Sep 21, 2012 - Snake River RV Park, Idaho Falls, Idaho

We arrived at the Snake River RV Park early in the afternoon. It's a nice older park but everything worked great. We did hear a train around 10:30pm but that's usually the case with RV parks. We have encountered a lot of smoke in the air because of the forest fires in northern Idaho. We talked to a man last night and he said they have had this smoke for over two months. We don't smell the smoke but the sky is really hazy. We are hoping that our stop in Yellowstone will not be a smoky one.

Sep 4, 2012 - Potato museum and eastern Idaho fair

We visited the potato museum because this is Idaho potato country. The museum has a video about the potato industry today and also history. Displayed were potato harvesting implements, pulled by horses. We were given hashed brown potatoes and learned about the development of the Russet Burbank potato. We then went to the Eastern Idaho fair in Blackfoot, saw an amazing frizbee dog demonstation, and animals and fried twinkies. On the way back, we went to a very large army surplus store - lots for campers.

Sep 3, 2012 - Yellowstone bear world and Idaho falls

We drove to rexburg to see bears, moose, deer, and other animals at Yellowstone Bear World This is a drive thru park and we saw bear cubs fed from bottles, adult bears checking out the truck behind us, and went through the petting zoo. We also checked out the falls in downtown Idaho Falls. These are 1200' long, low but very scenic with many areas to view them in the downtown park. There are 3 dams built along the falls to harness power for the city.

Sep 2, 2012 - Ebr1 and craters of the moon

Today we checked out desert landscapes and the test lab that generated electric power from a nuclear reaction in 1951. This was a project by the US to develop an energy power use for atomic energy. The tour was in depth and showed the use of technology at that time. This reactor did power the town of Arco for a short period but was a research station and not intended to provide power to the public. Then we proceeded to craters of the moon national monument. This consists of 750,000 acres of lava, with a 7 mile loop drive through spatter...

Aug 19, 2012 - Sand Dunes and Mormon Temple

Today we found some neat sites while visiting Idaho Falls, Idaho. First was the St. Anthony Sand Dunes which consists of more than 11,000 acres of clear, shifting, white quartz sand dunes up to 400 feet high that move about eight feet each year. They are unique in that the dunes support a high amount of exceptional off-road vehicle use on open dunes inside a wilderness study area, attracting riders from all over the West. On our way back to Yellowstone we came across a beautiful site on top of a hill. We drove over to see what it was and...

Aug 15, 2012 - Idaho Falls, ID.

We rested up yesterday after our long drive the previous day. While we had a few days to kill we decided to have our windshield replaced. We took a rock to the driver’s side coming out of Alaska in 2009 and had had it repaired in Salem on the way home. It began to spider out this year and the cracks were getting longer, so it was time. Today we decided to take a look around town. The city of Idaho Falls was originally called Eagle Rock, derived from the isolated basalt rock island in the Snake River that was the nesting site for...

Aug 13, 2012 - Yellowstone

Yellowstone is America's first national park. It was established in 1872, and extends through Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho. Within the massive park boundaries, you can find mountains, rivers, lakes, and some of the most concentrated geothermal activity in the world. The park has 60% of the world’s geysers as well as many hot springs and several mud pots. The most famous feature of the park is Old Faithful. It is surely one of our national treasures and should be seen by all. Now, if we could just get rid of all the tourists. You can also see...

Jul 19, 2012 - Day 5; Out of the backroads to Idaho Falls

Day 5 It took Charlie a while to get moving today due to a (justifiably) stiff neck and a few electrical gremlins on his bike. He crawled out of his tent looking like hammered dog shit. We were still concerned that the "big crash" might have shaken a few things loose. Some of his charging accessories were misfiring. With some of mine down we couldn't afford to lose any more. Not to worry though, with a few tightened screws and a lot of foul language Charlie had it road ready in no time. Off we went. We rode a long dusty (due to logging...

Jul 1, 2012 - Idaho Falls, ID

Idaho Falls is our last stop in Idaho. The Snake river runs through town -- it seems like we have been following it the whole time in Idaho. The town an old farming and business center. The part we were staying in was not very photogenic, except for Idaho Falls which were right across the street from the hotel. The Falls are mostly a dam to control the flow. There was an interesting bench at a small shaded area overlooking the falls. The "curse of the Mike's" continues. There are three Mikes on the trip. I crashed out and have made several...

May 19, 2012 - Idaho

Hello everyone: Well it is time for an update. AT the last time we chatted we were in Provo,Utah. It is a very pretty little college town-Brigham Young University- quite a campus. We are in Teton Valley (Victor and Tetonia, Idaho). The Teton Valley is wonderful- I will include several pictures on facebook. We have been here 6 days and I think we have travelled every square inch of the valley. We spent a day in Jackson Hole, Wyoming shopping- that was FUN!! Brandon and Carter- you have soooo many little gifts that I and your Grampie cannot...

May 8, 2012 - Some of Beautiful Idaho Falls

Finally - time to get out and explore Idaho Falls and see some of the downtown historic area, the Falls and other sights of interest in the local area. After some additional snow flurries the other morning, temps in the high 20s every morning, it seems to be showing some signs of spring for us to get out and about! Question #4 in Spudology 101 and per usual, the answer is at the bottom. Which American president first served French fries at the White House? a) George Washington; b) Thomas Jefferson; c) Abraham Lincoln; d) Gerald Ford. ...

Apr 16, 2012 - Safe and Uneventful Trip to Idaho Falls

We definitely weren't in any rush this morning. We had met our goal of getting north of Salt Lake City to avoid Monday morning rush hour traffic and we also knew we had a mere 188 miles to go to our next destination in Idaho Falls. We got underway around 10:15, clear skies, no wind, a walk in the park compared to Saturday's travel day! We arrived at Snake River RV Park shortly before 2:00, got in our site and set up and game plan is to grill a nice steak out this evening and start planning our sights to see during our month long stay here...