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D&D Travel's Visit to Southern Idaho 2020 A recent visit to the Boise and Twin Falls area of southern Idaho yielded some gorgeous scenery and unexpected beauty, with the Sawtooth Mountains just a short drive to the north. There are over 100 images on two pages here, so take your time and enjoy. Also, as you look through, there are links to 4 YouTube videos showcasing the beauty of the area...Please check them out and do comment! Note: The night sky photos on page 2 are best viewed on a PC screen, as smartphone screens may not reveal the color and fine details of the star field images!! -Dennis and Donna images c. 2020, Dennis A. Hubbs, D&D Travel Services, LLC |
 Thanks to Southwest Airlines for the great service from Hartford to Boise via Denver! Un-crowded and on-time (actually even a bit early!). It IS possible to travel safely now! |
 Bonneville Point, about 18 miles east of Boise, Idaho, "is the same spot where Captain Benjamin Bonneville and his expedition party overlooked the valley [Treasure Valley] he named Les Bois, site of the city that today bears the same name - Boise." It provides access to the Oregon Trail and is operated by the Bureau of Land Management... |
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 The interpretive pavilion here was constructed by the Kiwanis and is maintained by the BLM. |
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 Marked mostly by 4-wheel drive tracks now, this is the original Oregon Trail and ruts that wagons created as they rolled their way through the Treasure Valley and on into Boise. |
 Even in primarily desert conditions, flowers bloom along the trail... |
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 The Payette flows for almost 83 miles in Southwestern Idaho as a tributary of the Snake River. It begins in the Sawtooth and Salmon River Mountains, fed by snowmelt... |
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 Lake Cascade, fed by the North Fork of the Payette River, lies north of Boise, along Idaho 55... |
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 Above and next below: Gorgeous scenery along Idaho 55 near McCall! |
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 A portion of Lucky Peak Lake, along Idaho 21 about 11 miles southeast of Boise... |
 Twenty miles north of Luck Peak Lake is Idaho City, founded in 1862 as a gold mining town - considered half-real, half-ghost! |
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 This cool relic is along Main Street in Idaho City. The town lies along Idaho 21 - the Ponderosa Pine Scenic Byway... |
 Evidence of past wildfires abounds in this area of the Ponderosa Pine Scenic Byway, but the area is regenerating, with abundant wildflowers and other new growth... |
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 Good news here!!! |
 Above and next two images: Along the Payette River, just steps from the outdoor dining area at Southfork Lodge in Lowman, along the byway... |
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 The Sawtooth Mountains National Recreation Area in south central Idaho covers over 730,000 acres as part of the Sawtooth National Forest (with over 2,000,000 acres in both Idaho and Utah). The tallest mountain - Thompson Peak - is just over 10,700 feet in elevation...Note the snow cover, still around in July! |
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 Hailey, Idaho, south of Sun Valley along Idaho 75, has a grass airstrip as part of Smiley Creek Lodge, just across the highway! |
 A 1973 Cessna 180J tail-dragger sits at the end of the line-up... |
 Looking north toward the Sawtooth Mountains, this area is part of the Salmon River Scenic Byway, that stretches from the Montana state line south on U.S. 93 to Challis and then west to Stanley, ID on Idaho 75 |
 Perrine-Coulee Falls is a 200-foot drop that can be visited from both the top and bottom and is the only year-round waterfall (Shoshone Falls is flow-controlled). It spills into the Snake River nearby... |
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 A view of the canyon from the walkway below Elevation 486 Restaurant in Twin Falls...The Route 93 bridge is at the top. |
 Niagara Falls has nothing on this one, when its flow is at its best in Twin Falls...It tumbles over an almost-1000 foot wide precipice and is 212 feet high - 45 feet higher than Niagara Falls! It is on the Snake River and in the fall, is can actually appear almost dry! Spring is the best time to visit, as the flow is heavily controlled for irrigation in the summer months, though our visit in early July would suggest otherwise!!! |
 For a video of this fantastic place, please click here! |
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