We checked out of the hotel and headed for a Dunkin' Donuts. Sharon really wanted her coffee so we picked up breakfast there. Of course, Dean wanted his Starbucks so we headed there next. It wasn't far so everyone was happy and we were ready to head out to the Grand Tetons.
Space Center/Museum #5 - Hill Aerospace Museum
We had found another air and space museum that was directly on our way so we decided it will be our first stop. It was Hill Aerospace Museum on HIll Air Force Base in Brigham City, UT. There were airplanes outside and two museum areas inside...lots and lots of planes and helicopters. We explored the inside first. Sharon enjoyed talking with the volunteers and finding out different information about the Band of Brothers tours where you retrace the military locations of your loved ones. We were able to ask questions of these men and learned so much.
There was another Air Force One Half plane and so we asked the volunteers which President's plane it was. The men explained that although LBJ had ridden in it several times to give it its Air Force One status, the plane really was Lady Bird's plane to fly back and forth from Washington, D.C. to the Texas Ranch.
We especially loved the SR-71C known as the Blackbird. Of course, Robin still loved seeing the USAF T-38s which are used by NASA pilots as well. She practiced her new knowledge she learned at PIMA as to which planes were A-10s and which ones were F-16s. If she learns those two on this trip, it will be a miracle as Dean whips off the names of many of the aircraft he sees and is usually right.
National Historic Site #23 - Golden Spike National Historic Site
We left Hill Aerospace Museum and traveled on to Golden Spike National Historic Site in Promontory Summit, UT. This was where the First Transcontinental Railroad met and the "Golden Spike" was driven, connecting both sides of the railroad.
At the Visitor Center, we learned the background of the Central Pacific Railroad and Union Pacific Railroad. Each of the railroads had their own plan, which did not meet. The Union Pacific Railroad started from Omaha, NE and the Central Pacific Railroad started from Sacramento, CA.
President Abraham Lincoln signed the Railroad Act of 1862 which authorized the building of this railroad. The underlying premise of building this railroad was to build it fast, build it cheap and go back and fix it later. This caused Congress to make a hasty decision to give loans to the 2 railroad companies specified as: $16,000 for each mile of track of flat prairie land, $32,000 per mile for hilly terrain, and $48,000 per mile in the mountains. This created a real rivalry between the two companies to reach Utah first. As they got closer to meeting, their paths were running parallel with neither side wanting to compromise. The government had to threaten federal investigation in order for the two lines to finally reach an agreement on Promontory Summit, UT as their meeting place.
As we went outside to see the joining ties and spikes, we noticed a real difference in the timber used for the railroad ties. Some of the ties had been milled and others were roughly cut. We asked the ranger to explain once we finished outside. He explained that the Union Pacific had used cottonwood timber because it was all that was available at the end. They previously had hardwood available until they pushed further west when it became harder to find. The cottonwood used only lasted about 3 years before rotting. The Central Pacific used hardwoods, including redwoods and ponderosa pine, most of the way because they were readily available. Once they got over the Coast Mountains, they used native woods which were milled in Verdi, NV and other cities east of the mountains.
We learned so much and enjoyed seeing the replica of the Jupiter train. The other train, Engine 119, was out for maintenance. The ranger did tell us that the steam in the engine was real and kept under pressure daily.
As we drove to Golden Spike National Historic Site, we noticed signs for Orbital ATK at the turnoff. On our drive out, we decided to take a quick look since we knew that Orbital ATK was a big contributor to the space program. Since it was a secured working operation, we only visited their Rocket Garden.
State #10 - IdahoWe left Utah and headed into Idaho. The first thing that hit us was the signs requiring all vessels to exit the interstate for inspection. This is a land-locked state. Really?
The interesting sights continued. Hay bales were everywhere. Huge tires were cut in half and stacked to make a wind shield. Of course, the 80 mph speed limit signs amazed Richard and Sharon.
The next thing we saw signs for was the Idaho Potato Museum. How could we not go see this? Since it was on our way through Blackfoot, ID, we decided to stop. Unfortunately, it was closed but we got pictures of the huge potato outside.
By now, we were all hungry so we looked for a place to eat once we got to Idaho Falls, ID. We chose Famous Dave's for bar-b-que. Richard and Sharon had not eaten at a Famous Dave's so this was a real experience for them. The boys especially enjoyed meeting Wilbur the mascot.
Now that we were relaxed, our drive continued with Richard at the wheel. The roads began winding through green pastures and scenic views. We saw 1 roadrunner and a few deer along this path.
State #11 - WyomingThe day turned to dusk and we continued on as we crossed state lines again, this time into Wyoming. The roads got really winding as we increased elevation in the mountains. By now, it was dark and we had seen a couple more deer. We stopped at the overlook at Teton Pass. The moon was so bright and we could see lights down below.
Finally, we reached our destination, Snake River Lodge. It was all lit up, both outside and inside. While the boys checked us in, Sharon and Robin explored the lobby and took pictures of all of the decor.
We went to our 2 bedroom suite and were so impressed. We were going to live in luxury for the next 3 nights. After taking photos of the place before we settled in, we all crashed for the night. We had lots of adventures planned for the next 2 days and needed to get some sleep.
