Photo of Alicia and John Roessler on their mountain bikes.

Around Town

8 min read

AKA Local Legends

McCall Locals Launch Sustainable Travel Planning App

Alicia and John Roessler and their two boys ended up in McCall by happenstance. They were on a road trip, trying to spend time up in Sandpoint, when forest fires erupted and forced them out. With nowhere to go, they decided to visit family in Boise. Their route took them through McCall.

“We just detoured,” says Alicia, “just came into McCall and were just blown away by how beautiful it was.” 

According to Alicia, the family sort of “lucked out.”

“We rolled into town on a Friday or Saturday night,” she says, “and the first place we came to was Shore Lodge. We walked inside, found they had a cancellation for dinner, and ended up eating on the lake. That was our first view of McCall. Really spectacular.” 

John was immediately struck by how similar the town felt to his boyhood home. 

“I grew up in the Sierras on a cattle ranch and have been outside my whole life. So, this feels a lot like the western slopes of the Sierra Nevadas,” says John. “I was like, wow, this is amazing. And the community obviously is what keeps you here.” 

John, Alicia, and their two boys have been part of the McCall community for the last two years.

Speaking of community, that’s a great word. It’s what keeps folks in and around McCall. It’s also what Alicia and John are trying to build with their new Lodestar app, developed in 2022 and 2023 and launched earlier this year.

The Lodestar “aha moment” happened when the Roesslers came home from taking their boys camping in the Sierra Mountains.

 “As a busy mom, I did most of the trip planning and was wasting a lot of time using multiple apps and online resources and had no place to store and reuse trip itineraries and resources I found. I wanted everything streamlined and in one place so I could also easily share trip ideas with friends and family,” says Alicia. “I was also concerned about our impact on the places we visited. After speaking with a lot of other friends, we realized that while many understand the benefits of sustainable outdoor travel, making the trip 'sustainable' often got overlooked in the planning process.”

Thus, Lodestar was born—a seamless, enjoyable platform that makes planning sustainable outdoor adventures easy by matching itineraries with local nonprofits and providing one place to plan, share, and protect.

Stewardship Made Simple

According to a 2023 OnX study, 77% of outdoor enthusiasts venture outdoors at least 12 times annually.

Surprisingly, only 19% participate in stewardship activities during the same period. This discrepancy arises despite 96% of respondents acknowledging the importance of preserving public lands, ensuring access to recreation, promoting wildlife health, and maintaining clean air and water.

Lodestar bridges the gap between good intentions and meaningful action by making it easy to connect with organizations already working to offset human impacts on natural spaces. Lodestar’s Impact Partners include Leave No Trace, Sage Trail Alliance, Sea Trees Sustainable Surf, Tahoe Backcountry Alliance, Wilderness Youth Project, and Recreate Responsibly.

Lodestar is the first software company in the outdoor rec space to achieve B Corporation certification. The Lodestar Giving Platform is growing to become the most comprehensive network of local nonprofit organizations that share a passion and mission for environmental and community stewardship of the outdoors. By empowering individual travelers to give before they go, Lodestar will provide an important new source of support for local communities and places impacted by over-tourism. Lodestar is also committed to donating at least 5% of its annual revenues to its nonprofit Impact Partners. 

Free Trial Includes All Features

Lodestar offers a 14-day free trial that gives users access to 100% of the platform’s features, so users can enjoy the true Lodestar experience, which is 100% ad-free. No payment information is required for the trial. Annual membership is just $29.95 with a $3.95 monthly option. Each annual membership allows for five users to share the account, making it easy and affordable for everyone in the member’s household to collaborate. Student memberships are free (school email address required). 

Key Features

Easy Trip Planning In One Place—Create and save detailed trip plans, routes, maps, and lists. Save reservations, maps, and trail info from other apps, or use the Lodestar browser extension to save anything from anywhere on the web. 

In-App Campsite Reservations—Search public lands and book 97k+ campsites, fire lookouts, cabins, and RV sites directly from Lodestar. Discover detailed campsite information, view site pictures, and reserve from recreation.gov. 

Built-In Sustainability—Simply plan a trip, and Lodestar will use the itinerary to calculate the trip’s carbon footprint and connect members with their growing network of local nonprofits. It’s easy to donate, support, and make each trip climate-positive before it even begins.    

Connect and Collaborate—Invite friends and family to plan and share trip ideas and itineraries, vote on activities, and use the integrated trip journal to record memories and save photos and videos. 

Capture, Organize, and Reuse—Lodestar’s customizable Adventure Library simplifies saving and reusing itineraries, favorite activities, shopping, packing lists, and more for future adventures.

DARE TO EXPLORE BETTER with Lodestar: Start a free trial at lodestarhub.com.  

Flying M Wings Its Way To McCall

Candis Darrah started working as a barista at the Flying M Coffee Garage in downtown Nampa after graduating from Boise State University in 2013. Her art degree led to her creating many of the designs used on the shop’s t-shirts, mugs, and murals.

Over the last 10 years, Darrah moved from barista (and part-time designer) to baking manager and, as she says, “fell in love.”

According to Darrah, “Flying M is the most amazing place to work. For some, it becomes your career. After the long years of loving my job, I asked to open our own Flying M in a town my sister and I have visited since childhood.”

Her co-owner and sister, Carrie Wadley, shares her love for baking and has been honing her skills for over 10 years in the service/restaurant industry.

Darrah says, “Carrie and I are natives to Idaho with strong ties to this area. Our family has been in Valley County for the last 20+ years, and we knew the timing was right to drive north and add to the community spirit that is McCall.”

The McCall Flying M will feature quality coffee, quirky gifts, mismatched furniture, and a friendly environment. 

“We roast signature blends (including our House Blend and Espresso Blend) and offer many single-origin coffees from around the world,” says Darrah. “All of our beans are roasted at the Nampa Flying M to highlight the inherent character of each specialty coffee.” 

Flying M bakers get up early every day to create fresh, made-from-scratch pastries: muffins, scones, cookies, cakes, bars, and much more deliciousness. The selection changes daily, and most days, wheat-free, vegan, and/or low-sugar options are available. 

As Darrah says, “We have a passion for making delicious coffee and pastries! Our retail shop will feature fun and offbeat gifts for everyone and for many occasions. And we look forward to creating a vibrant and colorful community place.” 

Flying M Coffee McCall is aiming to open at the beginning of July. Stay tuned to their socials @flyingmcoffeemccall on Instagram and "Flying M Coffee McCall" on Facebook for updates. Information is also available at www.flyingmcoffee.com.

Jet Boat Project

Kai Maciaszek, senior at McCall Donnelley High School, raised the funds and built this custom jet boat as part of his senior project.

“I’m very happy with how it turned out,” he says, “it greatly exceeded my expectations. I will continue to innovate and add new features that will increase its performance and make it more suited for other uses such as search and rescue, tours, and as a shuttle boat for kayakers.”

We asked Maciaszek what, if anything, he would change if he built another boat.

He said, “I wouldn’t really do anything differently. The second build would go faster because I now have solved a lot of the little challenges that presented themselves along the way.”

The jet boat has been tested in Hells Canyon and on the Payette River. You’ll likely see it cruising around the lake this summer as well.

Summer Events:

 

Tuesdays at the Terrace

July 16-August 27—Free Concerts at Ponderosa Center (https://ponderosacenter.org/events/)

Lakeside Liberty Fest — Fourth of July

July 4—Lakeside Liberty Fest (more info at: https://www.mccall.id.us/liberty)

  • Vendors at Legacy Park
  • Volleyball Tournament
  • Yoga in the Park
  • Light Up The Sky Fireworks
  • Pilates in the Park
  • Slip & Slide into the Lake
  • Movie by the Lake
  • CrossFit in the Park

Concerts

Tamarack Resort Events (https://tamarackidaho.com/event)

  • June 16—Bike, Splash n’Dash Relay Race
  • June 21—National Yoga Day Festival
  • June 21—NW Cup Downhill Series
  • July 4—4th of July Independence Festival
  • July 20—2nd Annual Tamarack Jump Park Competition
  • August 4—Astrophotography Workshop
  • August 9-11—Big Mountain Enduro Race Series
  • August 17—Annual Art & Wine Festival
  • September 4—4th Annual Bikes, Brews & Bluegrass Festival
  • September 28—Oktoberfest!

Annual Payette Lake Wooden & Classic Boat Show

August 2-5—Annual Payette Lake Wooden & Classic Boat Show (http://www.payetteclassicboats.net/?page_id=2851) 

The Payette Lake Chapter in McCall, Idaho, invites you to join us with your classic boats at a fun antique boat show, as well as at a morning lake run to North Beach. This year, we are partnering with the City of McCall and the Idaho British Car Club for a combined show at the beautiful Payette Lake. There will be over 30 boats of various ages and construction materials in the water and additional areas of on-land static displays for boats and classic cars. The show will begin on Friday afternoon, with a non-hosted get-together that evening for show participants. The classic boats will be on public display at the city docks of Art Roberts Park and Legacy Park on Friday, August 4, noon until 6 p.m. and again on Saturday, August 5 from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m.

For more events, visit: https://visitmccall.org/events/.

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06-2024 Issue
Rodney J. Auth

Rodney is the founder and owner of Northstar Publishing, Inc. - proud publisher of PRB+ and McCall Life magazines.