Niagara Falls of the West

After surviving the Spring flu/virus/sinus infection from hell, (a lot of it was spent in a fever induced mucinex haze), I was happily back in the saddle this week. I’m chomping at the bit to start working within my territory. And this week I got to assist with an installation for one of my customers in Twin Falls, ID. Since it’s only a few hours southeast of Boise, I drove. I was there for two days. On the 2nd day, I ended up doing the training by myself!

Twin Falls is a smaller, quiet town. There is a high concentration of Mormons there. And I did drive by a beautiful temple for the LDS. The drive out was pretty boring, but peaceful with flat plains filled with sagebrush and mountains in the distance. The landscape in Southern Idaho is so varied and still strange to me.

As per my usual modus operandi, I looked up things to see in Twin Falls since I had a few extra hours to spare. I realized one of the items on my list of things to see was only 3 miles outside Twin Falls.

Shoshone Falls is called the Niagara of the West. I’ve read that it’s 45 ft higher than Niagara. It marks the upper limit of Salmon migration in the Snake River. In the early 1900’s, a dam was built to divert the snake river for irrigation of desert land for farming. Spring is the best time to visit as the falls are full and vigorous from the snow melt. So I timed it just right. As soon as I got out of the car, I felt the mist in the air from the falls. What a glorious sight!

https://video.wixstatic.com/video/8200d4_2e2a108a3a7043ca9524ed3c24836729/360p/mp4/file.mp4

Next I took a detour on my way back to the main road to explore an incredibly blue lake. Dierkes. Lake is 191 acre park in what was originally a blind canyon. It was discovered by a German Immigrant, John Dierkes. Currently the park is a favorite for fishermen and swimmers. Although it’s still too cold for swimming, there were a few fishermen out. The lake is stocked with trout and Bluegill. I haven’t been able to find out what makes the water such an incredible color - other than blue-green algae. And apparently there are stories of a Lake Monster.

Next up was visit to the Perrine Bridge. It’s a four lane span across the river and is the only man-made structure where Basrle jumping is allowed year round without a permit. (No thanks!) There’s a pull off and walkway next to the highway for tourists. It was an impressive view of the Snake River. All in all a lovely visit. And I may be back in a few weeks. Next week I’m back to Seattle to tour Philips manufacturing facility.

As always, thanks for reading.