Road Trip 2013: Livingston, MT to Boise, ID

Wednesday, 9/4:  519 miles, camped in the driveway of my former Potsdam High School student, Lyndsay Belt who lives in Boise, Idaho.

I'm going to spend Wednesday night at the home of a former Potsdam High School student of mine, Lyndsay Belt and her boyfriend, Mike, in Boise, Idaho.  As it turned out, today actually was a day for me to wander a bit too.  I got an early start at 7:30, and Lyndsay and Mike don't get off work until 6:00 PM.  So that gave me over ten hours to spend on an eight hour drive.

My route passed down the west side of Yellowstone National Park, along the Gallitan River.  The fog was just lifting over the landscape.  It was a beautiful morning.

Once into Idaho, I came across Scenic Byway signs.  I stopped at an information turnout, and decided to take a 27 mile detour called the Mesa Falls Scenic Byway.  The National Scenic Byways Program is dedicated to identifying unique roadways that not just offer appealing views, but cultural or historical interests too.  Their website lists some 150 designated highways and it is worth taking a look at.


I took a short side trip to take in Upper Mesa Falls, which is located on Henrys Fork of the Snake River.  The falls are about 114 feet high and 200 feet wide.

I filmed a short video clip that, depending on the sped of your internet access, may or may not show up.  :-)

Once you come down out of the mountains, you hit the flat land of southern Idaho.  Wheat and potatoes were the prominent crops.  Thunder storms were cropping up.  It is storms like this that cause most of the wild fires.

Lyndsay and Mike both work for the Forest Service.  Mike is a Permanent Seasonal Firefighter.  Lyndsay is working to become the same thing.  She worked for three months this summer on a firefighting crew, and is now finishing up the season in the Interagency Dispatch Office.  The Forest Service and the BLM work together in the fire fighting business.  I found the work in the dispatch office really interesting as the dispatchers coordinated helicopter and ground crews.

We ended the day grilling steaks at Mike and Lyndsay's.  On Thursday, Zoey and I are off to Mt. Shasta, California to meet my sister Karen and Bob for a weekend get away.  They are driving up from Oakland.  Cory will probably show up Friday morning.  His girlfriend, Molly, has a heavy workload, and may or may not make it.  Guess that's it for now...............