Our 2007 Travels: Jackpot, Nevada; Rogerson, Idaho; and the journey home to Benson, Arizona

July 30, 2007 

Leaving Glenn’s Ferry, we continued east on I-84, and just west of Twin Falls, Idaho we exited onto Highway #30.  This is a very scenic drive, following the Snake River through a lush green valley of irrigated farm land. Across the river we had awesome views of rugged cliffs with several waterfalls tumbling down to the river.

Before long, we turned south on Highway #93 and on to the small town of Jackpot, Nevada. Here, we spent a few days in the RV park of Cactus Pete’s Casino.  The weather continued around 100 degrees, so we enjoyed a little “play time” and some wonderful buffets in the casino. 

We had long been interested in Salmon Creek Reservoir, about 20 miles north of JackPot, in Idaho, so one day we took a drive to the small and very old community of Rogerson, Idaho, and then drove seven miles west to the reservoir. Here, we viewed the dam, and found a rather large primitive camping area on the shores of the reservoir.  Record sized walleye are caught here, as well as crappies and trout.  It would be a great place to camp and fish, but not now with temperatures at this time over 100 degrees.  So we said, “Some day”, and returned to our RV.  On the way back to Jackpot we stopped at the little store in Rogerson for some supplies.  On one wall, several mounted walleye were on display.  One was the Idaho State record walleye, weighing 17.6 pounds, and 36 inches long.

Wild fires had been burning all around Idaho.  One day, returning to the RV from the casino, I spotted a cloud of smoke directly behind the hill west of the RV Park…another new fire had started!

Our last days were uneventful, with overnight stops at RV parks in Ely, Nevada, south of Las Vegas, (temperature readings of 110) and Gila Bend, AZ. At Gila Bend we experienced a wild monsoon!  First, what appeared to be a wall of sand was coming directly at us.  This was followed by slashing rain, thunder, lightning and wind!  I don’t ever recall seeing it rain so hard before!  The park became a lake!

And, the following day we returned to our RV park and home base in Benson, AZ.  The hot weather did not permit us to do several of the things we had hoped to do on our homeward route.    As a result, we returned to Benson earlier than originally planned. We found Benson, at an elevation of 3,500 feet, cooler than any of the places we had traveled through after leaving the Columbia River!  It was good to be “home.”

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Our 2007 Travels: Three Island Crossing State Park, Idaho

July 29th, 2007 

I-84 crossed the Snake River at Ontario and turned east as we entered Idaho. At Glenn’s Ferry we turned south and drove through this very old and historic little town en-route to Three Island Crossing State Park. In a countryside of dry sagebrush hills, this park was a lovely oasis!  With ample water from the Snake River, sprinklers were constantly irrigating the grounds, and though it was still around 100 degrees, the large number of shade trees and ever so green grass made it seem cooler. 

During our stay here, we visited an interesting Oregon Trail museum on the park grounds, and took a drive in the country (stopping to admire a group of horses on the road-side).  We continued on to a view point on the south side of the Snake River, where we had an excellent view of “Three Islands Crossing.”   When the emigrants arrived at this point, they had a difficult decision to make.  They could either continue traveling on the south side of the river, or cross the river here, using the three islands as stepping stones. The three islands crossing, was considered advantageous, especially if the water was low, as it offered better travel  conditions and ample drinking water along the way.  However, it could be dangerous due to swift currents and an uneven bottom.  Each wagon was required to have four or six yolk of oxen, as well as two drivers to attend to each wagon.   Often, a wagon team would split, half the group continuing on the south side of the river, the other half making the 3 island crossing.

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Our 2007 Travels: Emigrant Springs State Park & Farewell Bend State Park in Oregon

 July 28, 2007

Leaving the Columbia River, we drove east on I-84, spending our first night at an RV park in Pendleton, OR.  Temperatures soared over the 100 degree mark!  From Pendleton I-84 turned southward and immediately began to climb a long steep hill as we approached the Blue Mountains.  No snow capped peaks here; just high country filled with pine forests….elk country!  Here, I-84 pretty much followed the old Oregon Trail, and we were reminded of that as we passed Emigrant Springs State Park.  At Dead Man’s Pass a short path from a rest area leads through the woods to actual tracks of the trail.  Along the old trail we stopped to admire a huge Ponderosa Pine tree with its lovely textured bark, and I picked up a rock to add to my collection of rocks from unusual places!

Once over the Blue Mountains we spent a few days at Farewell Bend State Park just south of Huntington, Oregon.  This lovely park is situated on the banks of the Snake River.  This site was a stopping place for the pioneer’s wagon trains, and from here they turned away from the river to go over the Blue Mountains and on to the Columbia River.  I still had my Oregon fishing license, and fishermen were catching some nice catfish.    However, temperatures were over 100 degrees…too hot to mess with unloading the boat, and the river was low, with muddy shorelines…too muddy to fish from shore.   Our only outing here was a short drive to Huntington for some groceries, and we were able to find Wi-Fi at their little local library.   We did drive north of Huntington on a squiggly, horribly narrow road that first went through a narrow canyon, and then went up and up supposedly to a recreation area and some springs.  However, the road was so frightening, that as soon as we found a place to turn around, we returned to the park and our RV.

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