I just got back last night from a five-day work/play trip to Sun Valley, Idaho. It feels good to have yesterday’s 12-hour drive behind me. I’m unpacking and trying to motivate myself to go out and scrape tons of dead bugs off the front of my car.I’m happy to be home. I love where I live. But before I unpack completely, I thought I’d put this one question out there to friends and strangers alike: Anybody want to throw the mountain bikes (or the hiking boots, or the cameras) in the car and go with me back to beautiful Sun Valley? If we leave right now, we can be there and camped along the Wood River by dark.
My goodness it was nice there.
I joke, of course, about wanting to go back--this afternoon, at least. But for someone like me, someone who is passionate about hiking and bicycling and outdoor photography, Sun Valley was darned near perfect. Ketchum, the town where I stayed, is at an elevation of 5800 feet. One afternoon after I finished doing some photography for my clients, I jumped on my mountain bike, rode up a trail called Adams Gulch, and to the top of a nearby hill. I watched as amazing, billowy clouds moved over the valley, dwarfing not only the 9,000-foot high mountains, but also the silly man with the camera. Those clouds spoke to me. They said: Boy! NOW you are in The West!
I’m already thinking about a return trip, maybe in the fall, when the aspens turn color. Yes, the fall would be nice. But I bet spring wouldn’t be bad either...
Maybe I’ll need to go back twice.
