Day 89: Lava Hot Springs, Potato Museum, and a Fatal Nuclear Accident

While we didn't have the best sleep parked in a petrol station frequented by truck drivers at all hours of the night (with many vehicles seeming to drive right alongside us), we hoisted ourselves out of bed to head over to Lava Hot Springs, where they have hot springs all year round, as well as a water park nearby in the warmer months (not yet open when we went).

We'd previously visited Glenwood Hot Springs Resort in Colorado, and in comparison, the hot springs in Idaho was much cheaper to visit ($8 for the whole day!), and did not emit the sulfur smell characteristic of the one in Colorado (and many other hot springs around the world, like the ones we've visited in Iceland). That's because its water contains very little hydrogen sulfide, the gas that gives off that "rotten eggs" smell. Rather, the hot springs are fed by natural geothermal springs that originate from deep underground, but not from volcanic or sulfur-rich rock, and it's rich in minerals such as manganese, sodium, iron, calcium bicarbonate, potassium, magnesium, iron, zinc and fluoride.

The springs were historically used by local Bannock and Shoshone Native Americans, and in the early 1800s, explorers and fur trappers knew of the hot springs, which became popular with travelers heading to California and Oregon in the 1840s and 50s. In 1902, the Shoshone and Bannock peoples ceded the hot springs site and surrounding acreage to the U.S. government.

Despite us arriving on a weekday before lunchtime, there were quite a few people basking in the various pools, which are slightly different temperatures. It was super relaxing for us to sit there for about an hour and a half, and we left feeling like our joints and muscles were rejuvenated and ready for the next adventure.

Bison, Idaho Fries and Wild Mushrooms

We're not sure why sitting and lounging around in a hot pool stimulates the appetite, but we were ready for lunch after the relaxing hot spring experience, so walked around the small town of Lava Hot Springs to find a place to grab a bite. We found a nice-looking place called Eruption Brewery and Bistro (well named), which seems like it'd be an entertaining place to eat in the evenings, with live music every weekend and craft beer on tap.

There were a few intriguing items on the menu, and Michael ordered the bison burger with Idaho fries. Now, with so many potatoes coming out of Idaho, aren't most fries technically Idaho fries? In this instance, the fries were like a wedge in thickness, but somehow curled around. They were pretty good! Lisette loves mushrooms, so she was happy with her wild mushroom pizza with olives and roasted onions.

After lunch we walked around town and saw the river that flows through Lava Hot Springs, the Portneuf River, a popular body of water to go tubing over the summer. It looked like it would be a really fun activity, as the river looked perfect for tubing--narrow enough in parts, and with enough little bumps and rapids to make tubing exciting. We noticed that there were quite a few companies that were getting their tubers ready, ahead of what will likely be a busy summer season.

Pohtayto, Pohtato: The Idaho Potato Museum

Leaving Lava Hot Springs, our next stop was the Idaho Potato Museum! Idaho produces a whopping 13.5 billion tonnes annually, the most out of any US state, and naturally there is a museum that is an ode to this starchy vegetable. Idaho''s rich volcanic soil, clear water, clean air, and climate mean that potatoes thrive in this environment, with the russet potato mostly grown here.

The museum costs $7 each for adults, and while it goes into detail about the history of potatoes and how these made their way to the US from South America, exhibits with old potato farming tools and techniques, video games, and even a virtual reality experience to see how potatoes are harvested! It also features a whole exhibit with various Mr. Potato Head toys, and the largest potato chip produced, by Pringles, in 1991 (yes, it's still shown behind glass, with no signs of mold, but it is slightly chipped, pun intended)! At the back of the museum, naturally there's a little cafe where you can buy a few potato treats, including fries and baked potatoes.

Idaho Nuclear Reactor

After a brief grocery stop, we continued driving past a lot of sweeping fields before noticing signs for EBR-I, the world's first nuclear power plant. Yes, it was news to us that this first was in Idaho! It's no longer in operation, but it was produced enough electricity to power the nearby town of Arco (which proudly boasts that it's the first community to ever be lit by electricity generated by nuclear power--this lasted for about an hour in 1955). Unfortunately the museum was closed when we were there (it's open from May to September), but it was interesting to read the signposts outside that delves into Idaho's nuclear history, which includes details about the attempt for the first nuclear-powered plane.

For many people, "Chernobyl" in Ukraine is the first place to come to mind when thinking about nuclear accidents. However, the US had its own nuclear incident before Chernobyl. On January 3, 1961, three US military men were killed when the SL-1 reactor had a very rapid power surge, resulting in a steam explosion. There's a plaque and more information on what happened that faithful day at this same site. Lisette was vaguely creeped out by the eerie feel to this place, and demanded that Michael pick Sheila up so she wouldn't randomly lick or eat anything on the ground here!

Arco Number Hill and the Devil Boat

Arco's population was a mere 1,200 people at the time it was lit up by nuclear energy, and it's now shrunk to about 900. As we got closer, we noticed a hill with a lot of numbers painted on it. Shooting range, perhaps? We looked it up and found out that every year the graduating class of Butte County High School paints their graduation year here, a tradition since 1920. We didn't look closely enough, but we're guessing there should be double ups of the 20s years, since it's been over a century?

In front of the Number Hill there's a submarine sail of the USS Hawkbill, nicknamed the Devil Boat because its number is 666. For such a small town, Arco and its surroundings definitely have a lot of interesting factoids!

Entering Craters of the Moon

Our final stop was heading towards Craters of the Moon National Monument & Preserve, which we'd be exploring further the next day. Thanks to volcanic cones and solidified lava flows, the rugged, blackened landscape could very much be somewhere you'd expect on the moon--or maybe in Mordor, the dark and desolate land ruled by Dark Lord Sauron in Lord of the Rings. We found a place to stop where we could see one other RV in the distance, but otherwise there was not a soul around us as we parked for the night.

Route Map