US Northwest Idaho BDR (and then some!)

[rslagle]

Crater Lake is not on the actual trail, but it passes by so close we weren't going to pass it up

we did the loop drive, had lunch at a picnic area, shared trail mix with the birds

 

[rslagle]

all the water comes from precipitation and snow runoff (44 feet of annual snowfall average), so there is no sediment in the lake, which accounts for the water clarity

and amazingly still some small patches of snow hanging around

stopped briefly at the falls

 

[rslagle]

a last few photos of the island and boaters

back on the trail, we passed a small airfield that had been set up as a firefighter encampment

 

[rslagle]

then we came to FIsh Creek and set up camp for the night

definitely one of the prettiest places we camped

 

[rslagle]

just upstream from us was an old stream gauge

it's been inactive for a while

 

[rslagle]

we passed a gaggle of wild turkeys the next morning

there was a very faint smell of smoke in the air the next morning

passing the intersection of Cow Creek Road and Cow Pie Lane, I had to wonder who names these roads?

interesting gate to this property

 

[rslagle]

nice to see the new growth taking hold

our last campsite, only 50 miles to go to the coast!

again, on a creek

 

[rslagle]

one more roaring fire....

checking out some local points of interest with a friendly neighbor

clear liquid in a jar marked "22 XXX", wonder what that could be?

what caused that tree to grow like that?

 

[rslagle]

I didn't take as many photos as I should have, but someone went to a lot of trouble to mark several miles of road, every dip, crack, pothole, and sinkhole like this

I thought that the one lane bridge was appropriate, considering that the road was pretty much one lane

END OF THE TRAIL!

 

[rslagle]

on the beach at Port Ordford

as the waves come rolling in from the Pacific

apparently, Battle Rock is kind of famous

our destination

 

[rslagle]

a couple of last things to see....
first up, the Lifeboat Museum

 

[rslagle]

and just up the road to the Cape Blanco Lighthouse

it's a bit of a walk from the parking lot to the lighthouse

 

[rslagle]

at least, it's scenic

we spring for the guided tour (a whole $2.00)

 

[rslagle]

we were a little disappointed that you couldn't go up to the top, but it's an active operational lighthouse and the lens is constantly turning, so they can't allow tourists up there around it.

 

[rslagle]

this is interesting. look closely at the photo and you can just make out a curtain hanging close to the lens.
know what it's for? I didn't. the lens rotates 24x7x365. if for any reason it should stop, someone is dispatched to the lighthouse to pull the curtain around the lens to cover it. the fresnel lens is so efficient at focusing light, the sun shining through the lens can conceivably ignite a grass fire in the area surrounding the lighthouse, so it has to be covered

after hiking back to the parking lot, we were pretty much done. we parted ways shortly after the tour and each began our long trek homeward

 

[rslagle]

I thought it appropriate to end my journey across America on the Trans America Trail at a lighthouse since that was essentially where it had begun.

 

[rslagle]

This report is only a small number of the photos I took. Many more are available to view for anyone who is interested. And you don't have to suffer the goofy commentary. Follow the instructions below to view more photos.


click on the following link:

roger.slagle@sbcglobal.net’s albums | Flickr

www.flickr.com

There are 3 new albums: Idaho Backcountry Discovery Route
Pacific Ocean Spur Trail
travel to/from Idaho BDR

click on any album,

click on the first picture, it will make it larger

you can now scroll through the photos using the arrow keys on the keyboard or by clicking on the arrows on either side of the photo

if there is a photo you would like to keep, click on the “down arrow” in the lower right corner to download the photo to your device



The album titled "travel to/from Idaho BDR" consists of places I stopped on the way to Jarbidge and on the way home from Port Ordford.

including:

the leaning tower of Texas
Skyline Drive in Canon City Colorado
Baby Doe's Matchless Mine
Golden Spike National Historic Park
Northrop Grumman Rocket Garden
Lowell Covered Bridge - built in 1907
Salt Creek Falls - Oregon's second highest single drop waterfall
the first J.C. Penny store ever built
The Fossil Cabin - a cabin built entirely of dinosaur bones
Geographic Center of the continental United States

 

[FirenzeForza4x4]

Wow. So much epicness!

 

[armyRN]

Steve and I debated back and forth over which was our favorite trail - the IDBDR or the Pacific Ocean Spur ("POS") off the TAT. I don't think we ever came to a conclusion - they were both awesome!

The IDBDR might get more press and be more well-known (since it is a BDR route), but that doesn't mean the POS was any less spectacular.

Do like we did - do them both!

If time were a factor, I think doing the POS took less time than doing the IDBDR.

I need to sit down and go through the albums rslagle put together. Thanks for posting the pictures!

 

[naysjp]

Once you sign up, please let us know who you are! Post a picture and tell us a little about yourself.

I guess I'll go first with the introductions. My name is Paul, and I've been overlanding before I really knew the term "overlanding" existed. I'm a retired Army Nurse, and currently live in SW WA. I've taken my Jeep and trailer up into Alaska and Canada more than once, been all over the country, did a lot of the TAT last summer (till my clutch started to go bad), and was a participant in FourWheeler Magazine's 2019 Overland Adventure East. I've done a lot of hard-core four wheeling in the past, but maybe I've mellowed because I've been doing much less of that, and more Overlanding.

Link: 1998 Jeep Wrangler With I-4 Engine Pulls an Overland Trailer Across North America! (fourwheeler.com)

I'll be taking my 1998 Jeep TJ and homebuilt lil' HF - based 4' trailer on this trip. I'm running the 2.5 four-cylinder engine, 5-speed tranny, with 3.5" RE lift, 4.88 gears, 33" tires (got new tires for this trip), lockers front and rear (Dana 44 rear), Warn winch, body armor, swing away spare tire carrier, and a lot of other stuff (including a new clutch and heavier flywheel). It isn't the ideal overlanding vehicle (it was built for four-wheeling and not speed), but it's what I've got.

With gas prices being high, I figured this summer we should stay closer to home (if home for you is the PNW). I've spent time in Idaho and always thought it was pretty. And since they (BDR) already have the trip mapped out with a paper and GPS route, and the TAT with the Idaho portion and POS route tracked on GPS, it just makes it too easy. Of course, my plan is to do the whole thing to the OR coast.

I still need my yearly long-trip fix. I need an adventure this year! So I'm organizing and putting this trip together, laying it all out there so you know what to expect and is expected, and opening it up for others. Hopefully you'll join me.

What comments and/or questions do you have?

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I read all of your rules and I would go on a trip with you anytime. Some people would think you are a prude but your rules keep everyone safe and the bs to a minimum.