h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Along the Snake River-Eastern Oregon and Southern Idaho

We did the 200 mile Hell's Canyon scenic loop yesterday. We saw miles of fertile farmland and winding US Forest Service roads.

Hell's Canyon is the deepest gorge in America at 1.5 miles deep. It was formed as part of an arc of undersea volcanic mountains in the South Pacific about 300 million years ago. Limestone rocks formed over the igneous rock on the sea bottom.The chunk of tectonic plate floated 2,000 miles north and collided with America. A vast uplifting and new igneous rock intrusions then took place amid considerable volvanism. During the ice ages, vast lakes in Montana repeatedly broke though glaciers and formed rivers with 1,000 times the volume of all the present day rivers in the world...at least so say the geologists. A strange and twisted history...geologic time runs on a different scale than human time.

Lewis and Clark crossed the Rockies and made their was down the Clearwater River to the Snake and then on to the Columbia.
I was a little surprised to see the Snake flowing north, but the Columbia is that way so it makes a certain sense. Lewis and Clark passed by here in the summer of 1804. The dams and locks make the rivers much easier to navigate for the most part.

These wild blackberries along the riverbank were very good.

Today was a fantastic driving day. Mrs. Phred did most of it. I discovered my old box of compilation CDs that I made while drinking Wild Turkey, late at night, back when I had to work. We listen to Pink Floyd, Alvin Lee, The Stones, Jerry Lee Lewis, Quicksilver Messenger Service, Hot Tuna, Santana, The Talking Heads, Violent Femmes, The Platters, Randy Newman, Jimmi Hendrix, etc. and watch the mountains, rivers and Idaho farmland roll by. For a change we hit the road at 6AM and make 450 miles by 3PM. The drive to the Grand Tetons tomorrow will only be a few hours more.

Suddenly we run into a blizzard of yellow grasshoppers in Idaho. Smack! Smack! All over the windshield. Just past that we drive through the the hundreds of square miles of The Craters of the Moon National Monument. Strangely, I'd been trying to remember the name of this place and where it was located for several days....there it was.
Blasted, torn, jagged black lava as far as the eye can see. Totally worthless desolate wasteland. What genius it was to turn it into a National Monument. I love it.

Pictures Here http://thefirecloudreport.blogspot.com/2009/08/hells-canyon-craters-of-moom.html

Dear Phred and Mrs Phred,

well, what a totally wonderful posting. You write so well and those quite magnificent photos make what you write live for me and I hope all of us.

You have certainly chosen a wonderful way to live your lives together as grandparents. !!
I have got a habit, when I see of date of comparing it to other dates of some of the little history that I know.

1804 - there was a lot going on in South africa then....

Thank you for your wonderful posting. I still hope that you will go back to Alaska. I would love to read about all your exploits there again. I have another friend who is also educating me about the history and geogrpahy of the USA. Between the two of you I am visiting and learning about your wonderful country in the most fascinating way, from friends who love their country.

Again a thousand thaks and enjoy today.

With affection to you both.

Christiane and Keith.

Interesting to see a different kind of lava from the malpais we have here: ours moved so slowly that it formed giant basalt crystals.

Beautiful photos as always, Phred. Makes me want to get out from behind this desk and go someplace.