Notes from N. Idaho

softdown

Couple members have expressed interest in N. Idaho. I I decided to share some findings:

1) Timbering is the principal industry by far. Everything revolves around that. Seen plenty of logging trucks. Wood was not cheaper from what I seen though I only looked at standard 2x4s.

2) It is very predominantly national forests. The selection and availability of private land for sale is comparatively limited.

3) Growth has been strong and prices have gone up considerably in the past couple years. Figure $100,000 for a basic 5 acre plot well outside of any town in the CDA area.

4) Gets a lot of rain and snow. Plenty of large lakes and rivers. The mountains tend to be steep and the forests are thick and dark. It rained steadily for most of my visit.

5) Plenty of places to get free water and air for tires. Have not seen that since the 70's.

6) Still carrying a rep for militia's but that rep seems completely overblown. There was a militia compound that lost its compound after a S. California female hiker was shot at for trespassing. While I was told that shooting trespassers is legal I consider the practice remarkable unless you have posted very prominent fencing and signage.

7) The altitude often averages about 3500' while looking much higher - to a Coloradoan anyway.

8) There are a lot of small mountain passes complete with chain up areas.

9) The southern part of the state is quite dry and much of it is flat sage brush country.

10) Interesting that the Boise Costco is the most profitable store in the nation.

11) Hunting, fishing and taxidermy are quite popular there.

12) I didn't see any obvious minorities. Idaho is pretty white.

13) Both Idaho and Wyoming are major Trump lands. I seen a LOT of Trump 2020 signs - all over the place. Not a single opposition sign.

14) Much of the Snake river appears to be running uphill. An optical illusion of some type?

15) There are two solid interstate roads and they both move east and west. Taking I-95 south from Coeur de'Lane is a scenic two lane road to be driven at a leisurely pace. Interior Idaho has vast areas with no apparent major roads. I may go back and explore with a 4WD.

16) Idaho never shut down for C-19. Masks were still required in some stores - like Costco.

17) Idaho, Wyoming, Montana and Colorado have similar gas prices.

I'll probably think of some more pointers and post while resting up from an unexpectedly challenging adventure.

softdown

Oh yea - I was looking for land while pulling a small camper. Which means turning around or stopping to write down numbers. The drivers there do not seem extra-ordinarily patient. At all. I suspect that the C-19 event created some real issues - as seen by the recent rioting.

As usual I met some nice people and otherwise. Did not witness significant obesity. People seemed to move around rather well.

While I was relieved to be back in Colorado I am already considering another trip to explore areas that are less traveled and more affordable. My realtor claimed that way up north is permit free but I would ave to see that to believe any area is still permit free.