and visiting with a couple that Alison knows who live there.  I found out a lot from them about the area.  

Another road trip led us to Idaho City, an old mining town. Many of the buildings in town are on the National Register of Historic Places. You can buy a walking tour pamphlet at the visitor center, which we did.  It really was fascinating to walk the town learning about the history of each building. We had an excellent lunch here as well (Reuben Sandwich and Sweet Potato Fries for me!). 

We did so many things I can’t write about all of them, but we had a great 5 weeks together. The last week turned HOT and suddenly Summer was finally there in Boise.  On July 5^th (after the hullabaloo of 4^th of July), I headed north to the Sawtooth Mountain Recreation Area in Stanley, Idaho.  It sits around 6,500 feet so would be much cooler than Boise.  That is where I’ll begin my next Post.