Shoshone Falls | Twin Falls | Provo, Utah
Thursday - 22 April 2004 - Provo, Utah:
Big Day Today! Many photos to post! We had another rainy, cold night near
Twin Falls. Another camper came in to the campground, so we didn't have a
totally boring evening last night. We were up early to drive to Twin
Falls and Shoshone Falls. We had visited Shoshone
Falls years ago with Lisa when she was quite small and the water was barely
trickling over the cliff. We figured if we went in April - after days of
rain, the falls would be just like the postcard.
Not.
Your first clue is that the waterfalls are "maintained" by the Idaho Power
Company. They can turn off a waterfall like you and I can turn off a
faucet. Today, it looked like someone forgot to turn the faucet "off"
completely, so there was a little trickle for our amusement. In reality,
Shoshone Falls are higher than Niagara and the entire side of the cliff
should be covered with cascading waters... but it hasn't happened since
1997.
Shoshone Falls - imagine the entire cliff covered with water!
The view of the Snake River down-river
We were lucky enough to find a few elk (since they were in a
pen) and also saw a few (wild) Yellow Bellied Marmots. Idaho Power charges
$3 to see the "falls", but the view down river is kinda worth it. Definitely
a rip for the falls though. After this huge investment, we drove on to Twin
Falls. Not much water there either!
Twin Falls
And, I don't know if you noticed or not... but there is only
one "twin"... the fall to the right of this one is completely dry. Ok... so
much for Idaho. We went back to the campground, hitched up and headed
east on I-84 and turned south on I-15 through Salt Lake City and are camped
in Provo on the shore of lovely Utah Lake. We had spent 3 days in Salt Lake
City the last time through here, so decided to try something new. DT ran the
NCAA's at BYU almost 30 years ago and thought it would be fun to revisit the
scene. The race was such a long time ago, that he actually ran a 3 MILE (not
a 5,000 meter). He finished 8th in the nation. (Most people would be elated,
but to DT it is not winning.) The Big Loser can't remember his time... or he
claims he can't remember his time.
Utah Lake with the beautiful Wasatch Mountains in the distance
Provo is simply a beautiful town. Like Salt Lake City a few miles
north, it sits at the base of the
Wasatch Mountains. The mountains shoot straight up - there are
basically no foothills. The streets are wide, wide, wide! The houses
are neat and tidy and there is a trampoline in every back garden. We
didn't take the official campus tour because it was graduation - a very busy
scene today. It seemed very early for graduation to us, but it was explained
that Brigham Young students do not take a Spring Break (oh, don't even get me
started on that) so they graduate early. Campus had changed drastically in 30
years. We never did find the track, but found a gorgeous new football stadium
and a fabulous state-of-the-art baseball facility. Over 30,000 students attend
BYU. The campus is huge, and apartment buildings surround the area for a mile in
every direction. The campus is very attractive, nicely landscaped, not a bit of
litter in sight - very nice! It was SO windy; we didn't even want to get out of
the car. We decided to take the drive up Provo Canyon
to see Bridal Veil Falls and Sundance Ski Resort.
Bridal Veil Falls
A view near Sun Dance in Provo Canyon
Bridal Veil was another trickling
waterfall. There is still a lot of snow on the mountains, so I have no idea
why the falls are so sparse. It was so cold and windy, maybe it is too cold
for the snow to melt? Robert Redford's Sun Dance
ski resort is very nice. It looks very rustic, but I bet it is very
expensive - small and oh-so exclusive.
By now, it was getting dark and we were getting hungry. I have a full
kitchen with me, but we were tired and wanted to go out. We tried a few
places, but because of graduation most restaurants were swamped. We found a
TGI Friday near campus, attached to a Marriott Hotel and
stopped in. No crowds, so we asked for a table for two. Then we noticed
something very strange. There was no bar. I don't know about you, but every
Friday’s we have ever been to have a huge bar in the center and tables all
around. This Friday’s just had tables. We asked if they had a bar and the
hostess said "Yes, would you like to sit at the bar?" We said yes and she
pointed back to the corner. We headed that way, but we could not see a bar.
We kept walking. Back in the corner were six bar stools. Bar stools were a
good sign. They were situated in front of a counter... however; there was a
barrier between the counter and the bar! No kidding. It was like the
bar was a service area where waiters would go to fetch a clean fork or a
bottle of mustard. Very strange, but, we were in Utah. We sat down and in a
few moments the top of a head was visible over the barrier. Then, he stood
on his tip-toes and we saw a friendly face asking if we would like a drink.
Hallelujah! "This is the Place!"
We had a fat-free meal (you know I am kidding, right? We were at Friday's!)
and chatted up the bartender. To be honest: he wasn't very busy. He said he
had poured two other drinks today already. Even he (from Texas) said every
Friday's he had ever seen was a bar that happened to serve food. He took
drink orders for room service at the hotel and told us they sometimes get
busy in the bar because most visiting college teams stay at the Marriott
when they play BYU and come to the bar after the games. What a hoot!
RV Park:
Lakeside RV Campground in Provo, Utah
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