2026 Road Trip - Day 13

Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2026 - Traveling through Idaho - after 336 miles (and 11 Post Offices), I checked into the Redwood Cabins, Stanley, ID at 6:30 PM:

No need for a comparison-map. Bascially like driving from Boston to Albany:

In Rexburg I had to buy a new pair of sandals - worked out great.

Also in Rexburg I got a full tank of gas - becuse, you know, you never know:

When you find yourself driving OVER I-15 (which runs from Canada to Mexico), you are really OUT WEST:

Didn't I see this view in a car ad?:

Nice to be on the "Peaks To Craters Scenic Byway". "Scenic Byways" are routes that I seek out:

So - how does a town of 162 people get its own Post Office?

Going up the Sun Valley, through Ketchum, I had forgotten how awesome the mountains are:

I wanted to make sure I knew where I was for tomorrow's hike. It will begin at "4th of July Trailhead", up "4th of July Creek Road", which runs along "4th of July Creek"

I checked-in at Redwood Cabins, Stanley, ID at 6:30 PM. It has the Salmon River running right behind it:

Redwoods Cabins is a couple of miles down-river from Stanley, so I headed back into town for dinner and a sunset:

WOW - Thank you God for this wonderful IDAHO Adventure Day!

NOTE: No Blogs for the next few days, as I will be hiking in the White Cloud Wilderness:

Once again, Music for today are albums that I have not heard before (well, maybe I have heard some):

in this morning's hotel room - America - America, 1972 debut album, last heard 6/28/2024 - This album stands the test of time as something you can just put on and enjoy:

The Band - The Band, 1969 2nd album, last heard 9/23/2023 - good to hear this again:

On The Road: Steely Dan - A Decade of Steely Dan, 1985 compilation album, last heard never - I like Steely Dan a lot, and this collection has hard-to-get "FM (No Static at All)" (from the FM soundtrack, 1978):

Stevie Nicks - Timespace: The Best of Stevie Nicks, 1991 greatest hits album, last heard never - nice collection of her stuff:

Stevie Ray Vaughan & Double Trouble - Texas Flood, 1983 debut album, last heard in a blog never. Stevie Ray Vaughan does some pretty cool stuff, and I LOVE the song "Texas Flood"!

Stevie Wonder - Greatest Hits (Stevie Wonder), 1968 grestest hits album, last heard never:

Sting - The Best of 25 Years (3 songs live), 2011 compilation album, last heard never. I have all his albums, so this just has 3 live cuts: "Message in a Bottle”, “Demolition Man", and “Heavy Cloud No Rain":

Tears For Fears - Songs From The Big Chair, 1985 debut album, last heard never. I recently ripped this album, and upon listening to it, I can delete it. The songs I like (and I really like them) are on their Greatest Hits cd ("Tears Fall Down"):

Shameless Plug: if you enjoy this blog, you may like my other one about Hiking the 4,000 footers in New Hampshire/Vermont/Maine/New York:
hyperlink: dixonheadingnorth
http://dixonheadingnorth.blogspot.com/

2026 Road Trip - Day 12

Monday, Aug. 24, 2026 - Leave Montana, go through the northwest corner of Wyoming (yes, Yellowstone National Park), and spend the night in Rexburg, Idaho! After blogging, I Hit The Road - after 404 miles (and 16 Post Offices), I checked into the Super 8 in Rexburg, Idaho at 8 PM (Yellowstone took more time than I expected):

Once again, I like seeing the Post Offices I got, against a more-familiar geography. It is like starting in Portland Maine and spending the night in Danbury, Connecticut:

So, as I'm leaving Billings, I pass Montana Lil's Casino Liquor Store - I cannot imagine ANY SCENARIO where that ends well!!

I'm trying to see if my solar panels will charge while I am driving:

I googled why it did not seem to work very well: Yes, your Goal Zero solar panels will charge behind a windshield, but their efficiency will drop drastically by 50% to 80% because of “windshield-glass reflection”, tinting, extreme heat, and poor angles.

Oh well, it was worth a try.

Wall-art in Fromberg, Montana:

Sometime I take a nice picture of the local Library:

A nice view of the Beartooth Mountains in the distance:

It is always nice to be welcomed when you enter a new state:

On the 52 miles west from Cody, Wyoming to Yellowstone National Park, I took 15 photos - here are the three best:

I entered The Park at 2 PM:

In Yellowstone I took 56 photos (plus 4 Post Offices). The roads are WONDERFUL, going alongside Lake Yellowstone, or the Yellowstone River, or through forests and fields. Starting with Lake Yellowstone (of course I had to get my feet wet!):

Going alongside the Yellowstone River:

Leaving Yellowstone, going north and west alongside the Firehole and Madison Rivers:

Heading south through Idaho - I'm sure the Real Estate Agent says :"No problem with neighbors.":

Cool sky closes out the day:

Checked into the Super 8 in Rexburg, Idaho at 8 PM

WOW - Thank you God for this wonderful YELLOWSTONE Adventure Day!

Once again, Music for today are albums that I have not heard before (well, maybe I have heard some):

in this morning's hotel room - Bananarama - Deep Sea Skiving, 1983 debut album, last heard 5/13/2024 - I LIKE Bananarama!

On The Road: Augustines - This Is Your Life, 2016 3rd album, last heard never - I saw these guys open for Counting Crows at The South Shore Music Circus (along with Field Report) [GREAT SHOW!!!]. They started out as "We Are Augustines", but, needless to say, that got confusing, so they became "Augustines". Very intense (like Dropkick Murphys), but substitue "roots Americana" for "Irish pub/brawl":

Cat Power - Cat Power Sings Dylan: The 1966 Royal Albert Hall Concert, 2023 live album, last heard never - Cat Power has gotten a lot of press (relative to other bands I like, but not in relation to Taylor Swift), but I never got into her music. This, however, is wonderful. to quote Wikipedia: "The album is a faithful recreation of Dylan's set at the Manchester Free Trade Hall on May 17, 1966, down to the switch to electric instruments half-way through. The show includes an audience member shouting "Judas!" at Cat Power in the same manner that a person did to Dylan during his Manchester concert.":

Jimmy Buffett - A White Sport Coat and A Pink Crustacean, 1973 album, last heard in a blog never. Another really good Buffett album:

Joe Jackson - Fool, 2019 album, last heard never - ok Joe Jackson, I will keep it:

KISS 108 - KISS 108 Open House Party, recorded summer 1997, last heard in a blog never - Great covers - I made this recording of a dozen songs (plus DJ stuff). I LOVE THE ENERGY:

Laura Nyro - Stoned Soul Picnic: The Best Of Laura Nyro, 1997 double-album, last heard never. I love her 1971 album "Gonna Take a Miracle", but only some of the rest of her work. This will take some thinning:

Leonard Cohen - New Skin For The Old Ceremony, 1974 4th album, last heard in a blog never. I bought this album in 1974, I saw him in concert at Penn, and I don't listen to enough Leonard Cohen:

Livingston Taylor - Livingston Taylor, 1970 debut album, last heard never. I like this debut album:

Lou Rawls - Classics, 1984 album, last heard never. I like his voice & groove; similar to Bill Withers, but a bit more Vegas:

Shameless Plug: if you enjoy this blog, you may like my other one about Hiking the 4,000 footers in New Hampshire/Vermont/Maine/New York:
hyperlink: dixonheadingnorth
http://dixonheadingnorth.blogspot.com/