The big summer road trip of 2025 continues in Idaho! We ended up spending a full week in the state, stopping at a few different locations. Because we were in Idaho for a bit of a longer stretch, I’m going to break up this leg of the trip into two parts. During this stretch, we spent time in Ketchum and Stanley.
Trip Diary Begins
Monday, June 23, 2025
We checked out of the hotel and spent our first full day in Idaho in Ketchum. There are two main things I’d like to share about this day.
The first is how awesome our camping spot was. It’s probably my favorite camp spot of the trip so far. We drove into a valley with beautiful green views, but it wasn’t very wooded. It was incredible, but after exploring a bit further down the road, we opted to set up camp at a spot that was a little more secluded and in the woods. It was perfectly tucked away, and the view was so lovely. On top of that, it smelled amazing. The aroma was delightfully fresh and piney. It was reminiscent of Christmas time. This location just oozed the camping vibes I seek. While we camp at various types of spots (including lackluster parking lots), this style is one of my favs.
The second thing worth noting is that we started watching The Righteous Gemstones that evening. Right off the bat, like from the very first scene, this show pulls you in. It’s wild, hilarious, absurd, kooky, and very well done. We were both immediately hooked.
Tuesday, June 24, 2025
We slept in because it was so cold and we wanted to stay cozy in the tent a little while longer. Jon cooked us up breakfast at camp when we finally got out of bed, and then we headed into town to hit a coffee shop. We hung out at the coffee shop for a bit before continuing our productivity at the library.
My must-share moment from this day is the dinner we had at Rickshaw. It’s an Asian-fusion spot that the internet said was a must-try. We ordered a bunch of plates to share and had ourselves a little feast. We enjoyed the K.F.C. (Korean Fried Chicken), Vietnamese Caramel Pork Ribs, Andreas’ Pot-stickers, and the Chiang Mai Curry Noodles, as well as the daily special.
In the evening, Jon went for a bike ride while I went for a short hike in the same trail system.
Wednesday, June 25, 2025
It was time to say goodbye to Ketchum and head on toward Stanley, a super, super small town. We hung out at two different coffee shops (most likely the only two in town), one of which sat along the river. Then, we headed to a campground near Redfish Lake to secure a spot for the night.
We went into town again and spent some time sitting outside the library, where we met a sweet and gentle dog named Stanley. Stanley took quite a liking to Jon. He was very calm (I’m assuming he’s on the older side), but seemed very interested in hanging out with us. We’re also pretty sure he was an Aussie, which is the type of dog we’d love to have one day, if we’re ever ready for a dog.
Back at the campground, we ate lunch. Then, we headed to the Redfish Lake Marina to rent some kayaks and go out on the water. We had killer views of the Sawtooth Mountains, which felt rugged in a similar way to the Tetons in Wyoming or even certain mountains in Colorado. We kayaked for an hour and a half, covering 4 miles.
The bugs were going crazy when we returned to the campsite. It felt like we were both drenched in bug spray, and the bugs were simply not respecting that. Jon worked a bit longer, while I spent some time journaling and trying (and failing) to dodge the bugs. We went for a little stroll before Jon cooked us up some dinner. Then, it was time to crawl back into the tent and wind down.
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