May 30th, 2024
Back on the road today heading to the next stop. Today the plan is to do some RV tank management and then head to Shoshone Falls Park for the afternoon before making our way to Murtaugh Lake Park. Neither of these places are very far away, so it should just be a series of short, easy drives. Should be. I asked Danny what he thought and he gave me a funny look.
He was pretty much spot on. What seemed like it should have been an easy decent down the canyon to Shoshone Falls Park was actually pretty treacherous. There are signs all over that warn about dangerous twists that become unmanageable in acclimate weather. They weren’t kidding. The width of the road is about a car and a half making my 30 foot RV pretty much hog the whole thing. This tiny road winds down a canyon with several sharp, blind curves where another car will inevitiably be trying to come the other way at the worst possible moments in the turn. It was pretty hairy… and given that it was about noon on a Thursday, naturally everyone in town was off work to visit the falls. It never fails to surprise me how many people are out and about in the middle of the day on any given day of the week.
In any case, we made it to the park safely and had a nice time exploring. The place was packed, but we got a good spot in the RV area and spent a few hours wandering around and taking pictures. The overlooks for the falls were shoulder to shoulder people, but I found a little trick that seems to work pretty well. you bring a tripod stand with you and set it up and people just naturally avoid standing in front of it, so I was able to get some great nice of me and Danny at the falls.
We also found a little cordoned off area that was currently shut down that I we snuck into for a little private time with the view. It was absolutely breath taking, and I got in a few quiet minutes with God before other people caught on to our secret spot.
We had about 10 minutes to ourselves in this spot… and then like an alarm had gone off we were completely surrounded by people who wanted in on our little piece of Heaven. I couldn’t blame them, and we didn’t stick around to do so. We called our time there good and headed back to the RV and onward to the next adventure.
The drive to Murtaugh Lake was a short 15 mile trip down the road and I was blown away when we got there. What a neat spot, and there was almost no one there.
This was exactly what I was looking for… a nice quiet place to spend some quality time with God. I spent the week reading, kayaking, fishing, playing with Danny, and continuing to live life as one would generally do so in an apartment, only on the road in a random place. The RV is working just wonderfully as a roaming apartment. My day to day plays out just as it did when I was living in my apartment in Post Falls. I work out, run, read, cook, and do all the other things people typically do in the place they live. Running in particular has been amazing in these different locations. When I was living in Post Falls, I had a set route that I ran nearly every day. Periodically that route would get extended as I became more capable, but in general it was a similar run every day. Out here, it is constantly changing, and that is a huge blessing.
Since starting this trip I have run up and down massive canyons walled by waterfalls, massive flat expanses through endless farmland, beautiful tours from one end of town to the next, and lovely little loops that wind through lush parks. When I run, I do not listen to music, instead chosing to take that quiet time to pray and converse with God. I have already lost count of the amount of times I have been out in the morning air in these places and just had the shocking realization of how at that very moment I am doing something I never would have dreamed of a year ago. Running in itself is a blessing, as it is something I was never able to do in my unhealthy youth… but running in these places? Every moment is a gift of staggering generosity.
Danny is really liking this place too! Anytime we are near water he is living his best life. This place puts us right next to the shore and there is a great little beachy spot where I can throw toys in and watch him bound off full sprint into the the chilly playground.
I’m getting some pretty good time in it as well. Once Danny is good an worn out its my turn to get the kayak out and spend a few hours navigating across the glassy surface. I took my fishing pole out with me, as I could see massive trout all around me feeding off the various bugs that are unfortunate enough to try to rest on the surface. However, I have found I am not a very good fisherman. My best guess is that I’m just not using the right kind of bait. After about an hour of casting without a single nibble I decided my time would probably be better spent taking in the vast beauty that God had laid out before me and thanking Him for it.
This was an awesome place to stay, and I am so thankful that I was led here. I made some wonderful progress on my Bible while here making it up to and through the Book of Job. I suppose I should add a little context here… the method I have chosen to read the Bible is cover to cover from Genesis to Revelation except for the Psalms and Proverbs, which I am reading through as part of my daily devotionals. So in about 3 weeks I have gone from Genesis to Job, just about half of the entire Bible. It has been a wonderful part of this journey to spend so much time pouring through God’s word, and I am right on track to meet my goal of finishing it during this trip.
Next I plan to head toward Wells, Nevada. I haven’t decided yet if I am going to try stopping at Salmon Falls Creek Reservoir, but I am leaning towards not. The weather looks to be heating up a bit for this next week and that has me eyeing the much higher elevation to be found at Angel Lake near Wells. As with most things, I think I’ll just get on the road and let God make the decisions for me. He hasn’t streered me wrong yet… not even close.
Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.
Proverbs 3:5