P is for Pipeline - a wave on the Lochsa

The Lochsa - one of the great wild rivers of the continent. If you consider roadside service a plus then this river jumps right to the top of the list, as Highway 12 runs along pretty much the entire length of the Lochsa. If it's any consolation, while there is a road next the Lochsa, the valley holding both river and road is one of the emptiest you'll ever find. Even with a tarred two lane highway, it is still empty, remote, and desolate.

In River and Ranch there are two teenage girls. One of them is a surfer. So of course I have to work in Pipeline on the Lochsa, since the guides go right past it on the drive around back to Salmon (if they go the north route). In reality it really does exist and it really is a famous stop for all those who want to do some river surfing. It's a great wave. While I don't know these surfers, I have no surf footage of my own, so here's a bit just to show what it looks like.
all credit to Steel Horse Journeys, it is their video and soundtrack

J is for Jerry Johnson

Back in the day when I was a mere lad, there was no gate on the Warm Springs Creek packbridge across the Lochsa River at about mile 152 of Highway 12 coming down off of Lolo Pass heading west. That was quite the descriptive run-on there wasn't it? You could go into Jerry Johnson's just about any time you wanted. Which of course led to all sorts of crazy. The crazy is still there I suspect, it's just more restricted to when the gate is open.

Yes Jerry Johnson's Hot Springs are now known quantities and have been for a good long while. But they are still really neat things to see. There's three of them, one pouring out of a cliff face and into pools right next to the creek, while the others are set back off the creek and are more stand alone.

This is good and remote. Further down this stretch of Highway 12 is (or was) one of my favorite signs. I just wish I had a picture of it from back in the day "No Services for xx miles" - I want to say 63? can't remember the number. Narrow canyon, thick forest and emptiness. Can only imagine what this stretch was like for Lewis and Clark.