- December 26, 2016
- 17 photos


We convince a young frenchman that sub-zero is an appropriate temperature for an Idaho outing.
We convince a young frenchman that sub-zero is an appropriate temperature for an Idaho outing.
Our eldest child Laura in town on holiday break from school at Washington State University seems a good reason to soak in our favorite hot spring, Kirkham, especially since Laura has never been there.
Usually obscured by layers of rock and recollection, there are places where the history of land and people unfolds to reveal our own small place in the twining and termless chains of causality.
With the two youngest, a mermaid and some Pringles, we head over the mountains hoping the Kirkham Hot Springs are just that — hot — in spite of the deep freeze that has settled over Idaho. We test some extremes of hot and cold.
We stopped here last fall after motorcycling up for an evening at the Sourdough Lodge. We knew the kids would love it. The tiny car, not so much..
Jessica and I ride over the Boise Ridge, visit the museum in Placerville then have lunch in Garden Valley before attempting to summit Scott Mountain. Snow stops us but the effort means it’s dark by the time we reach Sourdough Lodge where we spend the night.
I join Phil, Ryan, Sam and Tyson for a little of Idaho’s Centennial Trail along the Bruneau and an overnight along hot springs. The road into the canyon conspires with morning snow to mean us harm.