Down by the riverside.

Who'd've thought it? A corner of Idaho that is forever Rachel. Not me, that's for sure. This creek, like many others that most would refer to as waterfalls, cannons into the Lochsa River at a rate of knots that would burn the fingers. We met the Lochsa earlier, it ends up as the Middle Fork of the Clearwater that we first saw at Lewiston. The Lochsa, though, deserves special praise. It accompanies US Highway 12, all the way from Lowell to Powell, and anyone that rides along it.
This memorable stretch of road rises 1750 ft (ish) but takes 64 miles to do so, rendering it mostly harmless (apologies to any Douglas Adams readers out there). All the while alongside, the Lochsa fumes and furies and froths and frets. Assaulted from all sides by numerous equally angry creeks and streams. All freshly impetusised (if that's a word) by the snow turned to water by a dazzling sun.
The road follows the North bank while the South bank, all forested slopes, houses one of the biggest pure wilderness areas around. The Selway Bitterroot Wilderness allies with the Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness to cover a very big area indeed. So big, you've got more chance of winning the lottery than bumping into someone. The names alone deserve their own chapter but (if) you could walk, so I'm told, 150 odd miles due South, before encountering a paved road. For the US, that's remarkable indeed. You can reach this wilderness via a number of trail bridges, all picturesque and all, should you be standing on them while the river races under, unnecessarily rickety. They aren't but the pace of the river dizzies the mind. You couldn't play pooh sticks, there's simply not enough time to turn around and catch the sticks. This river flows.
As you watch this river, your mind will inevitably start to thinking, where on earth is all this water coming from. You know it's not a deep river, and you know that you're in the middle of a mountain range, but the volume and rate at which it's travelling boggles the mind. If I were from Idaho, I would be a kayaker with holes in my boat.
Should you finish the day at Powell, you'll find an oasis called the Lochsa Lodge. As the river departs the highway, the intervening space is filled by a human paradise. Wooden lodges, camping sites, a restaurant, a bar, a shop and even a cute filling station all combine to bring to mind childhood memories of playing in the woods. A carefree spot salving the mind, body and soul. A perfect end to a perfect day.