Driving 4 Rivers in Idaho and Montana

[Old Henry]

If you don't like rivers, mountains, or pine trees you can skip this one. On this 1,285 mile trip we spent 592 of those miles driving along 4 of the great mountain rivers or mountain canyons in Northern Idaho and Western Montana, the Payette River, the Lochsa River, the Salmon River, and the Bitterroot River. This is our story (Lady, our new Chihuahua, and me. AnnaRae was gone to a women's thing).

Map of route:



Interactive map: https://goo.gl/maps/fu7JVSht6nD2

The first night we made it to Meridian Idaho and stayed overnight with my daughter and her 5 girls. In the morning they insisted that I take them all and two of their friends to school.



Then we headed north to the Payette River and drove along it 35 miles from Horseshoe Bend to Smith's Ferry. Here's the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nsmq15wcTT4

It was a beautiful river with snow capped shorelines and boulders.



And a very nice old concrete arch bridge:



Little Lady rode along just as happy, calm, and contented as a dog could be.



Next was the Salmon River for 26 miles from Riggins to White Bird, Idaho. Sorry, no pictures but this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fzFfGQGZLwo

Little Lady decided for a while to ride up in the back perch. She loved it up there.



Next we drove the Lochsa River for 65 miles from Lowell to Lochsa Lodge. Didn't stop for pictures but took some video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4U_5vPnEzKs

The final river was the Bitterroot River in Montana.



Then up over Gibbons Pass at 7,047 feet in some nice snow. Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IML7W_HQ_Zo



The snow was deep up there:



Back down the mountain we met the Salmon River again.



If you look way down the river in that picture you'll see an old iron cantilever bridge that we'll see in some later pictures.

Right after taking that picture and just past that bridge going around a sharp turn I had an unpleasant surprise meeting with this $200.00 rock.



Yeah, that's the price of the almost new tire that I hit it with and destroyed it and the inner tube.





After changing the tire I went back and checked out the old iron bridge.





I took a picture of the fisherman taking a picture of Old Henry on the bridge as they floated under it.



Eventually we left the rivers and the mountain canyons and headed out on the flat for home. Here's a little 360° video of that drive: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1VEgC_itZ30



The only mechanical problem not caused by S.H.E.* was a loose side view peep mirror that needed tightening. I discovered the cause of another problem I had during the trip after I got home. I was going to go into great detail about how bad the roads were from the ruts worn into them by the 18 wheelers and how hard it was to drive straight down the road without constantly zig-zagging. I really struggled most of the way with it. When I got home I discovered that the right top king pin bushing was all but seized to the king pin making it almost impossible to turn the right wheel. That was my very annoying steering problem on that whole trip.

*Stupid Human Error

Previous Trips:

Red Canyon, Utah February 2016: https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showthread.php?t=188740

California Highway 1 November 2015: https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showthread.php?t=182600

Great Basin National Park and City of Rocks October 2015: https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showthread.php?t=181134

Pike's Peak September 2015: https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showth...ht=peak&page=2

Uinta Mountain Range, Utah, August 2015: https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showthread.php?t=173539

Mount Rushmore and Devils Tower, July 2015: https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showthread.php?t=173539

Pony Express Trail in April 2015: https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showthread.php?t=166241

Mexico and around in February 2015: https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showthread.php?t=162633

Ghost towns of Modena, UT and Pioche, NV in November 2014: https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showthread.php?t=155331

Million Dollar Highway, Durango to Montrose, Colorado in June 2014 https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showthread.php?t=142975

Transcontinental Railway Grade in May 2014: https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showthread.php?t=139471

City of Rocks, Idaho in April 2014:https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showthread.php?t=137684

Capitol Reef National Park in March 2014: https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showthread.php?t=133018

Grouse Creek and the AAA garage in February 2014: https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showthread.php?t=130966

Grand Canyon in January 2014: https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showthread.php?t=128820

Moab, UT in December 2013: https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showthread.php?t=127222

Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument November 2013: https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showthread.php?t=123694

Across Nevada on US 50, "The Loneliest Road in the Country", October 2013: https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showthread.php?t=120098

Mount Evans (the highest paved road in North America) August 2013: https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showthread.php?t=115013

Canada in June 2013: https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showthread.php?t=109872

Monument Valley in March 2013: https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showthread.php?t=99523

Bryce Canyon in February 2013: https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showthread.php?t=97822

Milford, Utah in December 2012: https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showthread.php?t=93137

Nevada and Idaho in November 2012: https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showthread.php?t=89080

Rocky Mountain National Park in September 2012: https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showthread.php?t=83966

Yellowstone National Park in May 2012: https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showthread.php?t=72864

Death Valley in February 2012: https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showthread.php?t=62705

Pike's Peak in July 2011: https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showthread.php?t=19141

Route 66 in April 2010: https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showthread.php?t=57511

[cmbrucew]

Professor
You have become proficient at meeting and handling problems on the road with old Henry. That was a good shakedown cruise for Lady, and she took all in stride. Congratulations to you for choosing her to adopt. Very scenic trip, thank you for the ride.
Bruce

[A bones]

Thanks, the map is fun to play with. Great pix, I ran that Eastern route the spring of '97 in my 18 wheel. The West side was a regular pass for a couple of years. Appreciate your time.

[Midnightcaper]

That is awesome thanks for sharing!

[corvette8n]

Looks like it was a great trip, I always look forward to your pictures and videos.

[Ol' Ron]

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I enjoy your trips so well I feel like I should chip in for gas. Great ride, nice dog.

[Old Henry]

Originally Posted by cmbrucew

Professor
You have become proficient at meeting and handling problems on the road with old Henry. That was a good shakedown cruise for Lady, and she took all in stride. Congratulations to you for choosing her to adopt. Very scenic trip, thank you for the ride.
Bruce

There was more to changing that front tire than meets the eye. In all of my tire troubles I'd never had a front tire go completely flat on the ground and had to put the spare on. Usually when a tire started to go flat I just pumped it up and headed for the tire store to fix it. What I didn't know is that, when the front tire is completely flat, my bottle jack will not fit under any part of the suspension to jack it up. That was a predicament. Fortunately, I had a Good Samaritan stop who had a shorter screw jack that fit under so I could lift the tire off the ground to change it. Gotta get me one of those jacks.

I also learned that I need a spare tire that is more than just an old worn out one in the event I've really got to go the rest of the way on it in such circumstance that a tire is destroyed and can't be fixed. Consequently, when I got home I bought two new tires, one to replace the destroyed one and one to replace the spare. I was also glad to figure out my sticking steering and fix that good. I've got to have everything as good as possible for my marathon 5,000 mile round trip to Alaska in May.

I just watched a fantastic documentary called "Horatio's Drive" about the first cross country road trip in 1903 by Horatio Nelson Jackson, his mechanic, and a bulldog named "Bud" in a Winton touring car he christened "Vermont". He did it on a $50.00 dare/bet. It cost him $8,000 and took him 67 days to drive from San Francisco to New York. It was amazing to me how much I identified with his adventurous spirit and the various challenges he faced. It is well worth a watch for anyone that loves a good road trip. http://www.pbs.org/horatio/ Should be able to get it on Netflix. I paid $5.00 to watch it on YouTube.

[johnboy34]

Thanks for sharing your trip, beautiful country there!

[ricklove]

Always, many thanks for the "trip reports", pictures, and/or videos. $8,000 in 1903 was a bunch of money!!!!!!!

[al's28/33]

Sorry to hear about the tire, gotta watch them hairpin turns while speedin along on two wheels!.....Thank you for sharing another great story and adventurous road trip!

[Binx]

You passed through my hometown Hamilton Mt. I feel honored!

Lonnie

[RalphM]

Great trip, too bad about the tire, but luckily it as only the tire and not you or your precious cargo(Lady)..
Looking forward to your ALASKA trip, let me know what dates and maybe our club will be having an event while your here. I'm sure all would welcome you to tag along.

[Curt in AZ]

I'm new to the barn, but have already enjoyed taking three or four trips with you. Your video, photos and overall production are top notch. Many thanks for sharing your highly personal and entertaining travelogs.

BTW we lived in Alaska and drove the Alcan highway five times. No doubt you've done your homework , but it is worth mentioning that an extra spare tire (or two) can be a good thing. Also the Cassiar route is a nice change and usually in good condition that time of year, at least in early May before breakup.

[Mike in AZ]

cool trip....bummer about the tire, etc....and congrats on finding another good traveling companion....looked like she enjoyed the ride....Mike

[Old Henry]

Originally Posted by Binx

You passed through my hometown Hamilton Mt. I feel honored!

Lonnie

My worst memory of Hamilton is that I totally forgot to go see the Daly Mansion that I'd read so much about (one of my daughters married a Daly). I was disappointed that I couldn't take a tour on Saturday but was going to at least go and drive to it and walk around it but it never entered my mind until I got home. I was sad about that. I really love that kind of old building with the great story that goes along with it. Maybe another time.

[Old Henry]

Originally Posted by carbonarc

I'm new to the barn, but have already enjoyed taking three or four trips with you. Your video, photos and overall production are top notch. Many thanks for sharing your highly personal and entertaining travelogs.

BTW we lived in Alaska and drove the Alcan highway five times. No doubt you've done your homework , but it is worth mentioning that an extra spare tire (or two) can be a good thing. Also the Cassiar route is a nice change and usually in good condition that time of year, at least in early May before breakup.

I drove to Skagway once before then took the ferry south to Vancouver Island. I was expecting a pretty bad road but was pleasantly surprised that the Alcan highway was better than most of the roads in Utah. We were in a modern van and had no problems once we got into Canada (alternator problems in Montana just before we crossed the border)

[Old Henry]

Originally Posted by carbonarc

I'm new to the barn, but have already enjoyed taking three or four trips with you. Your video, photos and overall production are top notch. Many thanks for sharing your highly personal and entertaining travelogs.

BTW we lived in Alaska and drove the Alcan highway five times. No doubt you've done your homework , but it is worth mentioning that an extra spare tire (or two) can be a good thing. Also the Cassiar route is a nice change and usually in good condition that time of year, at least in early May before breakup.

I'm not sure I know what the Cassiar route is but I think it's part of our return route from Skagway home. Here's our plan: https://goo.gl/maps/zwHgzwedac32 North through Dawson Creek on the Alcan then home on the route west of that. What do you think?

[Terranova]

Henry, this may have been covered in one of your previous travel logs, but how do you get the camera to pan while you're driving? Do you have a thread on your camera set up? I'd love to know what you use and how you do it. As someone said before, the production is excellent.
Thanks,
Mike.

[Curt in AZ]

Originally Posted by Old Henry

I'm not sure I know what the Cassiar route is but I think it's part of our return route from Skagway home. Here's our plan: https://goo.gl/maps/zwHgzwedac32 North through Dawson Creek on the Alcan then home on the route west of that. What do you think?

Henry, your route is the classic, covering both legs of the Alcan. The Cassiar is highway 37, and from the south deviates at Prince Rupert, although it's a different highway number there. The road is more remote so a little planning is needed. That said it's less crowded and IMHO a prettier drive Have fun!

[oldford2]

Professor,
Thanks for taking us along on one of your great trips. I wish our new pup was as calm as your Little Lady. She would have chewed a hole in the seat so we have to keep her in a crate when she comes with us.
John