The Long Way Home – Back to Las Vegas
/Ending our 2020 Pandemic Road Trip has been difficult to do. We’ve been out and about on the road for nearly three months, in the national forests, biking rail-trails, hiking… enjoying the freedom, relaxation and time together that road trips promise and deliver. But, it was time to return to our home base. Rushing, however, is not in our vocabulary. We’re slow travelers and reckoned we still had a few days to wend our way back the ~1,000 miles to Las Vegas.
After the Route of the Hiawatha ride, we headed to Missoula and spent a night in a hotel… and then another do-nothing, lethargic day and night at the same hotel. We barely summoned up enough energy to walk a couple of miles on Missoula’s Riverfront Trail on the banks of the Clark Fork River. It was so easy to stretch out on the comfy king size bed, snack, watch the news, watch a movie. We just seemed to need a lazy, catch-up day to re-energize and we relished the leisure.
We walked a couple of miles on the Missoula GART before heading to Challis, Idaho the next morning. Maybe next time we’d ride this section. We also noted the 51-mile Bitterroot Bike Trail between Missoula and Hamilton, Montana which ran parallel to our route on US-93 through quaint little towns and hamlets. We planned to keep this route in mind, too. So much to do and so little time.
The Cottonwood Campground in the Salmon-Challis National Forest lies along the Salmon River. The campsites are well-laid out, beautifully groomed and capacious with most under the shade of large cottonwood trees.
The bikes were still caked with dried mud and lime from our ride on the Route of the Hiawatha.
We hadn’t had the chance to wash our filthy bikes after riding the Route of the Hiawatha. They were all caked with dry mud and lime from the multiple tunnels and puddles we’d ridden through. David attacked them ASAP with jugs of fresh water from the river and a spray bottle. They were soon, somewhat presentable again.
Enjoying the Cottonwood Campground on the banks of the Salmon River.
We sat on the banks of the Salmon River that evening, sipped a cold beer and admired the natural beauty of our surroundings. A light breeze rustled the cottonwood leaves. The river moved smoothly and swiftly past us forming eddies in the nooks and crannies along the irregular shoreline. Birds chirped and a hawk screeched somewhere in the sky above us. In the far distance, thunder rumbled, but the sky told us were were safe for the time being. Life can be so good.
The Peaks to Craters Scenic Byway wends its way through canyons along the Salmon River and ends at Craters of the Moon National Monument.
It seemed a shame to leave our pristine site along the river, but we needed to move on. Traveling along US-93 in this part of Idaho is absolutely gorgeous. The Peaks to Craters Scenic Byway led us through colorful, steep-faced, rugged canyons and then directly to Craters of the Moon National Monument. We’d visited this park before. It was closed, of course, and after a quick pit stop, we moved on.
We stopped in Twin Falls, Idaho to check out the I.B. Perrine Memorial Bridge. This 486’ high bridge is the only manmade structure in the USA that allows BASE jumping year round without a permit. That means you can parachute off the top to the Snake River below if you’re game. Near here is also the mile wide span over the Snake River that Evil Knievel attempted to jump across (and failed) back in 1974. Very interesting stuff plus they had a nice restroom.
Entering Cave Lake State Park just south of Ely, NV
Las Vegas’ triple digit temps were not appealing. Perhaps, we could delay our return just a little longer and seek a cooler respite for a couple of days. We decided to head to northern Nevada’s high desert. We have a Nevada State Park Senior Pass which allows us free entry and camping at all Nevada state parks. We’d visited several parks in the past, but Cave Lake State Park was new to us. At 7000’ altitude, we were assured of cooler temps. There are two campgrounds in the park and we decided on the Lake View CG to spend the final days of our 2020 road trip.
The Lake View Campground was lovely. We set up the screened canopy for more shade.
The campground was situated high on a hill overlooking Cave Lake, surrounded by the Schell Creek Mountains. Our campsite was spacious and nestled midst pinyon pine and stringy barked juniper, the blue-gray juniper berries clustered thickly on the ends of the boughs. Bright yellow rabbit brush added distinct color to the high desert greens and browns. Unfortunately, and understandably, no fires were permitted. No matter, we could cook on our little Coleman propane stove. The upside of flush toilets, hot showers, cool temps and the beautiful natural surroundings far outweighed the lack of an evening campfire.
Blue-green water of the Cave Lake
Once camp was set up, we ventured down the hill to check out Cave Lake. Its blue-green waters shimmered and sparkled in the sunlight. The temp was warm, but far from sweltering. It would definitely be a pleasant place to spend our last road trip days.
We had gained an hour when crossed from Idaho into Nevada. We had changed our watches, but were pretty oblivious to the time change until we woke at 0400 and wondered why it was so dark. We brewed coffee and waited for sunrise. It was a lovely day of leisurely short walks along the lake shore. Folks were swimming, paddle-boarding, fishing and canoeing in the lake. The park is adjacent to the Humboldt National Forest and the landscape and climate are typical of the area known as the Great Basin. Once the sun set in the evenings, the temp quickly dropped from the mid-80s to the 60s, 50s and settled for the night in the high 40s. Cold mornings, but great sleeping weather.
We were awake early again and actually managed to get up and out while it was still cool. There are several hikes in the area and David chose the Cave Lake Overlook Trail for our day’s outing. This 4.5 mile trail (6.5 miles by my reckoning including to and from the campsite) is listed as ‘strenuous’ (and yes, it was!). The well-trodden, well-maintained hard-packed dirt path was rugged, rocky, and in parts, quite root-bound.
The views from the top of the trail were worth the effort.
We climbed and climbed up the mountainside... an average 12% grade. David used the AllTrails app to apprise us of the path ahead... elevation gains/losses, switchbacks, direction. There was lots of panting, huffing, puffing and ‘catch-our-breath’ breaks. At the highest point of the trail ~8,300’, a sturdy, shaded bench was a most welcome sight. The views below made all the effort of getting there worthwhile.
The hike down was unexpectedly just as slow as the climb up with narrow, steep, loose dirt and rock descents and switchbacks that kept us alert for slipping and sliding off the trail’s edge. It would be a long, long way to tumble down. We weren’t disappointed to be back at camp again. Sitting at last in our camp chairs and chugging down cold Gatorades was refreshing and well-deserved. (Oh, no, we’re out of beer!)
We spent the afternoon planning and making lists of what needed to be done at home and their priorities: chores, Blue work, appointments, business issues. We each had our specific list of to-dos. Once the work-part of the lists was completed, we began the fun part… planning what comes next. We fear Europe and most foreign travel will be out of the question well in 2021 and beyond. We’ve found, however, there’s plenty to keep us amused and occupied right here in the USA.
It’s time to make the final trip home. Next time, we’ll share what we considered the highlights of the 2020 Pandemic Road Trip and maybe provide some insight as to where we think we’ll be heading next. Join us!