Alaska – Canada Travels 2014, DeVoto Memorial Cedar Grove, the Salmon River, and Goldbug Hot Springs, September 10th to 14th.

On our way up Highway 12 to Lola Pass we stop to take a walk in the DeVoto Memorial Cedar Grove, a forest of giant Western Red Cedars. There’s no one here and we can stand for a moment in their eternity, listening to the voices of the creatures that live here and smelling the clean, mossy, damp air in their shadows. This is an inland rain forest and some trees are 3,000 years old.

The DeVoto Memorial Cedar Grove.

A lovely walk through the grove.

Jim takes the measurement of a tree.

A council of trees..

Jim pops out of an old stump.

At Lola Pass is a visitor center with a Lewis and Clark exhibit. Their expedition camped here as they explored their way west through the Bitterroot Mountains. Didn't get any photos here. Mists and rains moved in.

We make a side trip to Missoula, MT to resupply then journey south on Highway 93.

A view of the Salmon River from our camp at Newland.

We camp a couple nights at Newland Forest Service Campground along the Salmon River on Forest Road 030 and had a nice 32-mile bike ride. We see a single Bighorn yew along the road.

We take a bike ride on Forest Road 030 along the Salmon River.

We see a young Bighorn yew along the road.

Me and yew.

The Salmon River along Forest Road 030.

The Lewis & Clark Expedition also passed this way as they explored routes through the Bitterroots but had to turn back when the Salmon River became impassable in the deep canyons.

The next day we hike to Goldbug Hot Springs along Highway 93 north of Challis, ID. The spring is up high in the notch in the middle of the photo. It seems like an odd place for a hot spring.

It's a 2+ mile hike and about a 1400 ft. climb to the springs. The misty, steamy water cascades into terraced pools in a steep ravine. The pools below the source get progressively cooler so you can pick your temperature. These are the best and most interesting hot springs we've been to.

Goldbug Hot Springs is in the notch up the canyon.

One of the hot spring sources.

Hot water cascades into pools in the ravine.

Every pool has a view.

Hot waterfalls fill the lower pools.

Inviting pools. 

Our infinity pool.

We’re on our way to Boise and have 3 days to get there so we’ll enjoy the sights as we travel the scenic route through the Salmon River Mountains on Highway 75 to Stanley.

To get to Boise we take Highway 21 along the South Fork of the Payette River and over scenic mountains on the Ponderosa Pine Scenic Byway.

Our last camp before we reach Boise is at Bad Bear, a nice 5-site Forest Service campground. We’re the only ones there with the exception of a Red Squirrel who objects to our occupancy under his tree. He drops pine cones down on our rig and comes down to a low branch to scold us.

A Red Squirrel drops pine cones on our rig and scolds us for camping under his tree.
We're such an inconveniences.

Our next stop is Boise to have some warranty work done on the Sprinter and visit the Peregrine Fund, World Center for Birds of Prey.

Until next time.
Jackie