Traversing the US (and back)
- Thread starter jessejman
- Start date
Thanks a lot!
JCMatthews
Tour Guide
Still following and lovin' it.
Day 49: Ketchum to Sheep Mountain Pass
Click here for zoomable map and route download.
After stocking up and returning our borrowed mountain bike guide books we headed west up Trail Creek Pass. I get the feeling that it sees a lot of tourist and camping traffic but little through traffic. It was a nicely graded gravel road. We even passed a Mercedes sedan!
We'd had a late start so on the western side of the pass we ate a quiet lunch next to a stream. We hadn't been driving long but somehow we already needed to stop. Oh, the only(read expensive) grocery store in Ketchum had some fresh ground spicy sausage and Boars Head smoked turkey. I suppose it was about to turn but lunch and breakfast the next day were great! Also, we hit the store during a tasting event: they put nice gourmet foods at an outside pavilion, you know, for tasting/sampling. Our family tasted and sampled our through the pavilion until we were stuffed on Cotswald cheese and stuffed mushrooms, even flank steak. I felt like an uninvited wedding guest but, judging from the stares we received when we pulled up and stepped out of dust-encrusted Cruiser, I felt pretty confident that no one was going to mess with us.
Click here for zoomable map and route download.
After stocking up and returning our borrowed mountain bike guide books we headed west up Trail Creek Pass. I get the feeling that it sees a lot of tourist and camping traffic but little through traffic. It was a nicely graded gravel road. We even passed a Mercedes sedan!
We'd had a late start so on the western side of the pass we ate a quiet lunch next to a stream. We hadn't been driving long but somehow we already needed to stop. Oh, the only(read expensive) grocery store in Ketchum had some fresh ground spicy sausage and Boars Head smoked turkey. I suppose it was about to turn but lunch and breakfast the next day were great! Also, we hit the store during a tasting event: they put nice gourmet foods at an outside pavilion, you know, for tasting/sampling. Our family tasted and sampled our through the pavilion until we were stuffed on Cotswald cheese and stuffed mushrooms, even flank steak. I felt like an uninvited wedding guest but, judging from the stares we received when we pulled up and stepped out of dust-encrusted Cruiser, I felt pretty confident that no one was going to mess with us.
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Day 49: Ketchum to Sheep Mountain Pass
Heading into such a stronghold of mountains was intimidating. We tried to pick out the valley that would lead to Doublesprings Pass. We traveled north on a county highway for about six miles and found our pass. Back onto gravel.
There were these wild formations on the way up to Doublesprings and then we were finally at the top and looking over into a short descent into a high valley.
Heading into such a stronghold of mountains was intimidating. We tried to pick out the valley that would lead to Doublesprings Pass. We traveled north on a county highway for about six miles and found our pass. Back onto gravel.
There were these wild formations on the way up to Doublesprings and then we were finally at the top and looking over into a short descent into a high valley.
.
Jesse,
I've never been to the Earthquake Interpretive Site at Mt Borah. I was still earning a living as a geologist in 1983 when the big Mt Borah earthquake struck the Challis/Mt Borah area. One tragic outcome was the deaths of two schoolchildren who were walking to school in Challis and were struck by parts of a crumbling building. I imagine the Interpretive Site is at a location where a 6-10' scarp many miles in length opened up during the quake. While following your return trip on my Benchmark Idaho Atlas I noticed an indication of the Interpretive Site located directly by the road on the way up to Doublesprings Pass, where Mt Borah was on your right (south-southeast side).
Foy
Day 49: Ketchum to Sheep Mountain Pass
The huge landscape looks almost...soft in these photos, like you could roll down these hillsides without getting hurt. Rolling through this area inspired me to plan a backpacking trip through the area due to it's beauty and remoteness. It seems like it should be a destination but I don't ever remember hearing trips to this area of Idaho, ever. So I've started planning my own trip for summer '14 for the school where I work.
The only other travelers we saw on this stretch were these folks in short wheelbase Rubicon. I like to imagine that we waved at each other in a special, knowing way.
We continued to descend into, I think, the Pahsimeroi river valley. We'd crossed two ranges and two valleys so far and we were hoping to climb out of the heat of the valley and up into the next range of mountains blocking our path.
The huge landscape looks almost...soft in these photos, like you could roll down these hillsides without getting hurt. Rolling through this area inspired me to plan a backpacking trip through the area due to it's beauty and remoteness. It seems like it should be a destination but I don't ever remember hearing trips to this area of Idaho, ever. So I've started planning my own trip for summer '14 for the school where I work.
The only other travelers we saw on this stretch were these folks in short wheelbase Rubicon. I like to imagine that we waved at each other in a special, knowing way.
We continued to descend into, I think, the Pahsimeroi river valley. We'd crossed two ranges and two valleys so far and we were hoping to climb out of the heat of the valley and up into the next range of mountains blocking our path.
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Okay, that helps. Before turning onto the road up Doublesprings we did stop at a site but I don't remember reading anything about an earthquake. If we missed something on our way up the road I'd be surprised...well, maybe not. I think there may have been another parking lot off on the right at the bottom of the pass that I assumed was a trailhead. I'll have to get my Benchmark out as well and see if it jogs my memory.
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