Drive Home

The trip home started with a 9.5 mile bike ride to Pocatello airport to pick up a rental car from Budget Rent a Car. On the way I crossed the Portneuf river one last time, shortly before it flows into the Snake river.

One last view of Portneuf river while pedaling to Pocatello airport.

I drove the rental car 733 miles from Pocatello airport to Eugene airport. Then my wife picked me up and drove me the final 70 miles home.

Instead of driving the direct and boring I-84 route in the Snake river valley, I detoured north to US 20 to see Idaho National Laboratory, Lava Beds National Monument, and Wild Rose hot spring. On US 20 I saw 4 solo eastbound bike travelers. It's a good bike route.

I have driven through Idaho National Laboratory several times but never took the turnoff to EBR-1 which was the world's first nuclear power plant to be connected to the electrical grid in 1951. The small reactor is a copy of the world's first fission reactor that produced power for brief periods at the University of Chicago. This one has cooling to allow it to operate for longer periods, and shielding to protect workers.

Experimental Breeder Reactor 1 was the first nuclear reactor to supply power to the grid in 1951.

The most interesting thing at the EBR-1 site is the nuclear powered jet engine prototypes. The laboratory successfully made small nuclear reactors for ships and submarines, so it sort of made sense to try making nuclear powered bombers. John Kennedy cancelled the project in 1961. It cost a billion 1950's dollars and wasn't even close to producing a nuclear powered aircraft.

Third and final prototype of a nuclear powered jet engine built in 1960.

I took my usual photo stop at a vista point in Lava Beds National Monument. I still have vivid memories of pedaling and hiking there in 2008.

And I took the usual stop at Wild Rose hot spring which is only 100 yards off US 20 at the western boundary of the national monument.

Wild Rose hot spring was the usual perfect 100F.

In Oregon I drove the rutted road to see if I could get to Juntura hot spring which is on an island in the middle of the Malheur river. I decided the river was too fast and deep to attempt the crossing. It's not a great soak anyway because the source pool is usually too hot, 108F. And right now the cooler riverside pool is probably swamped by the river.

Malheur river crossing to Juntura hot spring. I decided it's too deep and fast.

I spent the night at Rory and Ryan's Inn in Burns. Highly recommended.

The next day was more overcast, so there were no good volcano views when crossing the Cascade range. Rain started just before Santiam pass.

I stopped to see Sahalie falls, but the parking lot was overflowing. It's a holiday weekend. So I drove a bit further to the Koosah falls parking lot and hiked the McKenzie river upstream to Sahalie falls. Hiking a muddy trail in 50F/10C light rain was great welcome back to the verdant Pacific Northwest.

The waterfalls drop about 80 feet each. The McKenzie river probably drops 200 feet in the 0.7 mile between the waterfalls. Huge gradient.

Farther downstream I stopped to look at Deer Creek hot spring. As expected, the McKenzie river is still swamping the hot spring because the May rainfall has been extraordinary. Even if the river was lower, the hot spring would not be warm enough on a 50F/10C rainy day. It's a warm weather soak.

Deer Creek hot spring was swamped by the McKenzie river.

My final stop was much farther downstream at Goodpasture covered bridge. It's a very long covered bridge across the McKenzie river.

Goodpasture covered bridge got me thinking about my next bicycle tour theme. On June 20 I start a 12-day bike tour that will take me to 26 covered bridges in Oregon's Willamette valley.

Today's ride: 10 miles (16 km)
Total: 791 miles (1,273 km)

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