Shoshone Falls | Twin Falls | Provo, Utah

Provo, Utah:  Big Day Today! Many photos to post! We had another rainy, cold night near Twin Falls. Another camper came in to the campground, so we didn't have a totally boring evening last night. We were up early to drive to Twin Falls and Shoshone Falls. We had visited Shoshone Falls years ago with Lisa when she was quite small and the water was barely trickling over the cliff. We figured if we went in April - after days of rain, the falls would be just like the postcard.

Not.

Your first clue is that the waterfalls are "maintained" by the Idaho Power Company. They can turn off a waterfall like you and I can turn off a faucet. Today, it looked like someone forgot to turn the faucet "off" completely, so there was a little trickle for our amusement. In reality, Shoshone Falls are higher than Niagara and the entire side of the cliff should be covered with cascading waters... but it hasn't happened since 1997.

Shoshone Falls - imagine the entire cliff covered with water!


The view of the Snake River down-river

We were lucky enough to find a few elk (since they were in a pen) and also saw a few (wild) Yellow Bellied Marmots. Idaho Power charges $3 to see the "falls", but the view down river is kinda worth it. Definitely a rip for the falls though. After this huge investment, we drove on to Twin Falls. Not much water there either!

Twin Falls

And, I don't know if you noticed or not... but there is only one "twin"... the fall to the right of this one is completely dry. Ok... so much for Idaho.  We went back to the campground, hitched up and headed east on I-84 and turned south on I-15 through Salt Lake City and are camped in Provo on the shore of lovely Utah Lake. We had spent 3 days in Salt Lake City the last time through here, so decided to try something new. DT ran the NCAA's at BYU almost 30 years ago and thought it would be fun to revisit the scene. The race was such a long time ago, that he actually ran a 3 MILE (not a 5,000 meter). He finished 8th in the nation. (Most people would be elated, but to DT it is not winning.) The Big Loser can't remember his time... or he claims he can't remember his time.

Utah Lake with the beautiful Wasatch Mountains in the distance

Provo is simply a beautiful town. Like Salt Lake City a few miles north, it sits at the base of the Wasatch Mountains. The mountains shoot straight up - there are basically no foothills.  The streets are wide, wide, wide!  The houses are neat and tidy and there is a trampoline in every back garden.  We didn't take the official campus tour because it was graduation - a very busy scene today. It seemed very early for graduation to us, but it was explained that Brigham Young students do not take a Spring Break (oh, don't even get me started on that) so they graduate early. Campus had changed drastically in 30 years. We never did find the track, but found a gorgeous new football stadium and a fabulous state-of-the-art baseball facility. Over 30,000 students attend BYU. The campus is huge, and apartment buildings surround the area for a mile in every direction. The campus is very attractive, nicely landscaped, not a bit of litter in sight - very nice! It was SO windy; we didn't even want to get out of the car.  We decided to take the drive up Provo Canyon to see Bridal Veil Falls and Sundance Ski Resort.

Bridal Veil Falls


A view near Sun Dance in Provo Canyon

Bridal Veil was another trickling waterfall. There is still a lot of snow on the mountains, so I have no idea why the falls are so sparse. It was so cold and windy, maybe it is too cold for the snow to melt?  Robert Redford's Sun Dance ski resort is very nice. It looks very rustic, but I bet it is very expensive - small and oh-so exclusive.

By now, it was getting dark and we were getting hungry. I have a full kitchen with me, but we were tired and wanted to go out. We tried a few places, but because of graduation most restaurants were swamped. We found a TGI Friday near campus, attached to a Marriott Hotel and stopped in. No crowds, so we asked for a table for two. Then we noticed something very strange. There was no bar. I don't know about you, but every Friday’s we have ever been to have a huge bar in the center and tables all around. This Friday’s just had tables. We asked if they had a bar and the hostess said "Yes, would you like to sit at the bar?" We said yes and she pointed back to the corner. We headed that way, but we could not see a bar. We kept walking. Back in the corner were six bar stools. Bar stools were a good sign. They were situated in front of a counter... however; there was a barrier between the counter and the bar!  No kidding. It was like the bar was a service area where waiters would go to fetch a clean fork or a bottle of mustard. Very strange, but, we were in Utah. We sat down and in a few moments the top of a head was visible over the barrier. Then, he stood on his tip-toes and we saw a friendly face asking if we would like a drink. Hallelujah!  "This is the Place!"

We had a fat-free meal (you know I am kidding, right? We were at Friday's!) and chatted up the bartender. To be honest: he wasn't very busy. He said he had poured two other drinks today already. Even he (from Texas) said every Friday's he had ever seen was a bar that happened to serve food. He took drink orders for room service at the hotel and told us they sometimes get busy in the bar because most visiting college teams stay at the Marriott when they play BYU and come to the bar after the games.  What a hoot!

RV Park: Lakeside RV Campground in Provo, Utah