Idaho All Day and Loving It

Road Trip Day 2

First stop: Snake River Canyon

The Visitor Center is behind the Outback! That's something I never thought I would hear but this wonderful attraction is kinda in the middle of a huge shopping center. We watched a guy BASE jump from the bridge while practically standing in an Old Navy parking lot. If Twin Falls, Idaho ever got a NHL team I would live there.

Ryan Note: As Jess mentioned, this is right near a major shopping area. I told her about the bridge and since you can't even see the canyon below until you get right near it, she didn't know what to think as Google Maps told us we were almost there. The canyon goes down about 500 feet and has nice walking trails all around it, including areas under and across the bridge. It was formed when Lake Bonneville expanded past it's natural boundary and caused water to rapidly flow down an existing (albeit much smaller) canyon. It was flowing so fast (70 mph) and with so much water that it carved out the soft rock to what we see today.

This place is also famous for being near the location that Evel Knievel attempted to jump the canyon in a rocket motorcycle...unfortunately, it didn't go as planned as he only made it out partway before falling (slowly, thanks to the parachute) to the bottom near the river. This was the inspiration for the climatic scene in The Simpsons episode "Bart the Daredevil" which is mostly why I cared about it. The dirt ramp Evel Knievel used is still there and visible from the bridge.

Finally, as we got there there were a couple guys packing up parachutes. I thought we missed the BASE jumpers but thankfully one more went as we were standing there. The last two pictures below show them on the bridge and in the last picture you can see the blue parachute against the water. Apparently this is the only man-made structure in the US where you can BASE jump without a permit so it happens quite frequently. I'd like to say that I would try it but considering I only could walk about 50 feet out on the bridge (on the safe pedestrian walkway) before the shaking got to me and I high-tailed it out of there, I doubt I'd ever try that.

Second stop: Shoshone Falls

Only a short drive later, we got to Shoshone Falls State Park and after quite a terrifying drive down a winding road we got to a picturesque waterfall with a mist rainbow and everything.

 

Third stop: Craters of the Moon National Monument

It was a 2 hour drive to get another stamp in my National Parks and Monuments Passport! This was once again all Ryan's idea and once again it didn't disappoint. First, there was a small hike off the scenic overlook which was full of dull black lava rocks with shiny blue streaks, awesome flowering bushes and twisty trees. The second time we stopped we climbed a mountain...well, a 160 ft cinder trail up the side of what felt like a mountain and at 6000ft elevation it wasn't all that easy. The 360 degree views at the top were well worth it!

Ryan Note: I've wanted to come to Craters of the Moon for a long time. I don't know why - I think when looking for something to do in Idaho, it came up as the top attraction. Frankly, I had read some unflattering reviews of it so I was preparing to be underwhelmed. Whoever doesn't like this place doesn't know what they're talking about. We were lucky to get a cool day (about 70 degrees) - usually it's hotter this time of year and with all of the black rock around, it makes the surface temperature very hot (and unpleasant to walk on).

Some of the lava flows that created the cones and features were only a couple thousand years ago. I guess while the volcanic activity is currently dormant, it's not extinct and odds are it will erupt again within 1,000 years. There are many different lava features here so it was very interesting to see.

The highlight was the Inferno Cone, which contains a pure cinder trail up to the top. It's pretty steep - 160 ft that's between a 8 and 28 degree grade and the pictures below show views going up and down. The panoramic view at the top was incredible and worth the hike (though I will say that going back down is tougher because the rocks are so loose and it's so steep). This is such a unique place in the continental US and it was definitely worth the stop. I should have known better - the National Park Service rarely disappoints.

Fourth stop: Ketchum Cemetery

We checked into the cute little Wood River Inn and headed out looking for dinner but drove a little further to check out the place were Ernest Hemingway is buried. It's in a little cemetery with a view of the mountains and the grave is under a tree. We left a couple coins and paid our respects before heading out.

Ryan Note: Yep, Ernest Hemingway is buried here. He moved to Sun Valley late in his life because he was paranoid that the government was watching him and trying to spy on him. He was partially right, as it turned out, but the alcohol and other illnesses didn't help the situation. He killed himself in 1961 in Ketchum which is why, despite his famous connections to other places in the world, his wife buried him here.

This Country is Amazing and Beautiful

Road Trip Day 1

First stop: The Great Salt Lake

Just a short drive from our hotel, we arrived at about 9:30 AM and even though Ryan told me it would have a smell I wasn't prepared for the gag-worthy rotting odor that early. Good thing it was so pretty and interesting. Of course Ryan balanced on some precarious rocks to dip his hand in the water and had to walk around with a crusty hand until he found someplace to wash it. There was only a small visitor center at the marina and not a lot of people around, which I found odd because of how cool the place was. Once you get past the smell and crazy amount of flies it is truly a one of a kind place to see and made me even more grateful to have these opportunities to see this country's gems.

Ryan Note: I really wanted to touch the Great Salt Lake so I walked down to the water. The brine flies were everywhere but they scatter when you get near them so I thought I'd be fine. Turns out the sand/salt/minerals/whatever near the edge of the water is basically like mud that is very soft. I was just wearing sneakers and when I started to have my feet completely sink in and water fill my shoes, I jumped away. Jess did a great job capturing that moment. By the way, I did climb out on some rocks to touch the lake. It was wet and salty.

Second stop (1 1/2 hour drive): Bonneville Salt Flats

I admit I knew nothing about this until today. Ryan kept joking about driving the rental car on the salt flats and I would roll my eyes. Off the highway was a rest area and when we got out everywhere you looked was salt. It was squishy to walk on but hard enough that you didn't sink in. It felt like a combination of sand and snow - a little wet so it sticks together and kinda soft and smooth. It was shockingly bright and you really needed sunglasses. After spending some time walking along the salt we headed to the foot washer which was a couple spouts to wash all the salt from your shoes. The only other thing there was bathrooms and vending machines so we were on our way.

Ryan Note: The last picture is of me setting a new land speed record for humans. We bought a $50,000 camera just to have a shutter speed high enough to capture me in mid-run without it being blurry. Totally worth it.

Third stop (1 1/2 hours): Jackpot, Nevada 

If you really know Ryan and me you know that we can't get near Nevada without hitting some casinos. Well, Jackpot was one road with a few buildings and about 3 casinos so we picked the one with the funniest name (Cactus Pete's) and headed in to find out Chicago was performing there tonight! Even at 2:30 in the afternoon the place was packed! After hitting a tiny dumpy casino instead we lost some money and got back on the road. Alas, no jackpot in Jackpot...false advertising?

It might seem like we do a lot of driving on these trips but we find the change of scenery (and 80 mph speed limit) makes the time fly by and totally worth it. Random roadside views on highway 93 in Nevada are breathtaking.

Ryan Note: I saw a marker for a Historic Site so I almost killed us as we turned left off a highway to get to it. Turns out it was for a dam that was 8 miles away that you couldn't see from there. They set up the dam to help irrigate the dry land around there but a) it was around porous lava rock so water escaped around it and b) there's not much rainfall so the reservoir it created didn't capture a lot of water. It was built in 1910 and didn't fill up under 1984. Great job, Idaho. 

Now we are in Twin Falls, Idaho for the night. We ate dinner at a local eatery called Chili's (if you don't know Ryan I will tell you endlessly that he eats like a 4 year old and refuses to try new food or local restaurants). 

Now we're going to get some rest for another adventure day tomorrow. Can't wait to see what's next.

On the road again...

Our next long vacation has finally begun! This time the plan is to start in Utah and make our way through Nevada, Idaho and Oregon before ending up in Washington. We have a lot of plans to visit some parks and see some sights over the first week while the second week will be spent relaxing on San Juan Island in Washington State.

Even though we often spend hours each day in the car while driving hundreds of miles a day, it still seems like sitting on a plane is one of the most exhausting parts. We started in Raleigh and got to Salt Lake City via Houston. Our flights were on time and generally good (except for a windy landing in SLC) so at least that worked out.

After landing and getting our car from Enterprise (which was very easy at the airport here), we got to our hotel for the night and ate some dinner. After that, it was still relatively early so we decided to go to Temple Square, which is the headquarters for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (aka the Mormons). The Salt Lake Temple is pretty famous and is really a beautiful structure. The Square itself is very well kept and very peaceful. It's a little odd being there since we don't follow their church and it's obviously a big deal for those that do so we just spent some time walking around and taking a few pictures. It was nearly 100 degrees, though it's a dry heat, so that's better (not really) so we made it a quick stop.

Tomorrow we head to the Great Salt Lake, the Bonneville Salt Flats, parts of northeastern Nevada and then finally Idaho.

As they say in Utah, "If you find a place where the water is saltier than the ocean, never leave." Note: no one says this.

Home Sweet Home

We have been home for just over a week now and we are still talking about how great our trip was. 
It has been a busy week with appointments, laundry, hockey games, theatre tickets and catching up with friends.
So I guess this is the part where I talk about the start of the NHL season but I was raised that if you don't have anything nice to say you don't say anything at all.  Uh huh, sure but that isn't me when it comes to the Hurricanes.  We pay a premium to go to every home game and sit in the same seats knowing most people in the building are paying less, sometimes for better seats.  Don't get me wrong - it is a benefit to sit in the same seats every game since we have become great friends with all of our seat neighbors, often seeing them away from the arena.
This brings us to the product on the ice.  Going into opening night 2 of the top 4 starters have serious injuries.  Jordan Staal with a broken leg won't return until after the All-Star game...I am guessing.  Jeff Skinner with his 3rd concussion is up in the air for a return date.  One of my thoughts on the Canes is that this team needs to toughen up and absolutely crush a guy who elbows your bright young star in the head.  In a time when most teams are getting rid of enforcers maybe we should pick one up.  It feels like other teams look at the Canes as a soft team they can run over with no repercussions.  It is tight wire act trying to be tough and defend a teammate without taking a dumb penalty but let's face it, this team is not making the playoffs and with a good draft class coming losing might not be a terrible thing. If we can make a team think twice about taking a cheap shot on our guys in the process then hey, all the better.  Not saying it is going to be easy to sit at every game in a building half full and with more opposing fans but I can take it if there is a Connor McDavid light at the end of the tunnel.
That being said I would also like the front office of the Hurricanes to stop treating the fans here like groupies that only want to hear about puppy dogs and rainbows.  We can handle the truth.  We are aware this team has a few awful contracts, not enough skill and honestly a few players that don't seem to want to be here. So stop telling us you think you can win without making changes.  We do have fan favorites but you can blow this team up and put different guys on the ice and we will still show up.  Really anyone is fair game, - trade a captain or favorite goalie. We won't cry and we will think maybe you know what you doing (I know, I know - no team wants our over-paid princesses but let it be known no one is off the table).

I will still do my best at every game to cheer on my favorite team and just enjoy watching NHL hockey (most likely with some sarcastic comments; I am only human).  I can't make any promises for my booing husband but I will try and remember the funny stuff he says and let you know.

The best part of being home is spending time with our friends.  Last night we went to a nice dinner and then to see Phantom of the Opera at the DPAC (Durham Performing Arts Center).  It was great.  The set was awesome and the actors were fantastic.  We didn't get a picture with all six of us but here is one of Ryan and I and two with Jen, Julie and me:

*One last funny story from this week:

Ryan woke me up one morning and I was in the middle of a dream so I remembered the last little bit.  I was at a pet rescue place and they had 2 cute, tiny, black puppies with white spots and the woman telling me about the puppies said they were brothers and had to be adopted together.  I thought that was ok and then she told me they already had names: Floyd and Jim Floyd!

Then Ryan woke me up and I told him all about it and if I see these puppies I must have them.  Later that afternoon it got weird: Ryan told me he got a work email from a man named Jim Floyd. Neither one of us know anyone with this name or have even heard this name before.  Super strange, Right?  I don't know what the universe is trying to tell us but Jim Floyd, we are listening.