Canada/West 2022:
Day 21 - Craters of the Moon

	Tuesday, August 30, 2022: We had a delicious breakfast from McDonald's on our way out of Boise, ...
	... through open grazing land, ...
	... and into the Boise National Forest.
	Driving through mountain country is always beautiful.
	Check out these rocks sticking straight out of the hillside.
	We stopped at a scenic overlook to check out the view back down the valley. There were cows grazing just past the fence. One stopped grazing and stared at us for a long, uncomfortable moment before moving on.
	There was an Idaho State Highway right-of-way marker embedded in the ground next to the pavement.
	We left the overlook and made our way through Sawtooth National Forest.
	Outside the town of Picabo, we crossed over Silver Creek, ...
	... and about an hour later we entered Craters of the Moon National Monument.
	As you first enter the monument, the landscape doesn't look all that different, ...
	... but a little further on, the south side of the highway looks like molten lava that has only recently cooled.
	We drove toward the visitor's center. We weren't staying here this trip, but we were here last year and wanted to take another quick look while we were passing by.
	There was a Class B RV visible in the campground that looked very much like our beloved The Ocho.
	We left the visitor's center area and headed east, watching a plane cropdusting a nearby field.
	As we neared the town of Arco, Idaho, we saw numbers on the hill overlooking the town. These are the years of graduating classes from the local high school. We saw years dating back to 1939 that were still visible. What a cool idea.
	The City of Arco municipal building had a marquee that boasted that Arco is the "first city in the world to be lit by atomic power."
	The Sawtooth Club's vintage neon sign probably looks amazing after dark.
	There was an exhibit by the Idaho Science Center on the side of the road leading south out of town, ...
	... appropriately named "Idaho's Submarine in the Desert." It was the conning tower of the USS Hawkbill, a Sturgeon class nuclear submarine that was decommissioned in March, 2000, and was scrapped in December that same year. Her sail is preserved here.
	There was a replica of a Mark 14 torpedo, the primary weapon used on US Navy submarines from 1929 until 1970. There were also two stones dedicated to all of the US Navy submarines and sailors that have been lost at sea.
	We got take-out from Pickle's Place, home of the Atomic Burger, although we didn't actually get the Atomic Burger. We were here specifically for Idaho's specialty, steak fingers, and got two orders to go, ...
	... and drove less than a mile down the road to the KOA Journey, which was camp for this day.
	Since it was still incredibly hot outside, we had booked one of their cabins, ...
	... which had a double bed, ...
	... a set of bunk beds, ...
	... desk, microwave, refrigerator, and (not shown) sweet, sweet air conditioning.
	We settled in and ate our take-out food, which was delicious.
	After lunch, we each took a COVID test to make sure we were negative, ...
	... because we were going to see our dear friends, Tom and Dianne. They had been on the road for a month, and when we found out they were going to be here, we changed our route to be able to meet up with them for the day.
	We sat in the shade on our cabin's porch, had snacks, drank lots of water, and talked and talked and talked. We had last seen them very briefly as we drove through Denver on our way to Salt Lake City last year.
	We were invited to have dinner at Tom and Dianne's campsite, so we took a 30 minute break while they headed back to their site to get dinner started.
	Shortly after they left, Tom told Debbie, "Thank you for rearranging the trip so we could meet up with them. This has been magical." He was right.
	We passed another Class B that looked like The Ocho on our way to their campsite. This one was a Travato, and it had a very cool paint job on the back.
	There was shade in their campsite when we arrived, which was a very welcome surprise. Tom grilled bratwurst on their grill, ...
	... while we checked out their truck. Earlier in their trip, a deer had run across the road right into the side of their vehicle. Luckily, the damage was mostly superficial and they were able to continue with their plans, but their truck was looking a little rough.
	Here's another view of the hill with all of the class years on it.
	We had cocktails in the shade of their camper, ...
	... and a fantastic dinner of bratwurst, corn on the cob, and salad. Everything was so good.
	Hey, our new camera can do selfies!
	The mat at the entrance to their camper looks like a mix-tape.
	Debbie helped bring dishes inside and got another glimpse of their very cool camper, last seen when both couples visited our friends Nancy and Jim in Steamboat Springs in 2019. As before, we admired their eBags hanging from the walls.
	Dessert was sea salt caramel chocolates that they had picked up from a farmer's market that morning.
	The sun was going down when we said our goodbyes, ...
	... and we walked back to our cabin in the deepening darkness. It had been a perfect night with awesome friends.
	Debbie modeled her Macalester sleepwear to send a photo to fellow Mac alum Dianne: sweatpants from the giftshop purchased at the Macalester reunion in June, and a 1982 Springfest t-shirt that Doug had given her a few days ago. Day 22 >