5th Annual Campsgiving

 

We didn't actually camp this year as the rangers said all the campsites close as soon as snow hits the ground. Turns out there are a lot of camspites not under their purview but that info was not on the internet. So we did a cool airbnb in Boise and drove northeast to hit up the hot springs. We pulled up to the first hot springs right off the road, people were there and we don't love that, so off to the next one. This one had the road into it shut down so we hiked past the gate and that little bit of snow walking got us this place all to ourselves. The sulfur smell was very subtle and there were giant pools of hot water bubbling down the rocks into more pools right next to the rushing ice cold river. I brought along my candy thermometer and found a pool to be 105 so we hopped in.

 

It was on my bucket list to go to a hot springs and it was awesome to even get it all to ourselves. We lounged in the pool, attempted a dip in the cold river (only to our ankles) and wandered around the landscape through the warm steam. Out of curiosity we put the thermometer into the water up near the part bubbling up from the earth it was 150 degrees F!!

 

 

Then we found a beautiful campsite in an empty campground and set to work making our traditional Thanksgiving dinner over the fire. Went with the turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy, green beans with leeks, and spicy sausage stuffing. The stuffing was the showstopper again this year. That cast iron pan over the fire creates the  best toasty flavors. We made enough to have leftovers and ate them the night we drove back from Boise.