Big Sky to Sun Valley

Today was our 315 mile drive to Sun Valley which was interesting but uneventful.  A sunny day with little traffic and no weather issues.  The start of the drive was thru Yellowstone for the first 30 miles which is beautiful with lots of snow and follows the Gallatin River.  We were basically backtracking the first 80 miles the same route driving up from Jackson Hole.  Driving past West Yellowstone thru Island Park along the Madison river was very scenic. The next part over the Idaho plains was mostly potato fields and some rivers.  We stopped in Idaho Falls for lunch, gas, a car wash and even lucked out and got a badly needed oil change at the local GMC dealer, as part of the cars maintenance plan.  The Yukon Denali has performed perfectly and has been very comfortable and has even averaged 19-20 MPG.

After Idaho Falls we rode on the Peaks to Craters Scenic Highway. We passed the Idaho National Labs which is a 900 Sq. mile facility that dates back to the 1940's with a history of developing nuclear reactors.  The lab today employs 8,000 people who most work on nuclear sustainability and national security.  We then passed the Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve which is an 1,100 sq mile national preserve, created in 1924 and situated at 6,000 feet above sea level.  It has the best examples of the 3 types of lava fields and craters of any place in the US.  The final part of the drive included passing through low mountains and ranch land until the Sun Valley area of Hailey and Ketchum was reached.

Our hotel Knob Hill Inn is delightful.  Large room with a balcony, real wood fireplace and contemporary style.  We will be having dinner here tonight and look forward to skiing tomorrow.  When we arrived in town we ran a few errands.  We found a great thrift shop where we bought some retro ski clothes at very low prices which we will wear next week in Deer Valley for the Red White And Snow event. We also found a great wine shop.

Gallatin River in Yellowstone

Craters of the Moon

 The Mountains