McCall, Idaho
The city is situated on the southern border of Payette Lake. McCall is a resort town providing all season outdoor recreation. It has one of the highest average snowfalls in Idaho. At a population of about 3,000, the city is large enough to have all the amenities but still had a small town feel. We stayed in mid-September. The elevation was 5,021 feet, so the nights were cool and days were warm. There was some fall color in the trees.
The U.S. Forest Service has it’s Smoke Jump Base here. It’s one of eight training bases in the country.
McCall RV Resort
What a nicely done RV Resort. Our site pulled in facing the North Fork Payette River. The sites were large, 50 amp, sewer, cable, good water pressure, great satellite reception, and very good internet.
Each night we enjoyed an amazing sunset.
If we weren’t in a river facing site, I doubt we would have enjoyed the RV park so much. The clubhouse was huge. There is an indoor pool, sauna, private showers and a hot tub…which we never saw anyone else using. Adult only use was from 8-10 pm.
Everyday, there were numerous deer that walk through the park. They didn’t even seem to mind Jake.
We watched Osprey catch trout from the North Fork Payette River. There were also Great Blue Herons, geese, ducks and a Kingfisher.
Salmon River Brewery
They make some very good craft beers and support local wines. We sat outside and enjoyed views of Payette Lake. The fish tacos were amazing.
Little Payette Lake
A nice drive to a beautiful lake. Although we did not see much wildlife around the lake, there were deer and a Sage Grouse.
A couple of retired travelers that look like they had seen a lot of miles.
Bruneau Dunes State Park, Idaho
Remote, desolate, and hardly anyone there this time of year.
We had an end site that faced the dunes. 50 amp service, good water pressure, great satellite reception, ok internet and only a dump station.
We enjoyed hiking the dunes. Jake could go for miles and really seemed to like the vistas.
A beautiful sunset and a bull snake struggling to climb a steep sand dune.
Sandy standing on a human sun dial. It was overcast, but there was a small shadow showing the time. Bruneau Dunes is a low light area. A small observatory was on site built from donations by local astronomers.
We captured an image of the Milky Way over the sand dunes. Unfortunately, the night the observatory was open, the cloud cover was too heavy to star gaze.
Bruneau Canyon
Canadian fur trapper Pierre Bruneau was in the area in the 1820s. The area was named in his memory.
There were only a couple other people at the canyon, very different compared to the crowds at the National Parks we had visited. The canyon is near an Air Force Base with a sign warning of falling objects; maybe that’s why no one else was there.
