As we continued the trip south into Idaho we made the first day's drive a long day's drive spending about 7 hours on the road. We decided to call and check on availability at the Challis RV Park; the owner, Frank was a wealth of knowledge not only about the area but also about other areas. He recitied, as if he had studied for a test, the names of different restraurants and when and what their specials were - restaurants as far away as 100 miles (but again, there isn't really alot within a hundred miles of each town). He even knew the population of each town and their economic profile. He thoroughly described our route of travel on highway 93-S, making mention of what to watch for, what not to miss and what to avoid. He did say he would appreciate our business but went on to say that there were a lot of other RV parks that we may want to consider staying - which made me begin to wonder what type of place Challis was going to be.

Highway 95 is a very scenic route to travel; in Montana, the road had soft curves with a gentle climb that took you to Lost Creek Pass at an elevation of over 7,000 feet; there you entered the state of Idaho and the scenery immediately changed... from Montana's forests of prismatic shades of green to Idaho's richly colored rocks and canyons. The road continued to be nice but it did present many curves and hair-pin turns as you made your descent to the canyon floor. The road leveled out but remained slightly curvey and when you reached the canyon valley, the Salmon River - another added beauty in Idaho, trailed alongside the highway (no guardrails) and offered spectacular views at every turn. The steep and jagged canyon walls line the trail that was once used by Lewis and Clark when they ventured from the Bitterroot Valley in Montana to the (now)Salmon-Challis National Forest in Idaho. One unusual and notable occurrence happened; when we turned a curve there was a covey of quail standing in the middle of our lane as if they were statues that had been placed there; they didn't move - just stood there with their feathers fluffed and frozen in time. We were able to swerve into the northbound lane to miss them and as I looked back, they were still there and had not even flinched as we passed them. Suddenly, we were hit by a burst of wind that felt like the winds of a class 2 hurricane; small rocks from the surrounding canyon walls pelted the truck as if it was raining. There was no where to seek shelter - the sharply sloping canyon to our left, the Salmon River on our right- and in those few moments all kinds of scenarios crossed our minds...the wind was going to carry us into the rushing waters of the Salmon River and a massive rock slide was going to tumble from the Bitterroot Mountain Range and bury us alive. It was such a freakish event that lasted only a moment but even stranger was that the quail must have known this micro-burst was coming and being caught between the river and the canyon wall took their frozen stance to survive the impact that was heading their way. If this was our welcome to Idaho, I wondered what other events were ahead of us.

One of the first points of interest was the town of Salmon, the birthplace of Sacajawea and the homeland of Agaidika Shoshone. There is a 71-acre park and a museum that pays tribute to Sacajawea and her role with the Lewis and Clark expedition; a stop worth making if you enjoy history.

Once we arrived at the Challis Valley RV Park, we were pleasantly suprised at how clean and nice everything was. The owner, still filled with lots of information, was more eager to share his concern with the forest fire that was burning in a nearby canyon. It was difficult for me to keep my mouth shut - as by his own words, there were no houses in danger, it was only an 8,000 acre fire and from what I could see, the canyon was mostly rock and low scrub brush. I wanted to say that fires aren't always bad and in Florida we often have control burns that consume thousands of acres. None-the-less, he was passionate about that issue and it took a little finagle on my part to change the subject from fires to kayaking the Salmon River...the second point of interest.

The Salmon River has three sections; the middle fork is considered the "wildest" section and white water raft trips are offered through several different outfitter companies (many are right along the highway). The east fork of the Salmon River is about 20 miles south of Challis and is best described as "a cocktail cruise" because it is a very nice float trip - great for kayaks and canoes. You can see lots of wildlife and enjoy a leisurely day on the water. The south fork of Salmon River would be best navagated by a low water inflatable kayak (rental places also available in many areas). It has more than a dozen class-four rapids at around only two feet and is said to have a level from about 1/2 foot to around 5-1/2 feet of water and is best done in the fall. The owner of Challis RV Park offers free drop-off for any of his guest who want to make the run down the East Salmon River; plus, if you mention you know the McKenzie's and pay for two-night's stay, he would give you a third night free. This would be a very good place to stop if traveling through Challis on highway 93 in Idaho.

After leaving Challis, we drove about 80 miles to the town of Arco, which got its name from the Atomic Research Company (ARCo) - the third point of interest. We wanted to tour the facility where in 1951 the first neuclear reactor to generate usuable electricity was located. They offer self-guiding tours of the Expermental Breeder Reactor #1 as well as 60 minute- guided tours; both are free to the public. It is pretty cool to stand on top of the neuclear reactor chamber and to see the process of how the fission took place. The EBR-1 Atomic Museum is located about 20 miles east of Arco on hwy 20 and is a nice stop for anyone who enjoys science and history.

Having just one more day in Idaho, we planned to visit the Craters of the Moon National Monument - our fourth point of interest. Craters of the Moon is located about 20 miles west of Arco on hwy 93. Within the park and the preserve, the remnants of 3 lava fields cover over 1,100 acres and contains more basaltic volcanic features than any other area of its size in the continential United States. The lava fields are on the Great Rift of Idaho and include the deepest known on earth at 800ft. The volcanic fissures are dormant; however, they are not extinct. The last volcanic activity occured about 2,000 years ago and cyclic occurances indicate another eruption could occur anytime and most likely within the next 100 years. A stop at the visitor's center provides lots of information including videos about the history of events that created this unusual landscape, the wildlife in the park, and information about the plants that found a way to grow in such a desolate area. There, you can also obtain a free permit if you plan to hike through the lava tubes (a highly recommended adventure). Rangers are available to answer questions about the geology, wildlife, trails and camping inside the park and provide an insighful interpretation of how life continues to grow and exist but the office does close at 7pm in case you have questions after touring the area. The loop drive is only 7-miles long and has 7 trails ranging from .3 of a mile to 3.5 miles. My favorite hike was to the top of Inferno Cone and although the trail that leads to the top of the cone is only .4-mile walk, it is steep and the cone's entire surface is comprised of small lava rock that crunches under your feet - more like lava sand...closed-toe shoes are highly recommended but I did see lots of sandals and hear a lot of complaints about the rocks getting in the shoes (duh). From the top of Inferno Cone you get an awesome view not only of the the cones lined along the Great Rift but also of the world's largest basaltic cinder cone, Big Cinder Butte. The visitor's center was closed by the time our expeditions were finished and I wanted to verify that you could indeed see the Teton Mountain Range from atop Inferno Cone.

A trip to Craters of the Moon would not be complete without making the hike through the lava caves. The three caves were different and we were fortunate that we were the only ones in each of them (timing is everything). In Boy Scout and Beauty Caves, we had no outside noise and could feel the darkness totally consume us when we extinguished our lights. Beauty Cave is the smaller tube and is more like a cave than a tube with its large, open cavern at its end and it requires a flashlight to enter. The Boy Scout tube no longer had a through exit but the entrance to the right was open for travel and exploration for a couple of hundred feet. As you make your way down and across the mounds of loose and tumbled lava rock, the temperature cooled to around 35 degrees; be it my flashes of summer, or maybe not- but suprisingly, a jacket was not needed but once again, a flashlight is required to maneuver through the cave. The floor surface has chunks of various sizes of lava protruding up and ice surrounds the rock; many areas were extremely slick and to fall on the sharp and piercing rock could cause serious injury; there are also low areas inside the tube so remember to look up as often as you look down. Although you exit the cave from the same hole you entered, you have the option of climbing up and across a route less traveled before making your exit...that climb puts you against the ground, hugging the ancient chunks, making it through a tight squeeze and hoping to reach the exit without getting an unwanted souvenir - a gash on your leg. The exit was slightly tight because I didn't remove my gearpack not because of my size. The last cave was Indian Cave which was the largest of the three - being 800 ft long, with a 30 ft high ceiling and 50 feet wide; because there are holes in the ceiling of the tube, a flashlight is not required to make the hike through this cave. There are huge lava boulders to climb across and pick your way through the large caverns and up the other side of the tube. Once in the belly of the cave, we could hear the lightly vibrating sounds from bats that were hanging deep in the crevices above us; as we entered the second chamber of the cave, we distrubed the solitude of a few nesting night hawks and they flew sporadically out of the cave like ballons that had been popped. When you exit the cave, the trail takes you across the tops of other lava tubes to reach your starting point. In many areas you can see where the roof had collapsed over the years because of heavy foot traffic and/or natural causes although, none of the (traveled) caves had had a collapse since 1924. The day was filled with history, geology, science, nature and a mere glimpse of God's artistry. The evening was wanning so we began the treck back to the trailhead parking - still stopping from time-to-time to absorb all the unique beauty that surrounded us. Our time in Idaho was now complete except a brief stop in Twin Falls to see the Perrine Bridge (which you cross on hwy 93); this is the Worlds most famous Base Jumping bridge at 486 feet and is also the area where Evel Knievel attempted his jump across Snake River. Once we crossed that off our list, it was time to head to the small town of Wells, Nevada where we would make base camp at the Crossroads RV Park.