Twin Falls, ID to Rawlins, WY (bjg)

Breakfast Report - Mott said there was no fruit at Comfort buffet – so we went to…..McDonalds. I think we have some vows to take.

Twin Falls is where Evel Knievel tried to jet across the Snake River Canyon – in 1976? – unsuccessful but he survived . It was the most watched sporting event ever…so says the plaque.

The Emigrant Road runs thru the town, one of the variations of the Oregon Trail, that forded the river at this juncture. Despite some Indian skirmishes that got badly overplayed in the news of the time, the Indians were basically helpful and not hostile. The Shoshone in particular showed them which wild food to eat, served as guides, helped them ford the rivers, etc. These migrations began in the 1840’s lasting 30-40 years....until the railroad connected the coasts. Some of the early adventurers were off to find gold, others, the homesteaders, to find a fertile plot of land.

We headed toward Pocatello to take a secondary road along the trail before looping back to the Interstate. The southeastern corner of Idaho is a fine version of western beauty. In part, I think because of the varying colors of the patchwork fields. Amber waves of grain for sure, a lighter, nearly white grain, hunter green, pea green, chartreuse reflected in alfalfa and potato fields, all under irrigation. ..with gentle taupe or blue hills in the background. We headed into Wyoming to Montpelier, a town founded by Brigham Young on his westward journey. The town’s womanfolk are known for their quilts, on display at the local museum.

Wyoming then turned bleak – a large arid basin near the Continental

Divide was dramatic in its nothingness.

We’ve had a couple of technology failure days – very grateful that NPR is so available out here in these open spaces – really more consistent than on the Eastern seaboard. Our attempts at downloading a couple of library books came to naught. And then as we were starting our day with Prairie Home Companion, the IPod died. Which left us with a Teaching Company course on Greek civilization – just not the right thing as we were reading about fossils and emigrants - and an Economist analysis of American presidents, “Manifest Destiny” – interesting but very dense, especially the quoting from Economist articles of the 1850’s….flowery but the Economist wit apparent.

And now Rawlins, WY – Butch Cassiday robbed a bank here and was jailed. This was a rough town and they hired vigilantes to clean it up – a few hangings took care of things.

In Microtel – a good value motel- I think the warm-toned walls are working on my psyche!

Fox News: 6 of 9 – Idaho is sometimes Fox country

Mozz Stix : 8 of 9