It's About the (RV) Journey....: More beautiful country

Heading over the mountains to Idaho, along the scenic 191 through Montana into West Yellowstone, we hit some really bad rainy weather. The road would have been beautiful had we not been in a torrential downpour. To make matters even worse, the road construction was a little dicey-and very close to the river! Yikes!

very poor road conditions

scary road conditions, right next to a roaring river

pulled over to check the camper...thought we had a leak, but thankfully, no

weather and road starting to get better now

better weather ahead

By the time we got to our campground, the weather had cleared. Yeah! The campsite is nice and quiet...in a beautiful location. The view out our bedroom window is now of a snow-covered mountain top. Again, the wildflowers are just beautiful...all seem to be blooming at once. The flowers are interspersed among the sagebrush. Really nice.

close to the campground now

not much longer

enjoying lunch in our new "backyard"

nice scenery here!

Though we are not too far from Yellowstone, there are so many beautiful things right here in Island Park, Idaho that we want to explore. Our first excursion in the area was to Big Springs and the Johnny Sack Cabin. The springs produce over 120 million gallons of water per day, which feeds the Snake River, and is one of the largest natural springs in the world. The spring water is a constant 52 degrees F, which can actually be warmer than the air temperature. The water is crystal clear. For more information on this, as well as other area attractions, click here.

Big Spring

feeds the Snake River

Crystal clear water

Guess what we saw? White pelicans! Only one had a small nob on its beak, like the ones we spotted in Minnesota a couple of months ago. We watched them fish for a few minutes....they were so graceful and really do work together to get a meal!

didn't we just see you guys in Minnesota?

Johnny Sack's cabin/water wheel is located here on the Springs, and is one of the most photographed sites in Island Park. Johnny was a German immigrant, leased some land from the United States Forest Service, and built a beautiful log cabin in 1929. The craftsmanship is extraordinary, and the attention to detail is apparent. After touring the house, I have to say that it does not look 85 years old! The floor is amazing-it is a log cabin design, and is in such superb shape. The entire house is. Its the original. The houses of today certainly can't seem to compare to the quality of this house! This little adventure brought back fond memories of Tom's father.

Johnny Sack's house

check out that gorgeous floor!

everything is in such good shape...check out the walls!

chair, pipestand, and lamp all hand-crafted by Johnny

the chair was really comfy too (the docent told me to sit in it to try it out)

one of two bedrooms upstairs

The Upper and Lower Mesa Falls were not far away. We traveled along a scenic by-way and enjoyed wildflowers (I know....but we are not spoiled by them yet!) and anglers fishing in the vibrant rivers.

I know....more flowers

so pretty

Henry's Fork of the Snake River - Anglers

where are we going?

scenic byway to the Mesa Falls

The falls were a little treasure! We visited the Upper Falls first. The land around was so green...and the scent of pine very strong. So so nice! There was a visitor center and boardwalk, with lots of stairs, that took us close to the Upper Falls. For more information, click here.

Upper Falls-see the rainbow?

River flowing from Upper Falls

Upper Falls

The Lower Falls were a short drive away. The view was a little more distant...no boardwalks at this part of the falls. Very nice and peaceful though. A good spot for lunch! Haha.

Lower Falls

Lower Falls viewpoint

On the way back to the campground, we could see the west side of the Tetons. This mountain range is magnificent, and one of Tom's favorites. We will be spending lots of time in the Tetons this summer.

The Tetons!

Another view of the Tetons

We also drove through parts of the Targhee National Forest on the way home (a really scenic ride!) and spotted trumpeter swans from a distance. Even the lily pads were blooming. We are just loving all the flowers. Haha.

Trumpeter swans

Our nearest actual food store is about 30 or more miles away, but there is a little food store in the Chevron Station about 5 miles away. The food is actually pretty fresh...fruits, veggies, meats....which was a pleasant surprise. This area is so peaceful and picturesque. We are enjoying life in the slow lane!