Why Idaho?

I've been asked this many times.  Here is my answer:

1)  I've never been.

2)  Sun Valley

3)  Lava Hot Springs

Let me briefly explain.  Last October I was driving my mom back to Maine from Massachusetts and with the idea of this trip circling around in my head, I asked my mom about her travels growing up.  She was fortunate to have traveled to all 50 states by the time she was 20 (probably even younger than that)!  I asked her if there was one place that she could return to, where would it be.  After giving it some thought she said "Sun Valley, Idaho."  Intrigued, I inquired further.  My mom recalled that the town of Sun Valley had no streets on which you could bring a car.  You had to park on the outskirts of the town and walk everywhere.  She described her memory to me and told me about the spectacular views of the mountains which painted the background.  

I immediately placed Sun Valley, Idaho on my list.  Yesterday, I learned why my mom had such a great memory of her visit to this area.

SunValley and the bigger town of Ketchum to its south are major skiing resorts in Idaho.  It was first developed by a man from Austria looking to develop a ski resort here in the United States.  Sun Valley boasts to be the first destination ski resort in America.  Ernest Hemingway and Clark Gable, I learned, were frequent visitors.

Sun Valley still exists as my mother imagined.  The post office, opera house and major hotel with an ice skating rink all stand on the outskirts of the main town which is lined with quaint shops and restaurants.

Thanks for the tip mom!  I made it....I wish you could have been here!

Next I ventured to Craters of the Moon National Monument near Carey, Idaho.  Lava rivers once flooded this 1,100 square mile area.  It left lava fields that were thought by early observers to resemble craters on the moon.  From the pictures, I know, it looks like a pile of rocks!

But it was really a sea of rock formations which dipped down into the Earth creating the "crater" - like formation in the soil.  I opted not to take the park tour as you could see most of this from the roadway.  Plus, I knew I had somewhere else I really wanted to be.....

.....Lava Hot Springs.  If you ever visit Idaho, you must visit this place.   

It was named for the mineral springs that boil out of lava rocks at the base of the massive cliffs along the Portneuf River.  As I approached the sleepy little town a huge "L" was lit up on the mountain side.  Its streets were quiet and dimly lit....what a great place to unwind at the end of the day.  

As it says in the sign above Lava Hot Springs is home to world famous hot pools and olympic size swimming pools.  For $6.00 I soaked in different mineral waters that were 90 - 120 degrees! It was incredible.  To my right were gardens that clung to the walls of an extinct volcano, pictured here.

The night was perfect and I just sat back, looked up to the sky, watched all of the stars and thought about how lucky I was to be doing and seeing all of these wonderful things.  Seven years ago I had a job that required me to travel often.  When I wasn't working I would always venture out to see at least one thing in the town or city where I was staying.  The states I have been traveling through thus far on this trip are ones that I never visited during that time. 

I must share with all of you that yesterday I felt that there were signs of Lennie all around me.  I passed several small airports, I passed a sign that there was an air show in town, I even saw a plane skywriting "welcome" in the sky.  I'd like to think that he is taking this trip with me. Everywhere I go, I pick up a rock or two..... I could hear him laughing as I crossed the road, nearly falling as I went down into the valley and grabbed yesterday's rock from a national park!