Well, our great outdoor adventure is nearly over. Today we must pack up, clean out the big RV and return it to Jackson for the next victim (er, I mean renter…). Actually we had a fun time in the RV, but the interior lighting was the pits and we complained about it while checking it in. They gave us a credit for the extra gas used. All in all we used about $20 worth of gasoline and $2 worth of propane (hot water, stove).
Our goal today is to reach Twin Falls, Idaho. It is about in mid state. The drive out of the park and back west is very scenic for the first 100 miles or so. Nice lakes and mountains to enjoy. Along route 26 from Jackson to Idaho Falls is great. The Palisades reservoir is really scenic. Along the way we saw numerous eagle nests on power poles right between the road and the lake. Three of them had large bald eagles sitting in them! Was unable to stop to get any photos.
From Idaho Falls on the drive is interesting, but not as scenic. We encountered road work near Pocatello where they were putting gravel and oil on the freeway. Seemed like a strange thing to do. It was here we got a rock on the windshield from a passing pickup truck and CRACK, a big break in the upper left part of the windshield. I plan on sending the replacement bill to the Idaho roads division…
Twin Falls is known primarily for two notable things: the beautiful Shoshone Falls in the Snake River gorge, and as the place where Evil Knievel attempted to jump across this gorge in 1974! Both of these locations are well marked and known to the locals! Pete is really interested in this part of the journey!
Here is what one web site says about this event: September 8, 1974: In Idaho, daredevil Evel Knievel climbs into his X-2 Skycycle (really just a rocket on wheels) and hits the ignition. The vehicle manages to clear the quarter-mile-wide Snake River Canyon, but then the parachute deploys prematurely and prevailing winds push him back into the chasm. Total ripoff.
We asked our waitress, a fourty-something gal, about this event. She says, “oh yeah, I remember that. It was zoom (she motions with her arm) across and then bang, the parachute opens and he falls into the canyon.” Local legends for sure!
We swim and eat and sleep mostly in the evening and then I’m up early on Thursday morning. Go for a long run on the canyon rim trail which has incredible views of the Snake River gorge. On the way back I start running out of steam – oh, yeah now I remember the elevation is about 4200 feet – and it’s already getting hot!
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