Idaho Territory

Idaho became a state in 1890 on July 3rd. It was spanned east to west by the Oregon trail and scouted by Lewis & Clark. But before it became a state, Idaho territory was a destination for displaced southern democrats fought in the confederacy. They clashed here with republican governors. The infighting became so bad that I 1867, Governor David W Ballard asked for protection from Federal troops stationed at Ft Boise.

Y’all, Southerners are everywhere - and still raising h###. Just in case you thought party disagreements were a fairly new thing - or seem worse than ever - this should tell you it’s not.

As I travel through Idaho, I’m always interested in history and the land I’ve come to call home. Idaho is an amazing amalgam of landscapes from high desert scrub, barren volcanic formations, dense pine forests, prairies, streams, rivers and lakes and stunning mountain vistas. This past week, I traveled over and up from Boise to Twin Falls and then to a small quintessential western town, Salmon, ID.

As I drove further up in the state, there were often areas of scrub and sagebrush on one side and green agricultural fields dotted with irrigation sprinklers - evidence of man’s fight to survive against nature. With all of the high desert and volcanic landscapes, the patches of vivid green were shocking to me. My pictures just don’t do it justice.

Continuing on, I drove through more mountain areas, gorgeous views and a few tiny towns. Lone Pine, ID seems to be compromised of one general store with 2 gas pumps and one house beside the store. I have yet to see the Pine though. Only sage and low cedar trees. And Arco, ID - although bigger than Lone Pine, has the distinction of being the first city in the world powered by Atomic power. So the sign says. And just in case you don’t know which direction you’re heading, there was a helpful sign in the way to Salmon. But I noticed coming back that there wasn’t one on the other side. 😂

The road to Salmon took me between two mountain ranges, Beaverhead mountains and the Lemhi Range. Gorgeous rugged views but smoky as I got closer due to wildfires near Stanley. I passed through another small town, Leadore, near Salmon - which has the combination City Park and Rodeo stadium that you never knew you needed. That’s some hard core western culture right there, folks. 😂😀

After a rocky night in a smelly hotel room (Do Not Recommend Super 8 in Salmon!!!), which I couldn’t get switched due to the hotel being full with crowds for the impending rodeo, I actually loved the town of Salmon. It’s a very charming, very Western small town. The local bakery, coffee spot, Odd Fellows Bakery, was pretty good. And I took a few minutes in the early morning to have a peaceful walk down Main Street and commune a few minutes with the Salmon River.

This was a fast two day trip with two customers to visit and roughly 11 hours of driving time. But the windshield time was definitely worth all the gorgeous sights. I hadn’t realized I was so close to the Montana border. Idaho is so weirdly shaped that I forget how close some of the bordering states can be. I drove home along route 20, which passes the bottom edges of the Smoky Mountains, Sawtooth National Forest and Boise National Forest. A few more Mountain Views and then home to my own bed. I’m so thankful for getting the chance to experience this great country.

As always, thanks for reading and keeping up with my adventures.

Gypsy Jules