Shoshone Falls - Spokane Falls - Idaho Falls - Lost Creek State Park

Shoshone Falls - "The Niagra of the West"

Okay - I didn't take that picture, but I did take this one:

***Somewhere off the beaten path, we drove an hour out of our way to reach this spot.  Actually, I hate saying "out of my way", especially on vacation because in fact, everything we were doing was to absorb the new - and this purpose was fulfilled at Shoshone.

If I recall, you pay $5 to drive down for the best vantage point.  I know I took more pictures than this, but this is what I found.  We hiked around at the bottom - it was a good time.

So where exactly is Shoshone Falls?  --Somewhere in Idaho.  I forgot the name of it so I searched waterfalls online, hence the title pic.  Well now you know...

Idaho Falls

 I think anyway.  I remember I drove in the middle of the night while Ayden and Jess were sleeping.  When they awoke, it was to these rushing sounds.  The system wraps around like a horseshoe - that panoramic camera would have worked wonders for this pic.

Idaho Potato Museum - No Comment

Snake River - From high above

Okay, I remember now.  You cross this bridge and the Shoshone Falls is about 20 minutes away, or so.  The Snake River flows like the Colorado to the Grand Canyon.  **Obviously my pics are not in sequential order.

Lost Creek State Park - Montana

 ...I only knew that because I enlarged the picture and read the sign.  I do remember this HIKE.  No one was back here.  We parked at the gate and followed the road back.  The road increased in elevation, and so did the snow.  Jess and Ayden headed back while I continued.  I read up that there was a waterfall back here and I wasn't about to stop.  Eventually, perhaps 1.5 miles in, just a guess, the road goes through a camp grounds.  I assume this place is open in the summer months.  I then found a single track trail, and it led me to the falls:

It's a Waterfall

Okay, this wasn't really worth taking a 45 mile hike and forget how long, detour, to drive to this spot.  But we did - at least I wasn't afraid of bears - or was I?  --It was just nice hiking alone for a bit, breathing in the crisp ear with only the sound of air and my breathing piercing my ears.  I recall stopping for a good 30 seconds.  Held my breath and just awww...  Ask yourself, when does the buzzing ever really go off in your ears?  Do you even notice it or is it just so common that you forget it's there.  Well, in Montana, I achieved 0.0 decibels!  Meanwhile, I heard on the radio that AC/DC is still performing and the doctor advised the lead singer to stop playing the music so loud or he may seriously lose his hearing for life.  They say he plays so loud that it is painful to your body - and that includes the audience.

Hmm, Not too sure where this is?

This is where the Missouri River Begins

--Well, something like that.  I forget the exact details, but something about three small rivers join right here and form the Missouri a few miles from this spot.  We saw the sign on the side of the road and we did make a hike out of it.

Archives of the Lost Thousand Hikes...

Before  we go, while we are at it:

Radio Flyer

Spokane Falls

 This picture does not give you proper representation of how amazing Spokane Falls are!  The volume of this system is astonishing - intense - outrageous - Choose your superlative, I could do better but in a nutshell, you feel weak and scared when you really think about it!

Spokane is an amazing city - home to Gonzaga, yay, that basketball team college.  The River and Falls go right through the city.  It is surrounded by the City Park, which has a name - that I forget.  There is an amusement park - like a fair or sorts - in the middle of the park, but it's closed during the winter months.  I think they had some sort of ski lift system too which seemed really neat.

We walked the old downtown streets for miles into the set of sun.  It was dark when we concluded our tour and we maximized out of it what we could, with exception of sharing the pictures with you.  Spokane is in the middle of nowhere, but then all of a sudden you are somewhere.  Jess didn't like the town - figures as much as I was imaging what life could be like living there.

Bigfoot Java