A Bull Trout Walks into a Bar

Couldn’t resist. Our next two stops, Bull Trout Lake and Morgan Bar, just sounded like the start to a really good joke. 😊 

Rog was saying there are two kinds of RV trips – destination and exploration. Destination trips are all about getting to a certain place and usually mean a lot of freeway driving to get there as quickly as possible. Exploration involves taking new routes, usually secondary roads and scenic byways, to see new country. Most of our longer trips are a combination of the two. We’ve never spent any time in the Sawtooth or Bitterroot Mountains so this part of the trip we’re in exploration mode.

Our travels from Farewell Bend, OR to Bull Trout Lake, ID took us on a number of two-lane state highways (201 to 52 to 55 to 17 to 21!) and through lots of small-town America. It was also gob-smacking gorgeous, especially the view of the backside of the Sawtooth Mountains and all along the Payette River.

 

Back side of the Sawtooth Mountains.

Loved the Payette River!

Crystal clear water and lots of rapids.

Bull Trout Lake Campground is in Boise National Forest and located down several miles of gravel road. We weren’t 100% sure that we were at the right turn-off because there was absolutely NO signage off Hwy 21. And the sign after you turned onto the gravel road was almost completely illegible! We pulled over as a couple of folks were exiting the gravel road and Rog verified that it led to Bull Trout Lake. We pulled in around 3pm on Wednesday, 6/23. 

I'm thinking the signage leaves a little to be desired. Geesh!

So, we kicked back among the pines at about 7000ft and enjoyed perfect temps, the 70’s are way preferable to the triple digits much of the lowlands are experiencing. Farewell Bend was forecast to hit 110° after we left - no thank you!

 

Under the pines at 7000 ft of elevation. Good choice. 

We took Riley for a paddle on Bull Trout Lake, it isn’t a very large lake so we went around once, then did another half loop. We had a few spatters of rain, which of course started as soon as we got the lake, but it quickly passed and the big, fluffy clouds were beautiful. We figured about an hour in the kayak was plenty, but Riley thought otherwise. He didn’t want to get out! We literally started dismantling it around him. Lol. He did get ball play in the shallows as a consolation prize.

Bull Trout Lake.

 

In the kayak again. 

But Mommmm. I don't wanna get out. Let's go around again.

A little ball bribery got him out of the kayak. Lol. 

We spent two nights at Bull Trout and continued through the Sawtooth Mountains (even more amazing from this side!) before turning towards the Bitterroot Range. Our planned stop was Morgan Bar a tiny (8 spaces!) BLM campground on the Salmon River. We had a minor kerfluffle when it appeared Google maps was sending us down a private drive that dead ended at a cattle fence. What the hell? We unhooked and I scouted in the Acadia. Nope, definitely not where we needed to be. Luckily, we had cell service so Rog looked at the map in satellite view and we just had to go a little further down a dirt road marked “Warning Primitive Road Ahead”. Again, we kept the Short Bus parked and verified we were on the right track in the Acadia. The road was fine, better than some of the state highways we’ve driven to get here! We snagged the best of the two remaining spots right next to the river. See Riley… getting up early pays off!

 

The views of the Sawtooth Mountains were incredible.

We spent most of our two days at Morgan Bar just hanging out and playing with Riley in the river. There wasn’t any hiking from the campground and while we thought about trying to do a float down the Salmon, the heat sapped all of our initiative. Here, we’re catching some of the heat wave that is scorching the PNW. We really need to plan river float trips with a friend so we can have a vehicle at each end. We debated driving upriver to put in and then takeout at the campground, but the thought of having to ride a bike back to retrieve the car had no appeal. While we’re not close to the 100+ temps folks are experiencing at home, we did hit 87° which is plenty warm enough. I know, cry me a river. Lol.

 

The lovely Salmon River was on our doorstep.

Kicked back and relaxing.

Morgan Bar is popular with the locals and lots of folks were coming down to let their kids and dogs swim in the river. As some of you know, after a year of limited social interaction (thank you, COVID) Riley has gotten a lot less tolerant of strange dogs in his space. We work hard to keep his interactions positive and not put him in situations where he’s uncomfortable. So, what pulls into the spot next to us about 9pm on Friday evening? A tent-camping family with SEVEN dogs! I could not make this stuff up. They towed a horse trailer with five giant floofs, probably Great Pyrenees, a herding dog, and a token chihuahua. Then they unloaded a couple wire cages with several cats! Sure wish I had a picture to show you, it was impressive. Lol. They were actually good neighbors and did a decent job keeping everyone quiet and in their campsite. They only stayed one night and I really wonder what the story was there. I can’t imagine camping just for fun with that menagerie.

 

Yellowjacket range just across the river from our campsite.

Our next stop is Charles Waters, a National Forest campground near Florence, MT. Another one that’s all first come/first served, let’s see if our luck holds!