This morning, we tumbled (well, we were supposed to tumble, we were late getting off so it was actually more dignified than that) into my parents’ car and hit the road for Idaho. A few hours later, we pulled into Shoshone Falls in Twin Falls, ID. We were a bit worried that the flow wasn’t going to be much to look at (the falls dry to a trickle in the summer) but the sign at the gate still said the flow was medium, and it was really impressive.

We wandered around for a bit, looking for some decent shots in the noon-day sun (the one advantage of daylight savings time is that at noon, the sun is actually in the 11 o’clock position). Then we hit the road again for another few hours, to get to Craters of the Moon National Monument. The name is… apt, to say the least. It really is like an entirely different world. Volcanic rock is everywhere, and yet plants still take hold. We did some exploring, even headed into a lava tube for a hike. I’ll get some pictures up soon.

All in all, a great day. Lots of fun, but a ton of time in the car.

Travel Distance: 522 miles

Well, I can’t say that today was too exciting for anyone who will be reading this. It was a pretty laid back day. I got a call from Scott at 7:30am to run him some papers that he’d forgotten before heading into the office and then I worked on pictures from Rocky Mountain Natl. Park. Went to his Colonel’s house and fixed his laptop so that it would work on his home internet, then spent some time at the Officer’s Club on base.

My parents got here tonight and it looks like we’ll be heading to Shoshone Falls and Craters of the Moon National Monument early in the morning.

Not a terribly busy day, which again, was rather nice. Got some photos processed, a blog entry or two done and the rest of my laundry. Took Roxy (Scott and Sarah’s dog) out to the dog park and did some shopping at the Commissary.

We ended the evening with a trip to Rooster’s in Layton, a local microbrewery. Pints were a little over $4 each, which is a bit of a difference compared to the KBC’s $2.50. I also encountered a silly Utah law, apparently if you’re sitting at a place that serves alcohol, you have to have food in front of you if you are not at the bar. (Oh, and only two servings in front of you at a time.) Quite the difference from Michigan. (What does this tell you about Utah’s culture?)

Well, so much for a day of catching up on posts and pictures. Today turned out to be busier than I was expecting, which is actually nice. Scott gave me a tour of the base, Sarah and I ran some errands, watched Prince Caspian again and then we went out to a Stone Temple Pilots concert. A fun day, a really good concert, though I’m feeling older than I am, since around 11pm I was hoping the concert would just end so I could go to bed.

To be honest, Utah isn’t as bad as I was expecting. We’ll see what tomorrow brings, maybe I’ll get around to catching up then.

Luckily for me, I found out that the Park Service opened Trail Ridge Road (it runs through the park over the mountains) yesterday afternoon and since my legs and knees decided to give out on me from all the hiking, I figured it was a good time to drive that road and head for Utah to see my brother and his wife. It was an absolutely gorgeous section of highway, and was really the only highlight of the drive today. There’s not a whole lot going on in western Colorado and the section of Utah I drove through. (I did however, confirm the stereotype that every ranch has a sign erected over the road leading into it proclaiming its name.)

Tomorrow I’ll work on backfilling posts and processing photos. Maybe I’ll get out and see the base too.

Travel Distance: 498 miles