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So we are on the road trip and up around Bonners Ferry. It’s definitely more challenging to find good campsites in Idaho since I’m not a local. There are websites that help a lot with dispersed sites. Northern Idaho is beautiful. A lot of privately owned land compared to NV. More challenging to find recreation sites for me. Very surprised at how hilly the landscape is from Riggins up to Northern Idaho. More extreme type of highway driving in the canyons or to get up to the homes or camping on the ridges above.
Heading into Montana soon and probably staying around Flathead then Helena area before heading into Wyoming. Thanks again for the help.
Oh, also NV has pretty strong internet service all along 80. Idaho has been spotty, so keep in mind to use internet when you find it.
Actually, Wyoming has the most consistent internet for me. Montana and Idaho the most challenging for cell service. We did use 16 over the Bighorn Mtns and camped up there last night. No service of course, but the Sierra is the same.
Wow is that a beautiful pass! It reminded me of Zion in AZ climbing out of Tensleep. That was a very nice drive, not too scary. Better than Mt Rose Highway from Tahoe to Reno. Nicely graded despite all the warning signs.
I will admit the pass over WhiteBird in Idaho was a bit uncomfortable for me along the cliff area. But it wasn’t too bad lol.
Actually, Wyoming has the most consistent internet for me. Montana and Idaho the most challenging for cell service. We did use 16 over the Bighorn Mtns and camped up there last night. No service of course, but the Sierra is the same.
Wow is that a beautiful pass! It reminded me of Zion in AZ climbing out of Tensleep. That was a very nice drive, not too scary. Better than Mt Rose Highway from Tahoe to Reno. Nicely graded despite all the warning signs.
I will admit the pass over WhiteBird in Idaho was a bit uncomfortable for me along the cliff area. But it wasn’t too bad lol.
Glad you enjoyed the Ten Sleep Canyon! It was a big surprise to us, going west. But White Bird Canyon can be a bit of a challenge if you're hauling a heavy load. We make a point of going south on 95, but rarely north, for the same reason.
Last I heard south of Riggins Hwy 95 was closed due to a collapse of some of the mountain near the road. You might want to check on that before you plan on heading south on Hwy 95 too far.
Cell service great in WY and lots of pronghorn too lol! We camped at Boysen Reservoir and a herd visited our camp each morning. Almost lost our husky forever when he slipped his collar and thought he could catch them at what... 55mph?!!
Yes the highway at Riggins has a mountain on top of it, quite awe inspiring to see it. There is a detour around it as it conveniently destroyed the highway where there is a nice little route around it with a great view of the destruction.
Montana was gorgeous everywhere we went. We survived a flat tire on our trailer in MT and had the best customer service from a tire shop in Big Timber.
We are back in SE Idaho near Pocatello camping in the early freeze. Pocatello is more mountainous than I thought and this area is quite beautiful. I really like it. We came in through Soda Springs, just gorgeous, but I imagine the winters are rough?
And the Ten Sleep canyon looked like Zion in Utah not AZ. Oops.
Excuse the sloppy posting using my phone makes for more mistakes.
Cell service great in WY and lots of pronghorn too lol! We camped at Boysen Reservoir and a herd visited our camp each morning. Almost lost our husky forever when he slipped his collar and thought he could catch them at what... 55mph?!!
Yes the highway at Riggins has a mountain on top of it, quite awe inspiring to see it. There is a detour around it as it conveniently destroyed the highway where there is a nice little route around it with a great view of the destruction.
Montana was gorgeous everywhere we went. We survived a flat tire on our trailer in MT and had the best customer service from a tire shop in Big Timber.
We are back in SE Idaho near Pocatello camping in the early freeze. Pocatello is more mountainous than I thought and this area is quite beautiful. I really like it. We came in through Soda Springs, just gorgeous, but I imagine the winters are rough?
And the Ten Sleep canyon looked like Zion in Utah not AZ. Oops.
Excuse the sloppy posting using my phone makes for more mistakes.
The winters in Soda Springs aren't any different than in Pocatello or the rest of the area. Most of the time, the temps will be somewhere between 30 and 40 degrees. Since Soda is in a hole, it probably gets temperature inversions, where it's colder there than it is in the mountains around it.
There's always a cold snap that drops to zero and below every winter, usually coming in January or February. They tend to come when the weather is calm and very sunny and clear; a clear starry night can drop down to -20 when the temps are 0º at the hottest part of the day. The cold doesn't get enough daytime heat to warm it up, so it tends to accumulate until there's a weather change.
But when there's overcast and it's cloudy, the night-time temps tend to drop much less because the clouds help retain the day's heat. The daytime sunshine will still warm the ground up through the cloud cover, and then the clouds act like a blanket at night.
Those inversions are common throughout the SE corridor when there are periods of no wind; cold air sinks to the lowest point when there's no wind to stir it up.
These periods are also times when the humidity is super-low. A person can be out in 10º wearing a sweater and the radiant heat from the sun will feel quite comfortable, but in shade, the sweater won't be enough to keep you warm at all.
That's why natives layer their clothing in the winters. A super-warm down coat can actually make a person hypothermic if they start sweating in it and then begin cooling off too quickly. The sweat still evaporates in the dry cold and drives down body temperature when it does.
When it's breezy, the wind chill becomes more dangerous than the actual temperature. The wind continually robs the body of heat.
It's counter-intuitive, but that's how much of Idaho is. Expect something when you arrive, and it will often be the opposite.
Cell service great in WY and lots of pronghorn too lol! We camped at Boysen Reservoir and a herd visited our camp each morning. Almost lost our husky forever when he slipped his collar and thought he could catch them at what... 55mph?!!
Yes the highway at Riggins has a mountain on top of it, quite awe inspiring to see it. There is a detour around it as it conveniently destroyed the highway where there is a nice little route around it with a great view of the destruction.
Montana was gorgeous everywhere we went. We survived a flat tire on our trailer in MT and had the best customer service from a tire shop in Big Timber.
We are back in SE Idaho near Pocatello camping in the early freeze. Pocatello is more mountainous than I thought and this area is quite beautiful. I really like it. We came in through Soda Springs, just gorgeous, but I imagine the winters are rough?
And the Ten Sleep canyon looked like Zion in Utah not AZ. Oops.
Excuse the sloppy posting using my phone makes for more mistakes.
I agree, WY may have more pronghorns that I have seen in any state; especially between Cody and Greybull. However, there are no Antelopes.
Thanks for the weather information re: SE Idaho. Sounds similar to where I currently reside with inversions and wind chill except about 20 degrees colder in ID lol...does the snow stay on the ground for long periods here or melt off in a few days?
And that is a neat trick you did there with the antelope reference f5 lol...although I hear people use the word antelope more than pronghorn. I had seen pronghorn around Elko NV in the distance a few times, but you see them up close in WY. Beautiful.
Wait-I have a question regarding crops grown in Idaho. I see corn, but also vast fields of something resembling wheat or? I was expecting potatoes. What is the wheat looking crop I see everywhere?
Last edited by ChrisMT; 09-09-2020 at 08:14 AM..
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