Idaho Falls

It was Saturday morning, and everybody at Canyon Lodge was either checking out (as we were) or heading out for an adventure.  People were rolling suitcases to their cars, or carrying backpacks and trekking poles hurrying to catch a tour bus.  One Japanese woman was walking across the parking lot singing in a high, sweet voice.

 

We left the park and starting driving south, leaving Yellowstone behind and re-entering the real world of shopping centers and RV parks.  It was lunch time and we had not found a good place for a picnic, so we stopped in the small town of Island Park at a place called Pond’s Lodge (“Year Round Resort:  Cabins, Café, Lounge, Grocery”) and were greeted by the pleasant aroma of pizza.  We thought we would try a “real” lunch for a change, and found that the café was staffed with friendly folks and the menu had some good pizza choices.  

 

We arrived in Idaho Falls by mid-afternoon, and our first stop was a place we had read about on-line, the Idaho Falls Friendship Garden, a Japanese garden on an island in the Snake River (the same river that we had followed now through several states).  It was a peaceful, tranquil park in the middle of what we would discover was one of the more attractive cities on our trip.

 

The Snake River runs through the heart of Idaho Falls, and the falls themselves are simply beautiful.  The river is surrounded on both sides by the River Walk, a greenway trail that extends for five miles and is filled with art, especially some attractive benches made by local artists. 

 

Signs along the River Walk provided the history of a hydroelectric project incorporated into the waterfalls and river which uses a unique “Bulb Turbine” generator.  It is a so-called run-of-the-river facility and was built 40 years ago, and I wish my friend Lamar, the Town Engineer in Highlands with whom I used to work, could have been here to study it.  He also had an interest in these kinds of projects and at one time entertained the possibility of re-opening the Town’s own hydro plant abandoned years ago.

 

What a beautiful city this was!  The River Walk seemed safe, with women pushing strollers, bicycles, and walkers and runners out enjoying this Saturday afternoon, the sound of the waterfalls continuously in the background.

 

We were staying at the attractive, centrally-located Driftwood Inn, right across the street from the River Walk.  Just down the street was Snow Eagle Brewing and Grill, and that’s where we had dinner.