A stroke of bad luck...

Fireman cousin was stuck in Boise and we were headed North, so we weren't able to meet on this trip. Too bad because he's a real cowboy and Little Man was dying to show him the rope he'd made in Walnut Creek, MN.

Following gardener friend's advice, we headed into the unrivaled Boise National Forest. The drive through Picabo (remember Picabo Street?), Hailey and up to Stanley was slow going but glorious. Our plan was to make it all the way to Lewiston which we did.

Congratulating myself on getting in at a reasonable hour (thanks for the gift, Pacific Time Zone!), the kids were so excited to swim in a hotel after driving so long. Would you believe the entire town of Lewiston, Clarkston and surrounding areas were completely sold out? All the universities were starting up and towns were overrun with helicopter parents.

Back in the car for a couple more hours...

Craters of the Moon

Idaho is one of those states that is so beautiful and diverse but full of oddballs. Lots of movie stars, California immigrants, potato farmers, outdoor enthusiasts and of course, thousands of rednecks and Mormons (sometimes one and the same, but not always). Never did I imagine driving the entire state, but Idaho isn't easy to cross. There are these illustrious mountains in the way!

We made it to Arco, a town that I refused to sleep in because it gave me the creeps, a point Grandma and I didn't agree on. Soon the earth turned black and charred and lumpy and the heat poured over us like syrup. We'd arrived at Craters of the Moon!

My nephew has never been here. My Fireman cousin in Twin Falls has never been here. Take a day trip soon!!!! This is the most unique place Idaho has to offer and it's impossible to visualize without visiting it in person. There's a LOT to do, but come as early as possible to avoid the heat.

Eight periods of erupting volcanoes have given us this crazy landscape and the Visitor Center has a very visual display that makes this history easy to understand. The kids learned that magma is inside the earth, and lava when it comes out of the earth.

The loop drive only takes about 20 minutes, with several places to stop and hike. We chose to stop at the Spatter Cones, just a 1/4 mile hike. You can literally look down the cones of little volcanoes -- some still have unmelted snow! Pretty remarkable considering it was 104 degrees out here!

The kids were mad that I wouldn't let them hike more, but their cheeks were already bright red! Also, I remembered that hike to see the horses at the beginning of our trip (see Washington) and I wasn't eager to do it all over again in this heat.

I let them climb as much as possible, but these rocks are sharp and scratchy and porous. Doodle followed Peanut everywhere which was terrifying to say the least.

There's actually a lot of wildlife out here which is shocking, but not nearly as shocking as the tents dotting the rocks -- humans!

Bubbles in Idaho

Back to Idaho!

My nephew goes to school in Rexurg, ID which happens to be right on our route. We only spent about an hour with him because we were trying to get to Craters of the Moon before it closed. Also, it was bloody hot after being in Yellowstone, and the dreaded melting feeling was returning.

Now, the kids were slap-happy to see him. Nephew can blow bubbles the size of his head and all the kids in my family have a sort of hero worship for him. After lunch at a funny place (they start with a bowl of popcorn on the table!) we stopped and bought two packs of Bubblicious. Peanut has recently learned to blow bubbles, and the other two were willing to try anything for a piece of that juicy deliciousness. When Nephew got 4 pieces feeling just right, the fun began!

Idaho’s Panhandle

Driving in Idaho’s panhandle, we actually felt like we were driving North into a pan’s handle. It’s ridiculous, I know, but Niece and I agreed wholeheartedly on this. It felt distinctly north and distinctly narrow. Out of nowhere we crossed the most beautiful Lake Pend Oreille into a charming town called Sandpoint. When we noticed at least two Starbucks in the middle of nowhere, we knew something was up. Turns out it’s a resort town loaded with rednecks in flip-flops. From what I could tell they don’t get pedicures in Idaho, but the people are nice and they love the outdoors. We saw signs for a “bridge swim” and apparently they do other sports like “bridge jumping”. I’m not quite sure what that entails, but they do normal stuff like ski, too.

About 5 minutes later we passed a sign for Ponderay, population 650. I guess in Idaho, they spell French their own way.

Idaho -- State #11

In a few weeks we'll explore southern Idaho, but for now, we're just stopping for the night in Coeur d'Alene. It's supposed to be a gorgeous place, but we're not going exploring. I imagine we're in for a beautiful drive today. I've never been to Glacier, MT so I'm pretty excited.

All I can say is that one of our stops had a pink bathroom. Doodle was tickled silly by this and didn't want to leave! The pool was great for the kids last night and we all slept decently.

Happy Trails!

Idaho License Plate