Another Drive to Idaho Falls

Once again, the forecast drove us to consider another drive to Idaho Falls which we did early in the AM. It's kind of like the weather - except for the extreme heat and violent dust storms - as AZ during the monsoon season. The mornings are usually nice and clear but the afternoons see the clouds roll in and the winds and rain arrive. Yesterday was no different.

Our morning drive provided a peek at the Tetons as we drove through Wilson to the Teton Pass:

We always enjoy the drive to Idaho Falls as it takes us through some pretty country and gives us a view of the different topography in this area.

The main reason for the trip was to stop at the Joann's store where we have not stopped on any previous trip. Josie had a list of yarn colors that she was trying to locate, and Idaho Falls, in addition to Joann's, has a Michael's store that also carries yarn. There is also yarn available at the Walmart store and we went to all of those stores. Josie found some of her yarn, but did not find some others. We also did some other shopping while there and I got a much needed haircut.

The clouds started rolling in in the afternoon and we left Idaho Falls before the storms hit. Rather than taking the usual route home, we went the longer way to the south which takes us through some pretty country along the Palisades Reservoir. It represents about a 20 mile detour from our usual route home, but we avoid the Teton Pass - not one of Josie's favorite drives - and takes us through Alpine and the canyon along the Snake River.

The Reservoir was exceptionally low, and we got some good shots of this body of water that is not so far from us:

The low water level was especially noticeable at the end of the reservoir where it meets the outskirts of Alpine, and is totally dry:

It was an opportunity for us to also have dinner at a nice cafe in Alpine - The Yankee Doodle Cafe - where we have eaten previously and enjoy the food.

This drive also takes us along the Snake River in the canyon that connects Alpine with Hoback Junction, and is the area where we had our rafting trip and also spend a lot of time enjoying the scenery. You've seen many pictures of this stretch of highway, but here are a few more:

The storms had already gone through this area, but when we got home we saw that we were just behind the big storm. The winds were fierce - 30 mph according to my gauge - and we had nearly .4 inches of rain. Josie's plants were all blown over and the water was still running down the road at the RV park.

There was more rain this morning, but not nearly as violent as yesterday. It is also unusual to get the rain so early in the day. We start our new week today at 3 PM, so it likes like another morning of doing inside stuff...