Tag Archives: Challis

A Layover Day at the Challis Hot Springs Campground, Challis, ID

Homeward Bound Day 11: Saturday, April 27, 2019

When I pulled in to the campground yesterday afternoon I was surprised way beyond my expectations. I had been expecting this campground would be a few RV sites with minimal hookups located at a semi-industrial area with big metal cargo containers, dumpsters and other heavy duty equipment. But that was weeks ago when making my reservation.

Wow! What a contrast between the real thing and my imagination. The campground is located on a country road a few miles out of town. The main building and registration office is nestled against a high bluff along with a couple of auxiliary buildings, one of which is for family gatherings and events such as weddings. Other buildings include a bath house and the hot springs pools plus what appears to be a vintage cabin of the early 1800s. A few ancient farm tools also are scattered about.

Behind the old cabin was a pretty little stream running clear and pure between the bluff and the office building. So I took a bit of time taking what I hoped would be a nice photo of the scene.
RV sites are located down by the Salmon River.
The RV sites are down by the Salmon River nestled under the trees and each site provides, water, electricity, picnic tables and fire pits. There is plenty of room between sites and the grass covered grounds invite various kinds of games for children young and old.

Set Up My RV Down by the River

My site was a pull through located just across the dirt road from the river and I enjoyed all the privacy one might want. Annie, too, liked the fresh green grass.
RV and Jeep all hooked up at Challis Hot Springs Campground.
I was so taken by the campground that shortly after hooking up my RV I walked back up to the office and registered for a second night as I decided that today would be a layover day of relaxing and a little computer time for email and Facebook and to edit photos. After a walk to take more photos of the campground, Annie and I decided to take an afternoon nap.

I was exhausted from my travels and felt that a nap in this beautiful spot was very much needed. After 30 minutes or so, I woke to discover water all over the RV floor. Temporarily confused by the unexpected sight, I then saw that water was poring from the tap into the sink and flowing over onto the floor. The water had been running the entire time I was napping. How? I don’t know. Can’t believe I forgot to turn it off but I must have forgotten. There also were puddles outside the RV on both sides.

Before I could do anything, I had to get rid of the water. But my holding tanks were full and that’s why the water was overflowing onto my floor. Unfortunately, there are no dump facilities at the RV sites so I had to figure out another way to get rid of the water. My first thought was to bail out the sink with a bucket. I gave it a try and then realized I had to drive my rig back toward the office where the park sewer dump was located. So I unhooked from the electrical box and water supply and drove back to the dump location and emptied my tanks. Then back to my site and hook up again to begin the cleanup.

Water had gotten into my cabinets under the sink and I had to empty them and dry them out. That meant putting all the contents on the small floor and tiptoeing around them as I cleaned up the mess.

Water also had run over to the opposite side of the coach interior and down into storage compartments below. So I had to empty those storage compartments as well, survey any damage and dry them out. Water also had gotten into the compartment where my coach batteries are stored so I had to soak up that water and air out the compartment. Then, I discover the electrical outlets over my sink and stove were not working. Those outlets are powered by shore power are the ones I use for making coffee and lattes.

I opened the electrical panel and flipped all the circuit breakers hoping that would solve the problem. Not so! Then I thought the outage might have been caused by a blown fuse. Great! Now I have to learn all about fuses and my electrical panel. What fuse goes to what circuit? Also the outside temperature was beginning to drop and I needed to run my two space heaters since I’m running low on propane. After cleaning everything up and stashing cooking gear and so forth back into drawers and cabinets I turned on the computer to do a little work. But that tripped the circuits and I had no heat while using the computer.

Fortunately, my brain kicked into high gear and I tried one more thing: that was to check the GFI button (Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter device) on the bathroom outlet, assuming it is on the same circuit as the kitchen outlets. I did, and it was. I reset the GFI and restored power to the outlets. Yeah! I breathed a big sigh of relief that I had not damaged the electrical circuits.
The Salmon River at Challis Hot Springs Campground.
By then it was time for dinner, a walk by the river, more photography, a bit of reading and off to bed for a good night’s sleep.

Twin Falls, Idaho to Challis, Idaho

Homeward Bound Day Ten: Friday, April 26, 2019

I woke to a certain amount of excitement and anticipation of today’s drive for this one is a favorite that I have driven several times. The drive is a favorite because it follows two beautiful rivers born of streams flowing from Galena Summit and the nearby mountain ranges. One is the Big Wood River, which flows south from Galena Summit; the other is the Salmon River, which flows north from Galena Summit.

Galena Summit, a mountain pass crossed by Highway 75 at an elevation of 8,701 feet (2,560 meters), is the highest highway mountain pass in the Northwest and is about 30 miles northwest of Ketchum and Sun Valley.

Why State Route 75

The Snake River
The drive begins by following US 93 across the bridge overlooking the Snake River at Twin Falls, ID and continues north to Shoshone, ID. At Shoshone, one has a couple of options. One can either continue northeast on US 93/US 26 to the little town of Arco and follow 93 on to Challis, ID. The other option is to continue due north on Idaho State Route 75 from Shoshone to Challis. State Route 75 formerly was US 93, but the US 93 designation was moved to a highway to the east which formerly was US 93 Alternate and runs through the Lost River Valley.

Soon after crossing the bridge I was subjected to a strong cross wind and judging by the outstretched US flags flying at service stations on both sides of the highway, the wind was blowing 25 to 30 miles per hour. The high winds persisted all the way to Ketchum, Idaho.


I take SR 75 because I enjoy passing through the small towns of Bellevue, Hailey and Ketchum. All three are nice small towns within themselves and feature good restaurants and provide services for the outdoor oriented traveler. They also, to a degree, serve and support the famous Sun Valley ski area including the Sun Valley Resort, which was made famous by Ernest Hemingway in the late 1930s. That’s where he finished his novel, For Whom the Bell Tolls. He was a frequent part time resident for many years and eventually relocated to Ketchum. The resort also, for generations, has been the winter playground for Hollywood celebrities.

As I said, I usually just pass through the towns so I can experience the enjoyment of the world class scenery of clear running rivers, expansive evergreen forests, and towering mountains. As I continued north from Ketchum my mind was on Galena Summit at an elevation of 8,701 feet and wondering if it was closed or not and wondering if all those dark clouds were dumping snow on the pass even if it was open. If it were closed, I would have a heck of a time turning my RV around on a two lane highway.

Fortunately, not long after passing Ketchum, I saw a sign saying Galena Summit was open and then saw another with the same message as I continued climbing toward the Summit. By “climbing”, I mean the steady 3,500 ascent from Ketchum to the Galena Summit.

Splendid Views of Snow Capped Peaks and the Sawtooth VAlley

Once over the summit I drove about a mile and pulled over and parked my RV at the Galena Overlook, elevation 8,400 feet, which has been renamed and now is known as the Bethine and Frank Church Overlook. (Bethine and Frank were very active in Idaho politics and Frank Church served as a US Senator for 24 years.)
Galena Summit Pullout
After parking, I put Annie’s leash on her and we stepped out of the RV and walked over to the overlook to take in the views, but not without incident. I had to walk across two to three feet of snow between the bare highway and the viewing area. As soon as I stepped foot onto the snow I sunk up to my thighs, pitched forward and face planted on the snow while holding my camera in one hand and Annie’s leash in the other. I finally worked my way out of the predicament and managed to reach the three-foot high rock wall that hopefully prevents visitors from tumbling off the mountain pass into the timbered depths below.

We stood there for some time taking in the splendid views of the surrounding mountain ranges and the sprawling Sawtooth Valley lying far below. The valley runs for some 30 miles and is surrounded by the Sawtooth Mountains to the west, the White Cloud Mountains to the east and the Salmon River Mountains to the north. Lying directly below the pullout is the source of the Salmon River, the major, and longest, tributary flowing into the Snake River.

Leaving the pullout we drove down into the valley and drove on into the town of Stanley. I stopped a couple of times to photograph the Salmon River against the backdrop of ranches in the foreground and towering mountains in the background. We then proceeded on and followed the Salmon River with its many twists and turns into the town of Challis, Idaho and out destination for the night at the Challis Hot Springs Campground.