Hagerman Village RV Park, Hagerman, ID

We love scenic by-ways, and the Thousand Springs route on old US 30 is one we have taken many times, including those times when it was the ONLY way to go! (Ummmm, that does "date" the writer, doesn't it?!)  Exit 137 from the west on I-84 takes you through Bliss, Idaho, then south on US 30, along the Snake River. We seem to be following some historic trails....Lewis & Clark and the Oregon Trail, anyone...? As we were driving this route we remarked on how L & C were able to chart their path so accurately and return east pretty much over the same route. Then there is the Oregon Trail--where they can identify the "exact" pieces, then approximate the general route. Pretty amazing! Then there is the Snake River. We have counted the number of times the highway crosses it across Idaho--I cannot remember that number now, but it certainly is a "mighty" river of the west, one on which all travelers over time have relied.

The Thousand Springs are found south past Hagerman. Pure, clean oxygenated water, maintaining a constant temperature of 58 degrees Fahrenheit, flows out of the rocks. These conditions are ideal for growing trout, hence many hatcheries are located in this 30 mile stretch, raising 70 percent of the trout produced in the United States. Lindy remembers as a kid traveling with her family stopping and looking at the springs gushing out of the rock...and we did the same on a day trip south of our campground. These pictures show a few of these springs. Can you see that the wind was really blowing hard?

We had a beautiful pull through site in this small park, filled with fall colors. We like this particular site as we get satellite TV, if we pull up just far enough to get the signal between the trees! There is room for the jeep either in front or behind the coach. We hooked up the jeep the night before our departure. Roads and sites are gravel, and nicely maintained.

We did a geocache, in the cemetery, through dead reckoning....! Well, Lindy used the app on her smartie phone, then geocache sense (which sometimes seems to leave her...but this time prevailed! (Audrey remembers, in Lincoln City when Lindy could NOT find the cache and had to

Entrance to Cemetery -- Paws and Friends Geocaching

ask!) We walked across the road from the park with the dogs up Cemetery Road into a pretty cemetery in this dry country. It was in need of mowing, and we discovered why, with a posted sign on the door of the maintenance building indicating a shortage of funds--donations would be welcome.

Here is the road leading into the cemetery. We were led to a memorial to Veterans at one end of the cemetery. The dogs sat patiently while Mike finished up a conversation with her sister.



We found the cache, but did not have a pen to sign the log  so after returning to the rig, piled into the jeep and drove back so we could sign the log....! Lindy DID have the pen in the pocket of her sweatshirt, which she removed and put back in the coach after stepping outside, discovering that it was really quite nice...! Hence, the forgotten pen...! Many who know her would say it was normal behavior....!

We noticed this (picture below) as we drove out, right next to the park, so drove up to it to investigate. It was a nicely done bronze sculpture, dedicated to pioneer sheep herder families. We, and the dogs, were fascinated by it!



The dogs were really fun to watch!

Every sheep camp has a wagon. It really is an RV! Lots of storage in and around. Look how the wash basin is stored. There are several businesses that custom build these wagons in Idaho, on rubber tires or "original" wood tires.

See under the bed? From the outside, in the back, was access for storage here. In our coach, it is called "basement storage".

Here we are, all short to hitch up, and go on down the road!





Interesting comparison, you think?!









Watch! Next time we just might be in a sheep wagon!

Until then, we are the Roving Riders, Swirvin on down the road!