U.S. Roadtrip: Challis, ID

So we arrived to our destination in Ihaho, Living waters Ranch. Another absolutely beautiful place! We got to camp at the ranch/conference center in the mountains where they had lots of fun stuff for me and kids while Alex worked. However, this place was a full day conference so we could attend the conference, too, and listen to the other speakers. It was interesting, and the kids took the chance to sell paintings to the participants, which gave them more money than they deserved ;-)

The day ended with a very nice dinner at a restaurant down town Challis (a very small town) and breakfast together the next morning, at the same restaurant. The organizers, a couple who lives close by, took us to their own mine on our second day and we got to mine for precious stones. It was such a fun and educating adventure!! We had to drive on a small small and steep road to get up to the mine, on the top of the mountain.

Beautiful drive

Hummingbird by their house

Getting a quick lesson about what we were about to do

A machine to break the rocks in smaller pieces

Driving up the mountain...

An outhouse with a view!

We did not have time to stay very long because we had to drive to our next stop that same night, in Wyoming. We left their house in the afternoon and managed to get a flat tire on the way back to the camper. This time it was the car and not on the camper and we had to get the spare tire out. To do that you have to open the trunk and somehow (I am not completely sure how this works) unscrew in from inside. The tire is under the car. Since our trunk could not open anymore (handle had broken a while ago) it was extra hard for Alex to get the spare tire out and replace the broken one. But of course he happily fixed it and we were back on the road very soon. However... we had never used the spare tire and we realized that it was smaller than the other tires on the car... and it was Sunday... and we were in the middle of nowhere... But as always, things work out in the end and on soon after we were back on the road we saw a guy working in his garage and he happened to have a tire shop!!! We went to see him and he was so nice! He was not working but he offered to help us and ones again our tires were good to go again! So grateful! 

Unscrewing the spare tire from inside the trunk...

Outside the closed tire shop with the helpful owner!

Because of our previous blow out we had missed the trip to a ghost town and the kids, especially Marlee, was very sad about that. So, when we on the way back to our trailer, passed by a ghost town, we decided to make a quick stop. It was closed... But Alex found a worker there and he said that it was okay for us to sneak under the gate, so we did... :-) It would probably have been more fun if it was open but at least we got to see one now.

We eventually got back to our trailer, hooked it up and left for Star Valley, WY, where we arrived a little bit after midnight.