Explore the journey — one trail, museum, meal, and memory at a time.
Fall in Idaho’s Sawtooth Mountains
I left Hailey expecting a two hour drive to Stanley, but the Sawtooths had other plans. I kept stopping for mountain views, patches of brilliant fall aspens and photographs as the road climbed into the Sawtooth National Recreation Area. At Redfish Lake, I spent a windy evening along the shore photographing White crowned Sparrows and discovered something unexpected about how closely birds watch our eyes. As darkness approached, I found a quiet place in the National Forest overlooking the Salmon River and settled in for the night.
Sun Valley Idaho Bike Ride
After a quiet night at Craters of the Moon, I drove into the Wood River Valley and noticed a bike trail running beside the road. A sign in Bellevue said Sun Valley was 18 miles away, which gave me an idea. A few hours later I was riding the Wood River Trail through Hailey, Ketchum and Sun Valley, following an old railroad corridor through golden hills and changing aspens. The ride turned into a lesson in the valley’s mining, railroad and skiing history, and the day ended with more than 150 elk feeding in a field near Hailey.