On the advice of John Luster, we took an 11 mile detour and camped at Lava Hot Springs for the night. We found a camp ground right next to the Pourteauf River and off leash trails everywhere. The volcanic springs are funneled into a series of pools in the spa, each progressively hotter than the other and the volcanic hot waters were a delight to our skied-out legs. Maybe 20 people inhabited the pools while we were there and with the mountain sun beaming in, it was a perfect wind-down to a 3-month sojourn. The next night we stayed at Fairmont Hot Springs in Montana and woke up to snow and 18 degreees!
Indian teepee at Fairmont
What a change from Arizona and southern Utah.
We wound our way back through Coeur d’Alene where we hooked up with old buddies from the days when we were only 30 years old. They still hike, ski and bike, so we enjoyed some of that while we visited.
John on Schweitzer Mountain, Idaho
Mineral Ridge
It’s hard to believe this 3 month journey is winding down. I can’t even tell you which leg was my favorite. But I can say, I’d be happy to travel this great country of ours, exploring every nook and cranny.
Lincoln Rock State Park
Teresa Van Haalen Ventures 