High Desert Owyhee Country
We are in Caldwell, Idaho – about 30 miles outside of Boise. I am sitting here wondering if I can find enough superlatives and adjectives to do our day and the scenery we steeped ourselves in, justice. But I will give it my best shot.
If we moved to JV, we would fast become regulars at Rockhouse Cafe. In part because it’s the only wifi connection in town, but also, the artsy vibe and friendly service. The barista already recalled after 1 visit that I like herbal tea, with room for cream.
We were heading north toward Coffeepot Crater and noticed it was 10:02 am and went to see if the museum was actually open. It was, we walked right in and looked around. It was in the oldest home in JV and filled with items that were from the Basque family that lived there, as well as other items that were procured from the town or region. Each room had a theme to the display- old kitchenware, a rodeo room, a music room (a jukebox 5 feet tall), the bedroom with Basque dresses, a military room. I noticed the dining room table was set with porcelain dishes that came over with the Basque family from Spain. Interestingly enough, the dishes came from Limoges, a town in France that we visited and stopped at the porcelain factory. The tapestry gets richer.
An hour later, and we were on our way to Coffeepot Crater. I decided it would be fun to try driving the truck, and it was. The Crater was about 25 miles off the main road and just like the Pillars of Rome, it sort of just popped up, out of otherwise uniform surroundings. I wondered how it ever got discovered, before there were roads. Someone would have literally had to stumble upon it. I can only imagine how awed they were. It’s pretty dramatic.
Approaching Coffepot Crater
The hike was pretty short, only about a mile around, but very scenic. And the crater was amidst a lava flow, and so it was only natural to want to trek around and check out the different lava formations- some smooth, some rocky, some with moss and lichens growing on it, some broken up like asphalt. From the outside, the crater looked like a big gravel pile, and as we rounded the corner and got a peak at the inside, it was a spectacular view of the inside of the volcano. Literally. The colors were in the gray to black and rust to red spectrum. This being said, it’s hard to comprehend how many shades of gray and rust there are, until you see it. More than you can shake a stick at. Some scientific evidence suggests some of the lava may be only 100 years old, although most of it is closer to 5,000 years old. We inspected the nearby spatter cones and then headed back to Big Red.
Coffeepot Crater Close Up
I had studied the map earlier and noticed another side road that leads to the Owyhee River. Since we were in the desert, and had limited time at the river Monday night (Three Forks adventure), I threw out “should we check it out, it’s only 6 miles out of the way?” Dan was open to my idea and off we went.
What our eyes were witness to over the next 6 miles, and the rest of the afternoon for that matter was a most incredible trip into something like the Grand Canyon. The road descended relatively slowly the first 2 miles and all of a sudden, a turn around a hill gave us a breathtaking view of the drop into the canyon. But that was not what was amazing, in and of itself. It was the huge diversity of mountains, and rock formations that we saw. Some edges were sheer cliffs, some rocks seemed to shoot out straight from the earth, similar to the start of the Rockies, just outside Boulder. Some mountains were rugged, others were rounded domes, mostly white and beige with stripes of green and black. Some had mesas on top, with a layer revealed from the last volcanic flow. Each turn we took to face a slightly different direction was another formation and artists’ palette.
Have I ever seen anything so dramatic, yes, I have. But to simply stumble upon this by happenstance- I have NEVER accidentally gotten to a place so amazing.
The road became very steep at points and while I commented a few times that for a 4 wheel drive, I didn’t feel it handled very well. I was slipping and sliding way too easily. But we forged ahead and eventually got to the river. A historic ranch, Birch Creek Ranch, is toward the bottom of the road and now the caretaker lives there. I assume he loves his solitude and remembers to not forget the milk when he goes into town to get supplies, even if he learned that lesson the hard way.
I sighed a huge sigh of relief when we got to the boat ramp. I got out and stretched and stood there taking it all in. We were surrounded by a natural cathedral, and the best news was, we had it all to ourselves. It was unspoken, but Dan and I decided to spend the better part of the day here. We knew absolutely nothing better awaited us anywhere else.
The next 4 pictures were taken standing in the same spot and turning 90 degrees
Incredible geologic variety!!
The next few hours went by and we frolicked about. I was thrilled to have a body of water to swim in. I love the feeling of swimming as it both stretches and strengthens my muscles. I did laps across the river and there was a light current to work with. I liked getting across the river and sunning myself on a warm rock and looking at the same mountains from a slightly different vantage point. Then swim back and do the same thing.
The only company we had, were frogs, jumping around the water and singing frog tunes, and dragonflies, which happened to be a most brilliant shade of electric blue. And of course, a variety of birds. I don’t know my birds very well, so I couldn’t tell you what kind I saw, but I saw a lot of kinds and for sure, we took note of the hawks flying high and proud.
Lunch was on the gourmet side- avocado with escargot terrine. It was the perfect complement to a perfect day. Back in the water. I envisioned what it would be like, to take the 5 day raft trip I had seen advertised down the Owyhee River. Floating downriver without a care in the world. I absolutely loved to twirl about in the water, because every direction I faced, I saw differently shaped and colored mountains. It would make for a spectacular place to camp for a few nights, assuming one came prepared with the proper supplies.
There was part of us that never wanted to leave and we kept grinning at each other, with a knowing look about what a fine discovery we had made. But knowing we didn’t have our hotel planned for the night, and it would take a while to navigate the rugged roads, we pulled ourselves out of the river and the natural cathedral and back in the truck.
Dan was driving and after about a mile, the truck was having issues getting up the incline and was slipping, sliding and spinning our wheels. We had the same worried look we had 2 nights earlier, although this time, thankfully, it was daytime. I suggested I get out and look at what the wheels might be caught on. And I inspected, and didn’t see anything. I suggested he go in reverse to get out of the ruts the tires had just made. He did, and then attempted to go up the hill, and still, the truck couldn’t go. I was watching the back wheels spin in place, and I said “it just doesn’t seem like the truck is 4 wheel drive. The rear axle is not engaging the way it should. We need to check the manual and see if the truck is always 4 wheel drive, or it is a setting that we adjust as needed.” I knew we had 5 more miles to go, and I was positive we were not going to do it this way.
The funny thing is, we had talked about this when we first got the truck, and declared that it most likely was naturally 4 wheel drive, like a Subaru. But really, truly, should have made certain as our assumption was completely incorrect. We found the manual, and figured out how to get the truck running the way a truck is supposed to run, and then we proceeded to climb out of the canyon, feeling safe and secure. I shook my head a couple times with disbelief that we were navigating such rugged terrain as much as we had, in 2 wheel drive. Which obviously defeats the purpose of renting Big Red in the first place.
Heading away from Birch Creek Ranch
We headed to Caldwell, Idaho, which is about 30 miles outside of Boise and made this our home base for the night. I whipped up a quick Mexican style dinner- warm tortillas, black beans, fresh heirloom corn on the cob, and all the fixings. It was still light outside, and while we had had our adventuring done for the day, an evening stroll was definitely in order. A stream runs through downtown Caldwell, with a pedestrian pathway on either side. It’s quiet here, all the shops seemed to be closed and there are few other people out here- but who’s complaining.
A nice park area with benches and some art are placed near a bridge crossing the stream. The sun is still in the sky for a bit longer (we are SO close to summer solstice) and I take the liberty of sitting down, relaxing and recording my day, while the colors and sounds and feelings are still so vivid.
The History of How Owyhee (pronounced Hawaii) Got Its Name