June 6, 2007.

We are staying at High Adventure River Tours RV-Park/Store & Dutch Oven Cafe located on the southeast corner of exit 147 near Hagerman, Idaho. It is a nice RV-Park with shade and long pull through sites. PPA with tax ran $16.20 for FHU.

For those of you that are not familiar with PPA (Pass Port America) it is an organization you can join for less than $50 per-year. Campgrounds that belong to PPA offer 1/2 price discounts. That kind of savings can quickly add up. While participating PPA parks generally have some restrictions on dates the PPA offer is valid, or possibly days of the week the discount is valid, or perhaps the number of days that the PPA discount will be honored the discount is genuine. Many times PPA campgrounds are new campgrounds that need help in getting established. Other times PPA campgrounds may be on the outskirts of town instead of in the "prime" location thus they need to provide an incentive for campers to stay with them. Whatever the reason PPA campgrounds generally provide a much cheaper option. PPA is the only campground organization that I think is worth the cost. PPA does not have a gimmick. What you see is what you get. Once you join they send you a directory listing all participating campgrounds. The PPA directory is the FIRST directory we check when trying to locate a place to spend the night. You can join PPA by calling 228-452-9972. If you decide to join PPA, it would be nice if you gave them my number "R-0156251" as the PPA member that told you about PPA. In return PPA will give me a years membership free. I will thank you in advance for that kindness. Thank you.

Fishing Falls on the Snake River

Unfortunately we did not get to visit Fishing Falls. We would have visited it on a boat ride that was canceled because of high winds. Oh well, we can't do everything.

Payne's Ferry and Fishing Falls

Payne's Ferry and Fishing Falls are both located on the Snake River between Buhl and Hagerman.

Boulder Ridge Ranch

Joyce snapped this picture of another Idaho Ranch Gate. Now this one is getting close to the grandeur of a "Texas Ranch Gate".

Clear Springs Foods Trout Farm

The unique spring water that gushes from the lava canyon walls from the Snake River Aquifer provide not only spectacular scenic beauty, but also pure, clear, oxygenated water at a constant temperature of 58 degrees Fahrenheit, the ideal temperature for raising trout. Located throughout the Hagerman Valley are Federal and Idaho State fish hatcheries as well as Clear Springs Foods, the largest producer of trout in the world. Approximately 70% of all the trout produced in the U.S. comes from hatcheries along a 30-mile stretch of Snake River Valley with Buhl and Hagerman being the center of that activity. Clear Springs Foods is located in Buhl and we visited their facility. Their Visitor Center offered an underground viewing area where visitors could see sturgeon and trout in a natural setting.

Trout in viewing pond at Clear Springs Foods Trout Farm Visitor Center

We took these pictures at the Clear Springs Foods Trout Farm Visitor Center in Buhl.

Clear Springs Foods Trout Farm visitor center trout on display in special pond

Trout in viewing pond at Clear Springs Foods Trout Farm Visitor Center

Clear Springs Foods Trout Farm trout on display at their visitor center in Buhl, Idaho.

Large sturgeon in special pond at Clear Springs Foods Trout Farm Visitor Center

This was a good size sturgeon, I would estimate that it weighed in excess of 50-pounds (at least a salt water fish, that I am familiar with, would weigh that much).

Ponds at Clear Springs Foods Trout Farm

While we were taking these pictures from a bluff overlooking the tanks of fish either the owner or the manager of the facility (Clear Springs Foods) stopped to talk with us.

I think he stopped thinking we might be industry spies or something but quickly realized otherwise and stayed to tell us about the operation.

Ponds at Clear Springs Foods Visitor Center Trout Farm

The light colored tanks on the far right don't have fish or water in them. There isn't enough water coming out of the springs anymore. Farmers are pumping out so much water that the flow isn't as great as it used to be.

They are in court over that issue now. By the way while we were still in Idaho the judge ruled in favor of the trout farms and newer farmers had to stop pumping water.

Trout rearing ponds at Clear Springs Foods Visitor Center Trout Farm

More trout ponds or raceways or whatever they call them.

Clear Springs Foods Trout Farm settlement pond

When we took the above pictures we were on the bluff looking down on the trout facilities at Clear Spring Foods. Now we are looking back at them from ground level. Some of the raceways can be identified by the white railing you can see behind the trees. But I took this picture to show the tremendous water flow through those raceways into this settling pond.

Now for a geology lesson: In the background you can see the solid basalt canyon walls of the Snake River Canyon. The crumbled slope below the basalt wall is talus, generally referred to as a talus slope. A talus slope is composed of the rubble that weathers and falls off the cliff wall.

Basalt Cliff and Clear Spring Foods Trout Farm

The raceways are designed so that fish poop will drop to the lowest level (in other words they do not have flat bottoms). Workers vacuum (with a 2" hose and high power pump) the solids i.e.., (poop) and send it to another treatment pond. While this pond naturally gets some of the (poop-enhanced) nutrients the majority is removed via the pump. That highly nutrient rich, poop filled, water is sent to settling ponds that act much like normal septic tanks where bacteria work their magic.

It is time for another geology lesson. In the background you can see the solid basalt canyon walls of the Snake River Canyon. The crumbled slope below the basalt wall is talus, generally referred to as a talus slope. A talus slope is composed of the rubble that weathers and falls off the cliff wall.

Mute Swans in pond at Clear Springs Foods Trout Farm

We were surprised to spot a large flock of Mute Swans on the lake. Many, though none in this picture, had 3 to 4 baby swans with them.

Mute Swans, according to my bird book, were imported from Europe to a few places in the Eastern United States. The writers of that book obviously did not know about this group that is flourishing in Idaho.

Clematis vine on fence at Clear Springs Foods Trout Farm

This clematis vine was growing on a fence at the Clear Springs Visitor Center in Buhl, Idaho. We liked the color.