Sunday 13th November – Back on Track

-8oC this morning. The ground that had squelched under my feet last night now crunched as everything was frozen. I couldn’t see out any of my windows for the frost and crystals that had accumulated on both the outside and the inside. I washed my face, then scraped the windscreen with my Clipper card (San Francisco public transit card) before breakfast. By the time breakfast was done, the windscreen had frosted over again so I did a second round. I started the car then got to work on the inside of the screen, with a towel over the dash to stop ice going everywhere. Oh the life of those who live in the north.

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I had a better outlook today, excited to get on the road, despite the disappointment of the last few days. I kept my eye out for hot springs and when I got in range again I had another look but I was sure it just wasn’t meant to be. As I drove out of Stanley at the top of the Sawtooth Wilderness I saw steam rising from beside the road! I stopped behind another parked car and went to investigate. There was a couple standing by this beautiful iron tub bucketing cold water into it. It was obviously too cold. It was a small tub, so I was shy, but the guy waved hello and said I was welcome to join them. Oh nice! I suppose I was feeling a bit introverted having not really talked to anyone the last few days, but he brought me out of my shell. I went back to the car and dug out my swimmers then hurried to the tub with a towel in hand. It was probably just above freezing air temperature.

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They had got the temperature of the tub down, but it was still galling hot when I put my feet in. It took a few minutes, but gingerly, we all lowered ourselves completely into the small tub. There was just room for three of us to be comfortable. Joanna and Andrew were on a weekend getaway from San Fransisco for their one year wedding anniversary. Not a bad place to come! We chatted as we propped ourselves in and out of the water to maintain a good temperature, but the warm water over my skin was blissful. The smell of sulfur was barely noticeable which was an added bonus. Joanna got out and dunked herself in the cold water of the nearby river, then I decided to do the same, just to feel the sensation. It was ok up until about my hips. When I dunked the top half of my body in, head and all, it really made my head hurt and water rushed into my ears. I was back in the tub quick smart.

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The others had to check out of their nearby hotel, so they head off and wished me well for my travels. They had talked about quitting their jobs and travelling and I encouraged them as a goodbye. I lingered, deciding to put some soap over me to make this a shower. I also managed to shave my legs (for the first time in weeks). Just as I was finishing up, a car slowed and drove along the shoulder to have a look at the hot tub. They caught me fair and square with my pants down as I was washing my nether-regions. Ha ha. I thought they drove off, but when I returned to the car, clean and fresh as a daisy, they were just about to head down. I smiled and said hi as if nothing had happened. I told them the water was beautiful. Before they jumped in, I hopped back down to get a few photos and the girl asked if I would like a photo with me in it. I declined and walked up to the shoulder. She asked about my road trip and I apologised she had to see my naked ass. “Yeah, it sucked!” she said sarcastically. At least they’d seen the funny side and hadn’t been offended. We chatted for a bit, but I was still in my bikini and needed to get some clothes on. It was only a minute ago I was talking about it being below freezing!

Feeling warm to the core, I settled back into my driver’s seat for some more driving. I had rearranged my center console to make it easier to get in and out without using the driver’s door so I was feeling better about that predicament.

Not far down the road, steam rose from both sides of the tarmac at another set of hot springs. I got out to have a look, happy that I’d stopped at the one I did. This one was comprised of rock dams in the river, so was harder to become fully immersed in the water. Before I drove off, I stopped to talk to a lady who was taking a stroll outside of her huge bus. Her name was Tina and she was off to visit grandchildren and other family in south Idaho. She asked me how I was liking Idaho and when I said it was beautiful, she told me I was correct, but that it is a well kept secret that I should hold close to my chest. I understood where she was coming from. In California, you would never be able to have solitude at a hot spring by the highway at 10am on a Sunday morning.

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I drove onwards, through farmland shadowed by grassy mountains. It is probably the most beautiful countryside I have seen so far on my trip. It is so nice to see the locals out on their farms, driving quads around with dogs on the back, doing the last minute preparations before winter hits. You can feel as you drive through that this landscape is suited to snow. That said, I was happy to be passing through just before the white stuff covered the ground completely. Makes for much easier travel.

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Around lunch time, I was on the hunt for Goldbug hot springs. The girl who’d seen my ass suggested I stop by and take a look. After doing numerous u-turns, I eventually found the unmarked road by mile marker 282 that leads to the springs. If it wasn’t for the dozen or so parked cars at the trailhead I probably still would have missed it. I made lunch and packed a bag with my downie and swimmers, even though I didn’t think I would need another hot tub. It had warmed up thoroughly so I was hotting up hiking in my trackies, thermal socks and long sleeve shirt. It was a 2.5 mile hike in to the pools and was mostly uphill because the springs are a series of waterfalls, each tier forming a hot spring at a different temperature.

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The walk in was dotted with campsites along the way, a perfect weekend getaway which is what a lot of people were doing. The trail followed the stream the whole way with a tinge of sulphur in the air, emanating from the warm water. I soldiering up the path at the last few switchbacks until I reached the pools. It was beautiful. There were a few families with dogs enjoying the warm water, but I was way too warm from my hike to want to jump in. I took my shirt off to cool, allowing the cold breeze to tickle my sweaty skin. I walked around the pools, taking in the view. You could easily spend a whole day here, sun baking out of the wind and dipping into a pool with a temperature that suited you to warm up again.

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I didn’t stay long. Shirt back on, I started the trek down. The sky had fully clouded over now so it dulled the landscape, but it was still pretty and I was happy to be out of the car in a t-shirt hiking. I was back at the car by 3pm and settled back in. The gorgeous countryside continued, all the way following the Salmon River. The time went quickly. The scenery changing was entertainment enough for me. It really was a pretty drive.

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I was surprised to find I passed the 45th parallel, the halfway point between the equator and the north pole. I’d never heard of that before (although I probably should have, sorry Jon) but thought it was pretty cool! Also pretty daunting that I was getting closer and closer to the coldest place on earth (or is that the south pole Jon?). After climbing a big-ass hill, I was in Montana. Another obligatory state sign photo…

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Around 4:30pm I started looking for camp. I wanted to have internet tonight so I could call home but it was a hard requirement. I drove down a few dirt roads that promised to lead to the National Forest but as I drove away from the main road, reception dwindled, so I tried other options. Eventually I settled for a fisherman’s access point to the Bitterroot River in the small town of Como. As soon as I stopped I called Dad and we had a good chat, especially about the car issues I’ve been having. He found it all very entertaining which made me see the light of it too. It didn’t get proper dark until around 6pm so I easily could have kept searching, but I was happy with this camp, even though I don’t think it’s technically legal and I’m bound to have early morning visitors because I’m in a fisherman’s domain, but I’ll deal with that in the morning. For now, I am next to a gurgling river and it’s nowhere near as cold as last night, despite my travel north!