Ketchum, IdahoAug 25, 2008
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Campsite in Ellis, Idaho
Campsite in Stanley, Idaho
Chapter 28 RV's
8/25 – 9/1
It took us four days to travel 567 miles to Ketchum, Idaho. The first day was a GPS adventure. We left Elk, Washington heading towards Missoula, Montana where we planned on turning in a southerly direction. Our GPS suggested we take a short cut that would eliminate driving through Missoula. Well, we should have declined. Turning off I-90 we headed south on Petty Creek Road which almost immediately turned into a wash boarded dirt road. Since there was nowhere along this 17 mile road to turn our house around we were stuck, it took us about an hour to travel the 17 miles. We spent the first night in the parking lot of KT’s Haystack Casino at the intersection of US12 and US93. The next day we drove south along US93 enjoying the beauty of the Bitterroot Mountains. We pulled off the highway at a small pull-off for the night beside a beautiful river in Ellis, Idaho. The next day we drove into the Sawtooth mountains to a camping spot north of Stanley. We hoped to meet up with some members of our RV club, but the spot was empty except for us. The fourth day we arrived at the River Run Ski Lodge parking lot in Ketchum, Idaho.
Every Labor Day Ketchum celebrates the occasion with Wagon Days. Chapter 28 (Big Sky Chapter) of our RV club was having a rally and we joined them for the holiday. There were six RV’s at the rally (including ours) and we made some new friends: Tom and Carol from Hailey, Idaho; Roger and Liz from Veradale, Washington; Bill from Salt Lake City, Utah; Dick and Ginger from Caldwell, Idaho and JJ and Peggy from Nampa, Idaho.
On the 29th we went with Tom and Carol to the town of Hailey, about 10 miles south of Ketchum. We visited the town museum which was excellent and, because of the holiday, included a free root beer float (which included whip cream and a cherry). We also visited two antique markets. In the evening we went on the Ketchum Gallery Tour with Roger and Liz. All the art galleries in town served free wine so we checked them all out. Good wine, some good art – but very expensive.
The next day was Wagon Days’ main event, The Big Hitch Parade. This parade included over 100 entries and is advertised as the largest non-motorized parade in the West. Over 10,000 people were gathered on the streets of Ketchum to view the beautiful horses, carriages and wagons. The grand finale of the parade was the Big Hitch. This is a group of six original Lewis Ore Wagons pulled by a twenty mule team. The ore wagons are an extraordinary historical vehicle. Each wagon stands 14 feet tall and, in their prime (late 1800’s) would haul 24,000 pounds of ore from the mines to the town smelters. It was quite impressive watching this huge mule train and six wagons make the 90 degree turn on Main Street. After the parade we walked to the park where we listened to cowboy poetry and music.
On the last day of the month we watched the Budweiser Clydesdales perform maneuvers with the Budweiser wagon and of course the Budweiser dog. In the evening the group had a steak dinner (steaks supplied by the Chapter) with many side dishes.
The last day of the event (Labor Day) we drove to Bellevue (about 15 miles south of Ketchum) for their bluegrass festival. Heard a lot of good music, although very little bluegrass (mostly folk and country).
In August our house traveled 567 miles and the Jeep 969 miles.
