In Mid-September of 2025, I drove to Boise so I could spend some time with Kay's sister, Joan, and her husband Tom Morris. They are both wonderful people and dear friends. Each year they invite us to their home and are thoughtful, generous hosts. Tom has many interests that I also share. Some of those interests involve hiking, camping, hot springs, and fishing in God's gorgeous creations. Tom is an expert on all things having to do with the Idaho back country and always very kind and thoughtful of me, inviting me each year to join him on one of his excellent adventures in the Idaho mountain wilderness. The following pictures are not in chronological order but help capture the fun and beauty that we enjoyed this year. Neither Tom nor I took any pictures of the Poverty Flats Hot Spring, where we soaked for multiple hours both evenings we were in the mountains, but both evenings in the hot springs were the classic, Idaho hot spring experiences.
Near the end of our unusually quiet and solitary camp experience, a truck pulling a horse trailer, and another truck following it, stopped in the road about 50 yards from our camp. Tom had heard an unusual noise just before they stopped.
As we finished our breakfast and started taking down our camp, they busily and noisily bustled about their horse trailer. We noted that they had removed a couple of horses from the trailer, and we thought they might be setting up a camp next to ours. Then, suddenly, two gun shots rang out. I was startled and ducked involuntarily. What could they be shooting a gun for? We were both baffled, and more than a bit nervous.
We accelerated our efforts to break camp so we could get out of there. Tom had taken some gear out to our car, parked along the edge of the single lane road, and came back saying that they were stopped in the MIDDLE of that narrow road. Again, we were puzzled. What in the heck were they doing!?!
As we packed our stuff in the car, we noticed that the truck in the back had pulled off the edge of the road, and appeared to be stuck. It was a large, dually truck. How could they make the mistake of getting a truck like that stuck on the side of the road? I surmised that the two gun shots might have been simply one of those men letting off steam for getting stuck.
Then the truck pulling the horse trailer, with their horses inside, pulled away as we were striking our tents. I quietly breathed a sigh of relief. But before I finished taking my tent down, another 3 gun shots, in quick succession, rang out. Again, I involuntarily ducked, fearing they might be shooting in our direction. They were so close!! Then the last truck started up and pulled away. It was such a relief to have them leave!
As I put my final gear in the car, I looked down the road to where they had been. I noticed a pile of hay in the road. Out of curiosity, I wandered down to investigate. As I was looking at the hay, I realized that there were several lines of horse hair in the tarmac of the road. "What could have caused that" I wondered. Then, as I was contemplating that question, I heard something behind me. I turned to see what it was, and realized that it was a horse, lying at the side of the road, in the final throes of death. Oh. My. Goodness!! I was surprised and shocked. The sight was disturbing to me. I couldn't bring myself to even go over and look at it. I did notice a pile of flesh near its body, that had clearly just come from that horse. The sight hurt my heart. I had to leave.
Tom and I discussed the situation as we drove away. We decided that the horse must have somehow had its leg drop through the floor of the horse trailer as they approached our camp, thus breaking its leg. They had stopped because of that, and had spent their time trying to extricate that horse from the trailer and drag it to the side of the road. The first two shots were probably fired to put the horse out of its misery before they tried getting it out of the trailer and to the side of the road. The "stuck" truck at the side of the road must have been used to drag the heavy horse off the road. The last three shots were probably fired to make sure the horse wouldn't suffer any more. What a sad and disturbing experience.
A selfie of Tom and myself just before starting our second day bike ride. Tom kindly let me borrow one of his mountain bikes for our trip. Our first day ride was about 20 miles along this same road, but included much more elevation gain and loss than this day's ride. This day we rode about 17 miles along the single-lane asphalt road that parallels the South Fork of the Salmon River in central Idaho.
This is a picture of Shirts Lake. It was a beautiful, picturesque mountain lake. Tom & I thought we were going to get some successful fishing action in it. However, that was not to be. Neither of us got a bite. We both noted that there was ample fish food floating on the water's surface around the lake's shore. Tom later found that although the Idaho Fish & Game regularly plant trout in this lake, someone evidently planted (illegally) some Muskie. Muskies eat trout. Thus, we surmise that the Muskie ate all the planted trout and then starved. Therefore, no fish for us! Rats!!
This is a view of the terrain through which the trail traverses to Shirts Lake. The picture doesn't capture the vibrancy of the autumn colors.
A picture of me as we begin our hike to Shirts Lake, which is located near the top of the Idaho mountains, just southwest of Cascade.
A selfie of myself as I fished along the edge of Shirts Lake.
A selfie of me, with the terrain along the trail above Shirts Lake.
A selfie along the upper reaches of the trail to Shirts Lake. Note that in the valley behind me is Cascade, Idaho.
Selfie with Shirts Lake in the background.
Selfie of me, while on the trail above our destination, with Shirts Lake & Cascade in the background.
A picture of the books available to read in the Corner Restaurant in Yellow Pine, Idaho. Tom perused the shelves and reported that at least 90% of these books are romance novels.
Selfie of myself and the bridge crossing the South Fork of the Salmon River, located just across the road from the Poverty Flats Ranger Station. We passed this bridge on our first day's bike ride.
A picture of Tom Morris and myself in front of the Corner Restaurant in Yellow Pine, Idaho. We went there for lunch. We arrived just as they were opening, and as Tom started to review their menu, the cook offered us the "special" of the day. It was a pulled-pork sandwich. They had just smoked a pork butt. It sounded good to us, and so we both ordered it without asking its price. Big mistake. Tom had noted that most entrees on the menu were around $15--not a surprising price for us. After eating our sandwiches (they were okay, but nothing to write home about.), we were informed that they each cost us $35+. Gulp!! That was the most expensive sandwich I think I have ever eaten. Lesson learned--Ask the price before you order your meal.
A picture of Shirts Lake from the place I ate my lunch. While eating my lunch here, I watched perhaps a hundred Yellow-rumped Warblers forage through these pine trees in front of the lake. I could see small songbirds flitting amongst the bushes surrounding the lake. I estimate that there were several hundred Yellow-rumped Warblers feeding around the lake. I have never seen a flock of that species anywhere near that large. Usually they are solitary or in small, loose flocks of a few birds.
Another view of Shirts Lake from my lunch spot above the lake. You can see some of the beautiful autumn colors on the other side of the lake, but this pic does not capture those colors very well.
Selfie with the South Fork of the Salmon River in the background. This was taken while on one of our two bike rides.
Selfie taken while on the hike to Shirts Lake.
Fall colors produced by the Fireweed plant, taken just above Shirts Lake.
Selfie in front of an unnamed lake that we hiked into, hoping to fish it. No luck. The entire lake (pond) was surrounded by aquatic plants. I tried one cast and got snagged on one of those plants and lost my rig. We had to go elsewhere. This pond was near Warm Lake.
Picture of me fishing at Warm Lake, taken by Tom Morris. Neither of us had any luck here either. Not even a bite.
A picture of me, with the bike Tom let me borrow. Only some of this bike's gears worked. Thus, I had to peddle furiously to keep up with Tom on his better maintained bike. It made for a good workout for me. Note the South Fork of the Salmon River in the background.
South Fork of the Salmon River.
Picture of me, taken by Tom Morris, with the Fall foliage along the trail into Shirts Lake, in the background.
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