After our moose encounter, we didn't have to wait long for Mother Nature to rear her head once more. Minutes before we entered the Snowdown Wildlife Sanctuary outside of McCall, a bald eagle swooped down from a tree and soared over the stream in front of us.
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.
We were hosting a couple friends from San Francisco for the weekend, and had promised them an easy hike -- just enough physical activity to justify soaking our bones in hot springs later in the evening. Rainbow Lake came recommended as a simple five-mile hike, just outside Cascade.
On the drive back from historic Warren, we decided to check out the Burgdorf Hot Springs. This had been an area sacred to the Nez Perce tribe, but was taken over during the gold mining days by an enterprising fellow named Fred Burgdorf. He saw the financial potential in the natural hot springs, and turned Burgdorf into one of Idaho's first resort towns.
On a whim, we decided to return to McCall from Warren by looping around the east side of the Payette Lake. We'd done the western road a few times, and wanted to see something new. And we certainly did: there, standing knee-deep in the North Fork of the Payette River, were two moose.
33 miles of paved road between Banks and Lowman constitute the Wildlife Canyon Scenic Byway. Although we didn't see any elk during our trip, they're a common sight during the winter. Along the road, there's even a turn-out with binoculars pointed at a large plain called Gallagher Flat, where they especially like to congregate.
Whether you're walking down Lake Street, driving along the Warren Wagon road, cruising by the surprisingly busy airport or sipping a cocktail while overlooking the majestic Payette Lake, one thing is never in doubt: life in McCall is pretty sweet.
We always try to visit a cemetery in the places we visit and, whether it's the baroque elegance of the Recoleta Cemetery in Buenos Aires or the haunting beauty of Savannah's Bonaventure, they often end up among our most memorable experiences. On our day trip to Idaho City, we hadn't expected to even visit one cemetery, but ended up spending time in two.
In the late 19th century, the largest city between San Francisco and Saint Louis was Idaho City -- a boomtown constructed after the discovery of gold in the Boise Basin. With a rowdy population of miners from California, Washington, Missouri and China, Idaho City was the kind of place where whiskey was cheap and lives even cheaper.
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.
