Idaho Not What I Had Pictured

Thursday, 6/19/2014

Arco, Idaho

300 miles today; 100 of it through Yellowstone National Park again.  I guess with 2.2 million acres the shortest and fastest way to reach Idaho was straight through the park.  We did have a couple of great sightings; one of a buffalo walking down the middle of the road and we had to pass him slowly and the other was a close view of a bull elk beside the road.  Entering Idaho we noticed no mountains and fields of hay and potatoes.  No towns to speak of just small clusters of a few houses and a gas station.  Then the fields turned to open range more like desert covered with sagebrush and mountains begin to appear in the distance.  But these mountains are not green and do not have any trees; they are brown and barren.  We are now traveling on a long empty road with nothing in sight; some 100 plus miles of emptiness then we pull into Arco.  A small oasis.  Not large with only 1 or 2 mom and pop motels.  We had called the Arco Motor Inn an hour earlier hoping the reviews on Tripadvisor were correct.  One row of rooms, empty cement parking lot, horses next door in a pasture of weeds.  Oh well – but when we opened the room door the reviews were correct; the room is spacious, freshly painted, clean and fresh.  Temps are so much better!  It was 45 degrees this morning going through Yellowstone and are 71 degrees here in Arco.  We want to see the Craters of the Moon National Monument tomorrow.