Oregon and Idaho 2020 - Days 4-8

DAY 4 - arrival in McCall, Idaho



Today we drove to McCall, Idaho, where we are planning to stay for the next 3 days.  McCall is both a summer and winter destination for skiers, hikers, and people who want to get away from it all.  McCall is located about 2 hours north of Boise towards west-central Idaho and is at about 5000 feet elevation.  It is situated between two lakes Payette and Little Payette.  The Brundage ski resort is nearby.

We rented a log cabin that sleeps 10 or more so the whole extended family could stay together.  Everything in McCall is closeby - it's a very small town.




We ate lunch at the Salmon River brewery and I tried the Elk Burger with a locally made beer.  The Haddock fish and chips, though small, were a hit and the location was right on the lake.  After lunch we headed back to the lodge for some R&R and to watch a movie as a family.

Back patio of the log cabin

DAY 5 - Golf, Beach, and Shopping


In the morning, Sage, Bix, Brooke, and I played nine holes at the local golf course.  We won't say what the scores were, but they were all above par.

When we got back, we headed into town to see if we could rent a boat and skis or jetskis - turns out the places are sold out two weeks in advance, so no-go on that idea, however there was a sand volleyball court right by the lake, so the kids went home and got swimsuits on and we bought a volleyball.  The kids spend the afternoon jumping off the dock into the cold water and playing volleyball.  Shellie and I had some sips are the Mile High Marina and watched the volleyball and people docking and undocking their boats at the ramp.

After a while we went for Huckleberry ice cream at Ice Cream Alley where the small is like 3 scoops!  We also nearly got in a fight with some crazy people who were yelling at Kim for not having her COVID mask on (while she was eating) - the same people violated the 6 foot rule by jumping in front of us at the window to get their ice cream instead of waiting for us to leave.  Total idiots.

Four kids and an adult on a paddle-board?  No problem!

On our nearby quiet beach

Deer near the golf course

DAY 6- the kids played more volleyball, we went to a couple stores then back to the marina bar - had hamburgers and steaks for dinner

Brooke serves it up

 

 

Bix sets for the slam

DAY 7 - back to Ontario, visit Callie and Jackson's house and see Sage at work

We left McCall around 11 and were back in Ontario around 1pm.  So we went to see where Callie and Jackson live - near to Kim and Doug up the hill with a great view.  Sage, who welds custom pieces for locals has a shop on the property and showed us one of his horse stalls.

View from Callie and Jackson's home

Later in the day, Shellie went to town and stopped by the farm to run the combine for a minute.  The kids hung out at the piano playing Snoop Dogg riffs.  Brooke learned the Wii theme song.

Shellie gets ready to drive the combine

Dueling pianists

DAY 8 - visit to Andra and Laramie's and back to Austin

Today we leave around 3:30 to head back to Austin.  It has been relaxing and great to see Kim and Doug's family.  Before leaving, we stopped by Andra and Laramie's house, only about 10 minutes from Kim and Doug's place.

Butte behind Andra and Laramie's home

Empty airport on the flight back

Oregon and Idaho 2020 - Days 1-3

First major trip of the year!  We are traveling to visit Shellie's sister, Kim, and her family in Oregon just west of Boise, ID.  The plan is to stay at her house in Ontario, OR for a few days then go to McCall, Idaho for a few days.

Austin airport COVID style

On Wednesday we left Austin - flew to Phoenix and then up to Boise.  The planes were fairly packed, but the airports were less busy than normal - Austin, especially.  Phoenix as a major hub was pretty busy.  We got in at 8:30 pm and didn't do too much other than visit with the immediate family - Kim, Doug, and Orin.  We stopped at the store and bought a huge bag of Ore-Ida fries to make at home.  It never dawned on me that Ore-Ida was Oregon-Idaho.

View from the farmhouse where we stayed

DAY 1 - Hell's Canyon, jet boat, scenic drive, bald eagle

Hell's Canyon, Snake River, Oregon-Idaho border

Bald eagle on the cliff (must squint)

On Thursday, we did a day trip up to Hell's Canyon on the Oregon-Idaho border.  It was about a 2 1/2 hour drive each way to the canyon and back, mostly on windy roads that border the Snake River.  Our destination was Hell's Canyon Adventures to take a jet boat (a huge pontoon boat with jet propulsion) that would take us 27 miles down the river, over Class I-IV rapids.  The ride was pretty expensive, but relaxing - a lot of canyon scenery - we saw a couple of bald eagles and going through the rapids was fun.  We had a nice lunch and then headed back UP the rapids.  On the last Class IV rapid, we had to try twice to get up it.

Idaho candy bar - like Almond Joy,
but no Almonds and minimal Joy

After driving 2.5 hrs back home, we ate pretty good Mexican at El Erradero in Ontario, then went home and played with the grand-nephew Conley (1 year old boy) and played Scrabble Slam.










DAY 2 - Friday at Wahooz

Small fries in Idaho ;)

We spent the day at Wahooz - a family entertainment complex with bowling, go-karts, and other fun activities.  The boys got dizzy on the indoor spinny-ride. See the video.

After Wahooz, we came back home and played volleyball with friends.  Brooke learned how to play Rook.

DAY 3 - Saturday skiing and tubing at Lake Owyhee

Today we went to the nearby Lake Owhyee, a reservoir nestled among huge rock formations.  Besides being very picturesque, the water was very calm compared to our Austin lakes, being protected by the large walls surrounding the lake.  It was also relatively empty with plenty of room for boating.  Both kids did tubing and Bix tried wakeboarding.  It was a very relaxing day - I got a little sunburned, but no big deal.

Chillin'  on our small private beach

Shellie and Kim hanging out