Jul 4, 2011 - Getting closer to Yellowstone

It is the 4th of July and we are parked at a Wal-Mart in Blackfoot, ID about 25 miles south of Idaho Falls. While we were preparing to leave Jackpot, NV this morning we suddenly heard fire and rescue sirens blowing. It turns out this small community was celebrating the 4th with a parade. Other than the highway, there is basically only one road through the town. It was really neat. A couple of fire engines, young kids in their soccer uniforms passing soccer balls to each other, a flatbed truck with a country band playing patriotic songs,...

Jul 21, 2010 - Idaho

Easy day today. We left about 8 again and it was 40 degrees. We headed to Idaho today. It was strange to be on straight roads again and be able to drive faster than 45. Our first stop was Idaho Falls. It was raining along the way. We stopped at the Walmart to pick up a few things and Amanda was excited because it was a Super Walmart. I had never been in one before either. It sure is super big. Someone came up and asked if we were from Wisconsin since Tom was wearing his Packer shirt. Her family had moved here from Wisconsin Rapids 10 months...

May 21, 2010 - Idaho Potato Museum

Now I know you've all been waiting for this one. We visited the Idaho Potato Museum (located in Blackfoot, Idaho), it is a small exhibit but is packed with info. We actually had a nice visit there, our friends Jim & Natalie tagged along. A little info from the phamlet: The potato industry grew up in Idaho. Mormon Pioneers laid the foundation for the modern potato industry. With gradual mechanization, "spud" farming graduated from "small potatoes" to a major portion of the economy. During World War II, J.R. Simplot used the first mechanical...

Jul 4, 2008 - Behrend Family Reunion

July 4th: We finally arrived in Blackfoot, ID at 6:00 pm. We had caught up to ourselves in that our tendency in the first few days of our trip to be early and had self corrected. We were technically now 24 hours late. I'm sure that isn't a surprise to any of you! We settled into our fairgrounds site and were greeted right away by members of the Behrend family. Jim's Mom, Kathy, came from a large family of 13 children. Imagine each of them with a spouse, and kids, and even grandchildren...lots of names and faces to get to know. Soon it was...

Jun 5, 2008 - Blackfoot/Pocatello, ID

My hope to live more minimally after retirement got off to a slow start. I'm pretty sure if I look hard enough under the RV I might find our kitchen sink. The one thing we forgot was - you guessed it, the computer. Fortunately our friends Jim & Mary are staying with friends near Aberdeen, ID, North of Pocatello. Seve overnighted it to them and we got it today, so I'm reconnected to the world!! Mileage at the start of the trip on June 3 was 62,126. We left at 7:40 am, and arrived in Utah at 12:53 AZ time, 1:53 Utah time. Our first day...

Jul 31, 2006 - Hell's Half Acre Lava Flow

This morning it was only 68 degrees when I got up. Nice! I don't think it got above the mid-70s all day. That's a definite Improvement over the heat wave that has been so persistent all month. My first stop of the day was at Hell's Half Acre Lava Flow north of Blackfoot, Idaho. The entire flow is of the pahoehoe type (Hawaiian for "ropy coils"). Since it is just off I-15 behind a rest stop, it is easy to reach and the paved trail is very easy to walk.