Back when I was staying in Boise I made two trips north to the town of McCall, which is about 2 hours away. McCall is on the northern end of one of my scenic roads. I also had to pass through it on my way to the portions of Hell’s Canyon I had been expecting to see originally.
McCall is a town of about 3,000 people located on the southern shore of Payette Lake. It is a resort town and the lake is a popular site for various forms of recreation.
Before I even got to the lake I was struck but the extremely colorful display of wildflowers which were located on the corners of major intersections outside of town. They consisted of probably the most impressive variety I have ever seen.
Another thing which impressed me about McCall was the flag system they used in town at intersections where pedestrians have the right-of-way. There were flag stations on each corner and when you wanted to cross the street you removed a flag and used it to indicate to drivers that you were crossing. You then put it back in the flag station on the other side of the street. Pretty clever. I have never seen that system used before.
And there was another reason I wanted to visit McCall. As many of you know, I am a big NASCAR race fan. There is a driver named Brian Scott who had competed in the upper eschelon series of NASCAR (Truck, Xfinity and Cup) for several years. He was almost always sponsored by Shore Lodge in McCall Idaho. Well as it turns out, his family OWNS Shore Lodge. Oh, and he and his family are descendents of the Albertson family which founded the Albertsons grocery store chain, the second largest in the United States after Kroger. So that’s why little Brian can go racing on weekends. Daddy has deep pockets. It’s the same reason Paul Menard, who’s father owns the Menards hardware store chain (like Home Depot and Lowes) and is the wealthiest person in Wisconsin, races.
Nevertheless, Shore Lodge is a beautiful vacation spot.
And inside Shore Lodge was this amazing aquarium.
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