Scenic Sun Valley

It had been approximately 30 years since E had been to Sun Valley and G had never been there.  So - we were really looking forward to our visit with friends Eileen and Tom.  As we got in a little early and got Magic all set up - we set off to check out the Sun Valley Lodge, site of the Allen & Company conference where Warren Buffett and Bill Gates famously met?!?!?  E thought she had an appt. with Warren and Bill but they never showed up so she had to shop and enjoy the sights. The grounds of the Resort are lovely ----

OK, where are Warren and Bill?

Runs E and her sister Barb enjoyed a looooooong time ago.

Sun Valley enjoyed an incredible thunder and lightening storm that knocked out all electricity in the surrounding area.  Fortunately, their symphony shelter is beautifully built so the acoustics do not require amplification and the concert was able to go on without a hitch.  Well - almost ---

With the power outage, the announcer resorted to a megaphone.

Since all power was out - all the restaurants were closed for the evening as their kitchens were included in the 'no power thing'!  So - we had a wonderful impromptu dinner done on the BBQ at the Raney's (the grocery store needed to get rid of those steaks!).  Whoever said "spontaneity is the spice of life" certainly had it right.

While we were wandering around Ketchum, we found one of those Starbucks that are converting to include wine bars.  Of course, E had to try this out with an afternoon refresher of prosecco -

E's first Starbucks Wine Bar sighting.

Custom Riedel glasses-really!!  Designed by Starbucks.

Question of the day was - Would the storms stay away long enough for us to get in our round of golf??  Answer was ----YES!!  And, it was beautiful.

A great day on the course with Eileen and Tom.

Beautiful views made it difficult to concentrate on the golf.

The next day we took the most beautiful drive to Red Fish Lake through the Sawtooth National Forest, a federally protected area that covers more than 2 million acres.  The Lodge looked like an adult camp with a fantastic beach with every type of water vehicle available to rent.

The 'men' of the trip - Tom, Parker and Gary

The area was beautiful, so will let the pictures speak for themselves --

The Sawtooth Mountains above Redfish.

Can you tell how they got their name?

Birds eye views complements of our camera drone.

Love this pic from the drone;-)

This great day and visit finished with a dinner in Magic.  We really enjoyed our time in Sun Valley and look forward to a return visit - soon!

But, all good things must come to an end and it was time for us to start East.  Cody, WY would be our next stop but our travels there took us through Yellowstone, not only our oldest NP, but the oldest in the world;-)  And, of course, we found great spots to stop for lunch and our afternoon snacks.

Our lunch spot in route to Cody, WY by way of Yellowstone NP.

Bison jam.  It's their park and they just don't care if you need to get somewhere!

Steam baths.

It was truly a beautiful drive, a fantastic day - and a great week.

Appreciative of friends - E & G on their way East