Along the trail

We have been following the life of Lewis and Clarke for the past week and continue to be amazed at what they accomplished in their discovery of the Pacific Northwest. They were some tough hombres for sure.

This morning we are sitting along the banks of the Salmon River about 12 miles south of Salmon Idaho. We drove here from a tiny spot in Idaho called Cataldo, which sits along the banks of the Coure D' Alaine River. It may be the most beautiful stretch of river I have ever seen. The fishing was so so but the people were amazing.

We strolled into the metropolis of Pinehurst, Idaho on Saturday to find "Pinehurst Days" in full swing. Their were people from all walks of life walking up and down main street. The big event was a car show that would rival any anywhere. There were hot rods from 1930 to the 90's. My favorite was a 1950 Mercury Montego that was painted black with purple flames. It was awesome. You can see some pics of the show at www.smugmug.com/taters

They had kettle corn and brats and beer and all sorts of local artists, including someone that made art out of old guitar strings. We stopped in at Barneys pretty good grocery and True Value Hardware for some staples to take back to Andiamo.

On our way down hwy 93 out of Missoula Montana we stopped at one of the many fishing access points along the river to see if we might catch a fish in the Bitteroot River. Charlotte met and elderly fellow that informed us the river was closed everyday after 2pm because of the heat and how warm the water gets during the day.

This fellow turned out to be a living legend in the Bitteroot Valley. He is a famous fly tier, guide, and fly box builder named John Foust. He was wearing red suspenders,and very old and oily Orvis hat and smoking a winston cigarette. He showed us the most beautiful fly box I have ever seen and told us how he makes them and the materials he uses. To me he seemed a little sad as he stared out across the river and spoke of how it was around here 25 years ago.

John also told us about his role in the movie "A Rive Runs Through It" and how Robert Redford paid him $300 per hour to assist in the catching of the famous huge fish in the movie. That fish now hangs on his wall at home with a picture of he and Redford.

We are finding the joy of just following our guts and instincts about when and where to stop. Charlotte has found us some amazing places to camp along the way as well as where to find good pie and bad coffee. Tomorrow I will tell you about the little hamlet of George, Washington. I am not making this up.

Today we have labeled Lewis and Clarke day. We are heading into Salmon to the museum and then up to a pass between Idaho and Montana on the continental divide that they crossed with some native american chick, but I can't spell her name. Should be fun. We must also find a laundrymat which is always an adventure as well.

We are continuing to learn about life on the road. It is not as easy or romantic as I make it sound. There are challenges and problems to solve almost everyday. But it's worth the ride.

Once again, thanks to everyone for following our crazy adventure along the roads of life.

Andiamo!!

Coy, Charl, and Jojo the OK dog