RETIRED ON WHEELS: TEXAS IN TIME FOR TURKEY Day 5 October 6, 2009 Missoula, MT to Arco, ID

We left Missoula this morning after picking up our prescriptions. We decided to forgo the Interstate and take Hwy 93 hoping to have a more scenic drive. We followed the Bittersweet Mountain Range and the Salmon River all the way into Idaho with Trappers Peak being the highlight.

Trappers Peak is the highest mountain in the Bittersweet Range at 10,157 feet.

Just prior to reaching the Idaho/Montana border we started to climb into the Lost Trail Pass and reached the summit at 7000 feet. The summit was right at the border of the two states. This pass was likely used by Lewis and Clark in their travels north into Idaho from Montana. The pass is quite long and used a lot of 20 mph switchbacks to navigate the mountains.

Once we descended into Idaho we found that the landscape changed quite frequently. It went from barren and rugged to rolling hills with mountains in the background. It was a very nice drive.

Or you just might come over a rise and say Wow.

We also found out that there are a few turkeys in Idaho and they drink beer.

Eddie, fancy one of these guys for Thanksgiving.

Hey Rick, Sonny against the turkey. It would be a good contest.

It was just after this view that we came to Mount Borah which is in the Lost River Mountain Range and is Idaho’s highest peak at 12,662 feet.

It was at Mount Borah that we learned of the earthquake of 1983 which was quite severe. It reached 7.3 on the Richter Scale and caused $15,000,000 in damage. The most visible remains of the earthquake is where Mount Borah rose 6 inches and the valley subsided 9 feet. The fracture runs for 21 miles and is quite visible.