The Welcome Mat May Not be Out in Rural Idaho

A friend once told me these people want to be left alone.  He was referring to people who call Idaho’s backcountry home.  I’ve seen the same thing in Oregon, driving from Bend to Crater Lake.  A cluster of mail boxes along the road, but no houses in sight.

Some Places You Would Say Are Downright Creepy

It reminds me of a ghost town I visited in Nevada.  It was broad daylight, and I realized the town was partially occupied, but nobody came outside.  Everyone could see my approach from a long way in the valley below.  There’s a museum there, and as Twin Falls County Sheriff Jack Johnson told me, it’s never open!

There are some people who don’t mind being seen.  Especially if you have money to spend.  I was thinking about that when I read a story about some small isolated towns in Idaho’s central mountains.  You can read more by clicking here.

Many of these places are havens for hunting, fishing, and snowmobiling.

Some have population counts under two dozen.  Overall, life is quiet, but tourists bring news about what’s going on elsewhere in the state and the Mountain West.

I Passed an Opportunity to be a Mountain Man

A little more than 30 years ago, a fellow offered to sell me a mountain resort that had been in his family for generations.  He was aware that my first career out of college was in hotel and resort management.

I carefully thought it over, but the maintenance seemed daunting, and when the family learned what overnight temperatures were like in winter, my dream life came to an end.

It takes a special personality to live for long periods with little human contact, and then sudden bursts of tourists.  I appreciate the lifestyle, but it’s late in the game for me.

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