Craters of the Moon

Arco, Idaho doesn't have a lot of tourist appeal; it's a farming and ranching community, and those roots run deep. However, one of the major attractions of the area is the extensive lava flow and cinder cone area known as Craters of the Moon National Monument.

We finally had a chance to visit the park the day before the Fourth of July. There is a seven mile driving loop through the most interesting sights, so we set off, leaving Sasha to the comfort of the air conditioned motorhome. She was a little miffed, but she would not have been happy walking around in 80 degree weather.

Our first clue that something cataclysmic had occurred in this area was this tree skeleton. Dated at more than 500 years old, the remains speak to the harsh environment hereabouts.

Much like the Hawaiian Islands, the volcanoes in this area lie along a Rift, or system of fissures along which a chain of volcanoes erupted. The oldest of the cinder cones along this 52 mile long rift is the Crescent Butte, having erupted about 15,000 years ago. At the other end of the rift is the North Crater, the youngest of the bunch at only 2,000 years old. Interesting that the earths crust has drifted 52 miles in the last 15,000 or so years.

Along the trail called The Devils Orchard are a number of crazy and interesting lava formations. Thousands of them bear the imprint of the trees that were swallowed up during the lava flow.

And many seemed to be petrified.

An interesting piece of wood showed up just around a bend in the trail.

Many of the chunks of lava rock were as big as houses and had been thrown miles from the cinder cone!

Large area of crushed lava rock were spotted with thousands of small plants. Called Dwarf Buckwheat, a tiny cluster of flowers is connected to a root system that can be over three feet in diameter. Regularly spaced, the plants efficiently tap available water and the white surface of the leaves reflects rather than absorbs most of the sun's rays.

Just down the road we came across a cinder cone that has a trail to the top. We wanted to go up, just to see what was in the bottom of the cone, but close proximity to other hikers and the steep grade got the better of us. We only made it half way!

We did find out way to what is called a Spatter Cone. In this type of cone, the hot lava is thrown up and out in great gobbets of semi solid rock, leaving a jagged, rough surface inside the cone. This lava does not flow, but is spit up and out. This spatter cone still has ice in the bottom!

Miles upon miles of cracked lava can be seen along with several small cones.

Lava flowed for miles, finding its way down valleys and around hills just as a river might do.

In many areas of the park, lava did flow out of cinder cones at such a high temperature that it went for miles before it cooled. Behind this flow, a ridge created by a previous lava flow acted as a dike, and directed this flow to the north.

We left Craters of the Moon park with a new appreciation of how violent the surface of the earth was thousands of years ago!

Today is the Fourth of July! Happy Fourth, Everybody! We took a short 90 mile jaunt northwest on Highway 93, to dig a little deeper into the Sawtooth mountain range.

Passing through the town of Mackay, Idaho, we caught a glimpse of Mount McCaleb. Check out the story on the sign.

Just west of Arco, an auto body shop was celebrating independence day in extraordinary fashion!

And so ends our stay in Arco. Atomic City for sure. Thousand of acres of hay and potato fields. Kinda a unique mix of cultures, no?

Twin Falls to Arco, Idaho 114 miles

Just a short trip on Wednesday. We stopped for fuel and headed northeast on US 93/20/26 to the sparkling metropolis of Arco, Idaho. The road was interesting, if not exciting, going through the Craters of the Moon National Monument. More on that later.

Arco's population is 961 at last count. Probably less by now. We pulled into Mountain View RV Park about 1 pm and settled into site D5.

MVRV is an adequate park. All the sites are large and the utilities perform well. Our site receives good satellite signal and the ATT cell signal is four bars. Staff is a little abrasive, lecturing guests on the necessity of cleaning up after pets and not parking on the grass. Still, it's not bad. A bit overpriced at almost $50 a night, but I guess it's all about location...

Arco has two claims to fame:

Arco is the first city in the United States to be lit by atomic energy! At 1:50 pm on December 20, 1951, Experimental Breeder Reactor 1 at the Idaho National Laboratory about 18 miles southeast of Arco produced enough electricity to power four 200-watt light bulbs. This reactor was built to validate Enrico Fermi's theory that a reactor could produce more fuel than it consumed. In 1955, an adjacent experimental boiling water reactor plant called BORAX-III was connected to external loads and began powering the city of Arco. We expect to tour the now-decommissioned reactor site before we leave Arco.

 Arco's second, and most important, demand for attention is Number Hill.

The graduating class of 1920 from Butte County High School painted the number 20 on the cliffs above town to symbolize their school spirit and memories. Each succeeding class has painted their number on the cliffs since!

Just below the cliffs, in the Arco Science Park, is the sail from the USS Hawkbill. Why, you ask? Well, during the Cold War, all of southeast Idaho was a hotbed of nuclear testing and advancements. No one knew because the studies were classified. Because of it's nuclear history and the fact that the Hawkbill was one of the first nuclear powered submarines, and because it's propulsion system was pioneered in the Idaho desert near Arco, it was deemed appropriate to memorialize the sub at it's decommissioning. The Hawkbill had the unfortunate chronological number 666, earning it the nickname "Devil Boat", but the ominous numeral never affected its many missions. Steaming some 1.5 million miles and successfully completing over 16 deployments to the Pacific and Arctic, the Hawkbill was the sub famously photographed when it's then captain Robert Perry (coincidence?) used the sail as a battering ram to break through three feet of ice!

Next door to the USS Hawkbill is the quaint Lost River Motel. Recently remodeled, it stands as a literal beacon at the east side of town!

Today, Thursday, the Second of July, we took a short 200 mile round trip to Sun Valley, Idaho. We've all heard of this playground for the rich and famous, so we had to check it out. I've got to say: other than seeing more Gucci, Tiffany, and Vera Wang stores in one place than any other on earth, the place is pretty ordinary. Now, don't get me wrong, the ski slopes and golf courses were extraordinary.

And the side of the road flowers were brilliant,

but the rest of it? Upscale, expensive, and arrogant. Ho Hum.

The town of Ketchum, adjacent to Sun Valley, has even more of the glitz and glamour, but also has a nice picnic area near the Big Wood river. We spent a bit of outdoor time with a well-prepared picnic lunch.

Unbeknownst to us, Ernest Hemingway was a frequent visitor to Sun Valley. A memorial to the famous writer sits adjacent to Edgewood Golf Resort.

We bid farewell to Sun Valley, Ketchum, and environs, and photographed a memory:

Only a two hour drive home!

Caldwell, Idaho to Twin Falls, Idaho 160 miles

Monday, the 29th, found us on Interstate 84, heading east in a driving rain storm. So much for spending all day Sunday washing the motorhome and car! There was so much grit and grime on the car after our arrival in Twin Falls that I couldn't roll down the windows for fear of scratching. Fortunately, we found highly rated Tony's 2T car wash and auto repair. For $9 they did a prewash routine, ran us through a drive through wash machine, and did a hand dry. Nice job!

We are staying two nights in Twin Falls, at the 93 RV Park, so named because it's about 8 miles south of town on US Highway 93. We passed by here last year on the way to California and thought we should stop sometime and find the Twin Falls. Site 41 is a bit out of level, but perfectly adequate for a short stay.

We arrived early in the afternoon, so decided to go visit the Falls about 4 pm. The skies were still very stormy, and it was sprinkling rain, but the Falls were spectacular!

Named Shoshone Falls and lying in a state park northeast of town, the falls were a major impediment to river travel back in the day. Today the area nickname is "The Niagara of the West".

Downstream from the falls, the Snake River moves placidly through a steep canyon.

Thousands of swallows make their nests in the craggy sides of the canyon, and flew about as if they were on a mission. Or, they were just happy to be alive! Several are just visible in the foreground:

So, Tuesday morning we ran into town to do a bit of shopping. Donna is preparing dinner for friends from Texas that are spending the evening at the same park. Just a bit of socializing!

Storm clouds have kept us inside most of the day.

Tomorrow it's off again!

Last Day in Boise, Idaho

The weather changed drastically today. From the 80's and 90's of the last few days, we woke to temps in the 60's and grey skies. It was raining to the south, courtesy of a system rotating over Oregon. The prediction is: Rain.

Our plan for today was to drive some 70-odd miles south to visit the Queen of Idaho's ghost towns, Silver City. This once prosperous mining town still has a functioning hotel and restaurant/bar, so thousands of off-road enthusiasts, motorcyclists, and tourists of all sort flock there on a nice summer day for lunch. Donna packed us a lunch in anticipation, but then the rain arrived. Not to be dissuaded, we set off anyway, toward Jordan Valley, the jumping off place for miles of dirt road leading to the town. Jordan Valley was named for Michael M. Jordan, a prospector from the 19th century. The population of this farming community is roughly 150 hardy souls.

Jordan Valley is in Oregon, just across the Idaho line, and after driving some 64 miles to get there, we discovered that an inch of rain had made the 13 mile dirt road into Silver City impassible for our little suv. Well, it was a nice trip anyway. Should have bought the Can Am....

Another weather cell was approaching, so we left town in a hurry...

While north, toward our "home", things were a little bit better.

Just staying ahead of the weather cell, we slipped into Caldwell. A quick walk with Sasha, and a return to the motorhome just in time.

Somewhat annoying, this day, but seeing some new country was interesting. We'll be packing up tomorrow morning, heading east to see more new stuff!

Burns, OR to Caldwell, ID 162 Miles

We left Burns after only one night, reluctantly, but we had to continue our interesting easterly voyage on the Central Oregon Highway. US Highway 20 continues through Buchanan, Juntura, and Vale before eventually connecting to Interstate 84 near Ontario, Oregon. From there the journey was a short jaunt southeast to Caldwell, ID, and the Ambassador RV Resort.

The park is a great place to spend a few days sightseeing the Boise, Nampa, and Meridian areas. The roads are paved, each site has a bit of grass, and there is a nice concrete patio to sit on and enjoy the 85 - 90 degrees temps!

There is a long dog trail around the perimeter of the park, and as we strolled along the construction taking place on the west side of the park we couldn't help but see a beautiful Idaho sunset, even if it was taking place at 9:30 at night!

Our next day, Friday, we went into downtown Boise. Along the banks of the Boise River there is an extensive park complex, and just a few blocks north lies the State Capitol building. As you know by now, our wish is to visit all the state capitols possible. Under the circumstances of Social Distancing, we elected to shorten our visit to this capitol. From the outside, the circa 1905 building clearly shows how office wings were added to the original structure in 1921.

We entered through the guest entrance and made our way to the rotunda, where a huge United States flag is suspended in the center.

The rotunda is actually two domes in one. The inner is made of wood, and the outer is constructed of steel and concrete. Sixty foot high steel columns support the domes. Those columns are hidden behind faux marble columns built of wood and covered in Scagliola - a mixture of gypsum, glue, marble dust, and granite dyed to look like marble. The technique originated in Italy in the 1500's as an alternative to heavy marble.

We exited the building when tour groups began to arrive, and contented ourselves with a walk around the capitol complex, enjoying the native landscaping as we went.

The Oregon Trail passed through here, so in 1906, local schoolchildren erected this monument to honor those pioneers.

Boise and it's suburbs are known for farmers markets, particularly on Saturdays in the summer, so we devoted Saturday to visiting a couple and picking up some tasty treats. I won't bore you with photos....I don't want to make you hungry...just imagine Rum Cake, Rainier Cherries and Cake Pops...

Stops at Costco, grocery stores, and gas stations completed our day. One more day in this area before we leave for parts east. We'll struggle to find something to do..

Crescent, OR to Burns, OR 176 Miles

Our second day in the Crater Lake area took us north of the little burg of Crescent, Oregon to the Newberry National Volcanic Monument.

This area contains many examples of the cataclysmic volcanic activity that occurred here. Our specific objective was labeled The Big Obsidian Flow. At 1300 years old, the flow is the youngest in Oregon, and originated in what is todays Paulina Peak. After driving north on US highway 97, through La Pine, and turning east, we came to the monument entrance, and then the trailhead leading to the lava flow, where we found that the trail was not dog friendly due to having been constructed from sharp, glass-like pieces of obsidian shards. In fact, signs warned against hiking without heavy hiking boots. Since the temp was in the mid nineties and we had our faithful canine companion with us, we had to pass. Doggoneit!

So, after a picnic lunch along the Deschutes River, we cruised back into La Pine and stopped at the drive up window of Central Perk for a Mango smoothie to sip on during the trip back to Crescent.

Today, Wednesday, June 24th, we left for points east. Following US 97 north toward Bend, Oregon, we were instructed by our GPS (Samantha) to turn off onto Knox Road, then onto Rickard Road so as to bypass downtown Bend and access US 20 east.

After 14 miles, this was what had become of the road:

Eventually we reached US 20, The Central Oregon Highway.

There was little to do along this stretch of road. One hundred fourty miles of high desert. Needing a bit of lunch, we resorted to entering one of the two rest stops along this road via the exit just for a little excitement! And, of course, we exited via the entrance. WooHoo!

The town of Burns, Oregon, eventually appeared, along with the Burns RV Park. This is one of the absolute nicest rv parks we’ve ever stayed in! Wide spaces, well groomed grass, and a huge grass area for Sasha to play ball. Outstanding! I just wish it wasn’t in the middle of nowhere!

We pulled in at about 2 pm, in plenty of time to do some laundry and play with the dog. While the weather was cloudy, it was warm. A perfect end to the day!