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We awake to day ten and the final day of our tour taking us south through the beautiful winding mountain roads of central Idaho where we arrive at the resort town of McCall, Idaho, located on the south shore of Payette Lake.
Traditionally a logging community whose last sawmill closed in 1977, McCall is now an all-season tourist destination for outdoor recreation. The resort town is known for its Winter Carnival, extended winters, and the highest average snowfall in the state. Nicknamed "Ski Town U.S.A.", McCall is the home to many past winter Olympic athletes.
The beauty of McCall and Payette Lake drew attention from Hollywood in 1938 when it was selected as the filming location for the Academy Award-nominated Northwest Passage, starring Spencer Tracy, Robert Young, and Walter Brennan. The film, released in 1940, was about the French and Indian War of 1755-63.
In 1943, the U.S. Forest Service opened the McCall smokejumper base. It is one of only eight smokejumper-training bases in the nation. The site includes a smokejumper training unit, par aloft, dispatch office, and the McCall air tanker base.
After a brief stop in McCall, we continue south via the Payette River Scenic Byway (State Highway 55). Following a spectacular ride along the Payette River, which boast Class IV, V and VI rapids (class VI being considered too dangerous to navigate) we top the final grade, Horseshoe Bend hill and there in the valley below appears Boise.
All too soon, this remarkable adventure has drawn to a close. Arriving back in Boise, from where this ride began a short ten-days prior, we again check into a local hotel, return the motorcycles, and prepare for the evening farewell dinner. It is here that we reminisce about the memorable ride, our newfound Harley friends, and the fond good-buys. A few tears will undoubtedly be shed during our farewell.
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