These red-bodied, green-headed Sockeye (or Kokanee) Salmon were just one of the unexpected things we saw during our first month Idaho. Every day, the state seems to be scouring its shelves, finding bizarre new curiosities for our camera. Here are some of the best pictures we've taken over the past month.
For the first time in half a year, we were living in a place with a fully-equipped kitchen, and were finally able to cook at home. So we didn't eat out a lot during our month in Cascade. But occasionally, we felt like letting someone else do the work. For such a small town, there are quite a few good dining options in Cascade. Here are our favorites.
In business for 27 seasons, Cascade Raft & Kayak is the largest whitewater company operating on the Payette River. They had invited us out for a day of rafting, and I had just assumed that my parents -- who had come up from Ohio for a short visit -- would be content to wait around and read a book while we got wet. Nope! Although my dad had to sit out due to the flu, he only did so very reluctantly. And my mom didn't hesitate at all.
In 2001, the Boise Cascade Sawmill ceased operations. It had been the largest employer in Cascade and its closure forebode a grim future for the tiny valley town. But Cascade refused to abandon hope; instead, it took a good look at the incredible nature surrounding it, and decided to give itself a makeover. There was no reason this former lumber town couldn't become a tourist destination.
Idaho has more usable hot springs than any other state in the union, and many of them are found on public land, which means that they're free to access. Quite a few can be found around Cascade, so we decided to go hot-spring-hopping one sunny Saturday morning.
After 91 busy days spent in the South Korean metropolis of Busan, we were ready for something completely different. So I grabbed a thesaurus and flipped to the "K" section. It's a strange and little-known fact, but it turns out that the antonym of "Korea" is "Idaho". Exact opposites. And just like that, our next destination was set!
