As we left Arco, feeling much better, the sky was blue, it was chilly, yet not too cold. As we drove the 19 miles to Craters of the Moon National Park along the two lane road, we admired the barren landscape, the clouds in the sky. About a mile or so outside the park however we drove directly into a blanket of fog. The entire park was covered in fog. We just had to laugh. Although our trip had not been living up to our expectations, we throughouly enjoyed the twists and turns that we tossed our way.

Although it would have been lovely to see...well more than a few feet in front of us, the fog gave the craters a serial feel, mysterious, and slightly spooky. One area, Devils Orchard was perfect with the fog swirling sinisterly around the twisted and crooked trees. The ground (outside of the path) was amazingly sharp and jagged. Created by thousands and thousand of years of volcanic eruptions and lava flows, this unique area was indeed rough terrain. A cowboy who explored this area long ago had to end up carrying his poor pouch out who's paws were cut and bloody from the sharp floor. Therefore the paths not only served the purpose of preserving this national park, but also saved you having to buy new hiking boots.

Over all it was worth our detour to come and see the park, although ironically it took about 3 days to get here, when it actually takes 1/2 a day to get here from La Grande.