First wind, then snow

A room with a view.

For those of you who are curious, this is what my "bedroom" looks like (looking toward my toes; the driver's seat is just behind me). It's light and bright, and everything is <ahem> close at hand. Some might call it cramped, but the idea on this trip is not to spend a lot of time inside!

WIND!

I left Twin Falls in the morning after my usual battle with technology.* It was quite chilly, and the wind was blowing pretty fiercely. I checked the weather on my trusty NOAA radio, and was a little alarmed to hear that there were wind advisories: 30-35mph sustained west winds with gusts to 45mph, with admonishments for "high-profile vehicles" on "north-south roads." N0MAD and I have been through pretty severe winds before, so I wasn't particularly worried, but it does make for interesting driving.

Driving over the Perrine Bridge and leaving Twin Falls behind, we headed north along US Hwy. 93.

Gassed up in Shoshone, next to a truck pulling a life-sized lion sculpture in a trailer. It was made of gold and brass metal, with delicate detail on the lion's mane. Unfortunately, I wasn't quick enough on the draw to get a picture, but it's good to see there are local artists who have patrons who are paying for their work.

Driving in a cross wind is... a little nerve-wracking. 
You know it's blowing hard when you try to open the car door and nothing happens. The kayak and bike are securely hitched onto the car, but I do keep checking to make sure that all the lashings are tight. Tumbleweeds and bits of flotsam and jetsam flew across the road — it reminded me of the scene in "The Wizard of Oz" before the tornado hit! Birds in the sky flapped energetically, making no headway against the wind. Every time a truck went by in the opposite direction, there was a loud "WHUMP," and N0MAD would jump to the side of the road. The trick is to slow down and move as far as possible towards the shoulder to lessen the effects of the wind. The wind was supposed to increase as the afternoon went on, so it seemed like a good time to stop and do some sight-seeing.

Sawtooth Botanical Garden

Sawtooth Botanical Garden

This was an idyllic stop. Somewhat sheltered from the wind, the garden features plants that grow well in the local area (alpine, sub-alpine, riparian, and sagebrush steppe). Some are native plants, but not all, so it is a pleasant mix. It was a little early in the season, so only early plants were blooming, but it was a lovely place to wander and have a late lunch. It would probably be spectacular in another month or two, with peonies, columbine, phlox, dianthus, asters and more.

A schoolbus full of young schoolchildren noisily clambered out and, attached to their teacher's rope, toured the garden. It is one of the missions of the non-profit that runs the garden is that it be used for educational purposes. There is a large central building that has a greenhouse, classrooms and a larger event space with a flat lawn outside. Great place for weddings in June!

The garden features several "mini" gardens: a wildflower garden, an alpine garden, a couple of stream-side gardens (one of these is "natural"), an ornamental garden. Some medicinal plants are highlighted, as well.

Tibetan prayer wheel in the stream-side pavilion

One of the special gardens was the "Garden of Infinite Compassion," which featured a stream-side pavilion sheltering a gigantic, 400-lb. prayer wheel. This intricately carved prayer wheel, and the Garden itself, was blessed by the Dalai Lama during a visit in 2005. It's a beautiful, serene space, thoughtfully planned with large rocks and a small stream splashing down into a pool and prayer flags fluttering.

A well-designed garden is more than just plants: 

it leads you from one space to another, and offers treats for all the senses.

(ASIDE: It took three tries to get this picture. I'm sure the nearby magpie family was laughing at my antics of bending over and peering through the camera and then franticly running down the rock path!)

Saucy magpie

Probably a desert mallow

One of my favorite flowers: blue columbine

I thoroughly enjoyed my time here, and it was nice to get a break from driving in the wind.

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There was also an interesting bike path along the back of the garden, but it was too windy for an enjoyable out-and-back bike ride. I have since found that this is the "Wood River Trail" system (of course, not noted in my vehicle-oriented guide books). This is just the kind of thing that I enjoy discovering in an area, and why I could easily take a month just getting north of the border!

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Somewhat reluctantly, I got back in the car, and continued on my way. I wasn't sure where I was going to stay the night.

Did a brief stop at the post office in fabled Sun Valley (ski fame) to send off some postcards and get stamps. The locals in were commenting about the cold weather: "What about this weather?" says one, and the other replies, "Yes, but that's the way we like it!"

Also tried to get online for the last time in awhile, as I was heading into the mountains and didn't think I'd have cell service for the next 150 miles. I couldn't, and I didn't.

With the weather in the late afternoon looking decidedly worse, I took off again, but stopped at the first available campsite. I saw no need to go higher in elevation; it was getting quite cold enough!

Found a lovely campsite just inside the Sawtooth NF boundary, beside the rushing Wood River. Only one other party was there at 5pm in the afternoon.

Got out supplies to make an early dinner, but... it started snowing. Feeling like a genuine California girl, I retreated and put everything away, deciding that it was a really good time to read a book. In the car. Snuggled under the sleeping bag.

Good call, as more snow fell, although it didn't accumulate at this elevation overnight. Up on the slopes of the Boulder Mountains, though, it was another story.

But that's time for another day, and another post!

*Yaay for libraries! I have given up at this point, and am just using the laptop to post. When I run out of power, I won't post. So now, and probably for the rest of the trip, I'll be visiting libraries to power up and write. Things could be worse. (I'm writing now from the Salmon Public Library, a new library that still smells new. They're open until 7pm tonight, so I'll see how much I can get done!)