September RV Trip

We take a September trip every year we can, after

all the schools have started back up. This year we 

saw lots of beautiful scenery just out our backdoor 

in Western Idaho and Eastern Oregon.  Mel and Gary

met up with Jan, Doug and us in McCall, ID

 Snake River going up Hell's Canyon

 Visitor's Center at Hell's Canyon Nat'l Recreation Area

Hell's Canyon Dam

 The river was like glass you couldn't tell where the 

rocks ended and the river started

 Windy road

 McCall RV Resort

 right on the Payette River

 Out to dinner with the gang at Shore Lodge

 We had one rainy day

 and wildlife

Mel and Gary went home and we went on to Mountain

Home, ID with Jan and Doug for the rest of our trip 

 The Payette River is very rough up near McCall

 The river calmed down as we went south 

and to lower altitude

 We went to Crater's of the Moon Nat'l Monument

Inferno Cone - a cinder cone from volcanic eruptions

 Views from the top

 Views at the top

A quarter of a mile up the cone with 160 ft of elevation change 

On to Sun Valley which wasn't all that sunny

 but the lodge did have beautiful grounds

and an ice rink.  No we didn't skate...not open

 Ernest Hemingway is buried in Ketchum, ID 

right near Sun Valley

 We've gone to Bruneau Canyon before (see June 2016)
but they didn't have an outhouse

 or this handicap trail to the rim

 New fence part way too

And a new sign, I liked the old one better

Usually when we go to campgrounds after 

Labor Day the pools are closed but

Mountain Home RV Resort had

their's open and heated to 84 degrees

On to Homedale, ID 

 Beautiful land in Eastern Idaho

 and a beautiful campground on the Snake River
hence, The Snake River RV Resort

 We took a drive out the Succor Creek Scenic Byway (in Oregon)

to the Owyhee Lake State Park at the end of

a windy, one lane, gravel road

 They have a boat ramp

 40 some campsites, where there were some big 

33 ft or better fifth wheelers camped

 and the beautiful Owyhee Lake to play in

 Looking at the upper campground from the 

lower campground

 Owyhee Dam

Natural hot springs

 This creek of hot water empties into the river.

People have put rocks and plastic around it to keep

it hot before mixing into the snake river

 A nice campground to stop for lunch

Leslie Gulch, Oregon

 Have you ever heard of Tuff?  I hadn't!!

 Volcanic ash from an eruption that is compacted 

over the year and ends up rock

Looks kind of like petrified sponge

Celebration Park Idaho's First

Archaeological Park
On the Snake River Scenic Byway

 Melon Gravel from lava flow and the Bonneville Flood

rolling the rocks around making them smooth

 Petroglyphs

 Wildlife

 Walking up thru the Melon Gravel and looking back at the

Interpretive Center

 More wildlife

 Some big birds nest

 Guffey Railroad Bridge

Snake River RV Resort

On the road from Homedale, ID to Burns, OR

 The historical Frenchglen Hotel

Their book exchange box looks like their hotel

 Going up to the top of Steens Mountain we ran into some snow

 Very cold

Pretty views

Kiger Gorge

 The Junipers had a lot of berries on them

 Rabbit brush was in bloom at lower levels

We saw wild horses

Stopped in to see the Round Barn

 
 The Visitor Center had this extinct Juniper stump
holding up its roof

 Weird how the tree grew around its own branches

 Took a turn to go up to see some of the craters near
Diamond, OR and got to the end of the road with
no turn around and drop offs on either side.  Walt made
a 20 point turn and got us turned around

 On this scenic byway there are 11 volcanic craters

I didn't take pictures of them all, sorry!!

And, of course, a stop at the Hotel Diamond
 

Burns RV Park 

Our little Arctic Fox trailer on the right and a new

Arctic Fox pulled in on the left, same length as ours

but the new ones are higher and wider 

 If you don't have a trailer you can rent a cabin

or a Teepee all with BBQ's


On the road to Boardman, OR

The view of the Columbia River from our campsite

 The camp ground had several pieces of
exercise equipment along the walking path

 Views along the walking path

 Walt tried one

 very green

 Nice paved pull throughs

Dinner at the River Lodge & Grill

Last stop Prosser, WA

Beautiful sunset from our campsite
Wine Tasting in the campground
both nights

All in all it was a Great Trip
We had some rain, some cold, and some
days in the 70's & 80's

Thanks, Doug great planning!!