On wednesday I drove from West Yellowstone, MT to Hailey, ID. The route I took brought me past Craters of the Moon National Monument. I didn't have a lot of time so I took a few pics, got a few bug bites, and jumped back in the car. I arrived in Hailey having set up my 2nd couchsurfing stop, this time with Sam Bell, his wife Julie, 14 year old vegetarian daughter Sarah, twin 12-year old boys Alex (aka Alejandro) and Nick, and last but not least 7 year old Katie. As soon as I arrived we headed over to the Wicked Spud for the wednesday night live music. It was a scene from smalltown America where everyone seemed to know everyone, kids ran around freely, and the beer flowed on a warm summer night. Here's an overview picture of Hailey from a nearby mountain we hiked part of the way.
While staying in Hailey I also visted nearby Ketchum and Sun Valley. This area features the Sawtooth Mountains, the Big Wood River, lots of mountains for skiing, and the Wood River Bike Trail System. I took advantage of the rails-to-trails bike path to explore the area and climb some hills. Here's a shot looking towards Ketchum and Sun Valley as well as the Sawtooth Mountains.
Here's a clean view of the area to the west of Hailey.
Here are pictures of Sam & Katie followed by the twins Alex & Nick.
Saturday afternoon we went up to the Sun Valley Skating Center for some summertime outdoor ice skating. Everybody had fun skating and the kids got their hands on some jawbreakers which for me just added to the excitement. I had my first jawbreaker in about 25 years.
I wore my lucky Cubs hat given to me by my cousin Allison and her husband Phil and it paid off big time. I didn't fall once while skating and afterwards I got a free beer at Lefty's Bar & Grill in Ketchum. When I walked into Lefty's the restaurant manager shouted "Free Beer for the man in the Cubs hat". It turns out the manager moved to Sun Valley from Roselle and makes sure to give a free beer to the first Cubs fan through the door each day.
