Wednesday August 3, Glenn’s Ferry ID

Our first stop this morning was out to see Shoshone Falls, about 4 miles out of town on the Snake River. We had been told that they were amazing but have to admit to being blown away by the sheer size of them. They are called the Niagara of the West and would have to agree. The peak flow is in the spring with the snow melt but at the moment the flow was medium and this will reduce over the rest of the summer as more and more water is taken off for irrigation.

By the time we had walked all around the heat was building. Had a bit of retail therapy in some air conditioned stores before leaving town and heading west. More irrigated cropping land and dairy farms.

We stopped in the small town of Buhl this afternoon where I had read about a store that sells ice cream made from the 90 cows on their own farm. The Cloverleaf Creamery not only sells 24 flavours of ice cream, all made at the store, but their own milk sold in glass bottles and butter. A chap came in while we were there with a milk bottle holder and returned 2 empty bottles and bought 2 more…..can’t remember when I last saw milk sold in bottles. …and the ice cream was superb, and the single scoop just huge, can’t imagine how many calories in it!

Passed through a number of small towns before having to take the freeway for a distance to get to Glenn’s Ferry. This town was an historic point in the Oregon Trail where pioneers had to make the choice of crossing the Snake River for a shorter route west and better feed or the safer longer route with less feed and water. About half chose to cross at this point and many wagons, stock and people were lost. There is an excellent Interpretive Centre in the State Park explaining the area, thoroughly enjoyed it and especially the airconditioning, as by 4 oclock our thermometer was reading 42 degrees! We found a campsite in the park and sat outside under the trees as a breeze was blowing and tried to keep as cool as we could.

It had cooled a little by 8 o’clock so wandered through the park to the river and were most surprised to find a laden apricot tree and the ground underneath was thick with sweet ripe fruit, will go back in the morning and get some more!

We will be into Oregon tomorrow and decided we need to go somewhere a little cooler. Had an email from a chap we met a few weeks ago who lives in Bend Oregon, and he suggested that the Steens Mountain area in South East Oregon was a great place to visit, and would be cooler. So the plan tomorrow is to go west, then turn south and see what we find.