Full Moon Rising

July 15, 2019

Harvest Host - Kraay's Farm, Bellevue, Idaho

Day 31

Excited about today – this will be my first boondocking (no water or electric) experience on a farm. It’s a free stay thru Harvest Hosts app.

I finally see some “traffic”. It’s Monday morning around 10 am and there is some left over commute congestion. They're in the process of widening the interstate, so you go from 70 to 80 then down to 55 and back up to 80mph. This is a little stressful with the trailer; but not too bad, nothing like Portland or Olympia. The drive on this multi lane interstate is boring and, fortunately, changes once we get on the smaller, two lane Highway 20 towards Sun Valley. This drive has gently rolling hills hugging the Sawtooth National Forest. Gradually it becomes higher hills, along mountain cliffs then into high desert and pasture lands. It's a great drive.

Bellevue, where Kraay's Farm is, is about 20 miles outside Sun Valley. After meeting the farmer, I unhitch and get ready to go into Sun Valley. Just before I leave, I meet campers Cathy and Steve from Florida. They're here for one night too, and we make plans to have wine when I return. The farm typically has no more than two trailers per night, so I feel lucky to be here. This farm sells produce and has local meat from other farms. I buy some eggs, salmon and lamb chops for later.

The drive to Sun Valley takes about 45 minutes thru a few small towns like Sawtooth, Hailey and Ketchum. Sun Valley is an official Olympic skiing training site. It's gorgeous and exclusive. The town shopping area feels like Carmel, but in the mountains. I wish I had time to stop in Ketchum on the way back. This town looks like where all the fun is at - good restaurants, bars and a lot of shopping. The trails are so close to town, you can practically ski into town. Thru a local, we find a dog park with a stream and play there for a little while before heading back. Driving, I can’t get over how beautiful the mountains look - almost like they're covered in green and brown moss.

Back at the farm, I bring my chair over and join my neighbors for some wine. We have so much to talk about! They have been on the road full time for four days, and this is their second Harvest Host stop. Their trailer is adorable! It’s smaller, but super cute and does the job. They too are traveling with a dog, and, fortunately, she and Sparky get along. Though I'm trying to book most of my stays two+ weeks out, they're more adventurous and flexible going day by day. It’s a little safer to do that when you have two people. We plan on having breakfast together in the morning with farm fresh eggs and some killer bacon from my friends (FC!).