I ate a HUGE prime rib sandwich and a pile of steak fries at a nice restaurant in McCall, Idaho the day I got out of the Seven Devils. As an appetizer I ate a half loaf of bread and salad. I could barely move afterward. I waddled out of the restaurant and into my car where I reclined feeling ready to regurgitate my meal at any moment. I wasn't yet ready to drive, but I pulled out regardless and headed south - my aim was to get somewhere close to Stanley, Idaho - but it was already 7:30 and Stanley was about four hours away. I was driving east toward Stanley about seven miles outside of Cascade (where my last blog was written) when the urge to turn around and go back overwhelmed me.
I'm back tracking from my last post because of that desire to turn around. Maybe it was the fact that I was exhausted and ready to puke that compelled me to turn around, maybe it was the fact that it was late and
I had no idea where the nearest campsite would be, maybe I was just too damn lazy to set up my tent and air mattress that night, but maybe it was something different.
I ended up spending three nights and four days in Cascade. The morning of my second day I learned that my good friend and mentor teacher back in Monroe owned property in Cascade. Crazy I somehow ended up here because the town only has 1000 year long residents. The Friday I last wrote on this Blog I was sitting in the library chatting with Tiffany (a girl with family in Cascade) when I learned of a fantastic opportunity. The American Legion in town was hosting a "Casino Night" and volunteers were needed to help deal cards and such. It took me all but two seconds to decide, "Im in!" It was an absolute blast. Friday night was the training session where veterans in their 60's - 80's decided the best way to deal Texas Hold 'Em and Black Jack - most not really knowing for sure the finer rules of the games required to deal. I stood back with Tiffany and her friend Josh making side ways glances and laughing about the absurdity of the
situation. I'm familiar with the games and offered up help as best I could despite trying to simply observe as an outsider. No one else really knew how to run the Roulette table - so I took the role and come Saturday night I spent the entire four hours spinning the ball and taking and rewarding chips. Another young lady from Las Vegas stayed at my table most of the night and we cracked jokes about the people present and the ridiculous prizes that could be won in the silent auction. Some of the best prizes were a clay bear playing a french horn, a red hat with the word "Native" on the brim and a bear stitched on the front, a full Nativity scene, and a ten year old stereo system. There where about 50 prizes in all. Most as awesome as the four previously mentioned. After "Casino Night" for the first time on the whole trip I enjoyed a saturday night out with friends on the town. Being that it was Labor Day weekend and a saturday night, Cascade was hopping. The people in Cascade where wonderful. I thought long about what compelled me to turn around as I left Cascade on Monday morning driving the same route I had been on Thursday. Whatever told me to turn around - I feel blessed I did.
I had made it only about five miles from Stanley when again the urge hit me to turn back and take one of the many campsites I had passed en route. I could have gone into town, checked it out, and taken any number of the many primitive campsites located on the outskirts of town. Again, this desire to turn back proved another monumental decision. At this tiny campsite off Rt. 21 I met Nora. As I stood staring at the self pay board she came out of her tent and explained to me she had already paid for all the sites and I was welcomed to stay for free. "Im in!" I set up and got in my tent. An hour or so later she was calling my name and offering me some of her chicken dinner and a drink. We chatted it up for an hour or so over dinner. She was an incredible woman who has traveled and worked all over the country. She currently lives in Jackson Hole and works closely with Grand Teton National Park - my favorite national park! I hope she doesn't mind me saying but it's important to note to understand her character and the type of woman she is - but she's survived both a double mastectomy and oophorectomy to thwart off cancer in both breasts and ovaries. When she heard the news of her cancer she simply took it in stride. "There's nothing I could do about, " she said smiling and she's now cancer free and recovered from both surgeries in record time. There's no doubt her positive attitude aided in her recovery. The brain is powerful medicine.
That night the temperature dipped into the low twenties (unknowingly to me, Stanley, Idaho has the lowest average temperature in the country over 300 days of the year) and me and my 45 degree summer bag were freezing! I stayed huddled in my bag until nine in the morning hoping the sun would filter through the trees and warm me. I probably would have stayed straight through the afternoon but Nora came calling. "Matt....can I tempt you with eggs, potatoes, and coffee???" "UHHHHH.....yes you most certainly can!" She barely even knew me but was so generous. I offered to give her something for all she had given me and her only request was to "Pay it Forward". She hoped for me to do something equally as generous for someone else. I'll do my best to heed her request. We talked long again. Nora offered up websites to check out in order to find cool jobs in and out of the country and shared more stories. I found out she knew Bill Bryson personally (one of my favorite authors). "A Walk in the Woods" is my favorite of book Bryson's where he tried to hike the Appalachian trail in full with his friend. The friend Bryson took with him on the trail was Nora's ex-husband. How random is that? Nora was incredible. Again...I cannot help but think what told me to turn back and chose the campsite I did. Fate? Destiny? Or just plain random luck? I don't know yet, but I've been so lucky over the past week to have made the right decisions and to have met incredible people and acquire new friendships.
I'm now in Stanley. A town so small and out there I could blink and be back 50 years and not know the difference. It's unbelievable here. Mountains (Sawtooths) so crisp and sharp and so close. Hot springs all around. The simple, slow, quiet pace of the people around me is addicting and contagious. Idaho has been incredible and still so much more to see!
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