On The Meandering Road: August 1, 2016 - Idaho City, Eagle & Garden City, ID

We were planning on getting up early to go biking on the Greenbelt trail, but slept past 9:30 am. Elaine was planning on coming by to pick us up at 10 am. We hurriedly showered and got dressed, were ready few minutes before 10 am.

After loading stuff in Elaine’s car we left for Idaho City, ID. It is 25 miles (the way the crow flies), but it was 36+ miles.

By the time we got on Highway 21 we could see/smell smoke (from the wildfire between Lowman, ID and Idaho City, ID). That was the highway we wanted to use after we left Stanley, ID last Friday, but it was closed due to the fires. Previous fires were evident along the route. There were two charred vehicles and you could see the burnt down building at the top of the mountain and all that was left was the chimney. It made us wonder where most animals go when they are forced to flee from the fire area.

The charred land

After arriving Idaho City we drove around and Elaine would explain about the old buildings, etc. Edith wanted to get pictures of the weird looking building called BoCo Sluice Co. It is closed, but opens Friday through Sunday. There were lots of vintage signs and stuff. We wished we could go inside just to see what was in there.

Edith & Erwin

Elaine & Erwin at BoCo Sluice Co

Edith spotted a sign pointing to the Pioneer Cemetery and told Erwin to go that a way. Only 1 mile from the historic town… The cemetery was established during the early part of the gold rush (1860’s). There is a donation box if you take out a brochure with information on graves. The cemetery holds the graves of over 3,000 people; however, fewer than 300 of those historic graves are identified. Of the identified graves, only 28 people died of natural causes! The cemetery is roughly divided into seven regions: Catholic, Older Graves (West), Military, Chinese, Newer Graves (East), Masonic & Odd Fellow and the Burned Area (most markers were of wood and no longer exist). Elaine found it interesting to check out historic tombstones. If Edith was there by herself it would probably take her half a day to check out each one, but we had other plans. We spent like one hour there. It was the first time this year that Edith had a fall. She spotted one grave, wanted to go there, walked over a lump of loose gravel. Well, the loose gravel gave way causing Edith to lose balance. Luckily, the camera was okay! Of course, Edith’s ego was bruised!

This burial site was filled with lots and
lots of penguins (from stuffed to ceramic)

We went back to Idaho City historic area, then had lunch at Donna’s Place near the Visitor’s Center. Elaine just wanted ice cream while we had lunch. While at Donna’s Place there was information posted on the door explaining about Pioneer Fire that had been going on for more than a week.

Map showing the location of the fire (red line)

We walked around the area, checked out one or two stores. Most historic buildings were closed or off limit. Edith stopped at corner store and got root beer float to go.

Erwin & Elaine

On way back on Highway 21 we pulled into Robie Creek Recreation area because Elaine wanted to show us the interesting store/gift shop. However, she was surprised to see that the building is gone (either from the fire or was torn down).

Osprey perching on a dead branch
It was looking at another osprey that was in
the tree nearby

Elaine suggested that we take the dam route to check out Lucky Peak Marina and the lake. To go in the marina there is a fee and we decided not to go in. We just drove by to allow Edith to get pictures of the surroundings.

On the side of the dam

Elaine wanted to take us and Mikey out for dinner at Oak Barrel of Eagle Restaurant, a stone’s throw from Elaine’s residence. Mikey works at Oak Barrel, but was off from work. Edith had grilled chicken primavera and Erwin chose rainbow trout. Elaine had grilled salmon and Mikey got sea scallops. Side dishes are not included with entrees and cost $6 for two. Artisan bread was served along with two different oil flavors and balsamic vinegar. Mikey was the only one who had dessert: fruit tart; however he let us of us take a small taste of it. It was really really good! The service was swift and the waitress asked us questions about where we were from and what we were doing in Boise.