July 2 Shoshone Falls, Malad Gorge, Minidoka & north

Thursday, July 2

48 degrees this morning here at lower altitude - we like it!  As we head north it is apparent that agriculture continues to be big business here.  There are many irrigation canals to support this.  It is a good thing that Idaho has abundant water resources. They have over 105,000 miles of river, lots of springs as well as snowy mountains.  Seemed like we were crossing some creek, stream or river every hour or more often.

Near canals we sometimes see huge piles of dirt, which we assume is from dredging.  These birds took advantage of one such pile, creating homes/holes in one big area - I think they are called bank swallows, or cliff swallows.

Shoshone Falls on the Snake River is our next stop. Near Twin Falls, it is billed as "the Niagra of the West".  Wider than it is high, it is nonetheless a beautiful powerhouse!  First referenced by a Canadian Priest named Augustine Blanchet in 1847, it was familiar to native Americans long before that.

The setting is lovely, with a nice green park with trees alongside the river. $5 entry fee per car. As you get close to the falls,  there is lots of mist, and a nice rainbow.

The only couple there is leaving as we arrive, but shortly after,  a veritable deluge arrived including a large church youth group.  Most were wearing masks, but distancing was about nil.  I took a photo for one family and had the man snap this shot for us.  It may be the only shot of the two of us on this trip! (Washed hands a few minutes later.)

 We follow a short trail for another view and then move on.






At the edge of town we see a BLM office and stop to pick their brains.  Have to take our temps and sanitize before we talk to the two agents, but it's OPEN.  Many of the Forest Service sites have been closed.  They are warm and friendly and one would like to think there were smiles behind the masks.  They tell us about a few things in the area and suggest a boon docking spot at Magic Reservoir in the direction we are heading.

We pass through the "Trout Capital"of Idaho - the small town of Buhl.

Liked this fancy Mexican Restaurant there too. It was open for takeout, but timing was bad.

We are following the Snake River, and there are occasional pretty vistas and lakes.

 We come upon a sign pointing to a Fish Hatchery, so go to check it out.  Unfortunately it is closed, but there are two uniformed men working there who direct us to a show pond.

 Trout, sturgeon and other fish are raised here and the sturgeon are huge - probably 6'. (Poor pic, sorry.) I ask one of the men about them and he says these are white sturgeon and are found in the larger rivers.  They are rather pre-historic looking and my brother-in-law later tells me that they can get much larger (1,000 lbs)and they can be traced back millions of years! Can't imagine catching one of these on a hook!

Fisheries are popular in this area because of the abundance of clean, spring water.  These trucks are used to transport the small fish all around Idaho.

 We have seen quite a few trout fisherman and the worker comments that state fishing license sales have skyrocketed since the pandemic.











Malad Gorge State Park is our next stop.

 They have set up a driving loop with 8-10 stops.  First is the Devil's Washbowl, a craggy gorge about 250' deep, which runs almost 2 1/2 miles. It is early in the day and the sharp shadows make photography difficult, but it is impressive.  This is part of the Snake River Plain Aquifer, one of the largest ground water systems in the world.

The bright green areas along the river are where springs feed into it.
































Other stops deal with plants and animals of the area, rock formations and such.














What strange and violent events have shaped this earth!





 The last is Woody's Cove,  where a tall cataract (water fall) falls into a basin area, rimmed with cliffs (where we stand) and opening into gently rolling hills to the south. A hawk is riding the air currents.

































We begin to turn north again, heading toward the Sawtooth Mountains.  But it is a long way.  We stop to check out Minidoka - one of 10 American Internment Camps which housed  Japanese-Americans between August, 1942 and October 1945.

Unfortunately, the Visitors Center is closed due to COVID, so we content ourselves with a walking tour with placards.  Not many of the buildings remain, but there is a large memorial honoring those from this camp who chose to serve in the armed forces.   The questions that residents had to fill out asked if they were willing to serve in combat duty (to prove allegiance) and nearly 33,000 Americans of Japanese descent did so.


Rather desolate looking now, but at least the river runs through it.

It is getting late in the afternoon, so we decide to check out Magic Reservoir, the BLM boon docking site.  The mountains are calling but are still an hour or more away.  No fixed camp ground, no facilities.   Just a very large field with yellow flowers adjacent to a pretty blue reservoir.

We can see three other rv's, so we choose a spot away from them and stop for the day.   These yellow flowers were nearly everywhere.  We set up our chairs in the shade of the Trek and enjoy the silence and the clean fresh air.

An occasional boat from further down the reservoir, but very quiet otherwise.   White pelicans and geese visible at the far end and these tiny shells along the shore speak of other inhabitants.