Day 5: To Bonneville campground - Hot-springing Idaho and Oregon 2008 - CycleBlaze

September 1, 2008

Day 5: To Bonneville campground

I slept until 9 AM and it was 48F when I got up. The overcast sky made it feel like summer has ended. On the road at 10:10 wearing tights and a jacket because the temperature was 50F.

South fork Payette river once again.
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6 miles upstream I stopped at the tiny town of Lowman where I bought groceries at the poorly stocked country store and had an early lunch at the brand-new (and upscale) Southfork Lodge. It looked like it would rain at any minute, but it never did rain.

The map says the town of Lowman has a population of 72.
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South fork Payette river.
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5 miles upstream from Lowman I took a long stop at Kirkham hot spring/campground. It's a very popular hot spring that is conspicuously advertised with a big highway sign. It is an impressive hot spring with multiple hot showers and a spectacular riverside setting. Not surprisingly, the hot spring was crowded on the Labor Day holiday. This is a must-see attraction for tourists passing through the area. Today it's especially appealing to visitors because the weather is much cooler than previous days.

View of Kirkham hot spring from highway 21.
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Kirkham hot spring.
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Kirkham hot spring.
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Back on the road I pedaled another 15 miles up the south fork Payette river to the turnoff for Bonneville campground and hot spring.

Highway 21 along the South fork Payette river.
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Bonneville campground is 1/2 mile away from the highway so there is no traffic noise. I like that. The campground was deserted when I arrived at 5 PM. All the Labor Day weekend travelers are now on their way home. One other party arrived later, but the large campground was mostly empty. Hopefully it will be like that for the remainder of the tour... Shortly after I set up my tent it rained for 10 minutes. 30 minutes later the sun was shining again.

Bonneville hot spring is a 1/2 mile hike from Bonneville campground. It has a huge flow of very hot water gushing down a steep rocky slope.

Approaching Bonneville hot spring.
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Bonneville hot spring.
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The big main pool was a little hot for my tastes at 105F, and occasionally the temperature surges even higher, up to 111F. After the main pool the water flows through several more pools, but the flow is so great that each subsequent pool is only slightly cooler than the previous pool.

Bonneville hot spring.
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Bonneville hot spring.
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At night I enjoyed a long soak in the last pool before the hot water flows into Warm Springs creek. The pool temperature was a variable 101-104F. The sky finally cleared up and there was no moon or nearby light pollution. I had an amazing view of the starry sky.

Coolest pools at Bonneville hot spring, before the hot water flows into Warm Springs creek.
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Today was mostly overcast with a high temperature of 60F. Much cooler than yesterday. I wore tights and long sleeves all day for the first time on this tour. I've had several consecutive easy days but tomorrow's distance will be longer with much more climbing.

Distance: 27 miles (43.2 km)

Climbing: 1650 feet (500 m)

Average speed: 7.9 mph (12.6 km/h)

Maximum speed: 32 mph (51 km/h)

Hiked 2 miles (3.2 km)

Today's ride: 27 miles (43 km)
Total: 181 miles (291 km)

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