This is why we moved to Idaho

You can thank my mom for this post.  She’s reminded me that just because we’re not living on the road anymore doesn’t mean I should stop posting : )

We’ve lived in Idaho for a little over two months now.  Last week we sold the Casita and if I’m being honest, I wasn’t sad to see it go.  It served the exact purpose we bought it for.  To have a comfortable means of living on the road while we sought out what was next for us.  Through our year on the road, we were able to clearly see that moving to Idaho and focusing on a life that centers around aviation was what was meant to come next for us.  The Casita served it’s mission and it was time for it to be passed on to another lucky traveler.  We hope she enjoys it as much as we have.

For those of you that have asked or been curious about our Four Wheel Camper, no we are not selling it.  You wouldn’t be able to pry that thing from my cold, dead hands.  It’s still the best money we’ve ever spent and will continue to afford us many adventures in the future.  We’re actually quite excited to hit the road in a few weeks and not have a trailer in tow.

Now, for the point of this little post today.  I thought I’d share with you a peek in to why we moved to Idaho.  In a nutshell, it has everything to do with…

Aviation
The Backcountry
And the community that supports it all

Idaho is a special place for aviation.  Dozens upon dozens of backcountry airstrips allow skilled pilots to access millions of acres of uncivilized wilderness that can only otherwise be accessed by hiking in. In the Spring Mark will begin his new career as a flight instructor.  He will teach for Stick & Rudder Aviation, a flight school that offers specialized training in the same aircraft that we own, a Kitfox.  The Idaho backcountry will become his office.

Though 15 years of harsh winters left me ready to move on from life in the Colorado Rockies, it was still really hard to leave the mountains.  We now live in the agricultural valley outside Boise, a vast change from our life in the high country.  But, as Mark showed me last month, we’re only a short, beautiful 30 minute flight from the mountains.  A delightful discovery for a girl that needs nature to remain sane.

I cannot wait to see where aviation takes us over the coming years.  I’m not sure what I love more, the adventures aviation affords or the community that comes with it.  Either way, we couldn’t be happier to be embarking on this new chapter.

Here’s a few photos from our afternoon flying to Garden Valley and McCall:

Above & Below: The Payette River near Emmett, Idaho.

Below: Arriving to Garden Valley.  You can see the grass airstrip we’re about to land at.  Follow the river until you see the small strip of grass at the foot of the mountains.

Many of Idaho’s backcountry strips offer camping opportunities right there alongside your airplane.  HELL YES! was my immediate reaction upon learning this.  You better believe we’ll be spending a few nights right here next summer.  Mark is actually buying us a tent as I type this : )

River views from the airstrip:

Not only does this particular strip offer a courtesy car, campsites and bathhouse but also free bikes.  If it wasn’t for my having a broken toe, we would have rode in to town for lunch.

Departing Garden Valley.

My last shot of the day over Lake Cascade as we continued North to McCall before circling back and returning home.

That’s all for now!  Hope you all had a wonderfully simple and joyful holiday weekend.

6 Comments

We'd love to hear from you. Leave a comment...

  • Hi Michele, many thanks to your mom for the posting prod. I really enjoy your travels and especially the flying. You two are off to some great adventures. Thanks for bringing us along.

  • we just drove through Nampa a few days ago from snow canyon back home to Vancouver B.C. Your weather is getting as chilly as ours. Thanks for the post update, nice to hear you are enjoying the aviation life and looking forward to more updates.

  • Hi Mark and Michelle, Glad to hear you’ve found what you are looking for. You guys were so helpful with your FWC advice. We are a retired couple who had never owned any sports or recreational vehicles and were overwhelmed by all that was out there. Your blog helped us so much in defining what we wanted, needed and could afford. We now have driven our dodge ram 2004 cummins/ FWC Hawk on many trips long and short and have so much to be grateful for. Best of luck Phil and Ria

  • Hey Guys! We thought you fell off the face of the Earth! …Turns out you were just flying over it 🙂 For some reason we stopped getting notifications of your recent posts but glad to hear that things are going well! Flying in to an area to camp sounds so awesome! Can’t wait to see where you guys go next – safe travels!

By michele

About

Hi!  We’re Mark & Michele, a couple of modern-day nomads perfecting the art of slow, perpetual travel.  Our tiny home on wheels and slow-paced travel style allows us maximum freedom at minimal expense.  This blog is where we share our travels as well as our insights in to this lifestyle that we absolutely love.  Thanks so much for being here.

Subscribe

Subscribe to receive new posts in your inbox.

Follow us on social:

Recent Posts

Categories

Contact