Potatoes...On the Moon

Last Monday, Devin, Lexie, Jeff, Phil, and I hopped in the car and drove up to Idaho, of all places.  Idaho seems like an odd place to go for a mini-vacation.  After all, there's not all that much in Idaho other than very straight roads, cows, and potatoes.  But the Museum of Idaho had the Bodies exhibit going on.  Since I was in China the last time they rolled into Salt Lake, I really wanted to go.  During one of our Tuesday pow-wows up at the University of Utah, Lexie, Jeff, and I decided we wanted to go and see it.  Lexie is very interested in anatomy (which is good, as she's going to be a doctor).  She talked with Devin, and he decided he wanted to go too if we threw in something fun like going to the Craters of the Moon National Monument or an opal mine in Spencer, Idaho.  We decided to go to the Craters of the Moon.  I kidnapped Phil and we drove up to Idaho Falls after I got home from work on Monday morning.  (I can now say I've driven to Idaho Falls.  Woo!)

The exhibit was very interesting, though I would have liked it to be a bit longer.  It's amazing the sorts of things people can do with plastic and body parts.  The circulatory system part of the exhibit was pretty neat--I couldn't really picture how many veins and arteries are in the body until I saw them.  Bodies are exciting.

After eating at a pretty good (but also very busy) burger joint, I let Phil drive my car to the Craters of the Moon and I rode shotgun in my car.  I probably should have slept as I ended up awake for over twenty-four hours, but I don't like riding in cars.  Even when the scenery is just Idaho.  Here's a bunch of pictures:

It looks a lot like the moon, doesn't it?

Devin and Lexie make a cute couple.  This is after our hike through a lava tube.

Jeff decided to hike through a tiny lava tube.  Now you see him...

Now you don't!

And here he is on the other side!  He actually climbed up and out of that side.

Devin, Jeff, and Lexie inside one of the lava tubes

The other side of the same lava tube

Inside the lava tube.  He smiled!  In a picture.  Weird.

More hiking in the lava tube.  Devin was our fearless leader.

Jeff and Lexie following Devin

And another smile!

Outside the lava tube.  I think Phil must be happy or something because he's smiling again.

This is Jeff standing inside a tree mold.  When the lava came up, it left impressions of some of the trees behind.  Which was pretty cool to look at.

Hiking back to the trail after exiting the lava tube.  I don't think Phil is smiling in this one because I don't think he saw I was taking his picture.

In the lava tube.  Devin has his handy light on.

We went skiing in one of the tubes (which gives you an indication of how cold it was).  My hands were freezing after getting down this.

Our lovely campsite.  It rained.  A lot.  And was misty.  And windy.  And cold.  But fun!

It was really windy on the top of the Inferno Cone.  It was also a really mean hike in the wind to get to the top.  But the view was spectacular.  When the mist finally went away.

We had a bit of a crisis on Monday evening when the stove didn't work and we couldn't cook our spaghetti.  Or pancakes for breakfast.  Fortunately, Arco wasn't too horribly far away.  We drove to town and ate at Pickle's Place.  I had a delicious Crater Burger with olives on it.  It was a good burger.  We dropped by a tiny little store and picked up pastries and twinkies for breakfast.  The weather was nice on the second day, though it was still freezing cold.  Better than hot.  I imagine those black rocks get really hot during the summer.

As promised, this post also includes coverage of the great Funeral Potato Bake-off!  Woo! For those of you who don't know what funeral potatoes are, they're the traditional food served at funerals and church functions in these parts that include potatoes, cheese, sour cream, some sort of soup, and whatever else the chef wants to add.  There were four delicious pans of hot, cheesy potatoes at our get-together on Sunday.  We basically followed the same recipe, but they all tasted very different.  I decided to try something new and put pepperjack cheese in mine instead of cheddar.  They were delicious, I must admit.

Lydia did the tallying at the end of our little get-together.  And Liz won.  By one point.  Mom and I tied in second place, and Lexie got third.

Although Lexie got last place, her potatoes went first in the line-up.  I forgot where I put my camera and only got a shot at the end.  From the left: Lexie's potatoes, mine, Mom's, and then Liz's.

As you can see in the picture, it was rainy.  Which meant that my plan to take Phil to Lagoon the following day fell through. Instead, we went to pick up Tasha and then went to the Nickelcade in Ogden.  I got an awesome bracelet and toe ring.  Okay, they weren't that awesome.  Tasha got some neat prizes because she's very good at arcade games, apparently.  It was fun, and then the three of us randomly decided to go to Antelope Island on the way back. That's not really a trip I need to make again, though I have now finally stepped into the water of the Great Salt Lake.  We saw an antelope.  And a few buffalo far away.  They looked like dark bushes.  It was cold there, too.

My next post will be an exciting one, so look out for it in the next few days!  We're going to Topaz Mountain on Monday.