Author: Michael Eaton

We moved on from the river campsite fairly early. We did a little more fishing and Amanda learned how to cast. She did a good job until she started overthinking it. But we didn’t catch anything. Even though I could see a lot of fish feeding. Sometimes you just have to wrong setup.

North and west of Hagerman is a state park. Thousand Springs State Park. It’s a few separate areas. So it’s more like five smaller parks under one umbrella.

We started off in the Box Canyon area. There is a two-mile hike down the canyon and then along the river to this swimming hole. The area s so lush and green and there is a really nice waterfall that we walked past.

The water at the swimming hole was so clear. You could easily see to the bottom of the river which must have been ten feet in spots. We took a swim but the water was absolutely frigid so we didn’t swim for too long.

The spot was so peaceful and we got there early enough that we mostly had it to ourselves. We left as soon as it started to get a bit crowded.

The other part of the park we really liked was Ritter Island. The island is a historical site. They have an old ranch there but we didn’t walk through it. It was so hot at that point in the day that we just chilled in the stream and had a beer. There were tons of people there – it was like a little party.

Not much else happened after we left the park area. I found a dispersed campsite up the road towards Boise right by this windmill farm. It was a nice little place to park up for the night.

Yesterday was a pretty quiet day for us. We went back to the food market and I hung out there for most of the afternoon. Played some ukulele and did some budget-related work. Just personal admin-type stuff.

We got back into the world at 2 o’clock or so and headed to the museum in town. It’s on the college campus here and it is not very large. They had a bit of everything. A small exhibit on geology and archaeology, another on the native people of Idaho, and they also had a small art collection. It was a good way to kill some time during the hottest part of the day.

Afterward, we headed towards Centennial Waterfront Park which was actually quite lovely. Right near the golf course that I played the day before. Amanda wanted to get a workout in and I decided to do a little fishing in the river.

I didn’t end up catching anything. There were a lot of kayakers and motorboats going up and down the river. It makes it a little more difficult to catch fish. But I still had an enjoyable time. I found a nice spot in the shade over in the trees and threw a few lures out there.

I haven’t fished very much in the last few weeks since Amanda joined me. Not that she has prevented me in any way. I just haven’t made much time for it. I have chosen to hike or play golf instead. But I would like to get out more as we move north over the next few weeks.

On the way out of the park, we stopped on the road and took a small walk to one of the larger waterfalls in town. You can walk under this one which is always fun. I reminded me of a miniature Wallaman Falls. The tallest waterfall in Australia.

The next morning Amanda had some friends passing through Idaho on their way to Oregon and we got together with them for lunch. We had a good time and I was finally able to track down some BBQ Jackfruit. It tastes exactly like pulled pork.

We got on the road in the later afternoon and stopped off at Balanced Rock which was smaller than expected but still pretty cool. Some of the rocks out here are amazing. Sometimes it just makes you wonder how something like that can happen.

Our destination this evening was this small town called Hagerman. They have a huge aquaphor in this area of the state and we went to soak in one of the hot springs in the area. It wasn’t a natural hot spring but we were able to get our own private pool. It was nice to just relax the mind and body honestly. It’s been very much go go go lately.

We camped a short distance from the town on the Snake River. It was a beautiful little spot with quite a few people. It’s a boat launch site and I was able to fish some too. I caught a small bass so that made me happy.

Just another chill day in Twin Falls. I wasn’t expecting to stay here for more than a day but this place is actually very charming and there are a lot of different things to do. We will stay for a few more days and we will head towards Boise on Friday.

I played another 9 holes of golf today. The course was really great. Good condition and the views were really great. It was right in the canyon and there were several large waterfalls you can see from the course.

I played pretty well too. The last hole was a par 5 and I joked with the guys I was playing with that I’d get an eagle. For those of you that don’t golf – eagles are pretty damn rare.

I hit a great drive and then hit my 3 iron really well. Straight at the pin. The hole was on a small hill so I couldn’t see where the ball had landed. When I got up there the ball wasn’t on the green – I hit over the green on two shots!

No eagle for me but I chipped close and put it in for birdie. Not such a bad way to finish a round.

We went back to Dierke’s Lake in the afternoon and hung out there for a bit. We had watermelon, we put up the slackline, and made a few friends. I got eight steps on the slackline so that’s a new personal best.

From there it was an early night. We got back to the campsite a bit earlier than usual and we made sure we got to sleep a bit earlier too. The sun doesn’t set until around 9:30 here so it’s fairly easy to let the night get away from you.

We got into town early and I dropped off Amanda so she could get some work done. I went to play golf at this small course in town. I got paired up with this older gentleman and eventually, this man around my age joined us.

It was a nice course. Kept in real good shape but it was extremely narrow which is always a bit of a challenge for me. I ended up chipping in on one hole which was pretty cool.

In the afternoon we went to one of the parks because it was unusually hot for Twin Falls. About 95 degrees. But the park had a ton of shade and a small creek that we dipped our feet into.

Later in the afternoon, we moseyed over to Shoshone Falls. It’s the biggest thing to do in this area. It’s quite impressive, to be honest. They call it the “Niagra of the West”. You can’t get super close but there were a couple of good viewpoints.

The lake up the road was a really nice spot as well. There’s a beach and a closed-off area for swimming in the lake. It was a welcome sight. We were hot and we swam in the water for a bit.

We made a few friends in the park. These guys were setting up a slackline and I asked them if I could jump on. They were really cool guys and one of them gave us a few recommendations on what to do in the area.

The campsite wasn’t too far from the town. Just over the river on the ridgeline overlooking the business district. It was a really great spot and the views of the sunset and the canyon were really special. Can’t really beat a spot like this. Ten minutes from town but you are in an amazingly beautiful spot.

Our last day in Baker started out with a tour of the Lehman Caves. These are the park’s main draw and they were pretty impressive. I’ve seen larger caves in Vietnam and Thailand but supposedly these caves have unique cave formations that you would be hard-pressed to find anywhere else.

We left Baker after lunch and stopped off in Ely to run some errands. Then we were back on the road with the intention of getting a bit closer to the Nevada-Idaho border.

On the way north we made a little detour into the Bonneville Salt Flats. It’s basically just a rest stop but you can get out and walk the flats for as long as you want. A good spot to click some photos.

A few miles into the flats is where the land speed record runs were done. We didn’t make it out there because it’s quite the hike but it was cool to be there. I hadn’t known that before I had arrived.

We drove another few hours and camped right outside this small town called Jackpot not too far from the border. Not much else going on. We are excited to get into Idaho and get a change of scenery. We want to see some green.

We got out into the park around 9 o’clock and started on the trail to Baker Lake at 10ish. This was pretty much an all-day affair. About 6 miles in and it was an out-and-back trail. So roughly 12 miles total.

We gained about 3,500 feet over the course of the hike. It wasn’t a death march but there was a fairly consistent incline throughout the entire hike.

The first half of the trail kind of meanders along this small creek and it’s super lush and green around the water. I think we just missed the peak of wildflower season but there was still a good amount of flowers around.

The last portion of the hike has a bit more elevation gain and is just a bunch of switchbacks to a drier forested area until you get to the lake.

The lake itself is just okay but the views of the mountain formations around it are absolutely great. You have this granite mountain surrounding the area – it’s almost like an amphitheater. In the distance, you have Pyramid Peak.

We ate lunch at the lake and hung out there for about an hour and they headed back down. I think the trip in total took about 7 hours. We were pretty tired after the hike and we had another low-key night.

We got going towards the park around lunchtime – we weren’t in a rush really. We have a few days here and the park isn’t super large. Amanda did some work until around noon and then we got on the road.

The park is only a short trip from the hotel we were staying at. There is a tiny town just outside the park called Baker. Population 65. It’s pretty damn small but the people are extremely nice.

We stopped in at the general store/cafe in town (it’s the only place you can grab groceries) and we met these really friendly women. The owner mentioned that they were having a community gathering later in the evening and she invited us.

The town is currently in court with the city of Las Vegas over water rights issues. They are trying to raise money to pay their legal fees. Some ice cream and live music sounded like a good time.

We got into the park and beelined for the Wheeler Peak road. You can climb the mountain but it’s like a 10-hour hike. Plus you have to start super early or else you run the risk of being up there during a storm.

We opted for the Bristlecone/Alpine Lake loop which was quite enjoyable. Not overly challenging – about a 5-mile round trip.

The first part of the trail brings you up to a bristlecone pine grove. These trees are some of the oldest living organisms on the planet. Not just tree. But organisms in general.

The oldest living organism is a bristlecone in California. Over 5,000 years old. The oldest tree in the park as far as we could see was roughly 3,300 years old. The tree started growing in 1300 B.C. which is absolutely mind-boggling.

The trees themselves don’t look very healthy but they are designed to survive in the harshest environments. The wood is rot resistant and trees can easily remain standing 500 years after they die.

We finished up at the park around 6 o’clock and headed to the community gathering. It was such a wholesome experience. They had this little string band and they played really well. They had 3 guitarists, a ukulele player, a harpist, and someone who even played the mandolin. Who would have thought in a town of 65.

The last few days have been mostly travel days. We moved from Moab and stayed in this small town called Green River. Just a small little place along I-70.

We woke up in the morning and Amanda had to get some work done. I played golf while she worked and then we hit the road. We decided to drive to the Utah-Nevada border, which was about a four-hour drive. There are things to see along the route but most everything is south of the interstate. I will come back later in the year and tackle that area.

We got a hotel for the night. Something we plan on doing once a week for the rest of the trip. Gives us the ability to get a good night’s sleep and take a shower and organize ourselves. It’s a bit easier when you have someone to split the expenses with.

The motel is built right on the border. I’m not sure for certain but it seems that half of the hotel is in Nevada and the other half is in Utah. Of course, the main building with the small casino is on the Nevada side. Besides the few buildings here there is nothing around. We are literally in the middle of nowhere. First time in Nevada though.

We didn’t realize that Nevada is in the Pacific Time Zone. So when we crossed the border we gained an hour. So I was up nice and early today. Sun will set around 8 o’clock here so we have to keep that in mind.

We will leave shortly for Great Basin and our plan is to spend three days there and then move north. Our plan is to get to Boise by next Friday but we will see what happens.

We got up really early and got into the park before 8 o’clock. We wanted to do one more day in the park before we left. We headed to Devil’s Garden which is at the northern end of the park.

The hike itself was fairly straightforward. Probably 6 miles or so. There was some rock scrambling but it was no problem. I am a rock climber now after all!

There were so many different things to see on this trail. I think my favorite part of the hike was Partition Arch. The arch is up on the hillside and if you look through it at the right angle you can see the entire landscape below. It’s like you are looking at a painting.

The afternoon was pretty slow. But Amanda and I met up with Mark and Lynn for dinner in town. This is the couple that literally saved my life when my car broke down. It was really fun to reconnect with them over a meal.

They are so sweet. It’s just funny how you can make strong connections with someone so quickly. Lynn was saying that normally they wouldn’t even consider bringing someone in to their home in that type of situation. But we built a rapport so quickly and things just worked out.

We camped on the river again and spent the night with these two men that we met the night before. It was really great getting to know them. One is a former Olympic swimmer from Barbados and the other is a musician from Quebec. He actually has quite a large following and goes on tour fairly frequently in Canada. He even gave us an album and signed it for us.

Today is going to be more of a travel day. I am getting my oil changed now and then we will head out in the afternoon. We might stop off at the state park outside of town but it depends on the weather. The next major stop is Great Basin. Did I mention that we are heading north?

We left Fruita on Sunday and took one of the smaller roads back across the Utah border. The first stop was Fisher Towers. Fantastic sandstone spires in this area. The hike was not too challenging but the payoff was really solid. Views north to the valley and to the south some really colorful hills.

At the top, you are kind of on an overlook spot but the drop-off into the canyon is pretty gnarly. On one of the rocks not too far from the lookout point there was a metal box. It was probably a geocache. The first time I had seen one. But you would have to be crazy to try and get to it. Perhaps the only way to get there would be to climb the rock face from the bottom.

The next day we hung out in the park for most of the morning and I played a ton of ukulele. I did some yoga and afterward, I couldn’t move my ankle up and down. I’m not sure if I compressed the nerve while I was sitting cross-legged (I tend to do so a lot) or when I was doing yoga.

But yeah it was a little concerning. It’s been a day now and I am feeling better. I have more feeling and range of motion. I think I just need to give it time.

Anyway, we got into Arches National Park around 3 o’clock (you need reservations to get into this one) and we did the Delicate Arch trail. I would say this is the most famous trail in the park. Not too challenging and the arch at the end of the trail was stunning.

You have this view of the arch and the La Sal Mountains in the background. And because it was the middle of the day there weren’t as many people as there would be in the morning. We chilled in the shade and rested for a bit before moving along.

Later in the day we stopped off at the campground and walked over to the bouldering area. Amanda is very big into rock climbing and she wanted to get some movement in. She is very strong and very good at climbing. It was impressive to see her do her thing.

When we were in Fruita we went to the climbing gym and that was my first real experience with rock climbing. It’s something I have always been interested in from a distance. But I never put myself in the situation to learn.

I decided to give it a try and I was able to “solve my first problem”, as a true climber would say. It was a little scary but I definitely enjoyed it. I think I can be pretty good at this.

When I made it to the top of the boulder I screamed – I felt so accomplished. There was definitely an adrenaline rush and I really enjoyed it. We will definitely be doing more climbing over this next month and I am excited to learn more.