Day 9: Craters of the Moon National Park

Idaho. State of the Potato. But did you know it's also the home of an ancient volcano? Is it just a coincidence that the words potato and volcano almost rhyme? Or that Idaho, volcano, and potato all have three syllables and end with the letter O? We submit that these are not coincidental circumstances... they are a sign of destiny and proof of divine creation.

The same geothermal activity that makes Yellowstone's geysers and other volcanic features (officially called a "caldera" - science-geek lingo for BIG UNDERGROUND VOLCANO THAT'S GONNA BLOW-UP THE NORTH AMERICAN CONTINENT) was active 8 to 10 million years ago in Idaho where a treacherous landscape of lava rock remains today at Craters of the Moon National Park. Giant tubes of cooled lava left behind caves, a few of which we got to explore. Amazingly, even with the heat above ground, a few caves were coated in ice. We had a blast (pardon the pun) exploring the volcanic remnants...