After leaving Yellowstone we drove west to see Craters of the Moon National Monument. The skies in central Idaho are so clear at night, that we swore we saw a billion stars. Staring up into the abyss of space and realizing just how small we are, is humbling to say the least. Thankfully, there weren't any mosquitoes to pester our enjoyment of the stars, which was wonderful after the onslaught of bloodsuckers that we suffered through in the Grand Tetons. The beauty of Craters of the Moon is in the isolation and stark contrasts of ancient lava fields slowly being taken over by foliage.
Boise was our next stop and was the only larger city that we actually considered moving to, upon our return to the U.S. The city itself has a cool urban vibe and yet it is totally possible to get out of town in 15 minutes. A nice river cuts through town and there are bike paths and parks everywhere. It is totally feasible to pick up some Trader Joe's snacks and ride to a park and be picnicking in under 5 minutes. We really enjoyed this aspect of Boise a lot. We can certainly see why so many people are moving here from other areas of the country. We celebrated 4th of July in Boise and literally sat directly under a huge firework show. We were next to the fire marshal, that's how close we were. Our ears were ringing for days but it goes with the territory for independence day.
 |
| Cooling off in a country stream. |
 |
| Nothing better than enjoying a river on a hot day. |
 |
| I borrowed Sierra's bike for a quick ride along the river. |
 |
| Wide open spaces in Central Idaho. |
 |
| Craters of the Moon |
 |
| Slowly the vegetation is taking over the old lava fields. |
 |
| Many unique species have evolved just for surviving in this area. |
No comments:
Post a Comment