Dion & Christy's Travels: Sun Valley, Idaho

After nearly a week at the Tetons and Yellowstone, we headed to Sun Valley for three quality days/4 nights with Dion's good friends Chad and Becky, and their adorable 7 month old son Whit. The 5 hour drive from Yellowstone's exit to the popular ski haven was unlike any drive all trip. This part of Idaho is barren. No farming, no grass, nothing. Boulders of rock and torn up Earth blanketed all but the road. Slowly we started seeing some life, rolling massive hills spotted with trees came into view and we were out of what felt like Mars and into the gorgeous outdoor mecca of Sun Valley- the town of Hailey ID to be specific. We arrived just in time for Chad's birthday AND the weekend which set the tone for our time there. They showed us a fun time and spoiled us with amenities like a bed, shower, cold drinks... simple things you learn to live without, while camping...

Whit was a trooper going on his longest hike ever with us Saturday morning up to a stellar viewpoint over Ketchum, the heart of Sun Valley and where the ski mountain bases lay. The Folk Festival was going on in Hailey, so that night we rode our bikes a few blocks down to the park, coolers and picnic dinner thrown over our shoulders, and threw back on the lawn with all the others from town. What a fun night and glimpse into life outside the big cities we both came from... with great live music playing, our picnic spread out, microbrews in hand, and friends all around. Everyone seemed to know everyone which added to the laid back spirit of the whole night.

Sunday was a leisurely relaxed day at home..topped off with a visit to the natural Hot Springs just out of town. Small jacuzzi sized pools are shaped in the river by rocks and hot water flows from above making what feels like the perfect bath which just doesn't cool off on you. So unbelievably relaxing. We saw many towns from the Rockies- west who tout "Hot Springs" yet what we saw were commercialized swimming pools with kids playing Marco Polo and splashing. The Hot Springs they took us to on Sunday however, were precisely what we envisioned Hot Springs should be, if not better..