The Top Ten Things We Saw in Idaho

Lava Tub at Craters of the Moon National Monument

June 14, 2015

It's a long way across the southern end of Idaho. From Driggs to Boise, mostly on I-80 is 353 miles as the interstate follows the curve of the Snake River. From Driggs to Boise on state road 20 is only 329 miles, straight across the state. According to google, the driving time is roughly equal at 5 hours. We choose RT 20. Driving 85 mph and seeing nothing but trucks and billboards had lost it's appeal. Besides the speed limit on the 'backroad' was still 65!  We figured there was more to see of Idaho and we wanted to see it.

Wildflowers blooming on a cinder cone

And here is what we saw:

1. The straightest stretch of road yet. (and I learned that driving a straight road for an hour is really difficult)
2. Volcanic butte's
3. Atomic City, the first city powered entirely by atomic energy.
4. Some weird government facility behind miles of barbed wire fencing with only one road in, and one road out.
5. Craters of the Moon National Monument! Not a volcano but an area where lava flowed out and around making lots of serious lava structures in the middle of no-where. Some of the lava caves were large enough to walk through. It was 90 degrees outside, but only 70 inside the cool dark lava tube.
6. A hamburger restaurant. The one restaurant in 160 miles. It was packed and the burgers were good.
7. Irrigation. Lots and lots of irrigation structures and equipment.
8. Mountains, tall, dry mountains. Always to the North of the road. According to the map there were several different ranges but they all looked tall and dry.
9. Cows. Almost 95% black Angus beef cows.
10. There were probably 29 trees. They all had cows underneath them. 

After a full day of driving we stopped for the night just North of Boise. Tomorrow we'd drive into Oregon.