Idaho
ISLAND PARK Idaho
Next up was a visit to Island Park in Idaho. Staying in a cabin in the woods for three nights.
We were completely surrounded by snow and trees. It continued to snow throughout the first night.
Path from the cabin looking back to truck just after dark.Drama on the first night in the cabin. I managed to block the dunny/long drop/toilet. The problem with a lot of the older US crappers is they have a small exit. If you have a deposit bigger than a kit-kat or use more than two sheets of tissue they can block. Basically you have to lower the charge, with a cable, and then snap it off before it hits the pan, and flush. During the process of unblocking the dunny, no plunger, the conversation degraded with the prospect of having to scoot outside and use a snow drift! In the morning, it was proposed to have an emu parade for collection of any treasures. However, finally at midnight, the blockage was cleared. Hit the hay, exhausted, but woke at 2 am with a wet arse. The hot water bottle had leaked in the bed. #shithappenswhatsnext!
Wood shed buried at the back of the cabin.
NOTE:
The truck has survived on all season tyres albeit with conservative driving, no studs. We have chains.
If we stopped for more than 3 hours I connected the 4 watt solar charger to keep the battery topped up. I doubt whether the new battery, from Florida, would cut the mustard in Montana winter. Not likely at -18°c.
The following is old but I get a buzz everytime I see it. Further East the weather in the US is just as cool. The town of Hell, in Michigan, embraced its frozen fame. The town's Facebook page shows this.
Hell freezes over!
Snowshoeing
The first day we went snowshoeing in Harriman State Park Idaho. Spent the afternoon along side the Henry Fork of the Snake River and Silver Lake.
Snowmobiling
The next day the main event that had taken us to Idaho, was snowmobiling. This beats downhill skiing by a country mile! What a day, travelled over 80 kms. We even managed to get to the top of Two Top Mountain, a steep mountain, ... questionable navigation decisions were made on the way up... Coming down was a challenge. Some time was spent digging out a bogged snowmobile on a steeper slope of the mountain. On the home stretch, following another dodgy navigational decision, one of the snowmobiles flipped over. No injuries. We quickly righted and were on our way to a much earned vino!
Notwithstanding some of the additional unplanned "adventures" it was an absolutely magical day. Without doubt this was one of the most scenic winter landscapes we have ever experienced. We traveled through snow laden trees, steep windy paths, lakes, rivers and fields. Everywhere was glorious fresh powder snow. The vistas were all panoramic. At one point, to the south, we could see the Grand Tetons near Jackson's Hole and east back to West Yellowstone, plus in the immediate area, Mt Jefferson, Targhee Peak and Mt Sawtell Peak. Breathtaking.
NOTE: Not to give away the identity of whose snowmobile got bogged on the mountain ... Joanne and I were using a two person snowmobile. My spin on the subject goes as follows. These machines are heavy in the arse which can make the steering in the front light and unresponsive in deep snow. In these conditions the weight dictates the direction of travel particularly when in steep terrain. One of the issues when these snowmobiles get buried is the heat from the engine can possibly melt snow which re-freezes. You could be stuck there till spring. Thankfully, the fairer sex, present in our party (namely Teri and Joanne), dug the machine out in no time at all.
Katie missed all the excitement and was waiting anxiously at the bottom of the cliff, unaware of what had caused the delay. God knows what was going through her mind, it can't have been good. She was quite relieved to see that we had come down in one piece. She may have been getting close to pushing the button for search and rescue but had managed to connect her NZ cell to roaming data and give us a call. At that point she was quite happy to wait and take in the nice vista after all.
We met a group of Canadian snowmobilers. They had traveled from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan to Island Park, Idaho. No snow at home. A distance of some 1200 miles due south to Idaho! The north is getting far less precipitation even though the temperatures remain cold. No moisture no snow.
Katie
Just some brief facts of this area of Idaho. This is the Potato State. The spuds and beets are to die for here. It's hard to believe they can grow in this climate. A 100 clicks away from this pristine landscape are the Craters of the Moon, the experimental nuclear breeder reactors, and The Rift Valley formed by the Snake River. The diversity within each State of America is pronounced, no one State is the same. Idaho is no exception.
Back to Bozeman.
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