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Ghost Towns of Idaho
As announced, here are some images of three ghost towns dating from the gold rush. Most of them have been inhabited for a few years before new gold discoveries decide to relocate their inhabitants.
1. First visit at Custer, in Yankee Valley
2. Traditional log construction.
3. This house was built in 1854.
4. Second visited site, Bayhorse. The mill for sorting the ore is still standing. This site was initially very popular for gold – this is the site where the largest amount of gold was extracted at that time (approx. US$ 90 million!) – then silver and copper.
5. Seven coal furnace allowed to produce this essential fuel.
6. Higher in the same valley, the SkyLark mine where a steam freight elevator allowed to bring the ore mined down the valley.
7. One of the Skylark mines.
8. River West of Salmon.
9. I got to spend the night to another hot spring which pools were unfortunately destroyed by the floods of winter…
10. Diagonal…
11. Late afternoon.
12. He turned when I touched his tail… 😉
13. The first Big Horn Sheep I saw.
14. On the road to Lemhi Pass, in typical grasslands of North Idaho and Montana.
15. I spent the night at Lemhi Pass, on the Continental Divide. Beautiful rainy Sunset.
16. Sky like a paint…
17. Amazing clouds while the sun is down since long…
The following will show you a little of Montana, in a few days… 😉
Idaho (3)
Still discovering Idaho
1. Sunset from Sunset Peak, above Boise.
2. Trying to reach Deadwood Reservoir, I was one more time stopped by the snow.
3. The altitude marshes are waterlogged…
4. … and rivers overflow.
5. An osprey hunting.
6. I really like these altitude landscapes.
7. Powerfull rapids on the South Fork Salmon River. It’s the only Salmon River that originated 60% of salmons in the Columbia River.
8. The “Elk Meadow” where I spent the night.
9. Here too first flowers appear.
10. Elegance…
11. This marsh is aptly named: this evening, I saw over 50 deers at a time!
12. I try to discreetly approach…
13. … and this time achieved it more or less.
14. Later, I needed more than two hours to make hime accept me and let me take this picture!
15. The next morning, elks are still there.
16. The next day, I made a long walk in grizzly territory to hot springs.
17. By late afternoon, a small detour to the Cape Horn Lake; I train for Patagonia! 😀
18. Kayaking on the beautiful Lake Stanley.
19. VivaLaVida at camp, three yards away from the lake.
The next update will show you some of the gold rush ghost towns”. To come soon…
Idaho (2)
Not far North of City of Rocks, I did some hikes in the Independance Mountains.
1. Green pasture.
2. Going up in the mountains, I find the tender green of young leaves again.
3. Snowmelt floods forest roads that borrows VivaLaVida.
4. Color contrasts…
5. The first flowers only appear at this elevation.
6. Bells.
7. Grazing light…
8. A Moose going only hundred yards away.
9. Sunset.
10. Last colors before the night.
11. Early the next day, I went to Independence Lakes, probably the most scorching hike I’ve done since I travel in VLV. 7 hours hike in deep snow, just backbreaking…
12. Back to VLV, I was resting when without warning, this young moose came out of the forest only a few yards. Excitement for both! 😉
13. He walks away, looking at me from time to time.
14. Crossing Okleay.
15. I then continued the road to the north through Boise. In this Memorial Day, I went to see the mountains nearby and the Boise River. Here, a reservoir on the Boise River.
16. Boondocking along this powerfull river.
17. Going upstream the next morning.
18. Descent of Trinity Lakes I have not met, the snow still blocking the pass to access to.
19. Nice small lake at Atlanta ID. Just above is the best hot spring in which I bathed so far!
20. Old cabins in Atlanta, a Gold Rush town still inhabited today.
21. This one looks more “cosy”…
22. … and that one more rustic.
23. The river along which I slept that night…
24. … and a neighboor ! 🙂 It’s an endemic marmott of the Rockies.
Next to come soon.
Grand Lac Salé encore & Sud de l’Idaho
Après plus d’une semaine à Salt Lake City sans parvenir à vraiment résoudre les soucis de chauffe de VivaLaVida, j’ai repris la route en commençant par contourner le Grand Lac Salé par l’ouest…
1. Derniers rayons sur le Temple Mormond de Salt Lake City.
2. Les feuilles fraichement sorties des trembles sont d’un vert tendre magnifique…
3. Cerfs attentifs à ma présence.
4. Petit matin.
5. J’ai dormi à même la piste.
6. J’arrive à Bonneville Flat dont certaines parties sont encore sous l’eau.
7. Concrétions de sel…
8. VivaLaVida sur la célèbre piste de vitesse où bon nombre de records de vitesse ont été établis ou battus.
9. Estampe monochrome ou presque…
10. Minimalisme ultime…
11. VivaLaVida emprunte une voie de chemin de fer du 19ème siècle…
12. Une petite arche naturelle dite “des Chinois”.
Je suis ensuite passé en Idaho en allant visiter la City of Rocks, un lieu surprenant.
13. Première piste en Idaho.
14. Lumière rasante sur des collines érodées.
15. Campement à même le granite de City of Rocks.
16. Petite arche sans nom au levant.
17. Après deux bonnes heures sur la selle, la vue est immense…
18. … mais je suis arrêté par la neige !
19. Le granite de City of Rocks est superbe ! C’est un haut lieu de grimpe, avec plus de 140 voies répertoriées.
20. Ferme traditionnelle.
Suite de mon périple en Idaho à venir bientôt… 😀