Cherry Creek Adventure

Today we drove out of Idaho, headed for Nevada. We had our first stop penciled in about six hours down the road, so when we saw the sign for an "Interstate Oasis" we pulled right off for an unplanned photo op. This oasis was Shoshone Falls which is part of Twin Falls on the Snake River. I've never been to Niagra Falls, but this looked similar to the pictures I've seen. It's about 1,000 feet wide (thank you Wikipedia) in a horsheshoe shape and consists of several indivual falls. As imagined, it was beautiful.

https://youtu.be/v6sLj9zubmk

Please enjoy this short video as it took 400% longer to upload than shoot. ;) (Full disclosure, I did not do the math on that %, though I seriously considered it. 😆)

In case you tuned in for a geology lesson, which always seems to be part of the T&L adventure, let me tell you that Shoshone Falls was sculpted by a six week flood of Lake Bonneville around 15,000 years ago.  The water moved around 70mph as it formed the canyon. 

There was a delightful little picnic area, and we had a cooler full of deliciousness, so it seemed like the perfect lunch plan! But, IT WAS HOT!! This is the best picture we got of the two of us, the one with the least amount of sweat and wincing. Consequently, we ate lunch in our car, under the solar shield, with the AC on high. 😂

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After this began a long stretch of road towards what ended up being the adventure of the day. 

We were about 15 miles (so says Siri) from the turn off for Cherry Creek ghost town, when a huge "Cherry Creek" sign popped up on the right. We careened off the road, on to a gravel road, and headed toward adventure. I had read that the road to Cherry Creek was not great, but passable. The continuing road to Egan Canyon was the road that may require 4WD. So when the road turned washboard, I wasn't surprised. In fact, it's not a road trip if you're not on an unmarked washboard road, right? 😉

It may have been around the 2nd or 3rd mountain where the passenger grew tired of the journey. I could tell her interest in the adventure was waning, and the worry about getting back to the freeway growing, but I could still see the freeway (you know, in the distance), and so we adventured on. 

After about 30 or 40 minutes (?), we finally saw structures glinting from the sun. There was more there than I had thought there would be. And very difficult to establish what might be actual homes, and what might be abandoned. But there were clear ghost structures, including an old one room school house.  

Out of Cherry Creek we saw the actual road we should have turned on -- paved and 55 mph. Where's the fun in that? 😉 On the way back to the freeway, I, the driver, insisted on one more stop to inspect an abandoned railroad checkpoint and several abandoned railcars. This "road" definitely could have used 4WD, and I was rewarded for my adventuresome spirit with no turn around spot.  😆 I think my Jeep was reveling in the moment, but I was glad for to see the main road coming closer and closer in the back up camera!

 Also today we saw an enormous red snake slither across the freeway. It turned out to be an animated, rogue pool noodle.  😆 I wonder what tomorrow will bring?