Idaho State of Mind

I've got a special love affair with Idaho. Yes, you heard me right. Idaho. Home of the Sawtooths, the White Clouds, and the most soakable hot springs of anywhere in the U.S (about 130 soakable out of 340). I fell in love with Idaho when the Adventure Cycling Association debuted the Idaho Hot Springs Route eight years ago as its first dirt road and mountain bike route... and I had been itching to get back there ever since. So when I found three of my favorite people who were willing to go, I couldn't turn the opportunity down!

There's not much to say that hasn't been said before, so I'll just say "Daaaaang, Idaho, you good lookin'!"

Empty dirt roads and so many rivers. 

Trail magic in the form of a cold beer at the last summit of a blazing hot day.

Featherville has changed since the last time I was there... the kindly gentleman who lovingly made me pizza before retired and the community has gotten more polarized.

Late summer rain makes for some glowing green camping spots.

Shitty views.

Mule ears for days and endless views of the Sawtooths.

Our own private hot springs just a short distance from camp.

Escape from the hot asphalt onto glorious doubletrack. 

Are we the photoshoot for an outdoors magazine?

Singletrack to one of many summits.

Fuck yea, Idaho!

Private hot springs bath.

A few tips for bike tourists:

• Everything you need to know, the Adventure Cycling Association has put together and it's well worth the money to buy their paper and digital maps. I imported the digital map into RidewithGPS and then made a route that fit the time we had. The actual GPX tracks are not posted here because I promised ACA I wouldn't, so you get this zoomed out screenshot.
• Our route started in Lowman, went southeast towards Featherville, east to Ketchum, and north to Stanley, and then back to Lowman. We had about 6.5 days of riding and created a counterclockwise loop on southern section of the official route. This would allow us to get the most remote and challenging riding out of the way early, and allow us to enjoy Ketchum and all its amenities to its fullest. We tried to average about 45 miles a day and stick to the golden ratio of climbing (no more than 1000 feet of climbing per 10 miles).
• The whole NW of the U.S. experienced an abnormally rainy early summer, which made for amazing dirt road conditions. We got extremely lucky with cool clouds, sunny skies, and no rain. This route has wildly fluctuating temperatures due to the elevation. In a late summer year like this one, there was still snow on some of the route near the Galena summit, and so its best to check in at the Galena Lodge about conditions and whether or not the route is clear.
• While as a queer woman of color, I had heard that Featherville had changed since I last passed through there from other trip reports... it was one of my favorite stops back in 2015, where the kindly owner regaled us with stories and lovingly made me one of the best pizzas of my life. This time around, there were new owners, and I felt uncomfortable, though not unsafe (it helped I was traveling with 3 cis white folks).
• Go to the pupusa train car in Ketchum for amazing Salvadoran food. If anything, it felt amazing to bathe in a pocket of brown people.
• We loved the Galena Lodge... from the breakfast at the lodge to the bike shop, they were so welcoming! They also have really great intel on good dispersed camping near tourist hot spots like Red Fish Lake with views, and nearby access to water.
• The Bonneville campground and hot springs may have a "campground full" sign up, but for people arriving by bike, just know that there are some amazing walk-in campsites that rarely fill up. We were told that the camp host puts that sign up to keep the riffraff out... he welcomed us in on a busy weekend day.

Days 3 and 4: Lick Creek Summit To Random Summit On Forest Road 400 To Cascade

I woke up early to birds chirping and bright blue skies after a long drooling sleep.  Some people have a hard time sleeping in a tent on the hard ground.  Me?  Out like a baby.  I was excited to get started and into McCall for some real food, so I made a quick breakfast and off I pedaled to finish up the Lick Creek Summit.  As summits go, it wasn't too bad, and I was rewarded with stunning granite rock formations and views at the top.  I was also rewarded with swarming mosquitos so I didn't linger long.

The long beautiful road towards the summit... so glad I decided to wait for the morning to take in these views.

One last look back at the terrain I left behind.

Summit glamour shots.  Brief.  Darn mosquitos.

I relished a long fast easy descent on the other side.  It was chilly, and I stopped twice to warm up my hands and once to put on an additional layer.  These sunny skies are deceiving!

No matter what you have heard about Idaho, there are a few truths to know.  It is quirky, isolated, and beautiful.  There is a charm in its "rough around the edges" residents, some more urbane than others, some more tolerant than others, and some more kind than others.  But I will say this... this day proved to me that there are truly warm and inviting folks here and that it was this day that I fell a little in love with the backwoods of Idaho.  I think I could live here one day when my corner of Bend feels too big.

Mid-morning discovery.  I decided to accept the invite written on two random lawn chairs in the middle of nowhere. 

Taking in peaceful views of the Tyee creek and its wildlife.  No hurry to get to the relatve metropolis of McCall.

Shortly thereafter, I found myself quickly in McCall, the biggest town on my short route for this trip.  Initially, it seemed quiet and bucolic, only to blossom into the realization that all of Boise comes here for the holiday weekend.  McCall has a quiet charm and just enough tourist dollars to bring the good things in life... a great bike shop, a good brewery, and a pretty darn solid food scene.  Coupled with the ability to be in the mountains to ski or mountain bike in 10 minutes, and I'm sold.

Little Payette Lake, aka, the one with fish and nice and quiet and all that good stuff. 

Payette Lake, aka, the one with all the tourists, but at least there was a good coffee shop right there.

I decided to take advantage of a little shade and a bit of manicured grass when a guy carrying a paddleboard for some tourists started chatting me up about my bike and bike tour.  He admired my setup and let me know if I needed anything, I could find him over at the local bike/gear shop Gravity Sports.  I realized that I needed to charge my phone so that I wouldn't risk it dying because I was using Pocket Earth as my offline GPS to make sure I stayed on track.  So I ventured to the bike shop and they let me plug it in the back area where the bike mechanic was working on bikes.  Well, turns out that Aaron, the bike mechanic, is a bikepacking and bike touring enthusiast.  When I say enthusiast, I mean it.  We waxed philosophic about our past bike tours, our bike setups (he had a Troll, too!), and future bike dreams for a while, and then he invited me to stay the night with his family.  Generally, my rule is to always say "yes" to hospitality like this.  This is the stuff that bike tours are made of.

Alas, it was just 11am and I was itching to have some lunch and get back on the road... plus I was trying to get back to Bend for Death Machine 2016 (aka my dorky trivia friends duct tape fireworks to a remote control car and otherwise terrorize the neighborhood kids).  I reluctantly declined and headed out.

I got distracted by the local brewery, which also happens to have delicious food.

It felt good to be on the road... Farm to Market road is one of the prettiest traffic free paved roads I've had the pleasure of biking.  Even in the early afternoon heat, it was easy pedaling even after 2 beers.  My goal was to get to somewhere near the summit of my last climb so I could have a fast east ride back into Cascade where my car was parked.  I found the most beautiful campsite in all the land and watched the sunset.  Life, in these moments, was exactly what I wanted it to be.

Wildflowers were at their peak.

Magic in the historic "town" of Roseberry.  There's a flea market of sorts and some historic sites not too far down the road from McCall that is very popular on the weekends.

Gold Fork hot springs... they cost money and are off grid, but still feel too much like manufactured pools to me.  Lots of kiddos and families, but still a nice break and chance to rinse the grime from the road off.

Sometimes, you set up camp early because you find the perfect campsite.  'Nuff said.

View from inside my tent.  The reason I was inside was because an hour after I set up camp, the flies and bugs came out with a vengeance.  I stuck my earplugs in to dull the sound of the buzzing and finished my book to these amazing views.

Last light from my tent.

I woke up with the sun the next morning.  Because I was so close to Cascade, maybe 30 minutes downhill, I bundled up and hopped on my bike without eating breakfast.  As I often do, I decided I wanted biscuits and gravy and eggs in town, with loads of hot coffee.  It was a chilly morning and I was thoroughly cold by the time I arrived to the local diner.  A couple of cups of coffee later, I waddled off with a full belly to my car.  I left $10 for Kevin at the Alpine Lodge and Motel and I started my long drive home.

A few notes for bike tourists:

• McCall basically has everything you need, including a very competent bike shop.  Seriously, go hang out with the guys at Gravity Sports.  They are some of the nicest folks I've met while bike touring in the U.S.

• There is a ton of camping on both sides of Lick Creek Summit, but I felt like the sites were better prior to the summit.

• Mosquitos are terrible at some times of the year.  Run!  Kidding.  I didn't really use bug spray, I either kept moving or just hid in my tent. 

• I am in love with dirt road touring in Idaho.  You cannot ask for more.  No traffic, gorgeous summits every day (yes, I'm weird, I like summits and climbing and all that jazz), rivers to jump into and to fish in, hot springs to soak off road grit, kind people, grizzly backwoods people, isolated and solitary camping sites all over, and tiny gems of towns in between.  I will be back and often.  Until the next time!

Day 2: Warm Lake To A Few Miles Shy Of Lick Creek Summit

Sometimes it's worth it to do a little bit of strategery while bike touring.  I set up my camp just a few miles from Warm Lake, which from researching this section of the tour, I realized was my last bit of civilization for a while.  I also had read some stellar reviews about the North Shore Lodge and knew they opened for breakfast.  So instead of having powdered coffee and oatmeal in camp, I packed up and made a bee line for breakfast.  There is something magical about finding these gems in the middle of the woods.

There's always time to stop and smell the roses.  I'm a sucker for pretty bodies of water.

The North Shore Lodge did not disappoint... I conquered my huge Spanish omelet and half a pot of coffee.

My breakfast companion.  One of the servers told me she loves her job because this guy gets to come with her every day.  The only place he isn't welcome is in the kitchen.  He was just one of several resident puppies.

Just a few kind words to start my day off right.

With a full belly, a new bottle of sunscreen spray, and an impulse buy of Fritos, I headed out in the morning light feeling pretty darn good.  I took another few minutes to explore the area before heading up the road along the South Fork of the Salmon River.

Neverending glamour shots.

The start of gorgeous traffic free single lane roads...

Poverty summit hiking trail detour.  I learned all about the burn that happened 10 years ago in the area.

One of the reasons Idaho is so special is the abundance of pristine hidden hot springs.  The ACA map for this tour has all of the hot springs marked and short descriptions so you can decide if it's worth hunting that particular hot springs down.  I had decided last year to buy the GPX tracks for something ridiculously cheap like $5 and today, it was worth it.  The GPX tracks show you where each point of interest is, and without it, I would not have found what might be my favorite hot springs of all time.  Mostly because on a busy Fourth of July weekend, it was empty, clean, and just about the perfect temperature... and ideally situated right next to the river.  This hot springs doesn't even have a name, just Mile 16 hot springs.

Between mile markers 15 and 16, there are wooden stairs that descend steeply.  Blink, and you might miss them.  I did and had to turn around and use the GPS to locate the spot.  Once you go down a third of the way, you get this view of the hot springs.

Bliss.  Hot, cold, hot, cold... aaaaaaah.  Also, nekkid.

After tearing myself away from these hot springs, I prepared myself for the long climb up to the Lick Creek Summit.  The afternoon sun gave way to cloudy skies and the grade wasn't very steep in comparison to some others I have climbed in this area.  But soon, the valley become socked in and I felt a few rain drops here and there.  Then... it got a little heavier.  The weather forecast hadn't prepared me for rain so in order to keep light, I hadn't packed rain gear.  I spent another 30 minutes pondering whether or not to throw up my tent or just keep going.

Ominous clouds gathering...

I stopped to check the map and my GPS and after 2 minutes, the mosquitoes were feasting on my legs and any exposed parts.  Choice made.  I decided to set up camp and hide from both the rain and the vicious bites!  Besides, I had brought a book that I have been trying to finish for a few months and this was the perfect opportunity.  It felt good to end the day early and just relax.  I drifted off to sleep fairly early to the pitter pat of raindrops on my tent fly.

A little Bill Bryson to keep things topical.

A few notes for bike tourists:

• The North Shore Lodge at Warm Lake is open year round from breakfast through dinner.  Food is served from 8 am to 8 pm and the store is open until 9 pm.  The bar is also open from 11 am to 2 am. I'm told these hours may change seasonally.  They also have camping and cabins!  The store stocks basic food and supplies, enough to get you to the relative metropolis of McCall.  

• There are a ton of portapotties and disbursed campsites on the road past Warm Lake.  Some folks were literally just pulled over in pullouts and had thrown tents up.  It's worth it to get past the established sites and get a bit further up the climb and camp somewhere closer to the summit.  That said, I found out the next day that all the best disbursed campsites are on the Warm Lake side of the summit, and for whatever reason, not nearly as numerous or nice on the other side.

Day 1: Bend, OR To Cascade, ID To Just Shy Of Warm Lake, ID

Sometimes life hands you unexpected free time and the need to find space to heal from the bumps of life and work.  The Fourth of July weekend in my lovely hometown of Bend, Oregon is notorious for its debauchery and influx of tourists from far and wide.  This was not what my soul needed.  It had been far too long since I unplugged and rebooted.  My solution?  A solo bikepacking tour in the middle of nowhere Idaho.  For those not in the know, Idaho boasts some of the most pristine, isolated, and beautiful forests, mountains, rivers, and hot springs.  Just my kind of escape.

Last year, I biked 70% of the Adventure Cycling Association's Idaho Hot Springs Mountain Bike route with my buddy Ryan.  There was a small section that we skipped because of time and so I decided that I would go back to conquer that section.

Getting fancy with my meals... homemade veggie pho with tuna, complete with dehydrated CSA veggies, dried mushrooms, buckwheat noodles, and siracha packets.

I had a relatively lazy morning in Bend, packed up the car, and drove the 6 hours to Cascade, Idaho from Bend.  I rolled into the Alpine Lodge and Motel, which is where I parked last year.  Kevin, the owner, remembered me from the year before and graciously allowed me to park there again.  Apparently, the Google drone had captured my car there and so my red Honda Fit was forever immortalized as being there.  At least that's what Kevin said.

Plenty of daylight as I start an easy spin on Warm Lake road towards Warm Lake.

Random pretty lake and glamour shot for my sexy steed.

Idaho gets it right.  Also, I enjoy that this is a bike and truck.  Appropriate also for Idaho.

Although I have done the vast majority of travel solo traveling European backpacker style from hostel to hostel on chicken buses from Mexico to Argentina, I haven't done much solo bike touring.  It's a different beast.  You are the captain of your own ship and you might go days without any real interaction with anyone.  Nothing but the thoughts racing in your brain.  I find cycling to be meditative and enjoyed watching the scenery pass by as I soaked in the late afternoon sun.

Long shadows late in the afternoon.

I had intended on camping at the Trail Creek hot springs, but a family with kids was already there.  Luckily, just a mile later were a few dispersed campsites, still empty, despite it being a holiday weekend.

A few notes for bike tourists:

• There is a fresh spring water spigot on the north side of Warm Lake road just a few miles in in just short of the junction with forest road 400.  It doesn't flow fast, but the water is cold and refreshing.

Post-Trip Ramblings: The Idaho Hot Springs Tour Edition

We woke up obscenely early most likely because we passed out early the night before from our afternoon of drinking at the Dirty Shame.  Ryan had a 6 hour drive back to Bend, but I decided to take my time in the morning to have coffee and breakfast over at Wild Bill's and then head north via Hells Canyon to my parents' house in Tri-Cities.  It felt good to come full circle since we started our tour at Wild Bill's.  A bunch of wildfire fire fighters were there having breakfast... turns out there was a fire on Highway 55 south of Crouch, which is the primary way to get from Boise to this area and a bunch of people got stuck trying to go home.  As I waited for my food, I saw that the 100+ degree weather was supposed to continue for the next week, and although I was sad that the tour had been cut a few days short, it was a silver lining knowing that I wouldn't have to bike in that weather.  Since I had some extra time, I decided to make a stop at Palouse Falls State Park on the way.  It was blazing hot so I only explored for a very short period of time, but it was worth it!

Scenic views of Hells Canyon recreation area.

Nez Perce national wilderness area... I recalled the old stories of the Nez Perce as I marveled at the stark landscape.

Stunning and unexpected in the middle of southeastern Washington state.

Views down the canyon.

I stalked this momma and her not-so-little offspring for a bit before leaving.

In no particular order, there are some things I think are important to know for anyone who is planning on doing this tour this year or in the future:

• Bring a bathing suit for the hot springs and rivers.  While many hot springs in Oregon are clothing optional, many hot springs in Idaho are bathing suit mandatory.  I did not see a single nude person at the hot springs, though I may or may not have skinny dipped in a river or two.

• Ryan severely underestimated his cycling fitness for this tour despite the fact that he (a) mountain bikes on occasion and (b) has done lengthy bike tours before.  It wasn't that he was unable to do this tour, but he really struggled on the climbs.  Rule #1 in Zombieland?  Cardio.  We saw some other folks on the road who had no idea what they were getting themselves into and looked pretty miserable on the road.

• Although I understand that it was about 10-15 degrees hotter than normal, the weather in this part of Idaho is extremely variable, but it is mostly hot.  Really really really hot.  If you idealize this tour as partaking in all the hot springs, you are sorely mistaken.  The rivers, though, are also awesome.

• We really struggled with knowing when and where water sources would present themselves.  While most of the campgrounds identified on the ACA maps had pumps, not all of the did.  When we had wifi or cell phone access, we tried to research which campgrounds had pumps so we could plan accordingly.   It was also hard to decipher on the map whether or not we would be able to access the river to filter water (bring a reliable water filter... my personal favorite because it is so lightweight is the mini Sawyer).  While much of this route follows rivers, sometimes there are 20 foot steep banks (cliffs, really) which would make it impossible to get to the water.  I hope in future editions that the water sources are marked -- one icon for a pump or spigot and one icon for river access for filtering water.  We sometimes carried enough water for 2 days just in case because we couldn't reliably tell. 

• If you come from a traditional road touring background, just know that you should cut your average daily road miles in half to get a safe estimate for how much distance you will cover on dirt.  We were aiming for 42 miles a day on average.  We had days we biked anything from 28 miles to 75 miles (which included pavement sections). 

• There is cell phone service for much of the corridor between Cascade and McCall, in Ketchum, and in Stanley.  Everywhere else is fairly off grid.  Crouch and Twin Springs Resort both have publicly available wifi at the various establishments. 

• I used PocketEarth on my iPhone with an external battery to have an offline GPS and imported the GPX files from ACA.  I used it mostly to doublecheck our route and didn't keep it on the whole time to save battery.  This saved our butts a couple times and I highly recommend having a GPS for this tour, as some of the dirt road intersections are unmarked or confusing.  It is also very helpful in finding the various points of interests and hot springs, which are not signed many of the times.  Ryan had a bike computer to be able to follow the cue sheet.  These two combined were the minimum needed for this tour.

• We were told that may folks do this tour clockwise, and I think it's because there may be less total climbing that way.  We did it counterclockwise because the ACA map made it seem like that was the logical way to do it.  Regardless, if you don't like climbing, you are going to hate this route.  

• Parking cars in Cascade and Crouch gave us a multitude of emergency bailout options via the Lohman cutoff and Warm Springs road and I would do it again like that in the future.  Starting in Crouch also made Ketchum, the biggest town with the most amenities, around the halfway point-ish, which made us appreciate it more.

• When in doubt, take less gear if you are used to fully loaded touring.  The climbs are brutal with the extra weight and then factor in food and water for 2 days sometimes and... yea.  I have certain luxuries like a hammock I like to have, but I wore the same clothes the entire time and otherwise didn't carry many extraneous items.  Whatever you do, don't skimp on your repair kit.  Dirt road touring is tough on bikes.  Ryan broke his chain and lost a bolt on his rack.  Luckily we were able to repair both from my repair kit.  We were lucky and zero flats!  There are very few bike shops on the route, so prepare to be fairly self-sufficient.  

• Fire season is here early this year.  Use this resource before your trip if you travel mid to late season to see if a wildfire will affect your route: http://inciweb.nwcg.gov/state/13/. 

• If you go early season, check to make sure all the mountain passes are open here: http://www.wcc.nrcs.usda.gov/snow/. 

Aaaaaanyway, my final words are to just go!  There wasn't a single terrible view or a climb that wasn't worth it.  There wasn't a single ugly river or moment when I regretted this tour.  In fact, I can't wait to come back and finish that little bit of the upper loop I didn't get to do this time... maybe in September, maybe next year, maybe I'll do whole thing again!

Day 9: Four Miles Up Last Summit Towards Cascade To Cascade (And Back To Crouch)

Our last day of riding was the quintessential riding day, with a mix of easy dirt roads and deserted secondary country roads.  My legs felt great on the last climb and we were blessed with a cool cloudy morning.  We hadn't had many clouds at all since our first day of the tour, and these ones managed to stick around until noon!  Near the the summit, we met a family of four from Arizona with traditional ultralightweight bikepacking setups.  Dad, mom, and two daughters aged 14 and 17 were having a blast as experienced mountain bikers with some bikepacking experience.  They were really excited to see us because 8 days into their tour, we were the first bike tourists they had seen!  We stopped and chatted for about 20 minutes to geek out on gear, the route, and our respective mountain biking communities.

Aaaaah clouds!  Grey skies!

Fellow dirt road crazies!

We bid our new friends farewell, finished the climb, and then made the sweet descent into the bucolic farmland leading into Cascade.  With the breeze at our back and blue skies peeking out, we finished strong just in time for a late lunch in Cascade.

It wasn't hard to find our way since we could see the tracks of our friends streaking across the way.

Peering down the last bit of the descent into Cascade.

The road to civilization has a few ups and downs and beautiful views.  Ryan zooms ahead as I take a minute to enjoy the last part of our trip.

Cascade sits on this beautiful ginormous lake.  I was tempted to go for a swim, but my tummy was already grumbling for lunch.  I took a minute to enjoy the view while Ryan made some adjustments to his bike and then we pedaled the last few miles into town.

Lake Cascade in all its glory.

Quaint spot in historic downtown Cascade.  Great pizza, that for some reason all has pineapple on it, and a cute atmosphere.

After stuffing ourselves not *too* full with pizza and a celebratory beer, we decided that Cascade just didn't have enough character for us to stay the night.  We were hankering for a little more time at the Dirty Shame Saloon and make our driving the next day a little shorter by grabbing my car that afternoon and driving back to Crouch where Ryan's car was parked.  My car was still in good shape at the Alpine Lodge and Motel and I thanked Justin and gave him $20 for the trouble of letting me keep it there.  He protested, but I insisted, since I didn't even do him the favor of staying the night.

Then off we went back to Crouch and nabbed a room at the Wander Inn again.  Maggie hadn't quite gotten off her job at the grocery store yet, but I knew she had rooms available from her voicemail.  We decided to grab a six-pack and have a drink on the porch while we waited for her.  She arrived in cheery fashion and checked us in.  The first order of business was to shower all of the stink and grime off and change into blissfully clean clothes.  The second order of business was to head to the Dirty Shame Saloon to celebrate.

Monday night at the Dirty Shame is locals' night.  We passed the time shooting the shit with the locals and enjoying the air conditioning.  My favorite was the older gentleman sitting next to me, a veteran of the navy named Dennis who is never seen without his faithful companion Tobey, a two-year old schnauzer-dachshund mix.  Dennis moved to Crouch in the 1990s with his family, but has been lonely since his wife died 10 years ago.  To him, a good day is when he gets to wake up and see Tobey, and that's all he really needs now.  The whole town loves Tobey... in fact, Tuesdays at the Dirty Shame are known as Tobey Tuesdays, because everyone comes to see Tobey and play with him, give him ice chips, or slip him bits of chicken wings.

A few travel notes for bike tourists:

• There is a ton of camping along Lake Cascade which are fee areas maintained by the state.  This would be a nice alternative to staying in town if you are passing through Cascade.