May's Getaways

Amidst all the craziness and overly-scheduled events on our calendar that happened in May, we were actually lucky enough to break away a few times for some much-needed rest and relaxation. Josh and I realized that we've never really taken time for ourselves in May, because he's usually so busy at the golf course on top of everything else, but since he works for the City of Salmon now, it was actually feasible this year! In the middle of the month, we had 5 consecutive days of no work, which is so unheard of for us in May! We made a giant loop of Idaho in that time: Day 1: Thursday was Kanyon's district track & field in Idaho Falls, Day 2: Friday we drove all day to Moscow, Day 3: Saturday we witnessed Ammon's U of I graduation, Day 4: Sunday we drove to Cambridge, Idaho (less than 2 hours north of Boise), and Day 5: Monday we watched Jonah's state golf in Kuna then drove back home to Salmon. Okay...so our trip around Idaho was really focused on all the kids and THEIR events, but we did take ONE day for ourselves on that trip: Sunday.

On Sunday morning, we ate breakfast with Ammon and Micah at Shari's Cafe before saying goodbye to Ammon and leaving Moscow. Along our drive south, we made a few stops. The first stop was west of McCall. We explored the Last Chance campground area, where I'd recently discovered online that there was a hot springs located. We were successful in finding it after a short walk, and were pleased to find we were the only ones there! Logistically, we weren't prepared with our swimsuits, so we just soaked with our feet in the beautiful, serene water, and then explored the area a bit further and enjoyed the nearby waterfall and rolling river. It was lovely! Then we continued our drive onto Hwy 95 South, which neither Josh nor I have travelled on before. We stopped at Council and ate dinner at the 7 Devils Cafe. We made it there right before closing, which was lucky for us! It was quiet and we were grateful for the hot meal. Our final destination for the day was to Mundo Hot Springs outside of Cambridge. I'd rented a room in the Pool House, which is adjacent to the main warm pool and hot tub, and you have access to it all night, even after the public open swim times end. Josh and I soaked during the evening public swimming time, and only one other couple was in the water, so it was very quiet, which was wonderful. A lunar eclipse was happening in the celestial skies that night, so after public swimming ended, I went back to the pool and soaked alone, trying to find it. The event started after 9, and the total lunar eclipse was scheduled for after 10, but I never could see the moon! It wasn't a cloudy night, so I was baffled. Apparently, the moon was low on the east horizon that night, and some nearby hills and a mountain blocked my view. Nevertheless, it was relaxing being able to soak after dark, and I enjoyed having the pool all to myself! 

Krigbaum, aka Last Chance, Hot Springs

The view looking out from the hot springs

Mundo Hot Springs

The house we stayed in is the mobile home seen here.

Micah worked on homework and listened to a broadcast inside
as we soaked that evening. 

On Memorial Day weekend, after we watched the Shrek musical at West J on Friday night, Kanyon spent the night at his friend Jaxson Van Eps' home, and Josh and I drove to Rigby to stay at a Bed & Breakfast called the Blue Heron Inn. It was quiet and very homey. Our room was decorated in a western theme, which Josh liked. The next morning, the owners served a beautiful, large breakfast in the spacious dining room. It was a nice place, and I loved the feeling there!

Breakfast--I'm a sucker for grilled potatoes!

From the breakfast room, you could see out to the Snake River.

We drove back to Salmon on Saturday, and picked up Kanyon from his friend's house on the way. Shortly after getting back to town, we met up with our friends Phil and Darcy and drove over to Butte, Montana to watch a Jeff Crosby concert with them. We ate dinner at the Highlander's restaurant, a company that is expanding their business to Salmon (they purchased the old King's building). Dinner was SO good! I can't wait until their restaurant opens in Salmon! Afterwards, we drove to the location for the concert. It was supposed to be at a bar, but the owner canceled the venue last minute, so the concert was changed to the Union Hall instead. Surprisingly, it wasn't very well attended (we don't know if that was a result of the holiday weekend or poor advertising), but as a result, it was a very intimate concert. The opening act was great and they played some unique instruments; their music had an interesting jive, and we liked it. The music that Jeff Crosby's group presented that night was magical. It was incredible to be so up close and personal with their group, and to know that they still have a high-caliber show, regardless of the number of people attending the concert! There were a few crazies in attendance, but for the most part, the audience was just as into their music as we were. It was definitely a night we'll remember for a long time, and we are so grateful we got to be there, and with our friends, too! 

I like that when Jeff sings the song "One More Round for Randy",
he's able to play the guitar, play the harmonica, AND sing!
It's awe-inspiring to behold!