Thursday, September 12, 2002
Since we stayed an extra day at Glacier, we're left with a
heck of a drive today and tomorrow to get back to Salt Lake City,
900-plus miles away, in time to catch our flight.
Leaving Whitefish, we drove along the western edge of the
200-square-mile Flathead Lake, the largest freshwater lake west of
the Mississippi River.
Flathead Lake, Montana
From Hamilton, Montana, we followed the Salmon River Scenic
Byway south through the Sawtooth National Recreation Area. The
Salmon River is one of the few remaining undammed waterways in the
United States. North of Challis we stopped to watch whitewater
rafters negotiate some rapids. I'll have to raft this river
someday!
Salmon River, Idaho
Sawtooth Mountains
At Stanley, Idaho, the road stayed the same, but the name
changed from Salmon River Scenic Byway to Sawtooth Mountain Scenic
Byway. We reached the 8,450-foot Galena Summit at sunset.
Jana on the Galena Summit
Another 30 miles brought us to the trendy mountain resort
towns of Sun Valley/Ketchum well after dark, where there was not a
room to be had. We continued on to the small town of Hailey, where
I'm convinced we secured the last available room in all of central
Idaho, at the Hitchrack Motel, Gas & Grocery. That's right -
It's a motel in a gas station. It was 58 bucks, the most we paid
for a room the entire trip! We had to hang a towel over the window
because the miniblinds were damaged. And guess where we had dinner.
Right again - the gas station. *sigh* Say what you will, but the
place has character. 483 exhausting miles.
Hitchrack Motel, Gas & Grocery, Hailey, Idaho - Home for
the night
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