Today was our first full day of the McKinneys joining the trip. We explored the middle of Idaho (a.k.a. the middle of nowhere), and headed up towards the Sawtooths and Sun Valley.
Twin Beans Coffee Company
Cody and Morgan were pretty wiped out from the flight, so we agreed that while they slept in a little, Dad and I would head out early to pick up breakfast and coffee for everyone. Heading to downtown Twin Falls, we went to Twin Beans Coffee Company to pick up some coffees and bagel sandwiches.
As we waited outside for them to open, a couple gentleman cut in front of us, and with very thick accents, offered some kind of explanation/apology that we didn’t quite understand. We soon discerned that their order was already ready before the shop even opened, because they came regularly to drink coffee and check their scratch-off tickets.
We took the food and drinks back to the house, and ate our breakfast outside around the fire pit in the backyard. Despite never figuring out how to light the fire, it was a nice breakfast, and all the food and drinks were very good.
Twin Beans Coffee Company
Twin Falls, ID
Very good coffee, and excellent breakfast sandwiches.
* – Would definitely visit again
** – Exceptional, must visit if you’re in the area
*** – Worth making a special trip to eat there
Craters of the Moon
Leaving Twin Falls, we drove north until we reached Shoshone, ID, then turned northeast and headed towards Arco on US-26. After a little over an hour and a half, we reached Craters of the Moon National Monument & Preserve. Pulling into the park, we stopped at the Robert Limbert Visitor Center to orient ourselves, stretch our legs, and figure out a game plan for our visit.
I really didn’t know what to expect for this park, and honestly it was one of the strangest landscapes I’ve ever encountered. In fact, one of the official NPS descriptions of the area is “For thousands of years, people have avoided, endured, and pondered this ‘weird and scenic landscape’.” The “weird and scenic” part is actually from the proclamation by President Calvin Coolidge when he made the area an official National Monument in 1924.
- The lava fields are over 750,000 acres.
- When the first party crossed the lava fields, they could never find a flat place to camp at night.
- The area caused a dilemma for Oregon Trail travelers, as they would have to deal with the lava fields if they wanted to avoid crossing the Snake River.
- A common plant, the dwarf buckwheat, is only 4 inches tall, but its roots spread over 3 feet wide.
- The last documented eruptions in Craters of the Moon (witnessed by the Shoshone) happened around 2,100 years ago.
- The area gets its name because it look a lot like the surface of the moon. In fact, NASA has conducted multiple studies in the area to learn about the landscape.
- There are many caves in the park that you can explore. However, you have to sanitize any products that have been in caves outside the preserve, in order to prevent the spread of white-nose syndrome, which is fatal to some of the rare species of bats.
North Crater Flow Trail
After talking with park rangers, getting educated about caving, and weighing all our options, we decided to start at the North Crater Flow Trail, a concrete boardwalk that goes over a lava field. As the ranger promised, we were able to see some of the rocks glowing blue in the morning light.
It’s nearly impossible to capture the scale of this place. If you look in the photos above, you can just barely see the pathway winding through the lava field.
Inferno Cone
Next, we came to the Inferno Cone, a black-soiled “mountain” that rose up in the park. We decided we’d attempt the climb, despite it not looking fun at all.
Cody and I ended up making it to the top (at 6,184′), but Morgan and Dad stopped at a lower viewpoint to wait on us. It was very windy (painfully so because of the sand blowing around), but the 360-degree views from the top were incredible.
Spatter cones
Farther down the park loop road, we climbed up and inside two “spatter cones”. Imagine red lava spewing out of the earth, slowly piling up on itself and building up the cone.
We decided not to do any more hiking, because we were all wiped out from doing the Inferno Cone, and the wind was making us parched. After debating our adventure and lunch options, we decided to do a “car picnic” to tide us over, and drive up to Sun Valley for a change of scenery. I think we’d all had our fill of dry landscapes and black rocks at this point. We’d gotten a permit and training to enter one of the caves, but it required a long hike to reach the entrance, so we decided to pass.
Sawtooth Brewery Public House
It was almost a two hour drive up to Ketchum, the bustling hub of Sun Valley, but we made good time and enjoyed some beef jerky and trail mix to keep us from getting too hangry. In Ketchum (pronounced “catch-em”), we headed for Sawtooth Brewery Public House. They had a shaded table out on their deck, so we ordered at the counter inside and enjoyed the view of the mountains while we dined.
We all split a warm Bavarian pub pretzel (served with mustard and beer cheese). Cody and Morgan split their bratwurst and burger, and Dad and I split their fish and chips and their ⅓lb “Pioneer Elk Burger”, with smoked gouda, crispy onions, lettuce, and tomato. All the entrees came with half Idaho fries, and half tater tots. The food was excellent, and definitely lifted our spirits and our energy level.
Sawtooth Brewery Public House
Ketchum, ID
Exactly what you would hope for out of a public house – good food, good views from the deck, and quality ingredients.
* – Would definitely visit again
** – Exceptional, must visit if you’re in the area
*** – Worth making a special trip to eat there
Ketchum and Sun Valley
After our meal, we walked around downtown Ketchum, dropping in a few souvenir shops and exploring the downtown. I would describe it as a much more low-key version of Jackson Hole, with a slower pace of life and far less crowds. As we were leaving downtown, I saw a bull moose walking down one of the streets, Cottonwood St. to be precise. The only problem is that I don’t think anyone else in the car believed me enough to justify fighting construction traffic and delays to go back and look.
We drove about half an hour north of downtown through Sun Valley, following the Big Wood River. Ski trails and various other recreational sites lined the valley. We stopped at Billy’s Bridge, a popular spot to see mountain goats on the cliffs high above, but couldn’t see anything.
Galena Pass
Soon we reached Galena Pass Summit, near the headwaters of the Salmon River. The road had risen up through the Boulder Mountains, and offered a great view of the Sawtooth Range and the Sawtooth Valley at the 8,701′ pass.
Perrine Bridge
After driving back to Twin Falls, we stopped at the famous Perrine Bridge, which crosses the Snake River. The bridge is famous for several reasons: first, Evel Knievel attempted to jump the canyon in 1974 (video below).
Second, the bridge is famous for its B.A.S.E. jumpers. If you don’t know what this “extreme sport” is, it’s essentially people jumping off of objects (with parachutes, of course) that should not be jumped off of. I suppose it’s very interesting to watch if you’re not stupid enough to partake in it. We were fortunate(?) enough to see a few sunset jumps while we were at the bridge. There was an even larger group of people about to jump off, but we left before they took the plunge. More impressively, we saw an amazing sunset over the canyon, for the second night in a row.
Primary Ice Cream
Now that our hearts were racing from watching people jump off the bridge, we figured the best way to calm ourselves down was to go consume a lot of sugar. We had two ice cream shops we were debating, but eventually determined that if the jumpers landed safely, we would celebrate by trying both creameries. Although they missed the landing zone’s bullseye, they did make it down alive.
Stop #1 was Reed’s Dairy. We got two flavors each. Dad got huckleberry and German chocolate, and I got huckleberry and honey comb crunch (graham cracker base with honey comb candy and a graham cracker swirl). It was outstanding; it would be dangerous for us to live close to this place, because they also had farm-fresh milk, cheese, and other dairy products.
Reed's Dairy
Twin Falls, ID
Fantastic ice cream, especially the huckleberry. They also sell milk and other dairy products.
* – Would definitely visit again
** – Exceptional, must visit if you’re in the area
*** – Worth making a special trip to eat there
Second-Dairy Ice Cream
Despite the larger-than-expected portions from Reed’s, we kept our promise and drove down the road to Stella’s Ice Cream, a much more modern establishment. Morgan threw in the towel (probably a wise move), but Cody, Dad, and I all got the smallest cup they would offer to try two flavors each. I don’t remember what they all were, but I know Dad and I got huckleberry again. It was very good, but nowhere near as good as Reed’s. We have no regrets, though.
We drove back to the house, and settled in for the night, very tired after a long day on the road and on the trails.
Video
Here’s a video from today’s adventures.
The Best Things we Saw Today
Isaac
The best thing I saw today was… “Sun Valley”.
The best thing I ate today was… “a tie between the fish and chips in Ketchum and the huckleberry ice cream from Reed’s Dairy“.
Jerry
The best thing I saw today was… “the views of the golf course and jumpers from the Perrine Bridge overlook“.
The best thing I ate today was… “the fries in Ketchum and ice cream at Reed’s“.
Conclusion
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Tomorrow, we’ll drive west to Boise to watch the football game, and then come back to Twin Falls to spend the night.
– Isaac, Jerry, Cody, and Morgan
3 Responses
Amazing pictures and the details about Evil Knievel brought back memories of that jump.
Just out of curiosity how many miles did y’all put on that jeep?
Somewhere just over 3,520 (± 20 miles)