Exploring Sun Valley -> Wrap-Up (& What’s Next)
We finally come to the end of our exploration of Sun Valley, ID. In fact our time here has been shortened and the end somewhat precipitated. We had originally planned to stay an extra week in the valley (leaving the RV park for a boondocking site), but we were caught by two things, one of which was great and one of which was not so great. And it completely changed our plans.
The great thing was Polly’s 8-week post TPLO check-up with the local vet. He declared Polly’s leg good to go and basically said we could “let ‘er rip”. We’re still taking it cautiously slow, mostly because Polly has some lingering pain in her hips (through this whole check-up process we’ve learned she has hip dysplasia and early-stage arthritis, unfortunately) so we’re not out of the woods yet. But we’ve started to let her off-leash again (whooo hoooo!) and we’re progressively increasing her walks and challenging her with a few small hills and uneven ground. Hopefully this will continue to build those rear leg muscles and get her back to as close to “normal” as possible. We’ve got all 12 paws crossed that she’ll continue to see progress! By the way Polly is BEYOND excited to be able to go off-leash again too. She’s never really understood why we kept her so confined these past months.
Polly’s “release” from the local clinic happened to coincide with a not so great thing.
The sunny, dry, hot summer has sparked wildfires all over the west, very much like it did last year. There’s a fairly big one burning in a remote area just NE of Boise and the smoke has started to drift over to Sun Valley on a regular basis. A few evenings ago it was so bad the air was thick with particles and we could barely see the hills across the way. Not a pleasant experience.
Wildfires are a common risk in the mountains during summer and something you always have to be aware of, not only while you’re on the road but also in camp (I will never forget the time we were evacuated in TX, and the aftermath of that experience). One of the many tools we use to keep track of stuff this like this is WunderMap, both the free interactive browser version and the app. It has a special “active fires” layer that not only shows you where the active fires are, but also the extent and density of their smoke clouds -> very handy for planning. Here in Ketchum the smoke has been coming and going (some days are OK, others are not), but it’s definitely started to affect the quality of what we can do outdoors.
These two things have encouraged us to leave earlier than planned.
We’ve decided to start our trek towards Michigan today and will be taking a northerly route (through North Dakota) to get there. Not only will this (hopefully) avoid most of the smoke in the area, but we’ll get to see some new stuff too. Once in Michigan we’ll settle down for a month to enjoy that State and then we’ll head further East where we will (hopefully) get the cat’s thyroid issues taken care of too. It’s all a very jello plan and we’ve not booked anything (which always makes me a tad nervous in summer), so we’ll just have to take it all as it comes. But we are VERY excited to see all the new stuff on our route, as well as the multitude of lighthouses and other sights in Michigan (you DO know it’s the state with the most lighthouses, right? {{Nina does a happy dance}}).
In the meantime we will leave Sun Valley with some very fond memories and a newfound appreciation of the profound beauty of Central Idaho. I honestly never even really considered this area for our RV travels and I don’t think we would have ended up here if it weren’t for Polly’s injury, so the fact that it’s so us has been a total, fabulous surprise.
This place packs everything we love about an area into one. Great outdoors, lots of hiking/biking and wonderful food and beer options. Plus it’s not overly crowded (unlike many mountain towns in Colorado, for example), temperatures are moderate in summer (80’s highs, 50’s lows) and there are zero bugs. It’s kind of a magical combination.
When we come back (because I have no doubt we will) we’ll likely skip the tight RV park and take advantage of the many forest service campground and free boondocking sites around town. Stay limits are anywhere from 3 days to 16 days (depending on where you go), but there are SO many possibilities and many are very scenic indeed. I’ll list the options we scouted (and which ones fit “beast size”) at the bottom of my upcoming campground review, so get ready to bookmark that one if you end up RVing here yourselves.
Thus ends our wonderful time in Idaho. By the time you read this we should be several hundred miles on our way East with nothing but the open road and unknown routes ahead. We’ll see you at the next stop….
Travel Safe and enjoy your new adventures. We have loved our travels through Idaho. The last time we went through Sun Valley we happened to drive by the airport – talk about upscale – so many cool private jets. Glad Polly is doing so well.
Gorgeous pictures! So sad some of the scenes have been created by fire and smoke. Your optimism is wonderful with so many ups and downs. Glad Polly is doing so well.
My husband and son traveled to Michigan and Wisconsin with the boy scouts one year. They had a fabulous time-lots of canoeing. Came back with bunch of Amethyst they “just happened upon”-my husband’s undergrad is in Geology. Stay safe. Can’t wait to read your next post.
You all are in sync with the Universe. Sun Valley sounds wonderful (except for the smoke). We just finished 3 weeks in Michigan’s UP, first visit even though I was born outside Detroit. It was challenging to find hook up spots on the UP, but we ended up with three one week successes. As you know it’s good to look for accommodations Mon-Wed in the summer. The weekends are already booked solid it seems. We were very happy to hear about Polly’s good progress and report, you two can fix anything! Well we will pass you all to the south as you cross North Dakota, we will be going west in her neighbor South Dakota. We have been following your Blog for 5 years and been on the road ourselves for 3 years. We have learned more from you two than any other source, many thanks. We love a happy ending and it sounds like your visit in Sun Valley was just that, so thanks for the fine share.
I’m glad to learn that Polly is progressing well. My 13yo Golden Retriever had ACL surgeries on both rear legs. In addition to the prescribed physical therapies, we found that swimming was a most efficient conditioner. We use the local pond to play fetch. If Polly likes to swim and you have access to pup-friendly water, you may want to give it a try.
We’re happy to flow your travels and the recommendations and place descriptions have proved helpful.
So glad that Polly is doing better!
I think I told you that last year we were in MI in Aug and loved it. 7 different CGs. All state parks which were great and i would say all that we were in would fit your rig but there is the matter of the $35(annual) fee just to use them and another on top of that for your tow vehicle. There is so much to do in MI and of course there are the lighthouses. Just at Cheboygan SP we could see 6. 🙂 The two commercial things I would not miss are a day on Mackinac Island (pronounced mackinaw) and Polly is welcome there, as well as the Pictured Rocks boat tour. She cant go on that but they do have a kennel. If you have a lock take it or you can buy one. Lots of baking dogs but better than a roasting rig. Our cat was fine in it for 2 hours though. The only CG we would not recommend, of the ones we went to, is Interlochen. Crowded, noisy and problems with the water.
If you get as far easy as ME don’t miss Bass Harbor Light and in Shelburne VT (on Lake Champlain) there is Shelburne Village which has the old Colchester lighthouse. Nina, if you get to the Hudson River Valley there are really cool rover lighthouses-Rondout and Esopus are my favorites but the Maritime Museums in both Vergennes, VT and Kingston/Rondout Creek, NY are excellent! Enjoy, stay safe and I hope you enjoy the eastern half as much as we do.
We’re really looking forward to it, Not sure how many MI state parks we’ll be able to get into. Unfortunately they all seem booked solid from now through Labor Day! So, we’ll just have to see what we can get. I’m hoping we can at least get into a few.
Nina
Say you made it to Redfish Lake one of the most scenic lakes in the Sawtooths! It’s just over the Galena Summit from Sun Valkey!
Of course! We went twice. I even did an entire blog post about my sunrise shoot there. Did you miss it?
https://www.wheelingit.us/2016/07/16/sunrise-magic-in-the-mountains-stanley-id/
Nina
I think you wanted to say Polly has “hip dysplasia”. Dyspepsia is indigestion, which doesn’t have much to do with hips. For lighthouses, have you tried Long Island, Connecticut, and Long Island Sound? I love reading your posts.
Argh! Yup my dyslexia didn’t catch that mistake at all and auto-correct obviously chose the entirely wrong thing. I’ll go in and correct it. Thanks!
We haven’t been to Connecticut or Long Island yet.
Nina
So glad Polly is doing great! We live near the Tri-Cities in SE Washington State and we just had fires burning all around us. The Fire Service is using the High School one road over from us to feed and house the firefighters fighting the Range 12 fire on the Rattlesnake Mountains behind us. Since we live in the Columbia Basin the smoke pools here. My husband, daughter and sister are all affected by the smoke with impaired breathing. We can really empathize with your desire to be away from it! Happy travels. We have never been back to Michigan so we’re looking forward to hearing about your travels
I’m so sorry to hear that. I can’t really handle smoke or pollution anymore, not after the 4 years we lived in Hong Kong (where pollution was really bad). I’m just so sensitive to it now. Really hope the fires in your area get controlled quickly.
Nina
One of the fires is out and the other is 60% contained so we have some blue sky-whoopee!
Have fun on your travels and keep us all updated
I’ve followed your site for about a year, but have never commented. I enjoy reading about your family and travels and would love to be on the road (part-time, probably) in the future. My husband used to go to Jerome, Idaho for work meetings and really loved the weather and scenery. Someday I’d love to go there, especially since there are few bugs….they’ll carry you away in MN where I live! Will you be traveling through Minnesota on the way to Michigan? If so, there are many wineries, breweries, lakes and eateries in the Mankato/St. Peter/New Ulm area in the southern part of the state that I’m sure you and Paul would enjoy. Also, Minnesota Vikings training camp in Mankato now to Aug. 9 so that’s always a fun and different experience (for football fans anyway). We live next to a golf course which would give Paul something to do 😉 The northern part of the state has Split Rock Lighthouse on Lake Superior so if you’re going that way be sure to see it along with any of the cities from Duluth to Grand Marais. Very pretty this time of year and the lakes are to die for….
Glad Polly is doing so well, we had a Yorkie/Poodle mix and he was a big part of our family even though he was a little doggie (passed away last year at age 17). Still have 2 outside cats that keep the critters away and hang with us on our deck….
Enjoy the rest of your summer!
FWIW, we’re in Minot, ND. Leaving on Saturday morning.
I don’t think we’ll make it there by Sat, but you never know. If we see your rig, I’ll def check in with you!
Nina
Great news on Polly. The arthritis can be managed if it gets worse. My chocolate lab is 15 yo and takes arthritis medicine every day. She can still go on a couple walks a day. Running? Not so much. I do the same thing you do. Leave her in the RV with air-conditioning. I can be away for 5 hours. I have been gone for 6 hours but that’s pushing it. We are currently camped at Lake Mary Ronan State Park in northwest Montana and we too are experiencing smoke today. Not horrible just a very prominent heavy haze. Safe travels.
My wife and I were born in Michigan. One of our favorite RV parks is Mill Creek in Mackinaw City. Something to consider….
There is a nice campground in Grand Marais. It is right on the shore of Lake Superior. Also Aune Osborn campground in Sault Ste. Marie is a nice city park. See if you can get a sight on the water front. Just remember you have to back in so be sure to take that into consideration when you book it. You will want the view from your front window. The freighters pass right past the campground.
Safe travels. If you ever need an RV pad in Bozeman, MT, please let me know. We built one outside our house there.
Cool – we’re MI bound as well! 😉
We’ll be there next week, headed in from the bottom. We’ll be mostly around west/mid-west part of the state (Holland, Kalamazoo, Fremont, etc).
Hope to catch up again!
Awesome! If we cross paths, I’d love to catch up.
Nina
Certainly understand the need to move on when smoke is hanging in the air. Safe travels to you. Enjoy your time in Michigan. We really have enjoyed that state.
So glad Polly is healing well!! Safe travels, we did decide to head for cooler temps at home tomorrow (Wed.) but probably won’t get there until around 4-5pm. Give us a heads up if you decide to linger nearby!
So nice to know everything went well with Polly’s recovery program and she is off leash again:)
We’ve come across North Dakota twice. Once we did the main route through Bismarck and then, the second time we took route 2 across the northern part right near the border. We really enjoyed both. Check out our blogs:) We did think of you as we traveled around Michigan with all the lighthouses! Not sure a month will be enough:) Safe travels!
I’ll definitely be checking your blogs about the area. It’s going to be a FAST drive for us thro’ ND, but we’re hoping to catch at least a few of the major sights along the way.
Nina
Yay to the pup who is off the leash! Have some really good travels east, I am looking forward to seeing what you see.
Safe travels! Good news about your puppy pal!
Congratulations on Polly’s health. Sorry to hear about the wildfires. We were in a similar wildfires situation last summer in Wallowa area. We were literally smoked out of the area and had to change the vacation plan. Now that my husband and I are full-time RVers, we hope to go back to Wallowa someday.
Total bummer. We had the same situation last year too. I’d made a plan to travel through Walla Walla and across Hwy 12, but the smoke and fires were too bad. Had to cancel and re-route the whole thing. The fires are awful again this year. Such a tough situation for firefighters and home-owners in the area.
Nina
Know how you feel about the smoke! Excited to see you are going to explore Michigan. (My second “home state.”). It will be a bit crowded in August as you’re discovering. If you can hang out until after Labor Day, you’ll find it just as beautiful and considerably fewer crowds. Either way, enjoy the lighthouses, etc. You are going to discover you’ll need more than a month, however.
Oh I know one month will be cutting it tight, especially with all the lighthouses. We’ve already resigned ourselves to the fact that there’s no way we can see it all.
Nina
We’re so glad that Polly is on the road to recovery. ACL surgery recoup is so hard for pup and paw-parents, but you’ve all done great!
We’ll have a moochdocking spot waiting for you, should you wish, just steps from Lake Huron and a few miles from a beautiful Lake Huron lighthouse.
Safe travels, and enjoy the journey!
Thank you so much. You may well hear from us, Karen!
Nina
We love Henry’s Lake. Great fishing and lovely rivers nearby. Thanks for the heads up on the fire map. We also re-routed our selves last year do to the smoke. Looks like the west coast is more appealing today. Safe travels.
Papa
Make your plans to drive through to Eastern MT. We are basically smoke filled valleys at this point with all the fires west, northwest and southwest of us (in Helena). I’m actually in our office today and my eyes are burning from the smoke being “piped in”. Safe travels and glad Polly is doing well!
We’re definitely motoring through. We’re only going to spend 1 night in MT before we hit ND. Sorry about the smoke. Hope it improves for you.
Nina
So delighted to read your heading to Michigan! Our home state and we are pretty smitten with the mitten. As you already stated it might be hard to get into campgrounds, but here our some options to try. Wish you could see Mi in the fall, less crowded and more options but still very happy you are making the trek. I SO HOPE you can see PIERCE STOCKING SCENIC DRIVE in Leelanau County. A little gift to you is stop at lookout #9 take a small hike to the top and the view well let’s just say you will see why it’s just pure beauty. Also plenty of dog friendly beaches I will send you a local beach spot that you can walk for miles with Polly. But first here are some camping https://www.nps.gov/slbe/planyourvisit/http://www.indigobluffs.http://www.pounceyponderosa.com/todo.http://www.leelanaupinescampresort.com/http://www.wildcherryresort.http://lakeleelanaurvpark.https://www.nps.gov/slbe/planyourvisit/psscenicdrive.http://www.missionpointlighthouse.com/http://www.m22michigan.https://www.nps.gov/slbe/planyourvisit/upload/petsinpark-2.pdf http://sleepingbeartrail.org/
https://www.nps.gov/slbe/learn/historyculture/glenhaven.htm a great photo op is amazing sunsets at Empire Beach! Safe travels and hope you get to take in beautiful Northern Mi. Oh one more important http://www.lakemichiganbreweries.com/breweries_leelanau_county.php
Leelanau County is definitely on our targeted route. We may have to wait until after labor day, but we definitely want to do it! Also looking forward to MI breweries!
Nina
I see my links didn’t go through. Here is a list of camping options. INDIGO BLUFFS AND RV RESORT EMPIRE MI.
http://www.indigobluffs.com/
http://www.leelanaupinescampresort.com/
http://www.wildcherryresort.com/
https://www.nps.gov/slbe/planyourvisit/upload/petsinpark-2.pdf
http://lakeleelanaurvpark.com/
http://www.m22michigan.com/
http://sleepingbeartrail.org/
http://www.missionpointlighthouse.com/
Hope these links went through this time! Again safe travels!!
https://www.nps.gov/slbe/planyourvisit/psscenicdrive.htm
https://www.nps.gov/slbe/planyourvisit/platterivercamp.htm
Sorry for the multiple postings one more option is an equestrian campground horse is optional I’m told. 🙂
http://www.pounceyponderosa.com/todo.html
Worth calling and asking in case you can’t find any CG.
oh no! I was excited thinking I might finally get to meet you – I check your blog regularly during my research on things to do… You really have a great blog! We pulled into Challis yesterday. And you left Ketchum. bummer. But I can understand why – the smoke was ATROCIOUS last night, could hardly see anything. But it’s better again this morn, hopefully it clears this week. Safe travels!
Sorry we missed you! Definitely hope the smoke clears. It’s a beautiful spot when the skies are clear.
Nina
WunderMap with the fire layer is not yet available for we disadvantaged Android smartphone users. Bummer. I did check it out on Chrome. I like it. Thanks for the tip. Hope it is available soon.
Seems like the iOS version has changed since I downloaded it last year too. It has tons of layers, but the “active fire” layer that I have on my phone/pad is gone? Either way, the browser version definitely works.
Nina
Im so happy to hear that Polly is healing fast and happy to be off leash.
I hope that you will be able to see as much lighthouses as you can especially if you go by Upper Michigan (less crowd).
In case you are looking for campgrounds along your route, Steve’s review could be handy in your research.
Enjoy your eastbound route.
As Don and Robin said, Leelanau is beautiful! The adjoining Traverse City has an amazing beer scene also, so that factors into things, Nina. There are two tourable lighthouses in the area also. We are working at Wild Cherry Resort this summer (as we did last year), so we can give you plenty of ideas on things to see and do.
Also, don’t miss Old Mackinac Point lighthouse…as you may remember, that’s the one my great grandfather built in 1892. :). And if you can manage Crisp Point in the UP, the 20 some odd mile long drive on dirt roads is worth the effort. Whitefish Point is also a must.
ALL of those lighthouses are on our target list. I sure hope we manage to see them all.
Nina
Oh, and Sleeping Bear has a couple of doggie friendly beaches….. 🙂
YEAH for dog-friendly beaches. Thank you!
Nina
Hi Nina, Here’s a few suggestions for MI Upper Peninsula from our Fall Color Road Trip – http://stillhowlyntravels.blogspot.com/search?q=Michigan
Hope you have time to stop at Theodore Roosevelt NP in ND. We saw more bison there than we did at Yellowstone. Safe travels!
Already there! In fact we woke up in the park this AM. Gorgeous!
Nina
The sunset from Riverbend overlook is stunning!
Guess where I took my sunset picture last night 🙂 I’ve got it up on Instagram if you want to see it.
Nina
Haha, great minds think alike! If you are traveling east on I94, keep an eye out for the huge, wacky metal sculptures beside the highway. Something to break up the prairie.
Annnd, I just scrolled down and saw that you are now at Theodore Roosevelt NP. Lol. Enjoy!
Nina, Paul,
I have a question in regards “extended service plans” in case of a break down are they in your opinion worth the price?…. I do understand that even when one follows the proper mechanical/other components maintenance things do fail….but between your monthly premium (silver plan from Good Sam, average $170.00 p/month) and your deductible ($250.00/$500.00) you end up shelling out lots of money!! and nothing might happen!….. I also know that is a personal choice and your need for peace of mind, I wonder if your readers/blog followers could comment on this? .
Thank you!
Jose and Marcy Reyes
I wrote a detailed blog post on extended warranties and when I think they’re worth it (and when they’re not). Here’s my take:
https://www.wheelingit.us/2012/09/11/the-ins-outs-of-rv-extended-warranties/
Nina