Giving the Bucket List a Good Workout

My Hotmail account (yes, good old Hotmail) is chock full of so many items these days -- coupons, event notifications, etc. But, one thing I do look forward to seeing on the regular is my Groupon notifications. A couple of months ago, whilst enjoying some coffee on the front porch, I came across a notification for a "Back Country Brunch Tour." It involved airplanes and brunch, so of course I was intrigued. Upon doing a little more homework, I learned that the package was an awesome 90 minute flight over the Sawtooth mountains and the Frank Church Wilderness area to a ranch that is only accessible by horseback or airplane for a wonderful brunch and then a flight back. Done and done! Dave and I decided to buy the Groupon as anniversary gift to each other, and we booked the flight for our actual anniversary this year. Well, on August 8, we had some really cloudy weather, so we had to reschedule the flight for Labor Day weekend. As it turns out, that worked out great, because we had a beautiful, sunny day. And, boy was it an adventure.

We showed up at the appointed (early) time and met up with our pilot and another couple who would be in the plane with us. We walked right out to the flight area and jumped into our ride and were off.

I don't think I blinked for the entire ride. We quickly rose high and toward the huge wilderness area and mountain ranges, and the breadth and scope was just breathtaking. I thought it was awesome from my view hiking or driving --- wow, that didn't even come close. We literally flew between huge mountain peaks.

Before we knew it, a gorgeous little ranch came into view (way below) with an emerald green, grass landing strip. We banked around, had a perfect landing, and came out of the plane to a crisp, gorgeous day in tiny meadow between huge, pine-covered mountains: the Sulphur Creek Ranch. The most endearing part of the scene was the "parking lot" full of amazing little planes.

We walked into the ranch to the best "cabin" scene ever. The Frank Church Wilderness Area is protected, so this ranch was original to the area before the wilderness designation. This means that no new buildings or even expansions of current buildings can be done. The existing areas can be improved. They are also completely off the grid, with their own water and power, as well as satellite phone and internet. You can only access the ranch by plane, by horseback or by backpacking in. They have cabins so you can stay overnight (and a really amazing all-inclusive package if you do). We were welcomed with hot coffee and lots of fun conversation with the folks visiting, many of which were other pilots from surrounding areas that fly in to commiserate over brunch or take advantage of the ranch activities.

After we walked around a bit, we were served an amazing, ranch-style brunch, while we talked with the other guests and our pilots. We then had some time to walk around the property. My favorite part was their natural ponds. Just stunning.

We sat around an outdoor fire and met the ranch dogs. Swoon. It was then time to head back to reality. We had a little different route back and got some amazing views of Boise and even the big blue. I'm sure I will dream of soaring high above the mountains for a while.