Mormons & Nuclear Power!

 

After leaving the Tetons we drove right by Jackson Hole.  We just didn't have any interest in it.  It looked like all the other tourist towns we live by and we'd already done the Alpine Slide once with the kids this summer.  Leaving Jackson Hole we drove up the Teton Scenic Byway up to Teton Pass (8431').  What a beautiful road.  It would be a great place to hike in the future.

We stopped in Victor, ID for breakfast.  The Sun Dog Cafe and Deli was a great stop.  The kids had yummy pancakes and I had a wonderful yogurt with granola and lots of fresh fruit.  The chef even gave us extra strawberries, bananas, and oranges.  We appreciated it since fresh fruit had been in short supply for the last week or so.

 

While we were eating we used a nearby laundromat to catch up on some much needed laundry.  The kids and daddy went to Driggs, ID while I finished the laundry.  Not much was happening there.  Originally, we had planned on staying in Victor but we decided to move on to a more lively place.

We stopped at the visitor center in Idaho Falls  (a Mormon town) for some insight on where to stay and eat.

 

 

They were very helpful and their recommendations proved to be spot on.  The Comfort Inn had a pool that the kids enjoyed

 

and their rooms were clean.

 

 The Snake Bite in downtown was awesome. 

I had this yummy burger and salad.  The fries were good as well and I'm not a big french fry eater.

Idaho Falls has a nice bike trail along the falls and river.

 

 

We went for a bike ride the next morning and crossed a couple of bridges that the kids enjoyed.
There were a couple neat sculptures and some cool sculptural benches along the river.

 

 

Ate at Jalisco's for lunch.  Good food.

We were heading towards Crater's of the Moon and looking for ice cream when we found the best stop ever.  It was Reed's Family Dairy.  Daddy and I had homemade Huckleberry ice cream.  It was fantastic.  They even had a small petting farm for the kids.

Craters of the Moon National Monument is literally in the middle of nowhere.  The Idaho National Laboratories  (how innocuous sounding) has it's headquarters out in the vast wasteland.

 

There are many restricted access areas and lots of barbed wire.  Below is from their website:

About INL
In operation since 1949, INL is a science-based, applied engineering national laboratory dedicated to supporting the U.S. Department of Energy's missions in nuclear and energy research, science, and national defense.
Mission
Ensure the nation's energy security with safe, competitive, and sustainable energy systems and unique national and homeland security capabilities.
Vision
By 2015, INL will be the pre-eminent nuclear energy laboratory with synergistic, world-class, multi-program capabilities and partnerships.

After this we saw a couple of dirt devils:

 

Almost passed by the EBR-I Atomic Museum

 

but we were really glad we ended up stopping.   We still had the 'spooky' feeling with all the signs and wire but it was very cool.

 

This plant powered the first town (Arco) with nuclear power in 1950.  Clayton gave us a great personal tour.  There were even enough things to keep the kids interested the whole time!

Finally, we made it to Craters of the Moon National Monument in the afternoon.