Roadtrip: Day Six - Idaho & the Parentals

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Wow, so today is an exciting day for me and exactly one week since I've been back in Idaho. Life has not been boring though (as it sometimes can be when I'm here during the summer months with nothing to do). I ended the last day of my roadtrip by first going off to see the Craters of the Moon national monument. What makes this little spot near Arco, Idaho amazing is that there are huge lava fields (you can see it from space) that includes basaltic lava beds, tree molds, and caves only...there are no volcanoes! So where did it come from? The lava is actually from eruptions that occured long ago and then "moved" as plates started shifting to its present location along the Great Rift in Idaho. Some of the oldest flows in the field are 15,000 years old and the plant cover is kind of low because the lava constantly "extracts" the water from living things around it.

It was a pretty nice sight though and I drove around the monument. Wanting to get on the road, I didn't stay long but took a moment to visit the nice little Visitor's Center and hear about the history of the monument and how astronauts once came over and trained in the area in preparation for a mission. I said goodbye to Southern Idaho though and made my way North to the hills. Around 1pm, my car starting making a bit of a noise in the front end and it started to get really hot. I started seeing those familiar sights though: the trees on the large hills, the winding Salmon River that looks like it flows uphill, the fruit stand a few miles past the "rock stand" that specializes in rock designs, the huge grade up White Bird with the little town at the base with really good burgers, the cutoff gravel road to bypass Grangeville, the large Dog hotel at Cottonwood, the green softball diamond at Culdesac, and Tamany Creek Road to cut across from Lapwai up to the Lewiston orchards. It was nice to be back and see the family, but not living off gas station food and not having to get up at dawn to go drive was a little weird.

Things haven't been all rest here though in the 7 days that I've been back. With family visiting, barbeques, and this past weekend at the Montana State Dive Fest, life has been busy. And today, my 21st birthday, is another reason to celebrate as this week winds down and I head back to Alaska this Friday!!

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Photos

The 'Year Mountain'
All of the local high school seniors put their graduation years on the mountain!

Craters of the Moon 1
Nice

Craters of the Moon 2
Nice