Trailing of The Sheep, day one

Today we completed the first leg of our trip home, stopping at Hailey, Idaho to enjoy the Trailing of The Sheep fiber festival.

Fall colors along the drive:

Anyone know the history of this old house near Arco, Idaho?

Two sheep wagons in the wild:

At the fiber festival, sheep wagons are on display:

Spinners:

In the evening, we went to the Ketchum Community Library for a presentation by Linda Cortright of Wild Fibers Magazine.  The venue was small, all the chairs were filled, and people lined every bit of wall space.  Linda is a passionate and funny storyteller.  I really her talk.

I also have to plug the Ketchum Community Library.  Since we were here last, they've added a Young Adult room.  An entire room!  It's so inviting and the books are displayed beautifully.  I can't imagine a better place for a teen book club to meet.

Tomorrow? The Trailing of The Sheep parade.  As a kid, I remember sheep moving past the road next to Van Buren Elementary School in Caldwell, Idaho.  We'd all rush to the fence to watch the sea of wool and I was transfixed.

The same view still mesmerizes me.

Today it is much more difficult for ranchers to move their sheep through urban areas and along busy highways.  Add to that the questionable but fast methods of processing wool in China, the difficulties of small producers getting their product into large grocery stores, and you have a way of life quickly disappearing.

I love a town that celebrates the continuation of working ranches.  It's not something to take for granted.

I'll be back tomorrow with lots of photos!