We thought the Weiser River Trail would be a great trip with our granddaughter, so we loaded up the mountain bikes and headed out. The old Pacific and Idaho Northern railroad grade runs from Weiser to Rubicon (Idaho). We’d do the first few miles with Lola, check it out, and return another time and ride the entire 84 miles. Read more about the Weiser River Trail here.
We started strong: the trail out of Weiser is paved, but it soon became a gravel path too difficult for a six-year-old to handle. After about 100 yards and 5 minutes, we turned around. So much for that bike ride.
We abandoned the trail and rode into town.
Not much here to hold our attention.
What do you do when you’ve promised a kid a weekend trip and your plan falls apart? With no idea what we’d find there, we drove 13 miles north of Weiser to Mann Creek reservoir.
The trip was saved when we discovered that Lola was fascinated with the many birds at the reservoir.
Larry busted out his bird book, and they identified 30+ species including Great Horned Owl, Sandhill Crane, Bald Eagle, Loon, numerous hawks like Redtail and Kestrel, and many shorebirds like Avocet and Curlew.
The bikers turned birders spent the night at the reservoir.
We drove dirt roads back to Boise, keeping an eye out for birds.
Moral of the story: when traveling with kids (or adults), be prepared to change your plans. The world is full of interesting things. Just wander around until you find them.
Moby Goes 
Oh my. Look at that smile. You don’t even need coffee if you’re camping with that grin.
I think you still need coffee!
Beautiful pictures. Such fun. Larry makes a wonderful grandpa 🙂
He is a great grandpa. The kids love him.
You guys have fun wherever you go. I’ve been to Weiser. Had a beer with Buck Owens. at the annual Old Time Fiddlers Festival. It was a little more lively than the picture shown here. keep these blogs coming
You’re right–Weiser is hopping during the fiddle festival.