THE JOURNEY BEGINS

First stop on our TRANSCANADA Odyssey - sister Jo's in Genoa NV (near Carson City) where grandson Dante is visiting from SoCal. What a great 11 year old! Sweet, funny, bright and polite who has impressively memorized the entire rap play Hamilton, and sings like an angel! For Collin's birthday, we ate lunch overlooking Lake Tahoe at Jo's favorite The Riva Grill.

(That's Samuel Clemens in the middle)

Next stop, Friday, was the Ruby Mountains of NE Nevada. Just 30 miles east of Elko, this lush alpine oasis rises up from the High Desert. Formed from two glaciers, the +7000' terrain of multiple peaks rise to 11,800'.  We spent the afternoon soaking in the cold Lamoille Creek and hiking up Lions Creek carved by a side glacier. The beaver activity was the most I've ever seen - a beaver dam of chewed aspen every 40' that went on and up for over a mile!

Day 3, Saturday, we received news that Jo is in the hospital with a bad gallbladder which they are treating with antibiotics.

We headed north into Idaho-a long day of rather bleak terrain - more high desert. We stayed below Anderson Dam (NE 20mi of Mountain Home) along the South Fork of the Boise River. Awaking this morning, our boat launch campsite had multiple dories being launched. We were told this river is the prime Bull Trout run in the area! 

We're headed for Jackson Wyoming  and the Tetons today, traveling east along the base of the Sawtooth Range on the Camas Prairie - a rich, dry land farming valley of alfalfa, corn, grains and cattle. So far, both Idahoans we've spoken to are previous Californians who love it here!

In the late morning, we got word that Jo has to have an emergency operation as the gall bladder is dead. What complicates the surgery is that she recently had a heart incident (unstable angina and a stent) and is on blood thinners.  The relief was profound when we got the word, just 40 minutes after going into surgery that she came through fine!  We were prepared to turn back and still may but both her children are there or on the way so we'll see. Whew!