Boise, ID through Idaho City to Stanley, ID

150 Miles | 3:16 Riding Time

It’s Monday, July 1 2024, and it’s Day 82 of my cross country motorcycle trip.

The weather was supposed to be nice for the next several days, so today started with a good and much-needed wash for the motorcycle. The number of bugs who choose to end themselves on the front of my bike is staggering, and the only way to get all those little bug parts out of all the nooks and crannies is to blast them out with the pressure wash.

That out of the way, I plugged Stanley, ID into the GPS and headed out. After a bit, I was thinking, “this isn’t right. I thought I was supposed to be going south to RT-21.” So, stopped and put in Idaho City as an intermediate stope, and realized I had been going to quick way for about 10 minutes. I could have gotten to Stanley on the original route, but I I’m so glad I took the long way. Sometimes, “the shortest distance between two points is a straight line in the opposite direction.” So, south to RT-21, then north to Idaho City.

Most rides in Idaho seem to start with a long up- or downhill section. This was no exception. It was a long uphill climb to Idaho City. Along the way, I passed Arrow Rock, the odd rock formation that caught my attention. Turns out, it’s the site of the Arrowrock Dam, which was the highest dam in the world (348 ft) when it was completed in 1915. The road kept up it’s gentle, winding climb all the way to Idaho City, where I stopped for rest and some gas.

After Idaho City, the ride turned memorable. Sweeping turns along the river as I kept climbing continued for a while. I do love riding through lush green forests, but when I saw the 20 mph right turn sign, I knew I was getting to the good part. Twisty, steep, narrow, and other than a handfull of cars and that deer, completely empty—delightful. (Update: rewatching the video, I realize I seriously understated the number of other vehicles, but I guess that just highlights how much fun that road was.)

At the very top of the hill, I passed another solo bike heading the opposite way. I took it as a sign that I had chosen a good road, and the rest of the ride would be just as nice…and it was.

Once off the mountain and out of the twisties, the quality of the road surface went way down. It was rough and bumpy and demanded more caution in the turns, but the views were still lovely.

As it straightened out, I got my first view of the Sawtooth Mountains, and, after passing a couple big trucks, I was greeted with a gorgeous sky on my way into Stanley (population 117).

Stopped at the tourist info center, and the woman there was very helpful. They gave out free stickers of all the things you could do in Stanley (Relax, Ride, Fish, Hike, Bike, Raft, etc…). She suggested I turn on Wall St, and go up ‘till I see all the cars, for lunch at the Stanley Baking Company. The Happy Hippo sandwich was great—Ballard Idaho Greek grilling cheese, hummus, carrots, radishes, and arugula on rye (they were out of sourdough). I sat out on the deck and had my lunch.

After a while, a couple folks pulled up on adventure bikes. It was a guy, Chris from the Salt Lake City BMW dealer, and his son, who were out riding the Idaho BDR (Backcountry Discovery Route) together. I also chatted with a guy from Allentown, PA who was visiting friends who lived in Stanley. He ended up staying at the same hotel as me (honestly, there aren’t many options), and we talked for a bit about the NYC area and each of our adventures in the morning as well. Great to meet all of you, and hope you had amazing journeys.

After lunch, I headed over to the Sawtooth Hotel, where I got settled in, then sat on the deck with a local brew and caught up a little on my blogging. Some folks pulled in and asked me if I had ridden through “that storm.” Uh oh. Nope, I hadn’t seen any storm. They talked about driving through some rain and hail on their way into town. As if on cue, the skies got a little ominous, and the rain started coming down (remember, I started the day by washing my bike). Didn’t matter, I was done for the day.

Dinner at the Sawtooth was amazing. Steelhead with mushroom risotto and a brownie with home-made ice cream for dessert. One of the best meals I’ve had on this trip. Off to bed very full and happy.

The Route