Hemingway memorialized these words about Sun Valley, Idaho, in 1939. His thoughts hold true today as Ed and I have enjoyed this October’s beautiful weather, colorful foliage and an endless variety of activities, including biking, sheep festivities, a jazz festival and wine tasting.

Biking Along Warm Springs Creek

Right outside of our door, we can embark on a world-class bike ride along a gravel road that parallels Warm Springs Creek.

Even though it’s always beautiful, the 20-mile bike ride to Frenchman’s Hot Springs presented a riot of color when we rode there this month.

Aspens were ablaze in shades of yellow, orange and red. Ed even found a tree that matched his jersey.

Sunlight danced on the water, Aspen leaves fluttered in the breeze and the afternoon shadows encroached on the winding road.

We saw very few other bikers or drivers on this gravel route. However, the “washboard style” ruts in the road reflected heavy use over the last 60 days. This road was much smoother in early summer, as it is graded in the Spring. Campers, fishermen, UPS drivers, dirt bikers and other adventurers use this road to reach streams, camping, and other activities. During our fall ride, only the ruts remained. We tried to avoid them whenever possible because they provide a full-body jiggle when encountered directly!

The Hot Springs were empty when we visited. During the summer, many bathers enjoy the therapeutic waters and beautiful setting. 

Celebrating All Things Sheep

The Trailing of the Sheep festival celebrated its 33rd anniversary. We attended the parade with many tributes to the heritage of the Wood River Valley. Shepherds and their horses paraded down Main Street.

Peruvian dancers demonstrated their prowess, Basque swordsmen wore traditional dress and bagpipers blasted out tunes.

The local rabbi blessed the occasion by blowing the Shofar.

And, at the end of the parade, a large flock of sheep ran down Main Street. They were transferring from the high mountain areas to warmer, lower grounds for the winter.

Some of the sheep weren’t completely satisfied following the crowd.

Sheep Dog Competition

One of the more interesting “scenes” was the Sheepdog Trials. This was a four-day event showcasing the prowess of sheepdogs and their control over a flock of sheep. We watched a competition where each dog competitor was timed as they herded four sheep through an obstacle course of fences, gates and corrals, culminating in separating the four sheep into two pairs. The finale included corralling the sheep into a pen. The dogs were directed by their handler, who used hand signals and whistles to communicate. Many of the competing teams were very skilled.

The dogs were rewarded in a cool plunge after their turn. 

Some of the teams were “DQ’ed” (disqualified). This included one team which allowed a wayward sheep to leave the competition area and jump right between Jan and Ed, who were viewing the competition from a distance. We can testify that this sheep was very large … and smelly!  It happened so fast, and the sheep avoided stepping on us – instead, he found a gap between our chairs and sailed right over us! Yikes. (This happened too fast for a photo!)

Wool Festival

All types of sheep products were celebrated at an interesting Crafts Festival in Hailey. Wool was spun and dyed before our eyes, and interested customers purchased cheeses, handmade hats, sweaters, and wool accessories. The variety and creativity of the items were exquisite!

Sun Valley Jazz and Music Festival

The Sun Valley Jazz Festival is a 5-day extravaganza celebrating all things jazz. Musical acts from all over the country congregate at the Sun Valley Inn. They perform in 5 venues and offer a variety from zydeco to big band to piano duels to blues and beyond. Most groups were very talented and delighted to be back on stage after a two-year hiatus.

Ed and I often feel like we’re the oldest members at some events. But, we brought down the average age at this festival, as it was quite a senior crowd. No wonder AARP is a sponsor!

Many festival attendees bring their AirStream trailers and park in the River Run ski area parking lot. 

We joked that the Gulfstream private jet maintenance trailer parks in the Sun Valley Airport during the annual Allen Conference for the billionaire summer camp in July. Perhaps the AirStream maintenance trailer should park in this lot in October!

Wine Tasting in Glenns Ferry

Jan had the chance to visit Glenns Ferry, Idaho, a town of around 1300 people known for the “Two Island Crossing” of the Oregon Trail. In the late 1850s, pioneers forded the treacherous Snake River at this point. Later, a ferry was established. According to the Glenns Ferry website:

In 1869 Gustavus Glenn built a ferry boat so that his wagons and others could cross the Snake River without the danger of driving horse and oxen teams through the treacherous waters. By this time traffic on the Oregon trail was heavy in both directions. His ferry crossed the Snake River about a mile downstream from where Glenns Ferry, the community, is today.

Today, the town hosts several wineries, including the Y Knot Winery. On an October Saturday, the restaurant and bar were hopping! Jan met her high school friends at the winery and decided to sample the varietals.

On a historical note, Cheri was a teacher in this community starting in 1976. Jan visited Glenns Ferry with Cheri in ‘76 to check out the community and tour the mobile home that would be provided as part of her compensation package. Cheri noted that the school had been upgraded a bit since her tenure.

This phone booth graced one of the streets in Glenns Ferry. A local resident told us that over 1,000 people take their pictures here every year. 

During the 1976  trip, Cheri and Jan also camped in Sun Valley and visited the bar at the Sun Valley Lodge. This was Jan’s introduction to the area, and the rest is history!

So, as mentioned earlier, we agree with Ernest:

Best of all he loved the fall … the fall with the tawny and grey, the leaves yellow on the cottonwoods, leaves floating on the trout streams and above the hills the high blue windless skies