Idaho and Yellowstone NP

I wanted to get an early start after spending four nights in Ontario, Oregon.  My repairs are done so I now have new axles and brakes on the trailer. 

 

My first stop in Idaho would be Twin Falls and visit Shoshone Falls. This waterfall is 50ft higher than Niagara Falls and they are 1000ft wide, very impressive.

After eating my lunch I was heading east again.  I was heading for Craters of the Moon National Park but was a little undecided about the best way to get there.  I could head north on US 93 to US 20 to the park entrance or continue on the interstate to US 20 and backtrack West.  I think I was just a little unsure still about the trailer repairs and took the safer route along the interstate.  To do it again I would head north on US 93.

Craters of the Moon was not really what I expected, maybe I was just expecting a moon type landscape?  After all the Apollo crew went there before their mission to the moon to get a feel for the landscape.  Nothing like what I remember that was on TV at the time.

When I was at the visitor’s center I was told about a Ranger Talk that went to one of the lava tubes in the park.  I decided to go along, it was great only two other people on the walk and talk but I had the same type of presentation.  I think they learn a presentation geared to 6^th graders and do not know how to adjust it when they are talking to adults.

 

This picture is from inside one of the lava tubes.  Really hard to get a good picture inside the tube just not enough light.  I need to invest in a good strobe light.

 

The campground was empty except for a half dozen spots.  I had to take a picture of this camper….

I have seen quite a few pickup campers attached to flatbed trailers but this is a first.

I was really excited about my next stop, Yellowstone National Park.  It was only about a two hour drive so I wanted to get out kinda early.  It is really nice and warm during the day but night temps are down to the low 30's if not lower some nights.  But as soon as that sun is out it gets warm quick.

Arriving about noon allowed me most of the day to explore the park.  One of my first stops and fairly close to the campground was Old Faithful.  I made several stops before reaching Old Faithful, I guess one too many.  As I was walking up to Old Faithful a small crowd was walking away.  Next predicted time was 90 minutes, I couldn’t wait because I had made arrangements to meet Aaron at the north entrance for dinner that night.  (Linda and I met Aaron in Chicken, AK)  So I continued my auto tour of the park.

I was supposed to meet Aaron at the restaurant just inside the park at the north entrance, we were both on time but they had already closed the restaurant for the year so we had to drive down the mountain to Crowin Springs for dinner.  It was late by the time I drove back up the mountain and to my campground. It was so dark I almost missed my turn to the campground.

The next morning the weather forecast was not good, they are expecting 3-6” of snow tonight so I decided to leave a day early and head south a bit to get out of the weather pattern of snow.  I still might have a problem going over the Rockies but probably not.  But I was not going to leave without seeing Old Faithful so first thing in the morning I drove back down to wait for the geyser to put on a show for me.  I arrived and nobody was around, the visitor’s center was still closed which is within viewing distance of not only Old Faithful but several other geysers.  As I was waiting a Ranger stepped out and told me that Beehive Geyser was due to erupt soon.

Old Faithful

Beehive

 Planning a visit to Yellowstone?  Beehive is only once a day and Old Faithful is every 90 minutes and getting longer all the time.  Only a few years ago Old Faithful was erupting every 50 minutes.

 Of course the wildlife inside the park is everywhere!  Talking to the Ranger I'm told that every year parents will put there kids in front of the bison for that photo opportunity.  But some of those pesky bison just do not like their photos taken or look at those kids as bowling pins.  How stupid!

So this morning I started out in Wyoming to Montana to Idaho and ending up in Utah.

I drove down to just north of Salt Lake City to Bountiful, UT and spent the night in the local Walmart.

My original plan here was to take 70 east into Colorado but now that I look at the map a bit from 70 I am very close to several National Parks.  Next blog entry will include Capitol Reef, Zion, Canyonlands and Arches National Parks.