Day 3: To Anderson creek - Hot-springing Idaho and Oregon 2008 - CycleBlaze

August 30, 2008

Day 3: To Anderson creek

I got up early (for me) at 6:50 AM and started down the hiking trail at 7 AM, carrying breakfast stuff in my fanny pack. I hiked more than 2 miles up the middle fork of the Payette river to Moon Dipper and Pine Burl hot springs. I arrived at Moon Dipper hot spring at 8 AM while it was still in shade. The pool had a lot of algae on the surface and sediment on the bottom, and it was only 90F because too much water from Dash Creek was entering the pool. I rearranged rocks to reduce the flow of creek water into the pool.

Moon Dipper hot spring and Dash Creek.
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Then I walked 100 yards up Dash Creek to Pine Burl hot spring. This pool is a bit smaller but the temperature was nearly perfect and easy to adjust. The key is to prevent the cold creek water from entering the hot pool at the bottom, where the cold water doesn't mix with the hot water on the surface. The rocks and gravel at Moon Dipper were arranged so that the cold water only enters the hot pool on the surface, where it mixes with the 130F hot water that also enters the pool on the surface. Then I can enjoy a soak in the pool and only occasionally wave my arms and legs to mix the cold water underneath with the scalding water on top. The pool was 105F when I arrived, and a minor adjustment of rocks increased the inflow of cold water to reduce the pool temperature to a more pleasant 102F. It was a great soak then. Perfect temperature, very clean.

Pine Burl hot spring and Dash Creek.
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Soaking in Pine Burl hot spring.
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On the way out I checked the temperature of Moon Dipper hot spring and found that it was much too hot now. So I moved rocks to increase the cold flow. That pool seems harder to regulate than Pine Burl.

While hiking back to the campground I had better views of the river now that the sun is shining. I had the trail and hot spring to myself but as I neared the campground I passed a few hikers heading upriver towards the hot springs.

Middle Fork Payette river. View from the trail to Pine Burl and Moon Dipper hot springs.
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I got back to the campground at 11:30, made lunch, rested and packed up. I didn't get on the road until 1:30 PM but today's ride is mostly downhill, backtracking to the south fork of the Payette river. The first 14 miles is unpaved. Progress was slow because of loose sand and a headwind.

Middle Fork Payette river on my way back to Crouch.
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The afternoon was hot and sunny. Passing ATVs stirred up clouds of dust on the unpaved road. Pavement resumed when I departed Boise National Forest 10 miles north of Crouch. In Crouch I stocked up on groceries in the excellent little grocery store. The store obviously has many upscale customers in the surrounding ranchettes. Crouch was buzzing with activity during this holiday weekend. A Beatles tribute band played on an outdoor stage. The 2-block long town was filled with people.

Saloon in Crouch. Many transportation options...
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From Couch it was another 2 miles south to highway 24. Then I pedaled 2 miles east to the Anderson Creek road turnoff. Then another 2 hilly unpaved miles to Anderson Creek. I arrived at Anderson Creek at about 6 PM and the weather was very hot-maybe 95F. The two excellent creekside free campsites were already occupied. (I hate holiday weekends!) So I camped at a small turnout a couple hundred yards uphill. From there it was a 10 minute walk to Anderson Creek hot spring. I had a couple of soaks there but the 106F pool wasn't exactly appealing on a hot evening.

Little Anderson hot spring.
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Little Anderson hot spring is different than most of Idaho's hot springs. Most Idaho hot springs have extremely hot sources that require extensive cooling before humans can get in the water. The hot water at Little Anderson hot spring bubbles in from the sandy bottom at a tolerable temperature. So it's soakable right at the source.

Today was the hottest day of the tour with a high of about 95F. It definitely felt like summer. Horseflies were aggressive during the hottest time of day. They like to bite sweaty skin. I had a lot of exposed sweaty skin when biking on such a hot day. Fortunately the horseflies go away when the sun dips below the surrounding hills.

I will be glad when the holiday weekend is over. All the campsites are occupied and there is heavy tourist traffic on the roads. The traffic is especially annoying on unpaved roads because of the dust. Today's cycling mileage was short but it wasn't exactly a lazy day because I hiked 5 miles as well.

Distance: 28.2 mi (45.1 km), 17 miles unpaved

Climbing: 1096 feet (332 m)

Average speed: 9.4 mph (15.1 km/h)

Maximum speed: 27 mph (43.2 km/h)

Hiking: 5 mi (8 km)

Today's ride: 28 miles (45 km)
Total: 132 miles (212 km)

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