White Bird and Grangeville, ID

Friday, July 1, 2016

The trip from McCall to White Bird was an interesting and beautiful one with the Salmon River along the highway all the way.  While the town of McCall was in a forested area, we find that the area to the north is now hills with grass and a few pine trees much as the area in the San Joaquin Valley of California.  What a surprise.  We were expecting it to still be a heavily forested area.

Our campground was a bit of a challenge to get into as the driveway into it runs directly opposite from the direction you are traveling and one must turn into the area across from the driveway (fortunately this is a very unbusy highway) and turn your RV and car around so as to be facing the right way to head down the steep driveway.  The campground is small (about 20 spaces) and sits alongside the Salmon River with a few weeping willow trees which afford only a small amount of shade.  We head in to our campsite to the edge of the grass area just above and facing the river.  Looking out the window from my seat at the table, all I can see is the fast moving river and occasionally a raft or speed boat.  Beautiful. 

A short windy drive into the town of White Bird takes us still along the river.  White Bird is one of those one horse towns with a couple of small locally owned Mom and Pop restaurants and a bar and a general store.  It does; however, have three churches, a post office and a nice antique store in an old building.   The town is located in a creek bottom area on the Salmon River.  We will remain here until the 4th of July when we will move to a campground in Grangeville for the next week. We don’t have phone service and internet service is spotty and slow so I am beginning to feel isolated. 

We will be visiting Tom and Claire (my mother’s second cousin’s) who moved to Grangeville about two years ago from the San Joaquin Valley of California to be close to their daughters.  They are a fun couple and we are looking forward to seeing them and their family for a picnic at a daughter’s home on Sunday.

Saturday, July 2, 2016

Take a drive into Grangeville today and another surprise was in store for us.  Tom did not tell us that the drive would be over and through the mountains the first 8 miles of which are ascending to White Bird summit with a 7% grade and rising 3,000 feet in elevation.  The next four miles are descending another 7% grade into Grangeville.  The good part is that there is a passing lane the entire length.  In the car, it is no big deal; however, on Monday we will be moving the RV into a campground in Grangeville.  We plan for me to drive the car so the RV will be taking this drive minus the towed on the back. 

Ascending

Descending

I was informed by Claire today that the aforementioned highway is the new road and that the old road (which I had seen on the drive to Grangeville) is a series of switchbacks.  Okay so I am glad we do not have to take that one.  The new one is bad enough.

Along this highway from White Bird to Grangeville is where the first Nez Perce War battle took place on June 17, 1877.  After many battles, the Nez Perce surrendered only 40 miles from the Canadian border and were exiled for 8 years to Oklahoma territory.  Survivors eventually returned to the Pacific Northwest.

Grangeville is on the Camas Prairie and is the breadbasket of North Central Idaho with roughly 3,200 population and the most populous place in the area.  During the 1870’s locals established the old Grange Hall to foster area grain growers ability to supply the then booming gold mining districts.  Today they grow a great deal of canola which makes for beauty yellow fields. 

Drive around Grangeville which is having their Border Days this weekend which means parades on three days (Saturday, Sunday, and Monday), street vendors with food and trinkets,  rodeo, car show, fireworks, etc.  I stop in a local quilt shop, was asked where I was from and why I was visiting only to find out that the owner had just been talking with my cousin and knows her well.  In a small town everyone knows everyone even if you are a relative newcomer.  Spend the rest of the afternoon visiting with the family at their home. 

On our return to the RV park we stop at a place Tom told us about called the Canyon House which is located on the highway and has a bit of everything from ice cream, to liquor, to arts and crafts, antiques and even a 2 bedroom suite for rent.  The place sits atop the hill above the town of White Bird.

 I had been seeing jams all over Idaho made from Huckleberry, but had no idea what they tasted like.  Since this place specializes in Huckleberry Ice Cream, Ron and I order a scoop in a dish to share.  Delicious.  Huckleberries look like small blueberries, but seem to be a bit sweeter than blueberries.  Huckleberries apparently are an Idaho favorite.  I am told you have to destem them and this is done by laying the Huckleberries on a paper towel and gently rolling a wet towel across them to remove the stems.  Claire said she wished she had known this before individually removing stems one by one from these tiny berries.