MAIDEN VOYAGE - McCALL, IDAHOJul 13, 2009
|
|
From time to time I'll be adding to this journal as we make short trips and we'd love to have you along. If you're not interested, please let me know and I'll remove you from our list. Otherwise, come on along and enjoy the view.
We left Nampa on Thursday, July 9th, on the maiden voyage in our new coach, headed for McCall, Idaho (click for pics). This was our shake down trip close to home in case anything happened on our first outing and to learn how everything operated. Sean, you'll be glad to know that the Satellite Dish is working :) Our good friends Ted & Julie Thornton live in McCall, so we knew we'd have a place to stay if everything on the new coach failed LOL.
We got settled into the McCall KOA where Ted & Julie picked us up and we took a ride around Payette Lake and through Ponderosa State Park. It's so beautiful up here this time of the year. They then introduced us to The Bistro for a late lunch; a cute little restaurant with a huge wine selection. We happened to be there just in time to greet the wine dealer making his rounds with new products, so the tasting was on! Should have been with us Lisa! From there Ted introduced us to his second favorite place - Ice Cream Alley!
On Friday morning we all went garage saleing - all three of them. The only problem with doing that in McCall is the distance you have to drive to get from one to another. We didn't buy anything but Ted ended up with a new laminate wood floor for their guest bedroom and Julie ended up with a leaf press and a new umbrella.
Friday evening brought us to the part I had been looking forward to! I've never been on a pontoon boat and Ted & Julie just happen to have one. They had committed to ferrying a group of fly-in pilots called the Tweety Birds to a BBQ on the North Shore, so naturally we volunteered to go along LOL! There were about 20 people and 3 boats, and the biggest and best hamburgers I have ever tasted! We ended our evening watching the sun set on Payette Lake - WOW.
Saturday morning we were on our own to relax and enjoy our spot at the KOA. They have everything from cabins to tent sites, and a beautiful lodge with an indoor swimming pool and spa. We have Aspen trees right outside our window and it's fun to just sit and watch them flutter in the breeze. We packed a picnic dinner and met Ted & Julie at their house for an evening on the pontoon boat. We cruised the shores looking at the houses that dot the shoreline and keeping an eye out for deer; all the while nibbling on chip and dip, cheese and crackers, buffalo sausage and, of course, the required libations. Another beautiful sunset, good food, good drinks, mountain air and friends - what more could you ask for???!!! OK, maybe another visit to Ice Cream Alley LOL.
Note to Jo - it was good that you set the alarm but don't forget to change the time zone also!! It's not fun to set the alarm to get up at 8:15 AM when the clock is still on Washington DC time LOL.
On Sunday morning we went to brunch at a great place called Bear Creek Inn. We had been there a couple of days before to make our Sunday reservation and got a tour of the facility by the owner Mike McLaughlin. What a great place. The restaurant deck overlooks a wonderful meadow and there are several lodge rooms also overlooking the same meadow. Very reasonable prices for a resort area. This was the first Sunday they had served brunch as the lodge had been closed for three years.
After our yummy breakfast, Ted drove us up to Brundage Ski Resort where we stopped for a short spell to check out the mountain bikes that were going up on the ski lifts. What a ride that must be coming down! From there we went on up the mountain to the Brundage Mountain Lookout - man, what a view! Dinner was at, you guessed it, Ice Cream Alley along with the rest of the population in McCall. Seems like everybody had the same idea!
Monday morning Ted & Julie picked us up and we were off to breakfast in Riggins, Idaho and then on to Warren, Idaho for lunch. Does it seem to you that everything we do revolves around food?? What a great drive. Although the weather was iffy in spots, like pouring down rain, and the road we were on was a narrow, dirt road, and the rain was causing rocks to fall in front of and behind us - it was still beautiful. We drove over 150 miles and saw the most beautiful country, flowers, one elk and several deer along the way. We drove in and out of clouds, through switchbacks, mudslides, lightening, sunshine, rainbows .... WOW, what a day!
Thank you so much Ted & Julie for a great time. We're looking forward to our Oregon adventure with you in August.
Hope ya'll enjoy the pictures as much as I enjoyed taking them.
Happy Trails .... Dick, Jo & Harley
