Day 18, July 29

Comments about Day 17

Our route on Day 17

Leaving our Lake Hyrum campsite we continued north, stopping for a delicious breakfast in the lush university town of Logan Utah.  Joni ordered french toast with candied pecans and and I ordered  heuvos rancheros.

Crossing into Idaho we immediately noticed the ubiquitous potato fields that flourish despite the lack of rain since they are nourished by one of the largest aquifers in the country.  We stopped in Pocatello for groceries andsandwiches for lunch and then continued north across the barren Snake River plain to Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve.  The various lava rocks that cover this part of Idaho are differentiated by their Hawaiian names.  We spent 3 hours at Craters taking both a driving tour and several short hikes .

Leaving Craters..., we headed for the Silver Creek  campground.  As we drove across the high desert plain we discovered there are two campgrounds by that name and I had actually booked the wrong one, which was two hours away!  We had a difficult time finding the Silver Creek campground closer to us and drove across 10 miles of bumpy, washboard roads before finding a what is referred to as a  "dispersed site."  It had no toilets or any other amenities but it was a spectacular location, located right on the Silver Creek, and very private.  Our most likely visitors would be snakes or tarantulas!

 We chose not to cook outside since a storm was approaching, so we had a simple dinner of beer, pretzels, brie, crackers, and rose wine.  The wind, rain, lightning, and thunder put us to sleep.

Photos from Day 18