Idaho at Last

On the ninth day of our journey we pulled into the KOA at Ketchum, Idaho. I had reservations for the entire summer and the family that owned the campground came out to the gate to welcome us. The husband told us to get out of the camper and go inside for a cold drink while he set us up. Not only did he back our camper into the spot we had reserved but he hooked up our water and other hoses and put out our awning. When we walked to our site with the wife of the team we were overjoyed to see the lovely spot they had given us with a large tree for shade and the Wood River just a few feet from the camper's back window. They walked us aruond the camp which was overflowing with campers of every size and description. They explained that many of the campers had spots in Arizona and New Mexico where they stayed in the winter and then they would move to Idaho for the summer.

We were in Idaho, finally, and it was time to start a new life in such a strange but beautiful world. The first mission in our new life was to go into town and buy some clothes!!! After two years in Florida, we had shorts and summer clothes and were not prepared for the nights that dipped down into the 40's. We went to a ski shop in Sun Valley and bought turtlenecks and sweat pants. We would end up changing clothes a few times a day because of the temperature differences. One day in July, we had a hail storm. Luckily I was near the Airstream and was able to stand under our awning brushing the hail off as the awning sagged drastically. Many of our neighboring campers were not so lucky and you could hear the ripping of the awnings. The temperature dropped from over 80 degrees to 40 degrees in a matter of five minutes. The girls had been at the pool with my mom and came running for blankets!

During the summer of 1982 I had only one duty and that was to find a house. My (ex) husband had to stay in Florida to see his real estate and business and I was free to have fun with my mother and daughters. Chuckie was due to arrive in Idaho just before school started and his sister, Jackie had chosen to stay with her mother in New Mexico.

Our days were filled with traveling around and sightseeing. We rode horses near Galena Summit and visited little ghost towns near Stanely, Idaho. There were skating shows every Saturday night at the Sun Valley Lodge where many of America's best skaters would spend their summers. We were having the time of our lives!