Day 4 – Boise, ID – Riggins, ID

Short day of driving but we had some insider tips on where to stop for the day.  Starting to get a very good impression what makes Idaho a fun place to live and visit.

Today our companion for a good portion of our trip was the Payette River.

Because of our early start, we were famished early in the morning.  Stopped at a roadside café named Gramma’s.  Aptly named, it served breakfast favorites.  We were served coffee in some interesting mugs.

Outside as we were parking, we saw a fun bumper sticker.  Contrary to the tone, we have found everyone in Idaho to be delightful and interested in the quality of our experience.

Along the way to Riggins, we were told to stop at Lake Cascade.  Rustic feel but looked like a great lake for a quiet vacation or some loud fun water skiing or other water sports.  The area surrounding the lake didn’t seem quite so formal with some nice vacation homes and lots of green space.

After departing Lake Cascade, we ventured further north and bumped into yet another vacation hotspot – Lake McCall.  Anyone familiar with Tahoe City in North Lake Tahoe would feel right at home.  A lot more energy and far more active than Lake Cascade, but every bit the summer fun at the lake.

Everywhere we’ve gone in Idaho we see tons of these 4 wheel buggies.  Golf carts for the more active set?

Believe it or not, we got stuck in a one hour traffic jam entering this town.

Maybe it was a sign of things to come.  Because it was about to get weird, but first we ran across this important geo-marker. 

This is now a photo blog.  But.  Some words are required. We came across some wild time zone madness.  General statement.  The more east you go, the further ahead in time zones you are.  The more west you go, the further behind in time zones you are.  Straight forward.  Idaho and Oregon complicate matters.  Part of Oregon is in the Pacific Time Zone and some of Oregon is in the Mountain Time Zone.  Some of Idaho is in the Pacific Time Zone and some of Idaho is in the Mountain Time Zone.  But its not what you think.  See the color picture below.  There’s a small carve out in South-Eastern Oregon that is in the Mountain Time Zone.  The rest of Oregon is in the Pacific Time Zone.  Idaho generically divides its Time Zone madness North and South.  The Panhandle is in the Pacific Time Zone and the southern body of Idaho is in the Mountain Time Zone.  So it’s possible to be in Idaho (east of Oregon) and be an hour behind.  To further confuse things, there is a sliver (I-95 between Lake McCall and Riggins) of Idaho that you can drive where you slip between both time zones, while driving north-south.  Make a big turn and the time zone changes.  Come back the other way and it changes again.  WEIRD, RIGHT?!?

Finally, Riggins, ID!

No doubt what this town is about!

While still in the Mountain Time Zone of Riggins, we went for a scenic drive along the Salmon River.  We expected to find a bucolic hamlet in the middle of Idaho that was a haven for fly fishermen.  What we found was still beautiful but a more parched landscape and the tranquil river that runs through it.  We found a couple of sand bars on which you can camp for FREE so long as you take out your garbage.

We found a nice Elk farm.  They were spooked as soon as we stopped the car and got out to take photos, but they still posed nicely for us despite their alarm.

We also saw some stand up paddle boarders shooting the rapids while we were checking out some of the sand bars.

We did a casual picnic for dinner with local crusty bread, some cheese, avocado, veggies and peanut M&Ms. Oh and some California Cabernet Sauvignon.

End of day odometer – 1,783  (180 miles driven)

Total miles driven on trip – 1,136 miles