As we enjoyed the stunning drive of Hwy 95 through lush green hills and sweeping valleys between Boise to Lewiston, we also found ourselves enjoying the history lessons along the roadside. There are many Historical Markers along this stretch of highway and a lot of history to share. We could not stop and read them all, but we did enjoy a few and followed up online for the rest. We stopped at the Historical Marker by White Bird Pass and noticed a spiraling road off in the distance.. turned out it was the old Hwy 95. In Lewiston they have another one, they call the Spiral Hwy. Fun Facts About the Spiral Hwy:
Scattered along the highway we noticed mine shafts close to the road. They were blocked off and warning signs were posted, this introduced us to a bit of the history of the area and that it was once known for mining, the rest we had to learn online. “The story of Florence is seldom told. Few visitors to the Nez Perce National Forest are even aware the site exists. Just driving through the area today, one can hardly tell there once existed a thriving mining community.” Riggins is now the “playground for the adventurous” but it was rich in history long before today’s generations discovered it. The now friendly town of Riggins was once known as “Gouge Eye” after a vicious saloon fight in which the obvious happened between a couple of rough and tumble citizens who came here in search of gold in the 1850’s. Riggins, which is now named after John Riggins, the area’s first mailman. Riggins lies between the two deepest gorges in North America and rides the banks of the Little Salmon River and the famous Salmon River, the longest free-flowing river within the lower 48 states. Adventures east take you up the Salmon River to the “River of No Return” Wilderness, a name that the Indians used to warn Lewis and Clark; and also captured the spirit of Captain Guleke’s adventures in his one-way scow trips. The gorgeous drive along Hwy 95 in Idaho was a wonderful lesson in history. As you take in the stunning view of White Bird and the valley below, you also get a lesson of the history and the battle that once took place here. The drive along Hwy 95 was stunning.
Rich in color. Rich in beauty. And, Rich in History. A quiet gem of a drive that hopefully will retain its history and its beauty. A drive that we did not know about but I am so glad we discovered.
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After a few miles, it all starts to blend together. I cWe started this RV journey in February of 2021, with two maiden journeys under our belt, we , hit the road full-time in August of 2021. We have been on the road full-time, for only a short nine months. We have driven over 20,000 miles since our journey started. And we have stayed in over fifty RV parks, Harvest Hosts, state parks, and national campgrounds in the last fifteen months.
We settled down in November, December, and January for the winter months, staying in three different RV parks for 30 days at a time, with a few short stops in between. On February 9, we left our last winter campground and we have been on the road ever since. For medical reasons we needed to return to Washington state by May so we have been slowly working our way from the southeast coast to the northwest coast. When we first hit the road, travel anxiety took its foot hold, after all, it had been three months since we had “really” traveled. We felt like newbies again. Once we got back into the routine, travel days became a little easier and being on the road is now just a way of life, again. Since we left the east coast in February…we have been to twenty-one RV parks and one host site. We visited - South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Arkansas, Tennessee, Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, California, Nevada, and Utah. When we first started our cross-country journey, we had learned our lesson about traveling hard and long days, travel fatigue set in almost immediately, so this time was to be different. We kept our travel days light, traveling around 100-175 miles. We stayed in a location for at least a few days, sometimes a week. Yet, mid-way through and about the time we hit Arizona, travel fatigue hit, again, and I started to notice that everything was blending together. I often found myself referring to my calendar to check where we were last? What was that name of that RV park we stayed at? Was it really only just a few days ago that we were at ???? I found I could not always remember some things - like the name of a park. This is not like me and it was unsettling to say the least. As I have aged memories seem harder to hang onto, to be expected I suppose. But this wasn’t just memories fading away, it was that everything we have been doing just started to blend together, like one really long memory. Memories that were just only a week old, started to feel like a lifetime ago. Life was moving too quickly. And it was always a rush onto the next memory-making adventure. I have met RVers who full-time and move at least once a week, sometimes twice a week, and have been doing this for years, I wondered - do the places they visit and the memories they made start to blend together too? On the road, life still happens and there are still deadlines to be met. Staying in one location for a lengthy amount of time is not always feasible, and not always desirable. After all, we hit the road to see the places we have always dreamed of. To experience life in a way we didn’t when staying in one spot. And to answer a longing once buried inside. It may all sometimes blend together, but I can at least say I can say I was there, even if it was only last week. |
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As we roam the roads and highways, looking for that next fantastic stop, keep track of our travels in our Airstream - Betty Jo Archives
October 2023
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