Sunday 10/30

Reluctantly we left Boise Monday 10/24. On our way out of town I made my obligatory monthly stop for a blood draw at Boise’s St. Luke’s Medical Center. A feature of the free-and-easy life on the road. Every time I need routine tests, it takes extra time. Because I’m an out-of-towner I’m “not in their system,” so I need to register as a new patient before I can get in line for the actual service needed. Another first world problem. The hospital visit finished and groceries restocked in the rig, we headed for Stanley, Idaho and Redfish Lake. True to our intrepid philosophy (never take a good road when you can take a back road), we drove on Idaho Rte 22 through isolated, beautiful mountain landscapes and lonesome outposts (Want to buy a hot springs resort? This one's for sale).

Our route took us into and through Sawtooth National Recreation Area at elevations ranging from 5,000 to 7,000 feet. No traffic on these roads—we saw maybe 3 or 4 other cars in 130 miles. But along the way, Elk! We glimpsed them too late to avoid them had they been coming our way, but they were scampering away from the road. Apparently not the challenging type of elk that attacks vehicles, as warned by Tommy the mechanic in Ukiah.

After about 4 hours driving from Boise we finally reached Stanley, gateway to the Sawtooth, population 43. We forged onward toward our final destination for the day, Redfish Lake Campgrounds. Soon before arriving at Redfish Lake we had impressive views of the snowcapped Sawtooth Range as darkness fell.

We arrived after dark, and camped on Redfish Lake at Sockeye Campground. It’s very popular in season, but in this “shoulder season” we were in one of only two occupied campsites. The next morning we explored the closed-for-the-season Redfish Lake Lodge. The lake itself is one of those beautiful turquoise glacier-fed lakes that we’ve seen before on this trip. The lodge looks like a great place to stay in the summer – maybe a spot for a family reunion, with its log cabins, campgrounds, boats for rent, swimming areas, etc.

Leaving Redfish Lake and Stanley, we drove on Route 75 past the headwaters of the Salmon River, which starts as a little stream near Stanley and builds to a mighty river coursing 425 miles through Idaho, joining the Snake. Our route passed several gold and silver mining towns all of which seem to have thrived briefly between 1879 and 1889. Rte 75 took us over Galena Pass where we encountered a mini blizzard, past Galena Lodge (closed), to Ketchum and Sun Valley.

Visiting the Sun Valley area we were on four separate quests. We wanted to find a primitive, isolated, beautiful place to camp. I was interested in the Sun Valley Lodge, because I had stayed there with my parents almost exactly 60 years ago and had a couple of vivid memories of that visit. Kate was interested in information and sights related to Ernest Hemingway, who wrote "For Whom the Bell Tolls" at Sun Valley Lodge, and who loved the area. And especially we wanted to visit with Kate’s dear friend Judith, who lives in neighboring Hailey, Idaho.

In Ketchum, a mile down the road from Sun Valley, we visited Ernest Hemingway's grave at the town cemetery. Lots of coins, rocks, and pens have been deposited on the grave marker as mementos. Kate herself added a rock (just above the "M" in Hemingway). Hemingway lived in Ketchum off and on for much of his adult life. He's buried next to his wife Mary and his son Jack under a stand of pines.

On our way to find a campsite, we stopped just past the Sun Valley resort at the Ernest Hemingway Memorial, a lovely spot overlooking a stream and the landscape he loved. Kate left another rock for Ernest.

We camped that night in a disbursed camping area (meaning primitive – no reservations, no water or electricity, just a place to park or put up a tent) on Forest Service land in Sun Valley. Not at Sun Valley Lodge, where I rightfully belong. Our campsite was at Corral Creek, several miles down a deserted dirt road, with a view of snowcapped peaks surrounding the valley. Very nice, but not Sun Valley Lodge.   Kate says of Sun Valley Lodge, "Those are not our people." But I believe I'd feel very much at home there, rubbing elbows with celebrities. I say this as a documented humble person and long time Powerball participant. Of course the campsite was free...

In the spirit of our ongoing education program about the untethered life on back roads, a few more words about temperature. The outdoor temperature at our Corral Creek campsite in the clear-skied morning was a brisk 33 degrees. Despite the excellent and economical heating system available to us in the rig, the maximum inside temperature allowed by She Who Must Be Obeyed is down to 52 degrees, with the window wide open for fresh air. The bathroom, however, has its own dedicated heating vent. Inasmuch as the bathroom comprises an area of about five square feet and has no windows opened for fresh air, it's warm. Men of a certain age tend to frequent the bathroom during cold nights and mornings. I like to think of it as my roadie man cave.

We woke up bright and early and took a walk up the dirt road. Several hunters had passed on the road even before we got up, and we encountered a couple of them on our walk. Literally a couple -- a husband and wife from Boise, scanning the hillside with binoculars looking for deer. We chatted for a while; we were mostly interested in deer hunting, they were mostly interested in our rig, which they had admired when they passed by earlier. Everybody likes our rig.

Later we stopped at Sun Valley Lodge, where I stayed with my parents 60 years ago. My only vivid memories of that visit were the ice skating rink at the lodge -- it's still there and looks just the same -- and a photo gallery of celebrities and world leaders who had been guests there. The Lodge opened in 1936, and has hosted tons of famous dignitaries and celebrities ever since. This is a resort of the type to which I could easily become accustomed. There are Olympic pools, saunas, spas, tennis courts, horseback rides, ski slopes, and of course the outdoor ice skating rink -- all in a stunningly beautiful setting. Sergeants at arms (or maybe they're bell persons) stand at attention to hold the door open for you. Even if you're not sure you want to enter, you sort of feel obliged. The interior features tons of rich mahogany, marble, plush carpeting, finely wrought detail. As I remembered, hallways adjacent to the reception area are hung with photos of the rich, famous, and prominent who have spent time at the Lodge. Ingrid Bergman, Hemingway, Gary Cooper, Harry Truman, Marilyn Monroe, Bobby Kennedy, Louis Armstrong, Bruce Willis(!), Warren Buffet.

Bobby Kennedy

Earl Holding and Bruce Willis

Hemingway in the Hemingway Suite

Jamie Lee Curtis & Janet Leigh

Joe Burgy & Harry Truman

Louis Armstrong

Marilyn Monroe

If you have time, you can google the likes of Henry Hathaway, Joe Burgy, and Earl Holding. All were prominent, well known, and accomplished in their day, but since forgotten (at least by me).

We had a tasty and elegant lunch at the Lodge. Each of us had the tomato bisque with lunch. It was good, but Kate thought the version served at the employee mess hall in Newhalem, where we ate as Debbie's guests, was better. The mess hall version was a lot cheaper, too. Hanging around the Lodge for a while, we decided "our people" are the people who work there, not the people who stay there.

While leaving Ketchum we hunted for Hemingway's home, now owned by the Nature Conservancy. Couldn't find it -- it's not open to the public.

So instead we went on to Bellevue, Idaho to look for Hemingway’s favorite sporting venue at Silver Creek Preserve. The area has been preserved by the Nature Conservancy and is as unspoiled as when Hemingway came here to fish and to hunt duck. The stream supports an enormous concentration of insects (which the fish like a lot), and there are more than 6,000 fish per mile. Lots of fishermen come there from all over the world to try to land one of the elusive trout. It’s strictly catch-and-release, though. You can’t take them with you. One angler landed an 18-inch trout before my eyes.

Beside the creek is a simple, beautiful Hemingway Memorial. The Conservancy cabin on a hill overlooking the stream commands a view of sweeping Idaho vistas. 

After visiting Silver Creek we made our way to Hailey to visit Judith. Kate has known Judith almost 60 years, since Kate was a young teenager in Los Gatos. For a few years after Kate’s mother was severely and permanently injured in a car crash, Judith became almost a second mother to Kate. 

Judith lives in a wonderful house in Hailey, a few miles from Ketchum and Sun Valley. Her property has stables and horse corrals. The house is large and elegant throughout, commanding views of distant snowy peaks and closer rolling hills (that also become snow-covered in winter). At 83, Judith still cares for her horses (one is her own, one is stabled for a friend) and feeds them twice a day. Judith’s horse, Dulcinea, is a beautiful Peruvian Paso with a very distinctive pacing gait. On most days Judith goes riding with her friend for 3 or 4 hours.

During our stay Kate and Judith spent a lot of time catching up and reminiscing, but we also found time to dine out in two of the many good restaurants in the area, attend an avant-garde and virtually unintelligible play, work out in a very fancy fitness club (thank you, Silver Sneakers), and hang out with Judith while she attended to the horses and her terrific dog Lola. The Sun Valley area offers year-round activities of interest including several festivals (writer’s conference, two film festivals, Nordic festival, jazz festival, summer symphony series, etc.) in addition to skiing, hiking, and great restaurants. Judith has invited us to come for another, longer visit whenever we want, and we’re definitely planning to take her up on it.