Hello from Bountiful, UT

Beautiful sunset one evening from our campsite in Rexburg, ID

Tuesday was a short driving day from Rexburg, ID to Twin Falls, about 180 miles, so we were set up at an RV park in Eden, ID (about 10 miles from Twin Falls) by early afternoon.  I like those short driving days!  This park was a little further from Twin Falls than we had planned but it was a nice rural setting with farm fields on two sides.

This south central part of ID is called The Magic Valley and got that name because of two dams and a series of irrigation canal systems built at the turn of the 20th century that 'magically' transformed the almost uninhabitable area into some of the most productive farmland in the northwest part of the U.S.  Millions of years ago molten lava flowed through the earth's surface to help create many unique rock formations still visible north of the Snake River Canyon.  Approximately 30,000 years ago a huge flood, known as the Bonneville Flood, unleashed a torrent toward the Snake River.  This flood helped carve a canyon 105 miles long and up to 600 feet deep in some areas and can be seen as huge depressions and side canyons near Twin Falls.

Dick had read in one of our RV magazines about a 'road trip' from Boise to Twin Falls on Highway 30 through the 'Magic Valley'.  So on Wednesday we took a picnic lunch, loaded up Murphy, and headed west on the interstate towards Boise.  We turned off onto Highway 30 near Hagerman also known as Thousand Springs Scenic Byway.  This was a beautiful 30 mile drive as we headed back to Twin Falls seeing many waterfalls and rushing streams, a joy to fishermen and water sports enthusiasts.  All of this water is the source for about 70% of the country's commercially produced trout as well as being diverted to farms for irrigation to grow the famous ID potatoes and other crops.

Hagerman, a farm town of about 800 people, is best known for its fossil beds and fossilized horses in North America.  The Hagerman Horse is a beast (not a true horse) but a close relative to the zebra in Africa.  All of this area is protected now as Hagerman Fossil Beds Nat'l Monument (4400 acres).  Visitors cannot dig, and according to the article we had, there isn't much to see except if you want to hike along portions of the Oregon Trail that go through the monument, so we chose to pass and keep on going.  At the Visitor Center in Hagerman you can see a 'reconstructed' skelton of the Hagerman Horse, but as we passed through town it was too early for the Visitor Center to be open so we didn't even get a picture.

As we left Hagerman we began to see several grape growing vineyards.  This area of the Magic Valley has the climate and soil perfect for grape growing so there are several wineries along the route between Hagerman and Buhl, the 'Trout Capital of the World'.  Not being wine drinkers, and it still being morning, we passed on the wineries (I know Walt as you read this, you can't believe we passed a winery).  A company in Buhl called Clear Springs Foods, raises, processes and ships approximately 40 million pounds of trout each year.  Trout may be the big thing in Buhl but our vote for the best thing going in Buhl is it's ice cream.  Clover Leaf Creamery does things the old-fashioned way.  The actual dairy farm is about 4 miles outside of Buhl, the cows eat only grass, and they still use a processing line from the 1930's to put milk and cream in glass bottles.  When was the last time you saw milk in glass bottles?  Of course I tried the ice cream and it was wonderful (definitely not low fat).  There were  many flavors to choose from, including potato, which I couldn't bring myself to try.  It was a fun experience as I remember my dad having dairy cattle and growing up on farm-fresh milk every day.

According to the lady in the creamery, you pay $2.50 deposit on each bottle the first time.  Then you bring the empty bottles back, get full ones, and continue that for as long as you want.

We continued on our road trip towards Twin Falls, the largest city in the Magic Valley.  Our first stop in Twin Falls was Shoshone Falls, referred to as 'Niagara of the West'.  These falls are beautiful beyond measure in our opinion (in fairness though, we haven't been to Niagara Falls).  According to the brochure, from top to the bottom of the canyon floor they tumble about 212 feet which is 50 feet further than Niagara Falls.  The falls are in a lovely park setting operated by the city, with an entrance fee of $3.  Surprisingly to us, they accept the Golden Age Pass so it was free.  We had our picnic lunch at the park with the falls in the backdrop......can't get any better than that.

Note the rainbow over the falls

After leaving Shoshone Falls, we found its namesake, Twin Falls, just upriver but wasn't anything in comparison to Shoshone Falls and not a 'must see again' for us especially since a dam was constructed in the early 1900's to divert one of the cascades.

We then went in search of the Perrine Bridge, most famously known for being the only structure in the country where BASE jumping (jumping from a bridge) is allowed without a permit and people come from all over the world to dive into the river canyon.  (Not on our bucket list of things to do) The bridge itself is 500 feet above the Snake River, four-lane and 1500 feet long.  We did not see anyone jumping that day, however, a couple of days later as we crossed the bridge, we noticed lots of police activity and found out later a hiker had fallen and had to be airlifted out of the canyon.  The news said he was in critical condition but I haven't been able to find out any further details since then.

The famous 'base jumping' bridge

While we were at Shoshone Falls, I noticed a trail in the park so the next morning I went back and took that hike.  After the first little climb on some pretty rough steps, it turned into a wonderful biking/walking paved path that climbed for a ways but gave you even more breathtaking views of the falls.  I walked for about a mile and then decided I better turn around and go back, not knowing how far it went and the car was back at the park.  The concession stand was open when I returned so I asked the lady how far the path went and she said 1 1/4 miles and it ends at the dirt ramp the only remains from Evil Knievel's jump in 1974.  Darn.......if I had only went a little further!  She said it is just a pile of dirt and nothing impressive so I guess I didn't miss anything but it would have been nice to say 'I saw it'.   Dick missed a nice walk that morning but he stayed at the park and prepared for our departure the next morning to Salt Lake City.

We are now here at an Elks Club in Bountiful, UT a suburb of Salt Lake City.  We learned about staying at Elks Clubs a few years ago from another RVer.  You do have to be a member, and not all Elks have the space or facilities, but they publish a directory and you can research to see what's available as you travel.  This particular club only has two sites and we lucked out in getting one of them for $7 a night and full hookups.  The downside to this club is that the sites are right along a very busy street 24/7 so if you are a light sleeper, it can be a challenge.

Salt Lake was part of Dick's territory many years ago so he still remembers how to get around here pretty well.  Of course, the city has grown and changed but a few of his favorite restaurants are still here and we tried one Saturday night with the same very good results.  We went downtown yesterday, saw Temple Square and I must say it is quite impressive.  Years ago downtown Salt Lake had some serious homeless issues but prior to the Olympics coming here in 2002, they did a major 'clean up' and it appears to still be a pretty clean downtown area.

Mormon Temple in downtown Salt Lake City

We will hang out here this weekend and then on to Grand Junction, CO to spend a few days with Dick's brother.

The weather has been awesome once again........70's during the day and 50's at night.  Love it!

Thanks for following along and I hope everyone is having a wonderful weekend.  To our friends and family in Phoenix, I think it is beginning to once again be 'tolerable' there after another long/hot summer.  Enjoy!