September 2 – Twin Falls/Jerome and Shoshone Falls, Idaho

The first 100 miles of the drive between Caldwell and Jerome/Twin Falls took us through more flat barren lands, occasionally interrupted by a wind farm

or areas where wild or controlled burns had taken place in the not too distant past.

As we neared the Twin Falls area, the landscape slowly turned greener as the Interstate wound between an increasing number of farms,

grain storage facilities, some right out in the open,

dozens upon dozens of bales of hay neatly stacked in fields,

and herds of cattle, some apparently curious about the two-legged creature who was pointing a camera at them without their permission.

While we’ve seen scores of three-wheeled motorcycles on our trip, they’ve always had the traditional handle bars.  While getting gas this afternoon, we saw what appears to be a hybrid with automobile controls, including a steering wheel.

Our campground was only a mile off the highway. After checking and having a bite of lunch, we drove across the Perrine Bridge

across the Snake River’s Hell’s Canyon.  At the time of its construction it was the highest bridge in the world, 475 above the river below.  To our surprise, there were two golf courses, one on each side of the river.

Just a mile upstream, there is a small earthen ramp on the canyon’s south rim (now on private property).

This is all that remains of the launch ramp which Evel Knievel built to jump across Hell’s Canyon on his “Skycycle”.  He claims that his parachute malfunctioned, opening too soon and preventing him from clearing the river’s chasm.  Others believe that about the time he was roaring up the ramp he (wisely) had second thoughts and decided to pull his rip cord and glide into the river rather than risk an abrupt and unplanned encounter with the canyon’s far wall.

From there we drove east to Twin Falls (if you’re thinking that it may have had something to do with the naming of the town … you’re dead right) and the green-tinted river below it.

Our next stop was at Dieker’s Lake

before reaching the most picturesque falls we’ve seen in a while, Shoshone Falls.

Sometimes called the “Niagara Falls of the West”, the water cascades some 212’ into the canyon on its way to the section Evel Kneivel had attempted to cross.

However, as we neared the overlooks close to the falls, its true beauty quickly became apparent.

This entry was posted in Uncategorized. Bookmark the permalink.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *