One Small Step...

It was another brisk morning in the Tetons when we woke up, ate some muffins and packed up. Originally we planned on heading south towards Utah and Colorado but noticed a large National Monument about four hours away - Craters of the Moon. We headed through Jackson, Wyoming over the Teton Gap and into Idaho (a state so exciting that they mention tubers on the license plate).

After a few hours of changing landscapes we found ourselves at Craters of the Moon National Monument. It was an expansive black lava rock field in the center of Idaho. We stopped into the visitor center for a map and started to explore the area. It was HOT - 88 degrees outside with convection heat emanating from the black rocks below your feet.



We climbed the Inferno Cone Overlook which was a huge pile of volcanic cinder. The view from the top showed volcanic rocks into the horizon. It turns out that the park was the result of cracks in the Earth’s crust and lava oozing out instead of a violent eruption.



Lisa at the summit:



We explored some of the caves but noticed black clouds with lightning quickly heading for us. We ran for the car with the storm blowing cinder and spitting big rain drops and decided that it was a good time to watch the video at the visitor center - it seemed to be a popular decision with many other people at the park.



The storm passed through and we headed south into Pocatello, Idaho for the night. Lisa passed up the opportunity to see the World Potato Museum on the way - I don’t know why...

We just had a pint of Ben and Jerry’s (a taste of home) and now it’s sugar crash time.