I wound up not seeing anything at all in Idaho Falls, locked as I was in my motel room typing. 🙂 I was super happy with my room at Motel West. My absolute only quibble with it was the flaky internet connection. The room was not only clean, but also recently remodeled. I had everything I needed for an extended stay, including a fridge and microwave. It was lovely to be able to make my own coffee in the morning!

This morning, I headed west towards Arco and the Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve, a site of volcanic activity where I was able to see lava flows, cinder cones, oceans of sagebrush, and even climb a volcano!

Access to the site was ‘free’ with my Interagency Pass. There’s a seven-mile loop road from which you can access hiking trails. I did a ton of hiking today, more than five miles, and a lot of it was uphill over uneven terrain. I am so out of shape, but the weight loss is compensating a bit for that. 🙂

The site was very much a detour for me, but a worthwhile one. I spent the day going, “Wow. Wow. Wow. Um, more wow?” 😀 This was my first experience with a volcanic site and the evidence of nature’s wrath was breathtaking, as was the earth’s insistence on healing. There were so many signs of life among the lava, from lichens to pines, insects to rodents.

The weather was hot and the sun unrelenting. I was glad to have my outback hat and my Keen sandals were perfect for balancing on volcanic rock.

I am in Pocatello tonight and will head to Salt Lake City tomorrow, probably overnighting somewhere south of there. I have a lot of work to do this week, so I think I will do Zion early next week, otherwise I will have to do a canon ball run there tomorrow. We shall see. 🙂