I have to be frank, I didn’t think Idaho was going to be very fun and begrudgingly agreed to this section of the road trip. It isn’t on Instagram, magazines don’t write about Idaho, and, well, I just think of potatoes when I think about Idaho. Asking a few long-time locals if this is by design, they shook their heads agreeing and disagreeing. The best response I have gotten so far, “Idaho is out of the way. With no major trucking routes, or highways, forcing drivers to pass through Idaho, people don’t randomly stumble upon Idaho. You go to Idaho by choice and most people would pick a different place in the US to go on vacation.” The response was spot on, but, I would say Highway 75 should be on somebody’s road trip list because you can do just about anything an outdoorsy person would like to do during the day, then relax in a hot spring at night. Don’t believe me, read what we did today.

Kirkham Hot Spring

From Pine Flat campground, we hit the road by 9:00am and stopped at Kirkham Hot Spring, which is open but under construction currently. Once this opens, it will be a stellar place for camping. Nomadix towels in hand, we made the walk in from the free road side parking to the hot springs. At first, you stumble upon a few pools inside of the day use area, these hot springs are comfortable and would be great for families with kids. The pools are warm, not hot, and shallow. I could see some kids playing in these pools while the adults enjoyed themselves, but these are not the best pools. If you want to enjoy the magic of soaking in Kirkham Hot Spings, keep going down the path and make a choice, down by the river or on the hillside.

The hot springs on the hillside were a bit more shallow and hot. Too hot for my liking. I felt as though I was burning my feet when I walked into it, but there were people soaking in them comfortably. Call me weak sauce, but I just couldn’t handle it. So, I headed to the river.

Down by the river, the hot water poured over the edge like a shower, so I did what any sane human would do… go “shower” in it. For sustainability reasons, I didn’t actually soap up and wash myself in the hot spring, but I was like a kid at an epic playground here. Near the shower, a slide was created by the mixture of algae and river smooth rock. Putting my hands to the sky, I attempted to slide down the 20 feet, but it turned into a butt scoot as the incline wasn’t really all that steep, but I had fun. And, that is the point of a road trip, right? To let the inner-kid come out and play. To stop taking life so serious and enjoy these little moments.

Finding a pool that worked for both Kristin and I—she wasn’t a fan of the shower, it got her hair wet—we enjoy the rushing of the river and soaked for about 20 minutes. Then, it was time to go rescue Chestnut from the van.

Driving down a random dirt road along Highway 75. Photograph by Dalton Johnson, follow him on Instagram.

Dirt Road That Lead To No-Where

With a second pot of coffee made, we headed south along Idaho’s Highway 75. Winding through the mountains, a river always on one side of the road, this drive was breathtaking. Service was no where to be found and my downloaded music wasn’t working, so Kristin and I talked and drove. Wildflowers dotted the hillsides and there were patches of snow remaining from the winter season. Often, dirt roads shot off the main artery we were driving and at some point, my curiosity got the better of me.

Coming to a quick stop, banked right and headed down one of these random dirt paths somewhere north of Stanley. For about 10 minutes we drove towards no-where. Doing nothing but looking out the window and admiring the trees, the green grass, and clusters of wildflowers. Once we had gone far enough, we stopped and let Chestnut outside to play some catch. The little-big guy ran in circles, far too excited, his zoomies had him going crazy. Chasing sticks and balls, the nut-case barked at his own echo.

Kristin and I chased Chestnut around, laughing at his craziness, then loaded back into the van and headed for Stanley.

The cutest coffee shop in Stanley, ID. Photograph by Dalton Johnson, follow him on Instagram.

Hang Up and Hang Out

Driving south on our road trip along Highway 75 in Idaho, the striking Sawtooth mountains stood to the west. Thankfully Kristin was driving at this point because I couldn’t stop staring at the summits that are calling to be climbed. Similar in look to the Teton Range, this range of mountains were inspiring to look upon because the sense of wonder and adventure began stirring inside of me. I want to pull out a map, find a guide book, and begin a climb. However, climbing in the Sawtooth Range will have to wait for another trip, one where we plan to head into the mountains by packing the right gear. For now, I will look at and dream of standing on one of these summits.

The best and worst rule a coffee shop could have. Photograph by Dalton Johnson, follow him on Instagram.

Rolling into Stanley, Idaho, Kristin and I craved some more caffeine. Don’t judge if you are reading this closely. Yes, we shared two french presses of coffee this morning in our indestructible Hydroflask french press, perfect for road trips, and, now, I ordered a latte and Kristin ordered a cold brew. Let me do a little explaining… the french press is amazing because it is insulated and holds 32 oz of coffee. Which means, we (mostly me) consumed 64 oz of coffee throughout the morning because it stays warm for so dang long. Additionally, I ordered a latte because I love warm milk and ordering a steamer as a grown adult feels weird, so I do a latte. Okay, phew, now that I have defended my caffeine addiction, let’s get back to how cute this coffee pit stop was.

First, cash only. That is a win. Are they laundering money through this, my guess is no. But, any company that is “cash only” always makes me think something is going on here.

Second, no laptops. Sure, you can sit on your phone and not talk, but this rule of no laptops encourages conversations. As I looked around, yes, everyone was chatting. It worked! I love when coffee shops implement this rule.

Third, no laptops. I hate this as a digital nomad. I always want to post up at coffee shops and get my work done. It’s a great vibe, so I think no laptops is a stupid idea. You can’t win them all, right? However, as a community center this is awesome and I have to say, when you have the option of playing giant Jenga or corn hole or watch kids learn how to hula hoop, the no laptop rule makes sense. Rant done.

Could these two get any cuter? Kristin and Chestnut sharing a hammock. Photograph by Dalton Johnson, follow him on Instagram.

Lakeside Hangs

Bouncing down the dirt road into Pettit Lake area, we didn’t know if we wanted to camp here. Then, we were lake side and there was one campsite available walking distance from the water and were like, “why would we go wild camp and not use the lake, when we could pay $22 for this spot and play in the water all day?” So, we pulled into the campsite. Full disclosure, my typical take on vanlife is to never pay for a campsite. I just don’t like doing it unless there is something extra special, like a grand view, added amenities, or access you don’t get otherwise. This spot ticked two of the three. So, we camped.

Inflating one of the SUPs, Kristin wanted to hang back to rest up from the long day of travel, Chestnut and I headed to Pettit Lake for a pup and SUP session. Oh yeah, that just came off the tongue nicely.

Chestnut fell in twice as the wind was crazy, but we found a calm cove to snap a cute photo together. Photograph by Dalton Johnson, follow him on Instagram.

Chestnut leaped onto the board and we set off. In the distance I could see the wind was picking up, but whatever. We are here to adventure and adventure we must, so I paddled directly towards the wind and the mountains in the distance. Foolish, of course, but I did it. Chestnut clinched his paws to the board and we paddled over waves. The wind was using me like a sail. I was paddling, but we were not going forward. I paddled harder and a side gust slammed into the two of us. Chestnut fell into the water and I started to drift away.

Chestnut and I have practiced this several times, so he swam right at me. I paddled towards him, against the wind and in no time we were reunited. After another 10 minutes of paddling into the wind, I gave up, turned us around, and headed back to our starting point. In total we paddled for about 45 minutes and a little bit more than a mile was covered.

Back at the van and craving more adventure, Chestnut and I set off on a hike. We had no destination, so we just hiked for about 90 minutes and looked at nature. Honestly, moments like that are some of my highlights on road trips and vanlife living. No need to pull out a phone, or camera, to capture something. We just walked and enjoyed nature together.

Taking in the sunset from the middle of Pettit Lake, Idaho. Photograph by Dalton Johnson, follow him on Instagram.

I Try To Never Miss A Sunset

As the evening came quick after our adventures around Pettit Lake, I dropped Chestnut off with Kristin and grabbed the paddleboard for some alone time on the lake to watch sunset. If there was one life goal I could bestow upon myself it would be to try to never miss a sunset. The colors, the way it feels to watch the sun fade behind the landscape, all add up to an amazing feeling of wonder. So, in the middle of the lake, which was now calm, I pulled out my camera with a wide angle Tamron Lens and snapped a few frames.

Mountains, water, sunstar, and the tip of the paddleboard to remind me that I was sitting there in the middle of Pettit Lake. What a day, what a memory.