Kathy and I decided to celebrate my "Cancer Free" diagnosis with a weekend of riding and sightseeing in the Lava Hot Springs area. First off we search the internet for someplace to stay. What we found was a new Bed & Breakfast, Lions Gate Manor, owned and operated by John Clark and his family. This was a GREAT place to stay! Each room is designed around a particular theme, designed by his daughter. The Phantom Room (after the Phantom of the Opera) was her personal masterpiece.
Here is a picture of John and Kathy at Lions Gate Manor:
Here is John's WEB Site: http://www.lionsgatemanor.com
Our first day of riding covered all of Northern Utah, including the entire Cache Valley. About halfway through the ride we stopped at Red Rock Pass. This was the site of the breech of Lake Boneville some 14,500 years ago.
The whole "gang":
A shot of the North East point of the breech:
And a shot of the South West point of the breech:
The next day, Kathy and I headed off to the old Pioneer Ghost Town of Chesterfield Idaho. It was closed on Sundays, but we still managed to get some good photo's and see many of the restored buildings.
The sign marking the townsite:
We park by the old church and meeting hall:
More pictures of these two buildings:
A shot of some of the old homes and cabins to the east of the main townsite:
This is all that is left of the original school house:
A plaque comemerating the 100 anniversary of the Oregon Trail (erected in 1966):
The original "Merc":
Some shots through the front windows of the Merc:
A restored log home:
A restored brick home:
There seemed to be a real difference between the "rich" and the "poor" in this old town. Brick for the rich, logs for the poor!
An Oregon Trail plaque showing the route through the valley:
Finally, a shot of the entire valley. Lava Hot Springs is behind the mountain to the far left, while Pocetello is behind the moutain to the far right. The Oregon Trail passed through this entire valley:
All-in-all one of our very best trips. Again, a special thank you to John and his entire family for taking such good care of us!
