Events of Sunday, July 11, 2010

I began today with a lovely walk. I awoke at about 6:40 in our “new” time zone (Mountain Daylight Time). We were camped at Hell’s Canyon Park, right by the reservoir, but I found a dirt road that led back into the hills, away from the sounds of traffic and river. About a mile along this road were some nice flat boulders for me to sit and enjoy the beautiful desert silence. The bees humming in the flowers, the breeze ruffling the leaves, the birds chirping in the distance just magnified the serenity and quiet.

We drove to the Hell’s Canyon visitor center for breakfast. The visitor center was small and had little to teach us. We wandered around the riverside for a bit, watched enviously as some rafters embarked down the river, then got back on the road.

Our next destination was Meridian, ID, where we were royally welcomed by Hugh and Mary Mitzner’s (Pam’s sister’s parents-in-law). After a brief tutorial in the history and geology of Idaho, they treated us to a swim at the community pool. The kids inflicted much pain on themselves by their attempts to dive form the 12-foot diving board. Then we returned to our guest house (also courtesy of the Mitzners) for showers and fresh clothes. We all stuffed ourselves at a super barbecue restaurant and then enjoyed a driving tour of the town of Meridian and Nampa.