WWR Day 20 Upper O'Brien CG on Salmon River to Smiling Creek RV Park

WWR Day 20 Upper O'Brien CG on Salmon River to Smiling Creek RV Park
Thur Aug  15, 2019

Distance 45.1
Start elevation 5870
End elevation  7200ish????
High point  7385
Low point 5870
Climbing ????
Ride time 5:32
Total time about 8:30
Days bike camping: 14
Contiguous days riding : 4


Another blue skymorning, but chilly at 5800'.
Not sure where I will stay tonight, Galena Pass summit is 50 miles and 3000' higher than I am, with no identified camping on route for many miles on either side.
I may as well be prepared to do dispursed camping.
I ride the hwy a couple of miles and rejoin the official route. I have enjoy my paved detour along the Salmon River.
I am truly in the mountains now as I peddle up towards Stanley. The Salmon valley slowly mellows as I put the miles on.  A few teeth of the Sawtooth Range shyly peek over the diminishing ridges before hiding for a few miles. They peek again with more to share, and hide once more. I round a bend and their glory is revealed, at least in part.







As I peddle the last few miles to Stanley their extent is revealed as it is a long a jagged range, though the valley opens up to a broad sage encrusted plane far below those lofty 10000' +crags


I won't be staying in Stanley but I need a few groceries for tonight and possibly tomorrow night. I decide to have lunch in town, and catch up on a few items with the connectivity.

I find an rv park with unnoted tent camping at a good mileage for the day, a mile+ off route and decide on my temporary resting spot for the nocturnal required rest and respite.

I follow a forest road shortly out of Stanley for about 10 miles and then cross the hwy and follow a sage lands road for another 10ish miles.









The Sawtooth are my constant companion, and are really quite impressive.

I take my mile plus detour off route to the Smiling Creek Lodge and rv park.
It's ok but the tents sites are tightly clustered near the hwy and there are no picnic tables or chairs. The shower feels great and the on site restaurant is passable. My tent neighbors are Matt,Linnet and Holly, Harley riders with trailers on a 3 week tour from PA.

Side Note.
Have been seeing these peculiar devices in some waterway. turns out they are salmon filters to keep the young salmon from irrigation ditches






Side Note 2
Well I did see two things leaning left in the red state. First was the local Democrats sponsoring litter pickup on hwy along  Salmon River, very red area. The other was this:





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