Island Park Idaho

There are basically five seasons in Island Park.  Summer (which is notoriously short-lived,) fall (which is beautiful beyond belief and lasts forever,) winter (which can be long as well, but brings a peace and solitude unmatched anywhere else,) and then, before we get to spring (which can be short as well,) we have the mud season.  That’s what we’re headed into right now.

The snowmobile association has announced they’ve stopped grooming the trails.  That’s the clue for those of us who live here that the mud season isn’t far behind.  You can imagine how much water there is everywhere when six feet of snow starts melting in earnest.  As most of the roads in the subdivisions (and most of the driveways) are dirt, that melting provides a mud hole without comparison.  Of course the resorts have paved parking lots, but if you’re going to a cabin — well, be prepared for all things dirty.

One thing I’ve noticed about the locals, they don’t bother with trying to hide the fact that there’s a mud season in Island Park.  They don’t wash their cars until it’s over.  There’s no use in doing so, really, but even the clean freaks have learned to just let it go for a couple or three weeks — no use in making yourself crazy.

The thing I’ve learned about the mud season is if you can just avoid looking down, you can almost convince yourself spring is right around the corner.  Some of the old timers here have perfected that technique.  I’m still working on it.  But I know that if I stay with it, just like spring, it will eventually come.

My wife loves to visit Johnny Sack’s cabin at Big Springs.  Every year she loads up  the grandkids and takes them up there to talk about the early days of Island Park and to re-live a piece of history.

For weeks my wife had been telling the grandkids stories about Johnny Sack and regaling them with tales of his life in the early days of Island Park.  When the day finally came for the cabin to open for the summer, my wife was like a little kid at Christmas.  She loaded the kids in the car with plenty of time to get there before they opened.

Along the way she had a life-changing experience.  As they were driving down the Big Springs Loop road, our six-year-old granddaughter piped up from the back seat, “Grandma, I’m so excited.  We’ve talked about visiting Johnny’s Sex cabin for a long time and I’m happy we’re finally getting to see it.”

My wife (who is really pretty buttoned down) thinking she must have heard wrong pulled over to the side of the road and turned around.  “What did you say?” she asked.  Our grandchild repeated, “Nothing, really.  I’m just glad we finally get to visit Johnny’s sex cabin.”

You can only imagine the look of shock and horror on my wife’s face.  Here she is with a car full of little ones who think they’re going to a special sex cabin with their grandma — a little weird, but hey, better than not going at all.  My wife started over from the beginning, stuttering and stammering, the words tumbling out:  “No.  You see, the cabin was built by a man named Johnny Sack.  Therefore, it’s Johnny Sack’s cabin.  Not Johnny’s sex cabin.”

I’m not sure whether they were disappointed or relieved — it probably didn’t sound to them like the kind of place you’d visit with your grandma, but she sure seemed excited to go.  I also have to wonder what sort of visual image the kids had of the place.  Surely not the one my wife had (or intended for them to have.)

At any rate, I’ve never looked at Johnny Sack’s cabin the same since.  Now I’m sure you won’t either.    Remember, if you come to Island Park looking for fun, it’s Johnny Sack’s cabin — not Johnny’s sex cabin!

Like most places in the country, Island Park has been hard hit by the popping of the real estate bubble.  Let’s face it.  Most people don’t live here full time.  These are primarily second homes.  And one of the things you can do without when times get tough is a second home.

But while all of the above is true, for those who have prepared themselves in such a way that a second home is still on the list, now is the best time to buy real estate in Island Park in the last 10 (or more) years.    While sub-$200K homes are still holding their values pretty well, homes priced above $500K are dropping like a stone.  No, the asking prices haven’t dropped all that much, but the selling prices have dropped dramatically.

If you are looking for a nice second home, now is definitely the time to buy.  Call one of our many local realtors today to find out how far your dollar really will go.  Because there’s no question, when things get tight, it’s always a buyer’s market.