Cowpokes

When the day dawned, I finally got to see what this area we spent so much time driving into looked like.  The map said we were next to Fish Creek Reservoir, but it appears this reservoir is nearly empty, save for a small puddle at the bottom.  There is a dam across the way from us but it is sticking way out of the water.  The boat ramp branches from the parking area where we camped, but ends a few hundred feet from the water.

I heard a quad go tearing by on the road just after I got up and then I heard the lowing of cattle as Deb was taking a shower.  Looking out the window, there were a few hundred head of cattle being herded by the guy on the quad, many of them clumping their way right next to the RV.  I never dreamed I would be stuck in the middle of a cattle drive.

We left our spot just after the last strays had disappeared around the bend in the road.  We caught up to a bunch of cows and had to slow down for a few on the road, and even herded a few of them in the right direction with our RV.

You’re welcome.

Ten miles of dirt road and twenty miles of pavement brought us back to Craters of the Moon National Monument.  This is known for its vast expanse of lava rock and volcanic activity, which gives a very other-worldly look and was avoided by early explorers including Lewis and Clark because it appears so desolate.

In terms of anything volcanic, this place has it all, including cinder cones, craters, frozen lava flows, lava tube caves, and the like.  We climbed a cinder cone, hiked amongst some huge craters, and peered into some of the lava tube caves.  Most of the time, we were just hiking on either loose black volcanic gravel or large flows of former lava.

We debated staying here for another night. This area is designated an international dark sky park and it is great for star viewing.  We stood outside last night at the reservoir and gazed at the stars for a while.  With no lights anywhere near, we could plainly see the Milky Way and so many other stars that are obliterated by the light pollution where we live.  So cool.

Deb and I are reading through Genesis and just finished the account of Abraham.  If God would have promised him offspring that numbered like the stars in the sky in our day, he would have looked up in the sky, counted the several dozen stars he could make out, and would have been somewhat impressed.  However, the entire earth was a dark sky area in his day, so it appeared much like we could see last night, where the sky was ablaze with countless stars.

And he brought him outside and said, “Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” And he believed the LORD, and he counted it to him as righteousness. (Genesis 15:5)

When you put it in context, the promises become even more amazing.

We thought about staying, but we decided to move on.  We drove a couple hours north on US-93, eventually ending up in Challis, where we made dinner by the city park.  We debated taking the Custer Motorway, which twists and turns up out of Challis through a couple of ghost towns and over a mountain pass, but it was not recommended for large vehicles because of the slope and washboarding, so we drove south on State Highway 75, stopping for the night at Deadman Hole Recreation Site, a small campground along the Salmon River.  It’s a beautiful drive through a narrow canyon.  And we are parked right along the river.  Looks like a great place to spend the night.