Four Wheeling in Idaho

Monday was our first day for 4 Wheeling. Some people had ATV's and they and some of the others who didn't have Jeeps took one route and the Jeeps, which included us, took another route in basically the same area. A lot of trails, including the ones the leaders of the HOP had picked are still closed due to the winter weather. The owner of the campground also has property across the way and gave us permission to go through his land and so we headed up that way It goes up toward Sheep Mountain. The views were awesome.

                 Luckily someone had cut part of this tree that was laying across the road so we could slowly make our way through.

We stopped for lunch in a meadow and then made our way back down the mountain. The trip was not as challenging as our trips in the past years but we had a good time and enjoyed the scenery.

                                                             
     I had made Beef Stew with wine and hoisin sauce in the crockpot before we left. We invited Tara and Ernie to join us. They are from the Dallas area. They have a ranch outside of town but haven't been there much this last year as they have been traveling the country. They brought biscuits and wine and so we enjoyed that and the stew over rice. We then went over to their site and had huckleberry ice cream and a little more wine and conversation. It was really warm even at night. Also it doesn't get dark until after 10:00 which we like.                                                                                                      

Elk Tacos

Sunday, we took a ride into Riggins as we had heard one of the restaurants serves great
Elk tacos. Shelly's Back Eddy Grill is known for their great burgers. However,  a couple of the people at the Escapees Hop recommended the Elk Tacos. We had to try them and were glad we did. They were great The meat was ground and the tacos included cabbage, cheese and a delicious salsa with just enough heat.
They also have alligator tacos which we might go back later in the week to try.
While we sat outside enjoying our food and beers, I took a few pictures of some classic cars in front.

We took a left outside of town to explore some of the backroads. We were going to go to a point where we would be able to see Hell's Canyon but we needed to be back at the resort to registration for the Hop and the Happy Hour that follows.
We made it back in time and after announcements and some socializing, we had dinner. Dinner was served outside. Past 4 Wheel Drive Hops took place at RV Resorts with large rooms for group dining and meetings, but this place didn't have that. At least the weather is good. Unfortunately the food was not very good, roast beef way past well done. Hopefully the next catered dinner on Wednesday will improve. Anyway the company was good and we enjoyed the conversation.
                                                                  

Kayaking and Marketing in McCall

Saturday looks to be a beautiful day and so we decide to go back to McCall to do the kayaking we wanted to do when we were there but got foiled by weather. It is only a 40 minute drive in the Jeep and is a pretty drive. We first stopped at a Farmer's Market which is near the lake right in town. They didn't have a lot of produce which is what we are use to in the California Farmer's markets. They did have meats and salmon. One vendor actually had the hard chorizo that we had been looking for that we needed for a Bobby Flay baked bean dish we wanted to make. We also got homemade hummus and some fresh baked bread.

Then it was off to the lake. We went to the boat launch that we had discovered on our drive when we were staying in McCall. It is called the North Beach launch area. We headed north on what is called the Meanders which is a water area between Upper Payette and Payette Lake. We paddled the river upstream first for about an hour and a half and then took a leisurely paddle back down to the launch side. We saw a number of kayakers and canoers. There is also a boat launch area at the campground we looked at when we were here before. Another great day paddling in a scenic and idyllic place.

                                                                                                                  

Onto Riggins, Idaho and Pine Canyon RV Resort

A nice sunny day for traveling again. This was just a very short trip of around an hour to get to our spot 10 miles south of the town of Riggins where we will be through the July 4th weekend. Riggins and Pine Canyon RV Resort are located nestled in a canyon by the Salmon and Little Salmon Rivers. The campground is actually right on the Little Salmon River We didn't get one of the prime sites that have views of the water, but we are close enough to hear the roar of the river. We are here for the Escapees 4 Wheel Driving Hop. There are 25 couples attending this year. Registration and the start of the event is Sunday afternoon but we ran into several other couples who came in early as well and who had been to some of the previous 4 Wheel Driving Hops that were in Colorado the last few years. We got reacquainted with those we met before and got to know some we hadn't met before.

         Besides 4 Wheeling, we also have planned a Jet Boat Trip and a little white water rafting and so should be an exciting week.                                                    

McCall, Idaho

We arrived at McCall, Idaho on a sunny and warm Wednesday afternoon. McCall is an all seasons resort town on the southern shores of Payette Lake. It is about 100 miles north of Boise. McCall Resort is a very nice place to stay and is close to town.  The sites are big with concrete patios and lots of nice grass, which Savannah loves. She could stay out on the grass all day.

     Next morning we woke up to cooler, cloudy weather with a chance of thunderstorms. Typical. A drive in the Jeep is in order. We drove around the Lake Payette, which is beautiful. It has been called the Lake Tahoe of Idaho, though not quite as big.  It is over 5,000 acres of clean, glacial water. Half of the lake is protected as part of the Ponderosa State Park and is a great place for fishing and boating.

We stopped at a boat launch area. We are thinking of coming back here on the weekend as we will be in Riggins and it is not a long drive from there to the lake.

                                                          

                                                                            

The state park is divided into two areas. We drove through the camp area on the northern side, which is a first come first serve section with no hookups. We really liked this section and wouldn't mind staying here in the future.



Back at the campground, one of our neighbors had been walking and spotted some fox near an old airplane that is just up the hill from the resort. We took a walk and the fox were still there. Don't know the story on why the airplane is here but it is not far from the airport.

                                                                             

Below are a few more pictures of the campground. There is also a lower level, some sites of which overlook the Payette River.