EPIC OVERLAND ADVENTURE – IDAHO, UTAH, AND WYOMING

Our travel was a bit slow and we were not able to make it there before it was too late.

Gil and Matt met up there and they were able to check out the area, the trains… and just a little ways from there is a rocket factory! Yes, next to this transportation milestone is a factory that is responsible for more rockets and missiles than you can shake a stick at. They’re on display too.

The First Transcontinental Railroad (known originally as the “Pacific Railroad” and later as the “Overland Route”) was a 1,912-mile (3,077 km) continuous railroad line constructed between 1863 and 1869 that connected the existing eastern U.S. rail network at Omaha, Nebraska/Council Bluffs, Iowa with the Pacific coast at the Oakland Long Wharf on San Francisco Bay. The rail line was built by three private companies over public lands provided by extensive US land grants. Construction was financed by both state and US government subsidy bonds as well as by company issued mortgage bonds. The Western Pacific Railroad Company built 132 mi (212 km) of track from Oakland/Alameda to Sacramento, California. The Central Pacific Railroad Company of California (CPRR) constructed 690 mi (1,110 km) eastward from Sacramento to Promontory Summit, Utah Territory (U.T.). And the Union Pacific built 1,085 mi (1,746 km) from the road’s eastern terminus at Council Bluffs near Omaha, Nebraska westward to Promontory Summit.

The railroad opened for through traffic on May 10, 1869 when CPRR President Leland Stanford ceremonially drove the gold “Last Spike” (later often referred to as the “Golden Spike”) with a silver hammer at Promontory Summit.  The coast-to-coast railroad connection revolutionized the settlement and economy of the American West. It brought the western states and territories into alignment with the northern Union states and made transporting passengers and goods coast-to-coast considerably quicker and less expensive.

FROM: Wikipedia

Napoleon Dynamite is a 2004 American comedy film produced by Jeremy Coon, Chris Wyatt, Sean C. Covel and Jory Weitz, written by Jared and Jerusha Hess and directed by Jared Hess. The film stars Jon Heder in the role of the title character, for which he was paid $1,000. After the film’s runaway success, Heder re-negotiated his compensation and received a cut of the profits. The film was Jared Hess’ first full-length feature and is partially adapted from his earlier short film, Peluca. Napoleon Dynamite was acquired at the Sundance Film Festival by Fox Searchlight Pictures and Paramount Pictures, in association with MTV Films. It was filmed in and near Franklin County, Idaho in the summer of 2003. It debuted at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2004. The film’s total worldwide gross revenue was $46,118,097.

We then drove up a beautiful canyon called the Oneida narrows towards a really great hot spring that is located up there. This whole canyon was very busy with people floating the river and camping around the reservoir. A great place to pass by as it was too crowded for our likes.

We traveled on towards the Bear Lake valley and this is where, 4×4 wise, the adventure became very interesting. We were able to find a nice camp just off of a small two-track trail later in the afternoon and set up. It wasn’t very developed and was really only a fire ring and some dead fall to burn. It was on a ridge and the views were great. The next morning found us on a trail that started out smooth and continually got smaller, rougher, and tighter as the day drew on. It turned out to be quite a challenge by the end of the day and we all had our share of shrub pruning, dead fall trimming, and rock stacking. As I was driving the trail, I continually kept thinking about David C. in his super-mega tracker (Chevy Suburban) w/jumping jack trailer. He drove the entire trail that was tight and difficult for our Equator and Sidekicks with relative ease and no major or minor damage. Kudos.

This trail was georgous and full of views. We finally dropped into Paris canyon just West of Paris, Idaho and began looking for camp as the day drew to a close. This is a very large open area that had many OHV’ers camping and playing. It looks to be a heavenly spot for snowmobiles and I think I want to go back just for that…

One can only see about half of the cave as the FS has decided that the back half of the cave need not be used or viewed. Even with this limitation, the cave is awesome, there are so many cool formations and interesting stories told. Mark this down as a ‘must do’ if you are in the Bear Lake area.

Next was Bear Lake. David and his family rejoined us and we headed for the North beach at the lake. As a kid, we would go here routinely and there was really no development to speak of so imagine our suprize when we saw all the pavement, fences, benches, and park fees associated with this lovely place. All worth it, we paid… found a spot on the crowded beach and took a dip in the lake. It was great!

Minnetonka Cave is one of the larger limestone caves in the state of Idaho. It is located in Cache National Forest in Bear Lake County, Idaho, United States, above the village of St. Charles (located at the north end of Bear Lake). Tours through the cave are offered from Memorial Day (weather permitting) through Labor Day by Scenic Canyons Recreational Services, the concessionaire that holds the special use permit from the United States Forest Service. The half-mile route through the cave is lined with stalactites and stalagmites.

Fossil Butte National Monument is a United States National Monument managed by the National Park Service, located 15 miles (24 km) west of Kemmerer, Wyoming, United States. It centers on an extraordinary assemblage of Eocene Epoch (56 to 34 million years ago) animal and plant fossils associated with Fossil Lake—the smallest lake of the three great lakes which were then present in what are now Wyoming, Utah, and Colorado. The other two lakes were Lake Gosiute and Lake Uinta. Fossil Butte National Monument was established as a national monument on October 23, 1972.

Fossil Butte National Monument preserves the best paleontological record of Cenozoic aquatic communities in North America and possibly the world, within the 50-million-year-old Green River Formation — the ancient lake bed. Fossils preserved — including fish, alligators, bats, turtles, dog-sized horses, insects, and many other species of plants and animals — suggest that the region was a low, subtropical, freshwater basin when the sediments accumulated, over about a 2 million-year period.

How did this happen? Traveling in Wyoming is subtly different in this area. The ground needed to cover is much while the creeks and streams listed on maps are nothing more than sometime wet spots. Thanks to Matt’s expert map sleuthing and some luck, we ended up at a beautiful location just East of the next day’s adventure sport Fossil Butte National Park.

The group split in the morning as needs were different. This was the 4th and we agreed to meet in Soda Springs, Idaho for the evening for fireworks and rest in a hotel *(shower required.) We spent time at the Fossil Butte Monument and learned about how all the fossils got there. I’ve seen fossils before but the ones there are stunning. They are so complete and so well defined and preserved. It truly was amazing. Our kids did the Junior Ranger program as we do at all parks and got another badge for their collection.

Moving on we took the ‘scenic drive’ north from the visitor’s center. This was an excellent two-track and we made great time as we traveled through epic country. Many times we could see three mountain ranges away from our location. We saw a lot of wildlife as well and domestics such as cattle and sheep. At one point a small two person plane buzzed us on the ridge. Matt, who is an avid and new pilot, really liked that… as did we all.

A quaint settlement it is being revived by the LDS church and the family and church ties are well displayed in the Holbrook Store. After getting a Sarsaparilla and a couple lolly pops for the kids, we headed north again towards Bone, Idaho…

Bone is little more than a country store on a gravel road in the middle of nowhere. Awesome, right? This is a must do location (mark it down, go there.) They have a full kitchen, bar, and pool table. The place is done up real nice and the Nachos are amazing. Just remember: they do not have ice cream, repeat: no ice cream… This was a shock and a bummer but we got over it pretty quick.

Loading up and an exhilarating drive down Wolverine canyon and the ‘W’ found us pressed for time as we took full advantage of the high speed limit to try and make it to EBR-1. This is a location that several wanted to get to and we pushed hard but alas, we did not make it. The place was all locked up and closed when we rolled in. So we did the next best thing and checked out the other ‘stuff’ around the site.

Chesterfield is a ghost town in Caribou County, Idaho, United States. It is located in Gem Valley at an elevation of 5,446 feet (1,660 m).  The community includes a cemetery  and former buildings of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) such as a former meeting house, amusement hall and tithing house.

Located along a route of the Oregon Trail, Chesterfield was founded by Mormon settlers in 1881. After a railroad line was built through Bancroft to the south, the community lost some of its momentum, and agricultural difficulties led to its desertion by the end of the 1930s. Today, the community is operated as a tourist attraction, with guided tours and a museum.

In 1980, the community was listed on the National Register of Historic Places as a historic district and is also on the Mormon Historic Sites Foundation’s Mormon Historic Sites Registry. The historic district includes 41 buildings and eight sites, spread out over an area of 2,160 acres (870 ha). Some buildings in the district are examples of the Greek Revival and Queen Anne architectural styles.

FROM: Wikipedia