On July 11th, 2019 we left home and headed to Pine Flats Campground northeast of Boise, Idaho. This was the first segment of our much longer journey depicted in the included map. We arrived late in the afternoon and found one available spot on the far side of the campground from the river. We camped for three nights and departed for cooler air on July 14th, 2019.
On our way, we decided to stop and view Shoshone Falls near Twin Falls, Idaho. These falls are 45′ higher than Niagara and 1000′ wide. They were very impressive and worth the stop. The associated park has a convenient parking area for RVs.
After arriving at Pine Flats Campground, we chose a site, the last available site. It was great, had sufficient shade, and was quite private. However, we learned that southwest Idaho at an altitude of just 3,700 feet in July is way too hot for relaxing around camp. The afternoon heat drove us to use both generators to power the air conditioning unit, something we rarely do.
While at Pine Flats, we enjoyed the local hot springs, rafted down the Payette River, and went to an outdoor play. The hot springs are a 10-minute walk to the west along the Payette River. They are not developed beyond what visitors can muster by stacking rocks and damming up the falling hot water. The resulting pools are about a foot deep and can hold three or four people. They were quite warm and enjoyable.
On July 13th, we headed down the canyon to raft down the Payette River, “The Main,” with Idaho White Water Unlimited guide services. This stretch of the Payette has class 2 and class 3 rapids. The price was reasonable, the guide, Justin, was fantastic, and the water was very refreshing. The experience made all three of us want to try the segment of the river just upstream from where we rafted that includes some class 4 rapids. I guess we’ll give that a try next time.
After rafting, we headed back up the canyon, changed our clothes, checked on our dog, had a quick dinner, and headed back down the canyon to an outdoor play. We saw Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dream Coat at the Starlight Mountain Theatre. The play isn’t my favorite, but the lead actors did a phenomenal job. It was a pleasant and rustic cultural experience to end our long, but enjoyable day.
On July 14th, we arose very early, walked down to the hot springs, and enjoyed a relaxing soak. I returned to the trailer to acquire a camera, but in doing so slipped on the rocks near the hot springs and seriously injured my ankle. I still made the 10-minute walk, fetched the camera, and captured a few memories before recognizing the severity of my wounds. We returned to the trailer, dressed my wounds, dressed for church, drove down the canyon, and joined the saints in the Garden Valley congregation. Afterward, we returned to our trailer and prepared it for departure and the next leg of our adventure.
| Nights | Total Nights | Miles | Total Miles |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 117 | 449 | 12861 |
