drivetofive

Odometer (Legend):  529,310

Odometer (ILX):  78,764

Trip Distance:  340 Miles

A rainbow shimmered in the mist far below as I watched thousands gallons of the Snake River tumble to the canyon floor ahead of me.  Even from a viewing platform at the opposite end of the canyon, the sound of the water crashing down was powerful.  Idaho’s name is the “Gem State,” and I cay say with a certainty that Shoshone Falls must be one of the state’s hidden gems.  Even more impressive:  Shoshone, just outside the small town of Twin Falls, is a full 50 feet taller than world-famous Niagara Falls at the New York – Ontario border!

I was inspired by my friend Josh’s recent post about his visit to Shoshone in southern Idaho, so when I put together a plan to visit some family in northern Utah for a long weekend, I figured it was well-worth the 5-hour round trip drive to lay eyes on the “Niagara of the West.”  I was right.  For anyone in the western U.S., you need to see this place.

After exiting Cache Valley last Saturday morning, most of my drive was on Interstate 84 westbound which routes northwesterly through some rolling hills of northern Utah.  Amenities are few and far between along this stretch.  Thankfully, Utah has posted the speed limits through that region at 80 miles per hour so the drive goes fairly quickly.  I set the cruise control at the ILX at 80 which revs the 2.4 liter at around 3,400 RPM.  A critical pit stop – of course – was when I got a photo at the Idaho state line.  Josh had agreed to meet me at the falls, so at this point we were nose-to-nose in opposite directions on I-84.

From there, I-84 and I-86 intersected and I headed due west through the small southern Idaho towns of Rupert and Burley.  You may remember Burley from a trip through this same area last year to a family reunion.  Exiting the interstate toward Kimberly, I crossed the mighty Snake River on Hansen Bridge, a 1966 replacement to a suspension bridge that was initially constructed in 1916 as one of the only gorge crossings in the area.

As Josh and his 2005 Acura TSX finished up the last few miles of his westward trip toward Twin Falls from Boise, I had a few minutes to explore historic downtown Twin Falls.  I stumbled across a charming little Volkswagen / Porsche repair facility on Main Street called R.S. Garner Enterprises.

Josh and I met at the best sushi place in town, “Sushi Ya” on 2nd Avenue.  The all-you-can-eat menu hit the spot.  After lunch, I took a moment to admire the condition of Josh’s TSX.  Aside from a total of 3 or 4 dings in the body, the condition looks more like a 90,000 mile car than a 401,000 mile car.  I got a kick out of Josh’s description of how he sets up his windows & sunroof for optimal wind distribution throughout the cabin when he’s on his drives.  We cranked up our 2.4 liter engines and headed toward Shoshone just a few miles away.

Park entry was $3 and gave us access to Shoshone as well as an adjacent lake called Dierkes Lake.  Shoshone was everything it was cracked up to be.  The falls tumble 212 feet to the canyon floor.  Certain sections of the falls have individual names:  Bridal Veil, Two Graces, and Sentinel.  Water levels vary throughout the year, but at certain times it’s possible to see the entire span of the canyon flowing with water.  It’s also possible to see the falls nearly completely dry, as the Snake River is utilized for irrigation and hydroelectric power generation.  Josh and I hiked around the south rim of the canyon for a few minutes and admired the scenery. It wasn’t far from this place where famous stunt devil Evel Knievel attempted to jump a sky-cycle (motorcycle) across the entire (1,500-foot-wide) Snake River Gorge back in September 1974.  His attempt failed but he survived, caught by the wind and carried to the canyon floor by his parachute.

From Shoshone, we cruised a few minutes up the road and visited Dierkes Lake which was bustling with recreation on a Saturday afternoon.  There is even a diving board set up there for swimmers, and we saw others who preferred to cliff-dive into the blue-green water.

Our last stop before we headed separate ways was the I.B. Perrine Bridge.  It was completed in 1976 and stands 486 feet above the canyon floor.  Josh and I parked our Acuras at the north end of the bridge and walked down beneath it. The bridge is a popular place for “BASE” jumpers and we watched a couple of crazies jumping off it with parachutes and sailing to the river below.

I had a great time seeing some of Idaho’s beauty and I thank Josh for joining me for this adventure!  He and I will be getting together soon for more drives.  “I’m only 5-6 hours away from so many national parks!” he said.  Only someone with 400,000 miles on his Acura would say “only” in reference to a 6-hour drive.  Haha.

Here’s a video that contains a few of the photos from our trip as well as a short clip.

Heading out on a bright Saturday morning from Providence, Utah.  The Wellsville Mountain Range in the distance will be snow-capped for awhile yet this year.

I-84 West was a pretty lonely place aside from a handful of truckers out and about.

Not long after crossing into Idaho, two freeways merged together.

I set my sights on Twin Falls.

Stay Alert – Stay Alive!  It’s easy to get into a daze in this desolate stretch of southern Idaho.

Clever road name.

I took this one in Burley, Idaho for a friend named Conor.  Didn’t have the chance to try the menu!

Crossing the 1966 Hansen Bridge.

Parked at the overlook of the ravine near Hansen Bridge.

Made it to Twin Falls!

Can’t miss this place:  “Stinker” gas Station.  The Stinker name was coined originally in 1936 when the first station opened in Twin Falls.

A few shots of the VW repair facility called R.S. Garner Enterprises on Main Street.

Getting closer to the falls!

Best sushi place in town!

Battle of the bugs.

Josh takes a minute to refuel (only 91 octane for the TSX!) and clean up his windshield.

Here’s where the odometer sat at that very moment:  400,798.

I followed Josh the 4 or 5 miles to the area on the south side of the Snake River Gorge where Shoshone Falls was located.

Quick photo-op.

Happened to enter right behind a nice looking Acura MDX.

Brochure in-hand and ready to roll.

Here are some shots of the falls.

I can only imagine what these must look like when water is at full capacity.

Looking westward through the canyon at some of the cliffs.

Small waterfalls alongside the road.

Parked at Dierkes Lake.

Josh crossing the Snake River on the Perrine Bridge.

And here’s a look eastward through the ravine.

View underneath the Perrine Bridge.

View to the west, including a golf course.

Back on the road to run up a few more miles en route to Logan, Utah.

Passed this Canterbury Green 1994-95 Legend L/LS sedan but the driver didn’t even notice my thumbs-up.

Thanks for coming along!  And a huge thanks to Josh for being a great host in showing me around Twin Falls.  Be sure and follow his blog at TSX Travels for more of his insightful posts about driving his Acura around Idaho.

This entry was posted on May 8, 2014 at 5:59 am and is filed under ILX, Road Trip. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.