We had a blast !!! This morning we jumped aboard a 41 foot aluminum river boat that has 3 powerful jet engines and travels up stream at 35 miles per hour. The ride was smooth, smooth, smooth, even when we shot through the rapids… It was an amazing ride. We would start at one side of the rapid and follow it up about half way and then make a sharp turn and head across to the other side to exit the rapid and land on the flat waters behind. The rapids were rated from levels 2 to 4 which also made it exciting. Right from the dock we were pampered by the crew. From the history of the Snake, Clearwater, and Salmon Rivers, the geology of Hells Canyon, and the people that lived along the shores past and present were just a part. We had a chance to meet some of the volunteers that handled some of the stopping points along the way. One of them gave us a tour of a home that was built in the very early 1900’s, which is also were they stayed during their volunteer time…electricity that was available from a “home made” generator made from a wheel of bells that caught water from a stream. As the “bell wheel” spun with the bells filled with water, the action was transferred to a generator that produced the electrical current. Not only was it functional, it was attractive to look at. We also saw many additional things that made this and other homesteads functional in this area of no roads, electricity, and potable water. I would also like to commend the volunteers that take on this commitment of being the host of each of these sites. Fact is, one of the sites has had and still has a long list of volunteers that will fill the needs for years to come. Now back to our ride up the Snake River and Hells Canyon. Steelhead fishing is going on big time…the rivers have fishermen peppered along the beach and boats that float the river looking for the illusive fish with every known type of lure and bait. We also saw some bird hunters along the shore. Fact is, we saw a fire that was most likely started by one of those hunters. It was burning across the top of the hills with fast abandon. Then there was the unfortunate accident that we came across…a commercial fishing boat (looking for the illusive steelhead) had a motor quit just as they were half way into a large rapid. Before they could get themselves straighten out, they found themselves coming down on a large bolder in the middle of the river…BANG…a hole in the side, bottom, and a water cooling hose destroyed. The destroyed hose put more water into the hull than either of the holes. They were lucky enough to find the bank before it went completely under… We also had the opportunity to see a couple of big horn sheep come down to the water. Those big horns are absolutely unbelievable !!! Then we made a stop along the bank to see some ancient Indian pictographs (pictures painted on the rocks). They had these well protected from the public, we could only see them as we stayed in the boat. That’s ok, it was still worth the effort. As we finished our ride through Hells Canyon we were unanimous in our appreciation of what we saw and how we saw it…it was a kick.
12 October ‘06
We had a blast !!! This morning we jumped aboard a 41 foot aluminum river boat that has 3 powerful jet engines and travels up stream at 35 miles per hour. The ride was smooth, smooth, smooth, even when we shot through the rapids… It was an amazing ride. We would start at one side of the rapid and follow it up about half way and then make a sharp turn and head across to the other side to exit the rapid and land on the flat waters behind. The rapids were rated from levels 2 to 4 which also made it exciting. Right from the dock we were pampered by the crew. From the history of the Snake, Clearwater, and Salmon Rivers, the geology of Hells Canyon, and the people that lived along the shores past and present were just a part. We had a chance to meet some of the volunteers that handled some of the stopping points along the way. One of them gave us a tour of a home that was built in the very early 1900’s, which is also were they stayed during their volunteer time…electricity that was available from a “home made” generator made from a wheel of bells that caught water from a stream. As the “bell wheel” spun with the bells filled with water, the action was transferred to a generator that produced the electrical current. Not only was it functional, it was attractive to look at. We also saw many additional things that made this and other homesteads functional in this area of no roads, electricity, and potable water. I would also like to commend the volunteers that take on this commitment of being the host of each of these sites. Fact is, one of the sites has had and still has a long list of volunteers that will fill the needs for years to come. Now back to our ride up the Snake River and Hells Canyon. Steelhead fishing is going on big time…the rivers have fishermen peppered along the beach and boats that float the river looking for the illusive fish with every known type of lure and bait. We also saw some bird hunters along the shore. Fact is, we saw a fire that was most likely started by one of those hunters. It was burning across the top of the hills with fast abandon. Then there was the unfortunate accident that we came across…a commercial fishing boat (looking for the illusive steelhead) had a motor quit just as they were half way into a large rapid. Before they could get themselves straighten out, they found themselves coming down on a large bolder in the middle of the river…BANG…a hole in the side, bottom, and a water cooling hose destroyed. The destroyed hose put more water into the hull than either of the holes. They were lucky enough to find the bank before it went completely under… We also had the opportunity to see a couple of big horn sheep come down to the water. Those big horns are absolutely unbelievable !!! Then we made a stop along the bank to see some ancient Indian pictographs (pictures painted on the rocks). They had these well protected from the public, we could only see them as we stayed in the boat. That’s ok, it was still worth the effort. As we finished our ride through Hells Canyon we were unanimous in our appreciation of what we saw and how we saw it…it was a kick.
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11 October ‘06 Leaving Coeur d’Alene was met with mixed emotions. We are definitely excited about getting on with our journey, but this is also saying “Goodbye” (leaving the close proximity) to our family for at least 8 months. Farragut also has given us a great experience also, with the mix of hard work, lots of opportunity to meet and enjoy additional travelers, a chance to explore deeper into the panhandle of Idaho, and be a part of the “community” of Farragut State Park. After getting all the windows in the “Toad” tinted and the air-conditioning finally fixed, we found we were ready. We also did something we haven’t done for a long time…we went to the AAA office and had them make up a “trip tic” for this leg of the trip. We are following Highway 95 all the way to the Baja with a lot of stops in between. Fact is, our first stop is at Hells Gate State Park in Lewiston Idaho (about 85 miles from CDA). We’ve been reading so much about Hells Canyon and thought this might be the perfect time for us to see it. For some reason the weather has decided to become early Fall, with the temp rising to 72 degrees in full sun. Now the way to see Hells Canyon is to take a “jet” boat up the Snake River on a full day tour. There is no access to the canyon by car and besides, who wants to pass up a days ride up a canyon with all kinds of additional adventures waiting. Tomorrow morning we board before 8 and we’ll be back by 6 with lots to talk about. Last night we took a walk up river (the Snake) to see and photograph some wonderful rock formations that have risen from over 300 feet below water level to well over 300 feet above. The formations rise straight up, twist, and curve to a beautiful natural phenomenon. High up on the side of a portion of the many walls of these rocks, Louise pointed out a large colony of mud nests that were made by Swifts or Martins (our guess, not knowing for sure). As we were getting the backpack all set up with water and other things that we like to take on hikes, a park ranger came by to let us know that we should watch for rattlesnakes that could be warming themselves along the path that we would be taking…SNAKES ???? With my camera ready and senses alert, we saw no snakes. I’m not sure whether I’m disappointed or just damned excited that we missed them… 7 October ‘06 This week we have put a lot of miles on our “toad” running back in forth to Coeur d’Alene. We are trying to get ourselves ready for our trip south and that includes getting the toad taken care of. The other day when we started it up and the “check engine” light glared at us…OK, now what??? The mechanic in CDA convinced us that it was time for our 60,000 mile check up and it would only cost us $400. What a bargain… We also had our air-conditioner re-done seeing as how it still wasn’t cooling from the last time we were there. Well now that we’ve paid our bill, test drove the car, and switched on the air conditioner, I hope that we’ve seen the last of a mechanic for a while. Our last weekend here at Farragut is upon us. Again we are just about filled up. I think we have 35 campers with us. This morning about 4am we were all awakened by a thunderstorm that came passing by our way…WHISH-BANG-BOOM…lasting but a few minutes, it was noisy and left a lot of wet behind. With the coach sitting here for the last month and a certain amount of Pine needles and dust gathering on her top, I decided today was a perfect day to put a little soap and water to her and get her all ready for the road. It turned out to be a good Spring Cleaning Day. 1 October ‘06 Say, was that Louise’s birthday last Saturday??? The 30th of September??? She’s telling me now…”YOU KNOW IT WAS !!!” and don’t give me any guff… “Happy Birthday Hon…” Our weather is still holding and the campers are coming in droves… We have been completely full on the weekends which mean we have a lot of raking to do to get the sites ready for the next campers coming in. It’s funny, they start arriving late Thursday and have filled all of our 43 sites by Friday at 6pm. And then, by Sunday night we are here by ourselves (or maybe another camper or 2). Saturday I was quite busy with some of the kids that wanted to blow off steam. One young group just wanted to play around the restrooms all day and night…taking their bikes into the showers, throwing rocks at the electrical box, and running through the trails around the different sites howling like wolves (WERE THE HELL ARE THEIR PARENTS ???). Then there was the group of teens that arrived with their tent trailer. 3 young girls and their boy friends. They had me and a couple of their neighbors all over them more than once. Finally I convinced them to move on and blow off all their steam and emotions some where else. |
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