Sun Valley Resort to Teton Village

Updated: Jan 10, 2021

It was hard to leave Sun Valley as we had a fantastic time. Yes, it was sunny and not a cloud in the sky when we left but there also was some smoke haze. Breakfast one last time was at the Konditorei and then we were off.

Scenery along the way was quite unique. We passed Craters of the Moon National Monument with its thousands of acres of lava flow fields; miles upon miles of barley, potatoes and hay; thousands, not an exaggeration, of cattle; vast areas of barren land; forests where new growth was popping up after a fire had swept through; forests of pine trees; the Idaho National Labs and tiny little towns with only a Family Dollar store. Signs along the way were whimsical. We saw: be bear aware, orphan moose loose in the area, moose spotted so stay alert, give wildlife a break and stock crossing the road. The winner for best sign was outside of Idaho Falls: "Tourists...don't laugh at the Natives"

Water and Lava

Wonderfully weird landscape formed by molten lava fields nearly 15 million years ago.

"President Calvin Coolidge created Craters of the Moon National Monument on May 2, 1924.

The monument preserves around 53,500 acres of volcanic formations and lava flows on the northern rim of the Snake River Plain in south central Idaho. A desolate yet sublime landscape that could only be described as "weird," the monument has never failed to inspire, if not evoke ambivalent responses from even its most ardent supporters left speechless by the unusual lava terrain.

Craters of the Moon is a huge national park. It is over 1,100 square miles (over 750,000 acres) which is roughly the size of Rhode Island. The young lava flows that make up the bulk of the Monument and Preserve can clearly be seen from space."

Big Cinder Butte rises to an altitude of 6,516 feet and ranks among the largest purely basaltic cinder cones in the world.

When you see a truckload of hay, you make a wish and don't look back! So many wishes made!!!

Harvesting some type of grain. We believe it is barley.

We followed this wideload for a few mile. Whatever it is, it needed a pusher truck. The truck turned off on the road to the Idaho National Labs.

"The Idaho National Laboratory ( INL) was founded in 1949 as the National Reactor Testing Station to provide an isolated location where various kinds of nuclear reactors and support facilities could be built and tested. Fifty- two test reactors were constructed at the INL over the years. In 1974, the site was renamed a national engineering laboratory to reflect its expanding application of applied science and engineering capabilities. As it responded to the realities of the post-Cold War world, the INL turned its expertise to become a leader in providing technology for environmental management and research. Today, INL's staff has a broad range of expertise in the engineering of large-scale process, detection systems, law enforcement, chemistry, nuclear security systems, sensors, communication and computing, biotechnology, and in a variety of other science and engineering areas."

"Idaho National Labs, INL, is the site where 52 pioneering nuclear reactors were designed and constructed, including the first reactor to generate usable amounts of electricity. It was here that nuclear-generated electricity first powered an American community.

It was here that the Navy’s nuclear propulsion systems were first demonstrated, and here that sailors and officers were trained on how to operate those systems. Throughout the laboratory’s history, scores of this country’s best and brightest have come to advance the promise of nuclear energy. It is in the middle of no where."

INL is leading initiatives to develop next-generation reactor technologies, advanced fuel cycles and space nuclear power systems. Significantly, it is home to the world’s premier materials test reactor – the Advanced Test Reactor – and its national scientific user facility.

The 890-square-mile laboratory includes unparalleled assets such as a utility-scale electric power grid for improving grid reliability and security; a wireless communications user facility available for commercial and government-sponsored research; and key capabilities for performing cyber and control system research, explosives impact analysis, armor development and radiological training.

In the areas of energy and environment, INL is addressing energy production challenges with contributions in renewable energy integration, transportation transformation, water utilization, energy critical materials, biomass feedstock assembly, and advanced manufacturing.

The sign said,"Materials and Fuel."