Tag Idaho

This was easily one of the most beautiful and scenic road trips I’ve taken on any of my van life travels. The first third of the trip followed along the Payette River and then it headed into the mountains. I made a few stops along the way including an oil change, coffee, some places that were too beautiful to just drive by, White Bird Battle Historical Monument and my first taste of a Huckelberry pie. Unfortunately, the last half of the drive was after dark so I didn’t get to see much at that point.

Driving along the Payette River.

Huckleberry Pie in Lucile, ID

I saw this place and decided to stop. I’d never had huckleberries before and thought this would be a good place to get some. The man working the counter was very friendly and helpful when I asked him about the fruit. He went into the back and cut me a slice of a new, fresh pie! Tastes like blueberry.

White Bird Battlefield Overlook – Nez Perce National Historical Park

On June 17, 1877, Captain David Perry and his troops moved into the canyon to strike the Nimiipuu (Nez Perce) who were sheltering in one of their winter villages. The soldiers encountered a peace party of six warriors carrying a white flag riding towards them. A civilian volunteer shot twice at the peace party and the battle began. The U.S. cavalry was defeated with heavy losses and the Nimiipuu began their long journey to find safety and sanctuary. Another sad story about the white man’s mistreatment of Native Americans. You can read more about the battle here

I arrived in Missoula, MT late in the evening!

It was another full travel day going about 200 miles from Craters of the Moon in Idaho, where I camped the night before, to Boise, ID. I originally did not have Boise on my trip, however, my cousin in Missoula asked if I minded coming a few days later. Boise was the obvious way to add a few more days.

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North Crater Trail to the Spatter Cones Hike

I woke up before the sun came up and decided to find a hike before heading out on the road. Craters of the Moon was not originally on my itinerary so I wanted to explore a little. I found a 1.9 mile hike along the North Crater Trail which ended at spatter cones. I had no idea what a spatter cone was but was going to find out. 1.9 miles would be perfect as it was a nice hike but not too long. Unfortunately, I didn’t realize it was not a 1.9 loop…. it was 1.9 one way.

I thought this was cool. You can see where the lava flowed into this area.	You can see the ripples in the lava that flowed into this area.
This is a spatter cone. A spatter cone is a small, steep-sided volcanic cone built up around a vent where escaping gases blow out chunks of molten lava. I walked the path up into the spatter cone. Very cool stuff. Like being on a different planet.
I walked on this path along the rim. The sun was just right that when I got to a certain point, my shadow was cast across to the other side. You can see the shadow of my legs and me waving back at myself from over there. One of my favorite pictures and a fun little moment.

Breakfast at Timmerman Junction Rest Area – Idaho

There weren’t alot of places along my drive to stop to get something to eat so decided to take the time and cook myself a breakfast. It was such a beautiful day out as I found myself in Idaho. After my 4 mile walk this morning it was a really nice, peaceful and relaxing stop.

Kathryn Albertson Park – Boise, ID

I stopped at another rest area a few hours in to take a little nap since I was going to be arriving in Boise too early to check into my AirBnB. I still arrived a little early so opted to go to one of the parks that were on my list in Boise. Kathryn Albertson Park was really beautiful. There were lots of great little spots to look out at water and greenery. There was a wedding reception going on in one spot and, although it was Sunday, stopped at another to sit and do a little work.

My Home in Boise, ID

Arrived at my AirBnB in Boise in time to relax, kick back and watch the Patriots play. This is one of my favorite AirBnB’s I’ve stayed in. I had the entire place and it was clean and comfortable with a slider that went out to a small porch. The neighborhood was beautiful and so peaceful to walk around. They call it Pat’s Treehouse because it sits up high, making it feel as if one were in a tree house.

I left the Salt Lake City area pretty early expecting alot of activity for the day. My plan was to get to the Craters of the Moon National Park in Idaho before the end of the day. Beginning to end it wasn’t that far, but I had numerous stops planned and its nice to have a full day to travel. You never know what I might discover.

Riverpark Disc Golf Course

Planned to get a round of disc golf in first thing. I really enjoyed this round. It started raining after I played the first basket so ended up sitting under a tree with a local golfer waiting out the storm. It only rained a few minutes and we played the round together. Nice kid who dreams of one day getting himself a van and traveling around the United States!

Corrine, UT

Corrine, UT is an historic city on the road heading north. It’s a small railroad town that was established as the Union Pacific Railroad and the Central Pacific Railroads neared completion. Corrine is the closest city to where these two lines met and were commemorated with the Golden Spike. I stopped in town at a few memorials and dedicated historic spots.

	Travel then and travel now.

Golden Spike National Historic Park

In 1869, the Central Pacific and Union Pacific Railroads met and the first transcontinental railway was completed. A ceremonial spike was driven to commemorate the completion of this event. I enjoyed learning about the event and these two railway companies. The more they completed, the more they would earn so they built as fast as they could, racing across the country. I stopped at numerous spots along my drive that explained how it was done.

Spiral Jetty

The Spiral Jetty was such an amazing stop that it gets its own post (Spiral Jetty post). The Jetty is located in Corrine, UT, however, you have to drive down a 14 mile long gravel to get there. It was worth it. I walked out to the edge of the Great Salt Lake and watched pink water lap onto the shore.

In my opinion… this is a must for anyone making this trip.

ATK (Northrum & Grumman) Rocket Garden

I was driving on after the Spiral Jetty when I saw this Rocket Garden so I stopped. What a cool little rocket museum. The large rocket is actually a booster for the space shuttle.

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Entered Idaho

What it looks like to drive through Idaho

Lava fields at Craters of the Moon National Park

I made it to Craters of the Moon National Park right around sunset. I watched the sun go down over the lava fields and noticed how I was in such an opposite kind of place from the Bonneville Salt Flats, just a few days earlier. I never knew there were lava fields in the continental United States. It was a beautiful night. I pulled into the Lava Flow Campground and stayed up late thinking about my day and looking at the stars.