Sylvia's RV Journey

There was quite a difference in temperature from the middle of the day to this morning, which was surprizingly chilly on the back side of Bald Mountain.  I drove another couple of miles further down this dirt road, to reach Frenchmen's Hot Springs. It's part of this national forest. There were two men sitting in the hot spring, as I navigated my way down to the creek. And, as always, as a woman alone, thinking, if I even need to consider or reconsider this option?  Damn it. Sometimes I wish I were a 300 pound football player. And don't mess with me. They were really nice, from Oregon, and owned a 100 year old cabin nearby. They had been sitting in these springs for 2 hours! They left. For about 5 minutes I was totally alone, stretched out, floating in occationally super hot, to chilly waters that ebbed and flowed. I smelled sulpher. It was pretty nice. My "moment" though, was quickly transformed. Little by little young men, and women, then their children, toddlers

After dark, the boat launch area quieted down quite a bit. It was super peaceful overnight, and what a view waking up at dawn overlooking the Snake River. I parked within 10 feet from the water. I enjoyed listening to bullfrogs, and fish splashing at the surface. It was mirror calm, so peaceful, and surprisingly, the first fishing enthusiasts didnt arrive until 7am. It felt like it was all mine, until then.  I made my way to an observation point at the Hagerman Fossil National Monument, where apparently it is the worlds largest collection of fossils from the Pliocene Epoch, according to the placard. There is a modest collection at their visitor's center, along with mastodon bones, and remains from the largest land slough, which was apparently 10 feet high. Can you imagine that? Thoughout the entire evening, night, and morning, from my spot, I was looking right at the cliffs of the Hagerman Fossil National Monument. I headed to Ritter Island State Park. And took a trail to magnifice

                         Near Twin Falls, Idaho! Shoshone Falls is a waterfall on the Snake River in southern Idaho, United States, approximately 3 miles northeast of the city of Twin Falls. Sometimes called the "Niagara of the West," Shoshone Falls is 212 feet high—45 feet higher than Niagara Falls—and flows over a rim nearly 1,000 feet wide.   Pretty falls, and a nice stroll around with Jo Jo. I also stopped at an overlook of the Snake River.  I continued north through dry grasslands, and reached the Hagerman Fossil Beds National Monument near Hagerman, Idaho, contains the largest concentration of Hagerman horse fossils in North America. The fossil horses, for which the monument is famous, have been found in only one locale in the northern portion of the monument called the Hagerman Horse Quarry.   I stopped in briefly, to the tiny visitors center and talked to a pretty old park ranger. I wonder if its a place like this where you end up, in your career, after the excitement

On the road to Idaho! But not before stopping at a little park to view Bridal Veil Falls, right along the highway. It was a nice little paved side walk with an unbelievable amount of people for a Tuesday. The falls were a beautiful casscading pattern, which allowed people to come right up to the base. I observed one man that was about halfway up this very steep incline. Impressive, however nothing I would attempt!  Kids were splashing around in the shallow water at that the base, even though I thought it was quite chilly. After a quick stop at the grocery store, I started today's drive which took about three and a half hours. So for the last couple days I've spent a good part of it driving.  The semi arid terrain took on and even more open pastureland. There was a lot of drama with black clouds and storms all around including lightning strikes . My first directions took me off the highway down a dirt road which led to a dead end, and sadly, this destination was wire fence off!

Well I did it, I tore myself away from my special place near Red Canyon. Very soon thereafter the temperature climbed, and my drive towards Provo, Utah was somewhere in the 90°s up to 101°. This is a clean, charming town, with attention to details. I stopped in town, to CVS, to pick up some medication, and a few staples, but I wanted to head back out into cooler weather and wound up at Deer Creek State Park. The day was spent mostly driving and I was looking forward to getting out of the RV. Fortunately they had a few dry camp locations, and I was lucky enough to find one directly next to the water. Although it's up the hill, there's a trail that can take you down to the shore. The area is full of cottonwood trees, so the rustling of the leaves in the wind was quite soothing. And the best part is.... they had a nice hot shower available!