Picabo Idaho….one gas station/store/market/grill/post office/museum/fishing shop (Orvis) and one Ace rancher’s supply. We stayed for 2 nights at the Picabo Anglers RV Resort because it was between Craters of the Moon National Monument and Sun Valley Idaho. A great place to get out and explore.
After settling in, we walked down the lane and talked with a local (soon to be) resident who owns 45 acres of alfalfa field and is building a house. Hopefully, he says, he can get a roof on before the snows. It gets down to 0 to -20 around here but the ice thaws once the sun is out. Land sells for around $230 an acre.
Last fall, he bailed up his alfalfa and sold it to a broker before heading south to Arizona. When he came back for Thanksgiving, there were no Elk to eat at the bails, which is a good thing. The next day, his neighbor called and said there were around 300 Elk in his field. He had to call the broker to pick up the bails asap because by the next week, there were over 600 Elk and the local Fish and Game allowed an open shoot to thin the herd…… A different life here.
The next morning, we prepared to go out and see the sights. But right across the road, in a large field along Silver Creek, they were holding Bird Dog Trials. These dogs come from different breeds but are there to retrieve the fowl. They have different classes for 1-2-year-old dogs, 2-8-year-old dogs who are not yet ready for prime time, semi pro dogs, and professional dogs.
1-2 year olds – they throw out 2 birds and stand nearby so the pups have a reference to remember where they are.
2-8 year olds – They throw out 2 birds and hide behind a blind and throw out one live bird who flies and gets shot down. Now they have to remember where all 3 are…in the fields, in the water, across the creek, etc.
The semi pro and pro dogs are managed by handlers much like racing horses. The owners do not manage their dogs including feeding, petting, etc….how sad. But these dogs are working and have to find more birds and are timed with points awarded. The high point winners can go to Nationals …what a sight. All trials use real birds, no decoys.
After that, we headed to Sun Valley/Ketchum. This is a beautiful drive of around 30 miles. You can feel the money here and our Realtors.com app confirmed it by house prices in the area….ouch! But what a great place to relax, shop, eat at an outside table while taking in the sunshine and hills surrounding the town. This would be a great place to back to in any season. Lots of bike trails, hiking, etc.
The RV resort we stayed in wasn’t much but the people were great. The sites backed up to the road which quieted way down by night. Electricity, water for $22/nt, not bad!
