We pulled out of Diamond Lake on Tuesday at 6:30am, 31 degrees outside and 50 inside, Brrrr. We couldn’t get out of there fast enough so that we could find warmer weather. The highway was a two lane road all the way to the Oregon-Idaho border. Beautiful road with straight stretches thru forests and high deserts. For miles we saw no one but scrub brush and a couple of deserted towns. We stopped at a rest stop next to Brothers, OR. The population there was probably no more than 20. At the entrance to the town, we laughed at seeing a sing that said CONGESTION. The town had a school, a Post Office, a Bar, a Jail (boarded up) and a gas pump that at one time was selling Diesel for $8.99 a gallon (they were sold out of Diesel). We arrived at Mountain Home around 7:30pm losing 1 hour as we crossed into Mountain Time.
Our intention was to see Craters of the Moon National Park the next day. When we checked in we found out that the park is over 150 miles away from here. After giving it careful consideration we decided we didn’t want to do a 300 mile trip to the park and back.
Today we took a drive to Hagerman, ID (population 656) to see the Thousand Springs flowing from the gorge walls into the Snake River. We expected to go on a leisurely scenic boat ride along the Snake River Canyon and the Thousand Springs area. Lynn made a phone call to the tour outfit were she was informed that the tours are not in operation yet. Upon hearing that, plan C came into operation. We looked at our tour book and found the Hagerman Fossil Beds National Monument. We took a 10.5 mile drive thru the hills where markers gave insights into the area geology and geography (fun stuff). We also saw spots where the Oregon Trail came thru the area. There were wagon train ruts which the signs said to stay out of. On the way back to camp Lynn (the tour guide) took us to Malad Gorge State Park. From a foot bridge we saw the bottom of a 250 foot deep gorge which was very impressive. Then we drove a 3.5 mile loop along the gorge. We took the rest of the day to pick up supplies for our stay at Yellowstone National Park, wash the truck and rest. We’ll talk to you again after Yellowstone. By the way, the weather warmed up quite nicely in ID. It has been in the mid 80’s.
4 comments:
Glad to hear the weekend reunion was a success and you are on the road.
Family camp was a big hit again - 138 people this year! We missed you.
Sounds like the key to a good road trip is flexibility. We are praying for your safety and that you enjoy the time and sights.
Jay & Fritzeen
Sounds like you're having a good trip. You're lucky to be out of California. Air quality here is bad because of the fires. Tom and I just got back from Roseville area, where it's even worse. We drove up to Auburn from Roseville on Wed., June 25. Really bad there too. Can't hardly see the sun. The haze is so thick up there that just looking a few houses down, you can see it. It looks like fog, but it's smoke and you can "taste" it. We stayed indoors most of the time yesterday, June 26, at Tom's sister's house in Roseville. Just got home this morning, June 27.
We're headed to San Francisco tomorrow, June 28. Hope to get a little bit cleaner air to breath out there. Meeting Tom's sisters and husbands there with our girls. May be our last chance to spend time with his oldest sister and brother-in-law for a long time. (They're out visiting from Texas.)
Well, will continue to keep you both in our prayers. Happy trails! ;-)
Tom & Debbie Griffin
Hey Mom & Dad, I'm so glad you guys are having a great time you really deserve it! Isaiah had a blast in Oregon, thanks for taking him along it was a great experience for him. We love you and miss you.
----Michael,Jaime and Isaiah
Hi You Two! Fun to check out your blog and see how your trip is going. I love seeing your Family Reunion picture - wondering who in the bunch I know. It's hard to recognize people after all these years! We just finished a whirlwind trip from visiting IKEA in MN, seeing our grandkids (and their parents of course), attending a small portion of a conference, then picking up our two young ones back in SD and heading to a church week-end Family Camp. Shortly after returning home I hopped on the riding mower to attack the forest that had grown in our absence, only to have the wheel fall off after about a 1/2 hour! We're hoping you can find our place when you get here - that it won't be buried in waist high grass! (Groan) Any idea when you might arrive here? And how long can you stay? We want to know how much visit time we'll have. Can't wait to see you!
Donna & Bob
p.s. With Lynn as tour guide, Bob is wondering if you want any suggestions about routes or things and places to see in SD. Call us
605-693-4765
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