The Snake

This country has some great rivers. Not all of them are big and long and mighty, such as the Mississippi, but they all have a character all their own. And, together, they seem to tie the entire continent together, binding everything with one great flowing stream of liquid highway.

My favorite is the Snake River, particularly as it flows across Southern Idaho. The terrain is rugged; a cross between high desert plains, jagged mountain ranges and mesas whose tops have been worn smooth over the centuries by the high winds that are legendary in this area. Where else can you see signs that say "Frequent Dust Storms Possible - Do Not Stop On Roadway."

The Snake, which has its beginning high in the mountains of northwestern Wyoming in the Yellowstone National Park, is well over 1,000 miles long and literally snakes its way across some of the harshest landscapes America has to offer. After leaving Wyoming on a westerly course through Idaho Falls, it begins a sweeping southerly arc by Pocatello and on over through Twin Falls before turning north to pass west of Boise and on into Hell's Canyon on the Oregon/Idaho state line. Then, its north and west until somewhere near Kennewick, Washington, it becomes part of the Columbia River/Basin system. By the way, Hell's canyon, the nation's deepest canyon at just over 8,000 feet, was carved by the Snake, and is completely inaccessible by road - the only way in or out is by water (tough going) or by chopper (not a great idea either).
     
Last Spring I had the opportunity to drive I-86 West from Pocatello to Twin Falls. The water levels were very high, but across that stretch the river moves at a rather pedestrian pace. It is wide and powerful looking, and mountains and mesas come right up to the water's edge in many places along the northern side of the river. I-86 runs along the southern shore and offers some spectacular views of the river as is moves alternately closer to and further away from the highway. And it seems to go on forever.
     
At Twins Falls, you can drive across a bridge that spans "Magic Valley." We got to do this twice recently, and it is one of the most unnerving experiences I have ever been through. I'm not sure how deep the canyon is at that point, but it is deep enough to give you that queasy feeling in the pit of your stomach as you drive over it. There is one place in the valley where the land adjoining the river flattens out - and someone built a golf course there. Whoever built that course is now one of my heroes and I am going back to Twin Falls to play that course someday before I die.
     
We picked up a load of raw sugar in Twin Falls. Who would have thought Idaho was a sugar hot spot.
     
You learn a lot of strange things in this job.