The Idaho adventure continues

I left off the last post as we were setting up camp along the Red River, at a site called French Gulch. And we’d heard that the temps were supposed to drop that night. Maybe as low as 30.

Well.

There is a saying that there’s no such thing as bad weather, only bad gear.

When we set out on this trip we planned on essentially chasing summer. So we didn’t bring the 15 degree down sleeping bags, just the blankets (well, mine is down, but still).

So it’s pretty safe to say we froze our asses off that night.

I had on all my wool clothes, plus a primaloft (synthetic down) vest and my down jacket. I wore a Buff balaclava-style under my hat. I was wrapped up like a little burrito in my down blanket. And I was still cold.

Not freezing, mind you. Just not comfortable. It was Michael that froze. His blanket is synthetic down, and not rated. He was basically wearing three layers, plus two pairs of wool socks. It wasn’t enough.

We did finally snuggle up together around 5am… which was great until one of us wanted to sleep in a different position.

But the sun came out around 7am, and it really did warm up fast. We’re still debating about asking one of our friends to dig through the storage unit and find Michael’s sleeping bag. We’re still debating about spending the money on Uggs for both of us. Or at least down booties. Has REI made the floor change yet?

But after a hot breakfast and coffee, we loaded up and headed east. Determined to get to Red River Hot Springs that day.

It turned out to be just 15 miles away.

We talked with a few hunters hanging out there. They were very interested in the roof top tent. Then we talked with the owner – well, the owner’s cousin, AJ. It seemed to be a long story, but AJ was giving his cousin a break over the weekend.

We didn’t end up staying for a soak, but AJ was a super nice guy who gave us some great information and tips. One of those tips was for a pick-your-own vegetable garden just outside of Lucile, ID.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I might sound like a rube, but I’ve never picked my own vegetables before. So it was Michael who actually picked our fabulous tomatoes, as well as the corn, zucchini, peppers, and even a cantaloupe!

After loading up on veggies, we continued on south. It was starting to get dark as we passed though Riggins. We were headed down Salmon River Road, towards the Riggins Hot Springs. But we were hungry. It’s easier to set up camp in the dark on a full belly. So we pulled into the first place we saw: the Shorts Bar Recreation Site. It’s a put-in area for rafters. There were picnic tables and pit toilets.

I made an appetizer for us out of sliced tomatoes with salt and pepper. Seriously – this was the best tomato I’ve had in a long time.

As dinner cooked, Michael took a little look-see around the place. He came back and said the sign at the entrance said the camping limit was 14 days. And that there was no fee.

That’s right: we’d accidentally parked at the perfect campsite. Here’s what dinner looked like:

Chicken thighs with mushrooms, corn, tomatoes, and peppers. It tasted even better than it looks.

It was so warm after the sun set that I didn’t even need my down jacket to sit and watch the stars. And it was the first time in a long time that I slept under my blanket in just shorts and a t-shirt.

Our friend Rob asked me for a pic of the inside of the tent a while back. Sorry this took so long to put up!

Oddly enough, one of the most perfect days of the trip happened on September 11. When I got up the sun hadn’t hit the tent yet, but it wasn’t too cold. After breakfast we went down to the beach for a CrossFit workout.

It involved running through the sand, which is much harder than I remember it, and sandbag back squats. But a good workout deserves a good meal, I think, so it’s handy to travel with a chef. And the chef wanted to fire up the grill.

 

That’s right, food lovers. We have a grill.

 

 

 

 

It’s by a company called Camp-Maid, and it works with our dutch oven. Michael loves this thing.

 

 

 

 

And it’s hard to argue with the result.

 

 

 

 

After that, we sat in the shade and read. I worked on editing pictures, too.

Eventually, though, we heard a group of rafters stop at the beach. They sounded like they were having an absolute blast, so I grabbed my camera and headed to a better vantage point.

Sometimes I’m even more glad that I have a blog. Because this story requires the visuals.

It was an organized trip – Salmon River Experience – and they’d stopped at Shorts Bar for a little break. They had one of the rafts flipped over and were using it like a giant slip-n-slide. Except…

See all those people standing around the raft? They weren’t just wetting it down. When the runner hit the raft, they would lift, and send them flying.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tell me that doesn’t look like a fabulous time!

After some more relaxing, we were treated to a fabulous sunset.

I was glad I’d set up our Revel Gear lights – it had been a while since I’d been able to use them. They string up perfectly around the guylines for the roof top tent. I’m sure the other campers at Shorts Bar (all two of them) were jealous.

I was sad to leave Riggins. But the rest of Idaho is calling.