The Magic Valley

After our time in Flaming Gorge, we headed to our first major destination of the summer: Idaho. We chose to make our first "home base" in south-central Idaho in what is known as the Magic Valley. 

The Magic Valley along the course of the Snake River.
You can see the green irrigated land.
Heyburn & Burley are the green flag in the bottom of the smile.

The land would all look like this with irrigation.

The land is fairly flat with rolling hills cut through by the remarkable Snake River. 

It is naturally arid (think desert). 





However, once irrigation from the Snake River was begun, the fertile ground became productive farm land, source of Idaho potatoes, hey, grain crops, beets, cattle and more. All as if by magic. All it took was water.

Our home in the Magic Valley was in the Riverside RV park in Heyburn, ID, a municipal park on the banks of the Snake River. This park was GREAT. The sites were large and level. The space between sites was large and covered in lush green grass, the likes of which we haven't seen for MANY months. We had fun just walking barefoot in the grass!

From our "home base" we ventured out to explore sites around Twin Falls and Shoshone Falls, Craters of the Moon National Monument, Minidoka National Historic Site, Hagerman Fossil Beds National Monument, and the beautiful Snake River gorge. Look for pictures and comments about these "day trips" in future posts.

Flaming Gorge NRA

If you need to see the location of Flaming Gorge in a larger scale, check my previous blog.

Wow! did we ever enjoy this place. We would (will) go back for a longer stay someday. It is just beautiful and clean with gorgeous (excuse the pun?) vistas and perfect water for kayaking, boating and fishing.



There are private campgrounds with RV hookups, but the NRA primitive campgrounds have very nice, clean flush bathrooms, with water available in various spots, and dump stations in several campgrounds. The camp hosts in Firefighters keep the place immaculate! Kudos!

You must come prepared for your stay as the closest supplies are in Vernal, UT, about 40 miles south on the steep and curvy US 191.

Dam from above

Dam from below

Arched bridge near the dam

View from our campground

Marina

These next pictures are of the lake near the dam.

As you drive to the west along the south side of the river the gorge narrows and the land rises offering unique views and scenic places to camp or picnic.

Spring flowers in a large meadow

We enjoyed our brief stay in Flaming Gorge NRD. 

Next time we'll spend a LOT more time. 

We want to explore, kayak, rent a power boat and just soak up the clean, cool mountain air. 

God's remarkable creation in wondrous display.

On the road to Flaming Gorge

Having enjoyed our time with Tex and the beautiful Glenwood Canyon; with our new RV entrance steps functioning perfectly; and with visions of Vail left behind, we started our daylong trip to Flaming Gorge NRA and Firefighters Memorial Campground. 







The route took us from high in the mountains to lower and flatter terrain and back up again as we approached Flaming Gorge. The pictures tell the story. 

This is the "default" view when traveling in the west.

When it's too rough for "scrub brush" it's naked rock & sand.

Much of the earth's crust in the west is sedimentary rock, layers of sand and dirt
carried by water and deposited in layers. You see it in almost every hillside.

Classic, multi-colored layers.

 

A unique light grey colored formation just inside Utah. 

Starting to climb to higher elevations again.

A special layer exposed for mining

From a scenic overlook we can see a LOOONG way.

One of the many layers composed of high quality Phosphate is mined for fertilizer and other chemical applications.

The faithful rig waits patiently to get back on the road.

Glenwood Springs, CO and so much more

Arriving in Glenwood Springs, CO our home for the week was Ami's Acres RV Park. 

Since the campground is in a narrow valley it is more vertical than anywhere we have ever camped. 

Each site is its own little terrace into the side of the mountain. "Roomy" would not be a word I'll use to describe the site. 

All utilities were provided, but we never used the restrooms or Wi-Fi. The Verizon signal was 3-4 bars (great!).











We were in Greenwood Springs for two reasons: to visit my sisters friend, Tex and to upgrade our entry steps into the RV. Our old steps were getting "rickety." 

The new Glowstep Revolution steps are solid and the optional handrail is terrific. 

Tex and his grandson were a TREMENDOUS help in installing the steps. I could have never done it by myself. 






Of course we didn't just work, we also had a great time sightseeing Glenwood Springs, Glenwood Canyon, Gypsum, Eagle & Vail, CO.

I-70 stacked vertically through Glenwood Canyon

The drive from Glenwood Springs up to Gypsum and Vail is awe inspiring. 

Simple photos can never do it justice or show how magnificent Glenwood Canyon is. 

Almost vertical canyon walls on both sides ...

You'll have to drive through the canyon for yourself.

... with the Colorado River right at the bottom.

I-70 tunnel. All traffic in one tunnel because of construction in the other.

While enjoying some BLM land near Gypsum, we came across a unique structure. 

As it turns out, potato farming was big business in the area at the turn of the 20th century. 


A farmer built this "sod house" to sort and store potatoes after harvest.

A potato sorting device

The way out ...

See you next time as we leave Colorado and head for Utah.