And On the Seventh Day...

Saturday morning is usually a time to sleep in, have a leisurely cup of coffee,  and perhaps read the newspaper.  When you're on a road trip things don't work that way.  Saturday is just another day, so this morning the routine kicked in as usual.  Gather up your stuff, pack it away, load the bike, check the room for anything that might have been left behind, get into your gear and roll out. 

 

However, I went back to the little park to take a few photos of the submarine sail, the torpedo, and the Number Hill.  The caretaker whom I had talked to the evening before was there with his weed eater edging the sidewalk.  He wanted me to take some time checking out the little submarine museum there but I didn't have the time.  He did get me to sign the visitors' log though.  According to him there used to be a nuclear submarine training facility in southern Idaho and during the period that it was open  it was responsible for training more than 40 000 nuclear submariners.  It seems strange that a submarine facility would be so far from the sea, but in the US military facilities are spread out so every state gets a slice of their massive military spending.

 

As we were crossing Oregon we met several convoys of army vehicles moving, and just outside of Mountain Home, ID, there is a large Air Force base about ten miles from the city.  Tom Clancy actually wrote a book about a fighter wing that was based there.  So having a submarine base in a landlocked state probably is not that strange.

 

But, I digress.  As we rode east on Highway 20 evidence of the volcanism that we saw yesterday was still apparent.  At one point I could see seven extinct cinder cones rising above the flat plain, some of which may have been several hundred feet high.  Apparently this whole area is moving southwest at about two centimetres a year.  Over millions of years that can be quite a distance.  As it moves, the land is moving over a hot spot in the earth's surface.  Right now a large part of Yellowstone Park is above this hot spot and this accounts for all of the geysers, hot springs and pools, and fumaroles that are in the area.

 

An explanation of Idaho's volcanic history. (Click on the photo to enlarge.)

How the North American Plate has moved across the 'hot spot' in the past 14 million years.

 

One of the 'Three Buttes', extinct cinder cones near Arco.

The other two of the 'Three Buttes'.

 

Just outside of Arco we passed through Butte City, population 74.  There looked to be more old cars and trucks on blocks than there were people in this hamlet.  Further on there is another hamlet called Atomic City that has a population of 29.  It near the Idaho National Laboratory, a nuclear reactor research facility.

 

We rode into Idaho Falls to stop at Walmart to pick up more Power-ade we stumbled upon the local H-D dealership, Chester's Grand Teton H-D.  We stopped for a while to check it out then picked up our stuff at Walmart before again heading east toward Alpine, WY. 

Chester's Grand Teton H-D in Idaho Falls, ID.

 

Last year I noted the two words that motorcycle riders dread seeing on road signs: 'Loose Gravel'.  In combination with 'Road Work for the Next  __ Miles' and 'Motorcyclists Use Caution' can cause trepidation in the stoutest rider heart.  Today we experienced that.  Two and a half miles of loose gravel underlain with tar.  At any speed pieces of gravel were thrown up and threatening to cause rock chips on the fairing.  It was a relief to be done with the longest two and a half miles of the trip. We stopped shortly after at a viewpoint on the Snake River.  The rivers here are shallow, clear, and beautiful.

The Snake River

The Snake River looking west.

 

Within half an hour of leaving Idaho Falls the vegetation began to change.  Where before there had only been scrub vegetation with nothing growing taller than two feet and the landscape colour a series of browns and sage greens, now we wre seeing trees, shrubs, and a wider variety of colours.  The land itself was more varied with hills as well.  The farmers here irrigate their land and there are various crops which in patches give the landscape areas of rich green.  What seems like arid semi-desert seems to bloom when it receives enough water but he volumes of water must be enormous and it is easy to see why it is a precious resource here.

This area of Idaho and Wyoming has a series of reservoirs that are used for irrigation primarily, but also for power generation.  The Palisades Dam is part of the system and the highway runs along the northern edge of the reservoir.  It is a beautiful ride with great views around almost every bend. 

 

The Palisades Dam with a very low water level.

Palisades Reservoir

Palisades Reservoir

Looking east on the Palisades Reservoir.

 

We arrived in Alpine, WY, about 35 miles south of Jackson Hole, and decided to call it a day, so we found a motel, checked in parked the bikes and just relaxed for the rest of the day.  The restaurant next door is called Yankee Doodle an it is a super patriotic place.  It is the kind of place that has the logo of a handgun with text that states: 'Handguns are welcome but please keep them holstered unless the need arises. If it does aim judiciously'.  As I have said earlier, this is a very conservative part of the US and many people take what they call their 'Second Amendment Rights' very seriously, although for the life of me I don't get the connection between a 'well-regulated militia' and wearing a sidearm in a restaurant. But then, I'm Canadian, and I don't really get this stuff anyway.

 

Today we saw what I think passes for 'western chic'.  While we didn't have a wide experience, in Alpine we saw several woman who were wearing 'jorts' and cowboy boots.  It seemed a bit incongruous at the time but it seems to work for them so I'll just leave it as an observation.

The skies darkened this afternoon and we could see rain showers all around us and in the evening even saw a rainbow.  Right now the air is cooler and the wind is blowing quite steadily but it looks like things will be a bit cooler tomorrow with a high of 88F in Jackson Hole, WY, a bit of a relief from the three previous days of 100F plus temperatures.  The ride was relatively short today at 232 kilometres but we'll make up for it tomorrow I'm certain.

 

Today is my 64th birthday and I an thankful for the good wishes that have been sent to me on Facebook.  I am extremely fortunate to be able to do what I have been doing for the past week.  To be able to ride my motorcycle with a great friend across the western third of the United States and to see and experience what I have in the past several days is a real privilege.  I hope I am able to do this for quite a few more years.  Or at least as long I and Big Red hold out.  And right now things are looking pretty damned good!