A popular walking loop leads from the Chinook Campground in the Payette National Forest, along the banks of the Sesech River to the majestic Loon Lake. We woke up early on the Sunday of Labor Day weekend to tackle the hike, which impressed us not only with its beauty, but with a fascinating piece of history hidden within the woods.
Maybe it was all the Mountain Dew we'd been drinking, but Jürgen and I woke up on Saturday morning with an unquenchable thirst for crazy action. "Dude!" I yelled at him. "Extreeeeme!" came his frenzied reply. Mouths frothing, we examined our options. Repelling in the Sawtooths? Lame. Kayaking in Hell's Canyon? Snooze-ville. But what's this? An ice cream social in historic Roseberry? Sounds like it's time to get our party shoes on!
"Which one is it going to be?" I whispered to Jürgen after the pilots had finished up their morning briefing and were beginning to mingle with the passengers. "Hopefully that guy with the handlebar moustache!" As luck would have it, it was. The awesome dude with the handlebar moustache had seen his name on the placard we were holding, and approached us. "Quinn", he said, putting his hand out. "Eric Quinn".
Idaho has no shortage of incredible hikes, and we were overwhelmed with options when choosing the destination of our first big day out. Browsing through a formidable collection of books, pamphlets and online guides, the name "Lava Lakes" popped out. The eight-mile round-trip hike in the Payette National Forest sounded perfect, promising unforgettable wilderness, sweeping views, strange geology, wildlife and solitude. And it delivered.
With a history stretching back to 1897, the Western Idaho Fair is one of the state's biggest annual celebrations. Concerts, competitions, rides, games, crazy food and an overabundance of stinking, dusty farm animals occupy the large fairground for a week on the northern end of Boise. We couldn't resist checking it out, and showed up on the fair's final day.
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.
Propped up against the Boise National Forest, and just an hour north of the capital, Lake Cascade is a convenient spot for restless city-dwellers to get their nature fix. The charming resort town of McCall crowns the northern end of the lake, while the smaller villages of Cascade and Donnelly line the east, providing an abundance of places to stay the weekend.
Since we're never on one continent for long, we don't own a car. But during our 91 days in Idaho, the ability to drive was an absolute requirement. Luckily, my parents generously let us borrow their second car. "If that's the price of having you in America", reasoned my mother, "then I suppose it's worth it". Yep, mom, that's the price. Now give me the keys.
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!
