Out of Oregon and On To Idaho!
Trip Start
May 08, 2006
1
34
59
Trip End
Oct 2006
McCall,
Idaho,
United States
Friday, June 9, 2006
Through the Rain and the Mountains
From Joseph Oregon
To McCall Idaho
Mile 2925
It's Jeff's brother's birthday today. Happy Birthday Ken, back in North Carolina!
We woke up after a very stormy night (lightening, thunder and heavy rain) to a sky heavy with clouds. We debated driving the Wallowa Mountain Road, a winding route over the eastern part of the range, but went ahead and headed up the road, figuring even in the rain it would have its own beauty in the rain
01 Part of the Wallowa Burn
. And it did. Soon after the start of the trip we headed into a forest fire area. The area burned in 1989 and is quite rejuvenated. There are mile after mile of standing burned trees all laid out in a carpet of small green pines . Lots of rain and snowmelt-swollen streams flow through the area. It seemed a very mystical drive - we had to go quite slow on the paved but curvy road -.
We then headed down more canyons eventually ending up at the Snake River, very wide behind a dam. Along the river we hit a torrential downpour, so even though the road straightened out, we still had to move slowly.
After more winding roads, ranchlands and shrouded mountain vistas, we arrived in McCall, a nice mountain town on Payette Lake, becoming more upscale all the time. Lots of summer homes and a few private clubs. The setting is beautiful and the few people we met seemed very welcoming.
We stayed at the Ponderosa State Park on the lake, which we have decided is a national refuge for mosquitoes. This kept our outdoor recreation limited to the breezy area by the lake, where Rubi got to experience her stick -retrieving passion, and riding a bike.
This was a catch-up day. Jeff finally caught up on the blogs, we charged up all of our electronic devices and the trailer, and cleaned ourselves up.
Not too much excitement, just an enjoyable, if intense - in the rain - travel day.
