Idaho Falls

Along about now, my travel plans were solidifying, but they would require a lot of driving and not a lot of activities at each stop. I decided that since I was so “close” I really wanted to get to my mother’s hometown of New Norway, Alberta, which was more that 1000 miles from Boise. If you want to go metric, that’s more than 1600 kilometers.

I picked Idaho Falls as my next stop. I had a few contacts in Idaho, and I was able to meet up with two out of three of them. Oddly enough, I had never met any of them in person! These were all people I had met though Facebook groups or connected to other people I know.

My next stop was Idaho Falls, where I was going to meet Kelly and Todd for dinner.

I hitched up and pulled out. I had managed to locate a nondescript RV park that seemed to cater to transient workers and permanent residents. It was the kind of place that wouldn’t likely have had shuffleboard courts and swimming pools, but it was a place to stop and it was good enough.

It was a friendly place. They even had a cone set out with my name on it so I could find my spot.

The sites were a bit close together, though.

I set out to see what I could see in Idaho Falls. First stop: the falls!

To get there, I drove over to the River Walk and strolled a bit. What captivated me were the interesting benches.

I particularly liked this horse bench. It looked like a great place to sit on a warm, sunny day. (This was not a warm sunny day.)

There was a goose bench.

In fact, there was a flock of them!

They kind of went along with the geese that lived in the area.

The fish bench probably reflected fish that lived in the Snake River.

I liked the bench that honored the branches that get washed down river. With the extra flow in the river at this time, I imagine that there were many branches floating along.

I came to the falls, which are really a series of small falls.

The power of the water is noticeable.

There was a tour group present when I was there, and they were all happily snapping photos of each other in front of the river.

Across the river, you can see the temple. There is a strong Mormon presence in Idaho.

I wish I had had time to walk into the lobby of this hotel and check it out.

It sure did remind me of the Marina Towers in Chicago.

Which also reminded me of the Jetsons…

And with that, my tour of the River Walk was complete. It was time to head over to meet Kelly and Todd.

I parked near the former Hotel Rogers.

Incidentally, did you know that there is a term for these old, peeling signs for defunct businesses? They are called ghost signs . While on my travels, I read some article or other that talked about how much money preserving these old signs pumped into the local economy. Apparently, many people will come to take photos of these remnants of the past and spend money in the community while they are there.

But, I digress yet again.

The food was good, as I remember, but what was even better was conversation with these lovely people. Before I knew it, it was time to head back to the silver ranch and get ready for another day.

And, yes, it’s still raining.