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City of Light:
First Lit: July 17, 1955
Power Source: Atomic
Kilowatts: 2,000
Claim to Fame: Arco, Idaho became the first city in the world lighted by atomic energy.
Electricity was fed over lines serving Arco, producing approximately 2,000 kilowatts of electrical power over
two hours. The anniversary of this historic event is observed annually in Arco.
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It's So Cold, the Antifreeze Froze |
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Home of Television:
We stopped by Rigby, the birthplace of television! How exciting to find out that the inventor was none other than Max Headroom himself!
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Look Closer...
Why are there numbers painted on the side of this mountain?
Answer on Day 200!
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Only 8 More States To Go!
From the Hearth to the Moon
Jan 16 -
It was sad to say goodbye to Yellowstone; though the nights were cold, the mornings and evenings were warm and
toasty, and the days filled with fun and frolic.
However, the time had come and the destination was chosen... Craters of the Moon National Monument! Sounds
exciting, doesn't it? Actually, we had no idea what it was. It could have been anything from the place where
they discovered the telescope to a bunch of craters caused by a meteor shower in prehistoric times. We would
have to wait for the answer, but until then we could be content with a big fat circle on the roadmap.
Besides, there were plenty of places to visit before then...
We left Yellowstone the way we came in: out the top. It would have been a heck of a lot more convenient had more
than one entrance been open in the winter, but the only way around during off season is by snowmobile. So, instead
of a 40 minute drive to West Yellowstone, we had a two hour and 40 minute drive to West Yellowstone.
The town of Ennis. Now there's a place that's got "dirty limerick" written all over it...
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Along the way, we stopped in the little town of Three Forks, Montana for a statue of peeing oxen (yes, our life
is loaded with thrills). Apparently, there's a store somewhere in town called the Prairie Cafe with 12 foot
oxen out the side. There's some sort of control switch behind the counter that turns on the peeing oxen to
laugh at the tourists. We couldn't find it. At least, it wasn't on Main Street. I mean, if you've got 12 foot
peeing oxen, shouldn't they be on Main Street?
Anyway, we hooked a right at West Yellowstone, throwing us further West and finally popping us into Idaho, our
40th state. We woohooed a bit, tore another page out of the road atlas (metaphorically), and stared off into
the bleak landscape that the potato state had to offer. We couldn't figure out how they managed to farm the
greatest potatoes in America with all this freakin' snow. In fact, we couldn't even figure out how they managed
to see with all this freakin' snow.
After passing by the US Sheep Experiment Station (no tours available) and the Upper Mesa Falls (not plowed in
winter), we saw a huge sign for the birthplace of television. The inventor of the boob tube, Mr. Farnsworth
himself, created America's best friend in Rigby, Idaho. Without him, Jerry Springer,
Joey Lawrence and Bob Saget could have made a good honest living in the food service industry.
The rest of the drive was fairly uneventful. Highway 20 is long and empty, except for a brief jaunt through
the Idaho National Engineering & Environmental Lab. We're not sure what goes on there, but whatever it is,
it's very secret and very hidden. For twenty miles, there's nothing but bushes and scrub as far as the eye can
see, but every fifty feet there's a No Trespassing sign. Hmm.
On the other side of the INEEL we reached Arco, the world's first atomic powered city, but more importantly,
home of the Lazy A Motel and source of a hot shower. Ahh... the perfect end to a perfect day.
As for Craters of the Moon, it would have to wait until tomorrow. Thanks to Rigby, we're not going anywhere
until America's Funniest Home Videos is over.
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 Today's Weather:
White
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Lazy A Motel
 
The snow was intimidatingly deep so we sprung for the third hotel of our trip. We couldn't resist staying in an atomic powered motel! For dinner, we ate at the best place in town, Pickle's Place.
Cost: $32.00
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Bkfast:
  | Heated Bathroom
Yellowstone |
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| Kevin: | Cinnamon & Spice Oatmeal |
| Aimee: | Maple & Brown Sugar Oatmeal |
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Lunch:
| On the Road
Buttf**k, Idaho |
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| Shared: | Pretzels |
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Dinner:
| Pickle's Place
Arco, Idaho |
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| K's Order: | Atomic Burger |
| A's Order: | House Salad & Idaho Potato |
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| Cost: | $9.08 |
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