A Day Trip to Albion, Idaho

Aside from making a yearly trip out to the Haunted Mansions, most people haven't spent much time in Albion, Idaho. With a population of under 300, there isn't a ton going on there but last weekend we decided to take a little day trip there to see what we could find.

As soon as we got to town we stopped at Piggy Sue's Bar-b-Que food truck. We knew we were in for a treat when we got out of the car and could smell the mouth watering aroma of smoked meat. We decided to split a variety plate so we could try out a few different meats. We got the brisket and ribs with potato salad and fries. I tried to transfer some of the meat to another plate to make it easier to eat but the meat was literally falling off the bone. We heard we had just missed a big fish fry the night before, so stay tuned for more of those events!

After filling our bellies we headed off to Lake Cleveland. The drive this time of year is stunning. From the base of the mountain to the top of Mountain our temperature gauge dropped 20 degrees! Th fields are full of beautiful purple and yellow flowers. Lake Cleveland is only open from usually the second weekend in July to the end of September so if you're wanting to check out the lake, go during that time.

The lake is in a nice wooded area that is surrounded with camp sites. Some of them can be reserved online and some of them are first come, first serve. One thing I love about Lake Cleveland is that there are no boat ramps so it's all non-motorized vessels on the lake. It's perfect for cruising around on a paddle board or kayak or just lazily hanging out on a floaty. There are a few bathrooms located around the campsite and day use areas which is nice when you're that far from civilization.

Beyond Lake Cleveland is Mount Harrison. The peak of Harrison stands at a whopping 9,265 feet and with no wind break around, is greats pretty gusty! From the peak you can see most of southern Idaho including parts of the City of Rocks. There is also a historical viewpoint at the top of the crash site of a WWII B-24 Bomber plane that failed to clear the tall mountain peak and crashed into the side of the mountain. Unfortunately all 9 crew members of the plane died in the accident. It's a very interesting piece of history and one of Idaho's odd ties to WWII.

We made our way back down the mountain and decided we could use a snack so we stopped at a new place in town called Mads Merc & Soda Fountain. We were pleasantly surprised to find a variety of Idaho made goods for sale in the little shop including cool Idaho shirts, hats, stickers, jewelry, and soaps. The Idaho swag is awesome but doesn't compare to the variety of sweet treats that they offer. They have different homemade pies daily, Reed's ice cream, candy by the bag, and any kind of sweet drink your heart could desire. I got the chocolate and peanut butter ice cream and the hubs got the Stella which is iced tea, peach and mango.

I know I will be dragged back to Albion in a few months to visit the Haunted Mansions (did I mention I hate scary things??), but at least I have a few other things to look forward to on the trip!