Arco Idaho and the Craters of the Moon National Landmark

From to Provo, Utah to Pocatello, is barely over 200 miles and a straight shot on I-15.  I tried to stay on course and follow highway 89, but it eventually deserted me and turned east.  Defeated, I joined the interstate and made my way to Pocatello.

Still striving to catch some mail from Michigan I spent two days in Pocatello before leaving on an eagerly anticipated trip through the Salmon River Mountains en route to Missoula, Montana.


I-15 is, of course, the route of choice for most travelers eager to get from one spot to next, but I turned west on US-26 and eventually connected to US-93.  My quest was to take the slow, easy and scenic route and continue to reap all of the awesome beauty that America has to offer.


Even though Arco was only a few miles to the west of Craters of the Moon National Landmark and my location was no more than tem miles from the turn-off, I was surprised to find outcroppings from obvious volcanic activity scattered randomly throughout the area.  Taking pictures along the highway, I was strangely oblivious to the fact that these were the scattered remnants of the massive upheavals that would later be found at Craters of the Moon.




To further my surprise, at a (Point of Historical Interest) it was posted, "Since 1949 more nuclear reactors - over 50 of them - have been built on this plain than anywhere else in the world."  This seemed like an astounding fact and I was amazed by my ignorance (Hold you tongue!) - Why had I never heard even a whisper of this before?


Added to this, was the fact that, tiny Arco (population 1026 as of the 2000 census) was the location for the worlds first nuclear energy plant and the first city "In the WORLD" to be lighted by Atomic Power.  This was accomplished on December 20, 1951 and lasted for only one hour before, they apparently "corrected the PROBLEM" and restored normal power - they had earned their place in history.

Stopping in Arco I debated about driving to Craters of the Moon National Monument or bypassing it all together.  Fortunately, I made the former choice for which I am extremely grateful - I enjoyed Craters of the Moon TREMENDOUSLY!

With only a vague idea of what to expect, and I was truly amazed by the incredible site.  It is an amazing and spectacular site.  There are mountains of ash, vast sprawling fields variously filled with lava flows and volcanic rock and even caves (called lava tubes) left by years of volcanic activity.

This area is known as "The Valley of the Lost River" so named for the Lost River that literally disappears as it sinks beneath the lava flows of Craters of the Moon National Monument only to resurface once again, in the form of springs near Idaho Falls.

Without being there, one would, perhaps question how interesting such a site could be, but is truly an amazing place.  Some of the pictures appear as if I have opted to include black and white photos as a change of venue, but such is not the case.  The lava flows "vary" from a flat black to a shiny-glossy black.