Day 14 – Salmon to Challis – Safe Return Doubtful

60 miles (97 km) – Total so far: 850 miles (1,368 km)

Salmon has just over 3,000 people and a fair few of them were by chance in Challis (today’s destination for me) for a music festival. Though pretty plain with everything on a main street about a half mile long, it does have some good restaurants. Robert, the campsite owner, had recommended me to go to the Junkyard Bistro and it was good advice. Food prices and variety, Thai Chicken Curry was very good.

It was a noisy night, and not just because the site was near the highway. About 10 there was a storm, with about 45 minutes of thunder and lightning and 20 minutes rain. It made for a clear morning for a change, getting rid of a lot of the smoke from the sir. I was away after a quick breakfast at The Coffee Shop at 8:15. The ride is a steady gradual climb along the Salmon River with great scenery especially when the valley is steep sided. It climbs just over 1300 feet (400 metres) but so steadily it’s hard to notice. 3 miles out of town and I’m planning lunch when the weather changed quite dramatically. Strong wind blew off the Sawtooth mountains to the west with squally heavy rain. Also these last miles are more steep, so a bit of a struggle to get into town.

Challis is only a third the population of Salmon and the festival is over now (the boys were all planning for a fall, as Dylan would say), so good timing by me, pretty quiet here on a Sunday afternoon. I’m at Round Valley RV Park at $18, the prices keep sneaking up. Apparently there wasn’t a tent space to be had in town the last couple of days. The weather has calmed now, good to be finished early.

Storytime:

Anglesey Days

One of the highlights of Nigel and family’s visits to the UK in recent years was the family get together in Anglesey. Nick has a good sized house close to Rhos Neigr beach with a huge garden. These would be very Outdoor occasions in July and the weather was sunny if not always warm. As well as immediate family aunties, uncles and cousins would come, as well as several of Nigel’s friends from the Wirral. Friday afternoon and evening would be relaxed with plenty of time on the beach. Saturday would be a barbeque with plenty of cold drinks. In 2015 Nigel’s very good friend from Houston, Jeremy, came over also.

His summer visits were packed with travelling and seeing old friends. He would spend a couple of days on the Wirral, and always a couple of days in Kendal seeing old friends from the Houston days, Alan and Sonya. When in Carlisle they rented a self catering cottage in Wetherall, very close to mum and dads when they were with all 3 children, and when just with Lily would cram into my parent’s house. I had visits from them also. I lived up on a hill outside Orton and I recall the year that Ricky and Katherine came over also, and on a ‘warm’ Cumbria day they sat shivering in my front room. It certainly wasn’t Houston. From 10’months ago, I live in a cottage dated back to 1717, as chance would have it, next door to the pub. Though we spoke about it often, Nigel never got to visit.

This July Nick hosted a barbeque in Anglesey to celebrate Nigel’s life. It was somber occasion for all, but a great way to get together. Sandra and Lily, and also Jeremy came over from Houston as did many other friends and family.