On our way from Salt Lake City to Wyoming, we swung into Western Idaho to follow the Snake River Valley back across the state into Wyoming. Our first stop was at Bruneau Dunes State Park near Mountain Home, ID, where explored some of the biggest dunes west of the Mississippi and also a bit of the Snake River and its tributaries.

Our second stop in Idaho was in Arco, near the Craters of the Moon National Monument. We did some hiking in the volcanic landscape including some exploration of some of the lava tube caves. These formed as the outer surface of lava flows cooled while the molten cores flowed out. In many areas the stark black lava fields were dotted with bright white syringa plants, producing a feast for the eyes and soul.Our final stop in Idaho was at EBR-1, a decommissioned breeder reactor that was the world’s first nuclear power plant. Its location in the middle of the desert in Idaho apparently was selected to minimize any adverse consequences in the event of a catastrophe. As usual, Roberta stuck her nose into nearly everything. We enjoyed our tour of the entire plant led by an extremely knowledgeable guide who explained the whole operation from start to finish.