Twin Falls

Twin Falls! Idaho!

Just the name "Twin Falls, Idaho" evokes wild water, mountains, and the explorers of the West. 

The Perrine Bridge

After a peaceful evening and a morning of posting to the blog (see "Nevada"), I decided to do a little exploring of my own.

Perrine Bridge

One of the outstanding landmarks of Twin Falls is the Perrine Bridge, which soars over the Snake River almost 500 feet below. The bridge itself is deceptively simple: it's one smooth arch, but the setting — the river chasm between basalt cliffs — makes it memorable.

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I love bridges. They're symbolic of connections. 

We travel over physical bridges so frequently that we often don't think about how much easier life is with these engineering feats. How would life be without the bridges spanning the San Francisco Bay, or over the New York rivers?

This replica of the Perrine Bridge actually is a bike rack!

The nearby Twin Falls Visitor Center had a number of interesting features: a mini-garden representing Idaho's flora and geologic features, a replica of the Perrine Bridge that was a bike rack, an impressive number of Tesla charging stations, and benches and fences whose structures echoed the arch of the bridge. These were obviously custom-made and quite beautiful.

I picked up some literature (Forest Service map of the Sawtooths) and some postcards. I was tempted by some Idaho potato cookbooks, but managed to resist.

Marmot at the edge of the Snake River chasm

River Walk

There was a nice "River Walk" along the cliffs, with views both north and south. Oddly enough, just on the other side of the path was a big shopping area, with a Michael's, Best Buy, Old Navy, a sporting goods store, Outback steakhouse and more, all perched right at the edge of the cliffs. It was a busy place on this Mother's Day, with families shopping, walking, biking and picnicking.

Even a marmot was enjoying the sunshine! It let me get close, but not too close, and slipped off into the cracks in the lava bed — a perfect marmot-home!

Waterfalls into the Snake River

Waterfalls

Twin Falls is not the only waterfall in the area. Due to the topography and geology (layers and layers of basalt flows), water seeps into the cracks in the rock, runs in channels above or underground and then emerges from cliffs in stunning and graceful waterfalls all along the Snake River. It's a stunning landscape, and could easily be the setting of a fantasy novel. Can you just imagine an alien temple there instead of a Walmart? (And, yes, you can make the conclusion that there is a temple — to consumerism — instead.)

Twin Falls, ID, in 1910.

And then there are the falls along the river! Unfortunately, two of the big falls along the river — Shoshone Falls and Twin Falls — are no longer what they used to be, as they have been "harnessed" for both water and power. They are still beautiful, but nowhere near what they were.*

There are Shoshoni/Bannock legends about the origins of these waterfalls. My reading list is growing, as now I want to read Indian Legends of the Northern Rockies, by Ella Elizabeth Clark. I got just a taste — about how Coyote tried to stop the water from flowing and built dams at both these points, only to have them broken by the power of the water. The legends are fascinating, as the apparently explain why certain fish are found in certain rivers and lakes and not in others...

The left-hand twin is now alone
and a shadow of its former self.

I arrived at the park (operated by Idaho Power) at dusk, had dinner and enjoyed watching the rays of the setting sun on the thundering waterfall.

It's great to be out here.

*The Milner and Minidoka Dams, and their associated irrigation canals, have turned the Idaho high desert into a prolific agricultural area, now called the "Magic Valley."

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NOTES: Tomorrow it's on to the Sawtooths, a place I've always wanted to visit. Every time I've seen a calendar photo I particularly like, when I've peered at the caption, it's said "Sawtooth Wilderness." I'm finally getting here!

I'm also getting behind on writing entries, so will have to figure out how to handle this. I'm in Salmon, ID, now, and have power and wifi, but that won't last, and I'm getting itchy feet to move on while the weather — which has been "interesting" is still good...

The Snake River valley west of the Perrine Bridge.
Can you tell there is sort of a 3D effect? I'm trying out some settings on the camera!