Thursday, June 13, 2019

June 13 – Sawtooth Botanical Gardens.

I think we are here a bit too early. A few of the hikes I had planned to do are still closed, either due to raging rivers taking out bridges or just being too muddy. So I am digging a little farther down my list of things to do.

Today was a lot cloudier and we even got a few rain showers. We just did two short outings.

First up was the close by Sawtooth Botanical Gardens. I had read that it was free (give a donation) but during the summer they want $10 a family.

Again we are a bit early to see the garden in all its glory but there was enough in bloom to overload this post with flower pictures.

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The lady that took our money said that they have 5 acres but I don’t think it is all in use. We saw pretty much everything in about 40 minutes.

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They have a greenhouse with a giant fig covering one wall.

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They are not quite ripe yet.

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There is a beehive in the corner of the greenhouse with a clear tube to let the bees in and out.

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This one was so soft that I just had to run my hand through it.

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You can tell that I like flower pictures.

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I think the bees are supposed to use this. It looks empty though.

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There is also an area set aside for a Tibetan prayer wheel that has been blessed in person by the Dalia Lama.

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We gave it a few spins.

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Moving on, I wanted to go back to the Sun Valley Resort because we missed few things.

First up were the ice rinks. They have two year round sheets, one outdoors and one indoors.

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During the day anyone ($14 a person) can skate. On some nights during the summer they put on shows and have many Olympic level skaters.

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The indoor one is a hockey rink that the local team uses. The outdoor shows practice here and they also give figure skating lessons.

Next door to the rinks is a massive outdoor theater.

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Back at Jennie.

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The wide view from the stage.

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I wish I had taken a photosphere here.

They put on a lot of free shows but once again they haven’t started yet. For several weeks in August a symphony orchestra plays here every night.

There is a LOT of money around here with many big name stars calling this place their second home. Their donations make the events mostly free.

If you can’t or don’t want to sit in the grandstand there is a massive lawn just behind the seats, with a huge video screen and speakers everywhere to bring the action to you.

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Walking back to the car we saw this little train, that I assume the resort daycare uses to ferry the kids around.

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Lots of bikes for rent, no matter what your size.

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In addition to the Inn and the Lodge, there are two “cottages”. I saw a porter bringing bags to one of them. I wonder what the nightly charge is.

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Back home, the RV park is starting to fill up for the weekend. This cute little one was pulled behind a massive pickup truck that dwarfed it.

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