Day 1 - Heigh Ho! Heigh Ho!
Off to Pocatello, Idaho we go!
For fun facts for Idaho!
Hagerman Fossil Beds
Balanced Rock
Snake River/ Thousand Springs
Date: June 15, 2011
Time: 10:55 mst
Location: Pocatello, ID

Temp: 57 F
Weather: Clear, beautiful moon!

Gas Prices: $3.89/gal
Please ignore any and all typos or grammatical errors, I am not
rereading this tonight to make corrections...

Ok... So you are all anxiously sitting on the edge of your seats to find
out what amazing things we saw and did today! I just knew it! Well, we
awoke at 4:30 am where we all sleepily and groggily brushed our teeth,
combed our hair and ran out the door after doing a 5th check for
provisions. We were gone by 5:25 am. Early risers. I had one cup of
coffee and a positive attitude that this 14 hours driving day would just be
great!

We made it through CA and the whole Sacramento area by 6:30 am
with little to no traffic. We cruised through Reno and started on the long
boring haul through Nevada.  There really needs to be some better road
side attractions along that route.  Perhaps someone could go land a
space ship out there so we can start a chain of alien restuarants and
tourist trap gift shops. I am kind of fond of those things.  I think it would
be great to stop at the extra terrestrial cafe while not picking up
hitchhikers on 80.  Apparently even stopping on the road unless you
have an emergency is against the law. There are some really awesome
prisons out there, high security fences and such. Ok, I am rambling.  It is
11:00 pm, I lost an hour of day time! Time change snuck up on me.

Anyway, we decided to stop in Winnemucca to check out the Humbolt
Museum.  Just a small little volunteer museum in a town filled with
legalized gambling and houses of ill repute. :) We payed our donation
fee and began viewing some old vehicles from stage coaches to
welcome wagons.  Apparently Charlie Chaplin was popular as his
leading lady, (for whom I cannot recall the name of) came from Paradise
Valley just up the road from Winnemucca. There was also a mammoth
skeleton that was found in the black desert.  The thing that really riddled
me was an Asian porcelian lounging nude in a, somewhat provocative
position, that was used in a doctors office to show the doctor where the
pain was in the womans body because she would not undress for him.
Apparently when there was a large Chinese community in the area the
Chinese women would need to see a doctor but would not allow the
doctor to touch them or remove clothing for examination.  I just wonder
why that particular seductive looking "doll."
Again.... rambling

After that we counted the miled until we left Nevada. It was interesting
to see the topgaphy changes that occured as we got closer to the Idaho
Border. The area started to look a bit more like prairie.

Once getting into Idaho we realized how many dairy farms are in that
area. TONS. It smelled like Rio Vista and looked like Coalinga in many
ways.  The driving was really long. It was hard to not want to drift off.
In came the caffiene and the next thing I knew I had to use the bathroom
at every rest stop.

We pressed on to Balanced Rock.  It was a good 20 miles off the road
but what the heck, when else would I ever go see it. It is a rock that is
48 feet tall by 40 feet wide and sits on a pedastal that is 3 ft 17.5 in.  
So, it is balanced. Really gorgeous down there.

We drove through Hagerman and checked out where the Hagerman
Fossil beds of the ancient horses were. Unfortunately the long drive
didn't get us there until after the museum closed. That and that pesky
time change really put us there late. Sooo, we drove through, read some
interpretive signs, learned what we could and then continued past
Thousand Springs.  I thought it was really pretty all these springs
popping out of the hill side and running down into the Snake River.  But
something seemed a bit fishy about how the water was getting there, too
many pipes in the scene.  But pretty none the less.

We had dinner at 8:30 in Burley and then finally made it to Pocatello at
10:20 pm.  And here I am updating. Insane I know. But if you know
me, you know that this is pretty usual for me. I am crazy.

Now you are thinking, "Shut up Brenda, show me some pictures!"
There's Peter!