sun valley, idaho - day 2

We slept in a little, then got up and got ready for everything the day might bring us, grabbing both hiking and MTBing clothing and gear, and walked to The Kneadery for breakfast (260 Leadville Ave. North; Denver omelet for H and eggs Blackstone* for me).  After the meal, we drove north on 75 over Galena Pass to tiny Stanley, Idaho, pausing at the overlook to gawk at the spectacular views of the Sawtooth Mountains and the gorgeous, lake-studded valley, only wishing that it was a little clearer so the jagged edges of the peaks would stand out more.  The Sawtooths are just stunning and so different from our well-loved Wasatch range.

View of Sawtooth Mountains

Stanley was hopping with river outfitters and fishing guides but we didn't linger there long, instead driving out of town a little further.  We picked out an easy MTB ride, a 16.8 mile out-and-back on Cape Horn Road, a Forest Service road through Sawtooth National Forest and Salmon-Challis National Forest land.  Despite a little logging in the area, the rolling road was in excellent condition for riding, only washboarded in a couple of spots.  In addition to the great views of Marsh Creek winding through the valley with the Sawtooths looming in the distance, we saw hawks, deer, herons, sandhill cranes, fish, osprey and tons of songbirds.

Marsh Creek

After our ride we were looking for somewhere scenic for snacks, so we drove to the pretty and immensely popular Redfish Lake, scoring the very last day-use parking spot at 2:30 p.m.  We drank our beers on the beach, watching the SUPers, kayakers, waterskiers and sailors enjoying the day; when we walked down to wade in the lake, an extremely cheeky chipmunk climbed onto our tote bag and pulled an apple core out of the empty Pringles can we were using for trash.

Cruising

Back in Ketchum, we cleaned up and strolled through town for dinner.  Again timing it just right, we got a patio table at Rico's on Main Street and devoured tasty Oregon IPAs, salads, margherita pizza and a well-stuffed calzone.  Food in our bellies, we stopped back by the Sawtooth Brewery where the friendly bartender was serving two other people.  After they left, it was just us and we sat and chatted with her for a while, talking about Sun Valley and Jackson and Yellowstone.  When we left to go back to our room, we wondered how much longer she'd keep the place open that night.

H in Redfish Lake

*  I'd never heard of eggs Blackstone before.  How have I never heard of eggs Blackstone before?  It's eggs Benedict but with chopped real bacon instead of Canadian bacon. Mmmmmmmmmmm!

Redfish Lake