DESPITE THE “FAMOUS POTATOES” SLOGAN on the license plates, Idaho is known as the Gem State. There are plenty of potatoes, to be sure, plus wheat, alfalfa, soybeans and more. But you don’t have to be one of Van Gogh’s Potato Eaters to have a good time in southern Idaho.
Bridge over the Snake River, Twin Falls
We spent a week at Anderson Camp in Eden, just outside of Twin Falls on the famous Snake River, partly to cover ourselves for the 4th of July holiday. What is now high desert, elevation 6000 feet, was once covered by water, resulting in unique fossil beds. Beginning 15,000 years ago, volcanic eruptions left lava fields over an area now designated as Craters of the Moon National Monument. Then most recent eruptions occurred only two thousand years ago. This is the best place to see pahoehoe and aha lava this side of Hawaii.
Craters of the Moon
City of Rocks was so named by travelers on the Oregon Trail, anxious I guess, for any sight of civilization. Many signed their names at Register Rock as proof of their passing. Today City of Rocks National Reserve is a mecca for mountain bikers, hikers and rock climbers, a sport we enjoyed for many years.
City of Rocks National Reserve Climbers at City of Rocks
Not all visitors arrived willingly. In the spring of 1942, 110,000 American citizens of Japanese ancestry were relocated to concentration camps in the West. More than 9000 ended up at Minidoka, also known as Camp Hunt. While their loyalty to the USA was in question, most young men enlisted in what became one of the most decorated units in the army. Those Nisei who remained interned “for the duration” participated in such typically American organizations at Girl and Boy Scouts, YMCA, and played baseball. It seemed fitting that we visited this black mark of our history on Independence Day. I desperately hope Mr. Trump doesn’t reprise it.
Minidoka, an American Concentration Camp
