We left Great Falls bright and early and headed south on I-15. The interstate follows the Missouri River and along her banks are the rich green color of crops with a back drop of the dry harvest brown prairie. It was miles of miles of crops until we reach the popular Montana mountains and passes outside of Helena. That is when we slowed down to enjoy the views.
Once we passed Idaho Falls, we pointed the motorhome west on I-86 to Twin Falls. There we needed to head south again so we took Highway 93, crossed the Snake River and stopped at the visitors center next to the bridge. I would sheepishly say it’s all about timing but it was pure luck, we got to watch base jumpers jumping off the Snake River Perrine Bridge.
INFO-“Originally named the Twin Falls-Jerome Intercounty Bridge, a steel cantilever bridge was opened to traffic 90 years ago in September 1927; at the time it was the highest bridge in the world….It is a popular BASE jumping site known all over the world. It may be the only man-made structure in the United States where BASE jumping is allowed year-round without a permit….It is approximately 1,500 feet in total length, with a main span of 993 feet and a deck height of 486 feet above the Snake River. It is the eighth highest bridge in the United States.”
The drive south on Highway 93 was 100 miles of straight two lane road through the desert with a sharp cross-wind. I was glad when we hit I-80 and no more cross wind. The local TV stations news have been reporting about the wildfires in the northern Nevada/California mountains and we were heading right into that direction. We could see the smoke haze in front of us but no fire. The brisk wind from the west seem to keep the interstate clear but the surrounding mountains was hard to see them with the cover of dense smoke.
We need to be in Palm Springs California next week for Denise’s mom funeral but we didn’t want to get there to early because it is +120F. We decide to stay in Reno area for a couple of days. It was hard for us to find a RV spot. With the temperature close to 100F and it doesn’t cool much at night, we need to be hooked up to power to run the AC. We learned that Reno/Lake Tahoe/Sierra Nevada area is filled with summer vacationers and if you didn’t make reservations last year, your out of luck. We checked out Camp-N-Town RV Park in Carson City, twenty five mile south of Reno and got a spot. It’s a full park but they had a site available. I think we were very lucky.
During an afternoon of high heat, we decided to take in a museum, the National Automobile Museum in downtown Reno. “….The museum was built in the 1980’s after Bill Harrah’s vast automobile collection was bought, sold, and restored. Bill loved automobiles and amassed a vast collection over his lifetime, including the establishment of a huge restoration facility and library. Many of the more unique and important models are still on display ranging from the early prototypes to the modern classics.”
