106. Sun Valley, Idaho

           

           America seems to be a pretty divided country right now and the president seems to capitalize on those divisions.  But I’m not really interested in being divisive and that is what go me going on this blog after a hiatus and being disabled from my old blogspot blog. I don’t make any claims to writing great art in this space. I only hope to encourage myself and maybe some stray reader about all the positive things our country offers to everyone, no matter their political or philosophical persuasion. I made a lengthy list of things I appreciate and love about this country and set out to write about each one individually. Some of them just inspire a sense of national identity and pride in this country. Right now I’m thinking about Sun Valley, Idaho.

            Sun Valley is an addition to the old mining town of Ketchum and the two are just a few short miles north of Hailey and Bellevue. So sometime in the 1930’s the riches of mining were traded to the riches of wealthy men’s pocketbooks. And it is definitely an expensive place and a playground for the wealthy. I don’t personally think it is the most beautiful place in the state, but it is isolated and beautiful and that makes it a great place for famous people to get away. I’ve seen some pretty famous people there and they get to walk on the street without photographers ogling them or crazy fans asking for selfies. They get to live a portion of their lives outside the fishbowl.

            Of course anyone can still go there. It’s not beyond possibility, but it isn’t close to anything (even in Idaho) and unless you ski and can afford hefty prices for lift tickets, why would you want to? Just a short drive over Galena Summit and you are in the Sawtooths able to enjoy the most amazing scenery. But don’t think I’m talking Sun Valley and the Wood River Valley down. It still has appeal to me. I’m a big Hemingway fan and he lived and died there. I also like sports and even though I’ve never done anything more that go for a run or hike there, there are plenty of things to see in the way of the history of sports—especially winter sports. Sun Valley was the first downhill ski resort in the U.S.

            The reason I love Sun Valley and the Wood River Valley is because of all those things. It’s great to have an out of the way slice of fame and history that, like all of Idaho, shies away from the spotlight but has a great intersection with the bigger Americana. Just one more thing to quietly bind us together.