Ride Ray Ride: Riding the Sawtooth Mountains - Stanley and Sun Valley Idaho

I had intended to ride in the mountains east of Boise but after getting here I discovered that Boise is not very attractive and the roads heading up into the mountains were not conducive to good riding due to the narrow winding roads and the almost reckless manner in which people drive on them so I played it safe and explored it by car and headed on to the Sawtooth Range east of there. On the way, I found a hot spring next to the road to bath in and it had no odor so common to hot springs so I felt refreshed afterward and moved on eastward until I came to Stanley Idaho which thanks to government investment in partnership with a communications company had the only cell signal for 100 miles. I found a free camp site in the forest above the town and set up a base to explore from. I didn't want to move south right away due to numerous rain showers there and in the forecast for the next week. I decided to enjoy the clear weather until the rains moved north and then head south into them.

My bath tub with 110 degree water on a 70 degree day.

The following day I rode to Redfish Lake and down the road south of there. This area seems ideal for exploring by horseback with a wide variety of landscape, numerous trails and plentiful water. It was a beautiful ride and made me grateful to be out west. I find I prefer it to the forests of the east which are beautiful but in a closed in way that hides itself.

The next day I stayed in camp and worked on plans and made calls. The forest and the creek running next to my camp made it a very pleasant office and though it got down to 30 at night, it made it into the 70s by day and the sun felt warm even in the 40s. This area is at around 6,000 feet of elevation. I haven't felt quite myself for a few days now and I fear I may have eaten or drank something that is causing me a bit of a problem. If I wasn't riding I might not notice any but a few of my symptoms but will continue to monitor it and hope for the best.

The following day the rains arrived at 5:30 am so I was ready and had only to slam my camp into the car at the first sprinkles so as to avoid packing up a wet camp. It is very convenient to be able to check the radar when I wake in the middle of the night to check the rain's progress and know what to expect. I had been tracking it for days so I had gotten everything but my tent and bedding ready the night before and went to bed early with the expectation that the rain would arrive just before dawn. The rain was still spotty and I headed south through the sawtooth to Ketchum/Sun Valley where I planned to catch a shower and keep heading south.

When I got to Ketchum I stopped in at a bike shop and chatted with the owner about where the best riding was and where I could find a shower. He told me of some nice roads and trails and how to find the Y. When I pulled up at the Y, the sun was out and the radar showed no rain nearby so at the last minute I jumped on my bike and took a really beautiful ride. I got in 42 miles before the storms started to form nearby and right after I got the bike put up, it started raining while I was taking my shower. I was grateful to have sneaked in a ride but I'm still not up to snuff energy wise. It's hard to separate all my symptoms from the altitude I'm riding at but I do know that something still isn't right.

I really enjoyed he trail system and there is a total of 70 miles of it in addition to some great roads that head up into the mountains. I had hoped to ride into the part of the forest that burned this summer. The towns at that time were threatened and were saved by the DC10 that dumped fire retardant on the valleys near the towns. Perhaps more important was the fact that the area adjacent to the town had burned six years ago while most of the 114,000 acres that burned hot and out of control had not burned for over a hundred years. The powerful storms that popped up right after I ended my ride kept me from exploring that last part of my planned route.

I grabbed some groceries and gas and headed on south out of the Sawtooth Mountains. The drive out was beautiful. I love big sky country, especially with a bit of weather to show it off.