Outdoor Storytellers – The Car Salesman

WHITE BIRD, IDAHO — Sometimes people begin a career that they are really good at, and successful, but in time is just not what they really want to do.

That’s what happened to White Bird, Idaho’s Kurt Killgore.

Killgore is finally home on the Salmon River, according to his mom, Heather.

“It was in his heart to be on the river with the boats,” she says.  “It’s just great. The opportunity came and he’s doin’ what he loves.”

“I traded out,” Kurt says.  “I took my opportunity and ran with it, so it’s nice.”

“When he graduated from high school, he went to work as a car salesman in Lewiston,” Haether says, “and was very successful at an early age.”

“That was a good experience, but it wasn’t my cup of tea,” Kurt says.  “I was like a bobcat in a cage in the showroom there.”

And when the opportunity came, Kurt left Lewiston, heading home to White Bird and the Salmon River nearly 10 years ago.

“I still have all my dress clothes or some of them,” Kurt says.  “I remember that moment when I was driving from Lewiston to White Bird all loaded up and I was finally going home, y’know, to stay, and I was like, all these ties and dress shirts.”

It’s to no surprise.  On this day on the Salmon River, Kurt’s got a t-shirt on, along with friend and fellow Killgore Adventures guide, Eric Pardue.

Kurt put everyone into salmon.  Michelle Peters from Lewiston caught one, and her son, Jordan, caught one.  It was Jordan’s first salmon ever.  Bill and Irma Spang from Missoula also hooked into salmon.

And to each of them on the boat that day, Kurt always sees the same thing.

“People love it,” he says.  “I mean, I can’t tell you how many times people say, ‘That was the best trip, that was the best day of my whole entire life’. And I’m like, wow, that’s weird.  I think back to when we first started into it.  We feel the same way and we still do.”