We sadly left Spokane and headed down to Sunriver Oregon to spend a long weekend with our good friends from the Portland area. There we 13 of us there and it was so good to see everyone before we started our journey south. Good friends are like family..... and we are so blessed to have such good friends.
Sunday we left Sunriver and headed across Oregon and spent the night in a good 'ole Wal-Mart parking lot. You know, even tho Wal-Mart lets you stay for free, it is amazing how expensive one night can be after you shop. Monday we picked up Interstate 84 headed for a little town called Wendell, near Twin Falls in Idaho.
As we were driving, I became aware we were on the same highway 84 that runs from Portland thru the Gorge. We had never taken this highway any further east than the Tri-Cities area and now we find ourselves headed to where Highway 84 ends when we reach our next stop in Henefer Utah.
We did some sightseeing around the Twin Falls Idaho area today visiting an area called The City of Rocks. It reminded us of the Alabama Hills just behind Lone Pine Ca. that we visited earlier this year. Some of the formations we saw were said to be 2.5 billion years old and are some of the oldest rock in the lower 48 states. Other formations are a bit younger and geologists have put their age at 25 million years old. The formations take many shapes that play with your imagination. This link does not do the formations justice, but hopefully you will get an idea. http://community.webshots.com/slideshow/89389273lQctoP?mediaPosition=89389502
After the city of Rocks, we worked our way to the Shoshone Falls on the Snake River. The falls are known as the Niagara of the West and tumble 212 feet, 50 feet higher than Niagara Falls. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shoshone_Falls
The last thing we visited today was the I.B.Perrine Bridge. It spans the Snake River at 486' above the canyon floor and is a popular spot for BASE jumpers throughout the year. It is the only bridge in the US that allows BASE jumpers to jump anytime and without having to get permission. We were lucky enough to get there in time to see a group of about 10 from Florida take their last jump of the day. There is a spot at the side of the rivers edge they aim for, and for the most part, everyone came in very close to on target.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:BASE_jumping_-_Perrine_Bridge.jpg
About 2 miles east of the bridge you could see the site where Evel Knievel tried his famous jump across the Snake River (that he missed). Only thing left is the dirt ramp, but it is easily visible from the bridge.
Tomorrow we head to Utah.
