Leaving Yellowstone we retraced our route South before turning off towards Idaho Falls. We spent one night at the Snake River RV park for hot showers, laundry & fill up on fresh water. An interesting place, more like a permanent neighbourhood of RV’s than people exploring & camping. My guess is that 98% are permanent residents, so we were a bit of a spectacle. RV’s of every great length that hadn’t moved in a long time, complete with plastic, knee high fences defining their 12 by 45 foot asphalt pad. BBQ’s & lawn chairs set. Plant pots by the front door and storage boxes stacked high off the back. It’s sad to see, as I’m sure each owner once had a nice house & steady job, I wonder what’s next for these people…
The next morning we made our way West along the Snake River Plain, and can feel the temperatures raising nicely. Beneath our wheels is a giant underground aquifer formed millions of years ago by volcanic activity. Pulling into what was once the site of Americas first nuclear plant, now a public bathroom, with lots of information about the Snake River, the plain, the aquifer, weather & water level stats etc. Turned out to be a really educational pee break!
A little further up the road the land changes again, no more trees, just sage brush and then volcanic rock for further than we could see. At the end of a stretch we, Craters of the Moon National Monument. Kids are excited over the short driving. The visitors centre is open, so the kids went in to ask for the Junior Ranger program & badge. They learned from the ranger that NASA brings astronauts here for training, because the terrain is so much like the moon! Hence the name I guess.
Craters of the moon National Monument is a vast ocean of lava flows with scattered islands of cinder cones and sagebrush. Located in South Central Idaho, designated National Monument covers nearly 3,000 km/2. Made up of three major lava fields and more than 25 volcanoes. Scientists have discovered 60 distinct solidified lava flows that formed Craters of the Moon Lava Field range in age from 15,000 to just 2,000 years. This hot spot was under the Craters of the Moon area some 10 to 11 million years ago.
Camping was amongst the lava, we spent the day exploring, camped the night and explored some more the next morning.
Volcanic rock for as far as the eye can see. A perfect setting for a geography field trip, class was in session. We walked out to find the ‘tree molds’, climbed up and down deep lava fields studying the different formations and folds formed as the lava slowly flowed. Hollow, delicate and almost fragile, we found air pockets that formed small caves. There wasn’t much life out there, small islands of higher ground are covered in scrubby sage brush as the lava must have flowed around. We found lichen growing and some very determined, small daisy plants struggling was about all that grew. Not a bird or bugs to be seen.
I am loving this life on the road. Every day we’re all together, exploring, growing and adventuring. We have watched the kids grow, With every hour we spend driving North West, I feel sad that we’re heading home…
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