JJ Ranch South of Stanley ID

Standing in the Salmon River, it was hard to believe that the sun would not be setting on a longer undammed river in the nation. The salmon slides in a hush behind JJ Ranch in the Sawtooth Valley. Despite the state road running north to south, the valley retains a wild western character. My first time through pronghorn antelope loped through roadside sage brush and from where are small fire was in front of JJ Ranch's cabin we could see two hefty mule deer bucks on the ridge, the spread of their racks revealed through binoculars. By the time I crawled into my sleeping bag the temp. was surely in the low forties, I had my winter hat on the first time since being in Duluth, and through the tent screen the milky way stretched from each horizon, so bright in spots it seemed a cloud had slipped in front of the moon. I met Ben, the ranch caretaker, in a bar in Stanley while waiting for Ben from Portland to arrive in town. Turns out the two Bens knew one another and we found ourselves roasting marshmallows, playing harmonica and paying homage to the Maker's Mark.