It was getting dark and cold, and it had been a long day in the saddle, so when we came across this wide spot in the canyon (soon to be known as Sixty Dollar Camp) we grabbed it and set up camp…
We were able to clean up in the creek at the base of the rock wall, and we had plenty of wood for a killer fire…
It was an almost-freezing night, and I could not bring myself to get out of my cozy sleeping bag for our morning walk. If I had, I might have found the $60 lying in the middle of the road before Eric did! That money would be put to good use later in the day.
We loaded up…
And hit the road…
We crossed the Bruneau River about 5 miles south of the Idaho state line and entered the Diamond A Ranch on the edge of the Diamond Desert…
The landscape out here was stunning. Impossible to capture with a camera, it just went on and on, so desolate and vast and just…big. Canyons everywhere that were impossible to see as we scanned the horizons. And there was nobody here…
Jarbidge River! We must be in Idaho now!
And this is how they do road signs in Idaho. Seriously…this is the only sign we saw pointing us towards Jarbidge...
We turned away from Jarbidge, even though it was our destination for the day, and headed north towards Murphy Hot Springs…
This place used to be a resort. You could rent little cabins on the East Fork of the Jarbidge River, and swim in the hot springs swimming pool at the base of the cliffs. Other than the boarded-up cabins and some summer homes along the river, the decaying pool is pretty much all that's left of the place. We knew it was closed and abandoned, but it still makes me sad…
The canyon heading into Jarbidge was incredible! Again, photos can't capture the full scope of the grandeur…
6 days later and we're finally in Jarbidge!
The name Jarbidge is said to translate from the Shoshone Indian language to, "Monster that lurks in the canyon" or "weird beastly creature." According to legend, Shoshone braves chased the creature into a cave in the present Jarbidge Canyon and blocked its escape with rocks and boulders.
Another source says the Shoshone word, "Tsawhawbitts," meaning "man-eating giant" is the root of the name Jarbidge.
Yet another source says Jarbidge stems from the Nez Perce Indian word "Jahabich," which means "devil." It was their name for the nearby mountains, which they believed to be haunted by an evil giant.
Regardless of where the word comes from, Jarbidge was a rockin' little town!
Only 12 full-time residents (dirt roads only, but the main one gets plowed in the winter since there's a post office there) but the population swells in the summer. We ate lunch at the Outdoor Inn, and the nice lady behind the bar helped us with accommodations. We rented a luxurious room at the Red Barn hotel for $35, and made plans to return later to do our laundry in the washer and dryer they had tucked into a corner of the bar!
It really was a barn at one time, but showers and bathrooms were added onto the end of the barn…
Mountain elegance is very apparent in the lobby…
Our room was small and not exactly modern, but it was spotless and warm and comfortable. And besides…$35!
We had the best time here! I'll tell y'all about it tomorrow.
WoodsChick
) laugh when I show up for dinner in a polka dotted dress.
