God's Beauty in Idaho Cont.
God’s Beauty in Idaho Day 2
To see Day 1 click Here.
After our wonderful day at Thousand Springs State Park we rested and began the last day of our getaway. We took a couple more pictures outside our cute Airbnb, and then drove South to Twin Falls in hopes of seeing the majestic Shoshone Falls.
As we drove to the falls the air was pretty smoky. The smoke that had interrupted our photo taking the day before had increased and put a smoky haze over the entire area. We followed some very well placed signs towards the falls and on our way we were pleasantly surprised when we saw the spire to the Twin Falls Idaho Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. We immediately pulled over and enjoyed the Spirit we could feel just being on the temple grounds.
Because of Covid-19 the temples were only open to a few people. We ran into a sweet couple who served in the temple and they told us how delightful the marriages are that take place inside during this difficult time. They shared with us a story about young lady was quite happy with the fewer people being allowed in as she had wanted a small wedding and felt Covid was a blessing for her.
The Twin Falls, Idaho Temple reminded me of the Oquirrh Mountain, Utah Temple in size. However the grounds behind the temple were stunningly exquisite. There was a fountain and a beautiful sitting area with ample lush green lawns.
I love seeing God's beauty in nature but also in man's creations. I think He inspires us to create beautiful buildings, artwork, music, etc.
The desire to create is one of the deepest yearnings of the human soul.
Dieter F. Uchtdorf
Print this beautiful watercolor out by clicking here.
We were sad to leave without going in but excited to see the falls that many call “The Niagara of the West.”
The land surrounding the Snake River is very flat. The Snake River cuts through the land with giant cliffs on either side that one must travel down in order to get to the river. This landscape worked to our advantage as the smoke stayed above the cliffs as we drove down into the canyon. It was delightful to see small waterfalls coming out of the canyon walls as we descended.
There is a fee to enter the park but the station was closed we assumed because of Covid-19. When we reached the parking lot we were greeted by a charming park full of trees with vibrant fall colors.
Shoshone Falls Park
As we got out of the car we were surprised that we couldn't hear the falls. We went over to an area that put us on the top rear of the falls and this us what we saw:
We should be looking at the river running over the ledge.
We couldn't believe it. We rushed over to the front of the falls and were even more disappointed.
Little did we know that much of the water is diverted upstream to use for irrigation and even more is used for a power plant.
Please take note that the best time to visit Shoshone Falls is in the spring when there is plenty of runoff.
Nevertheless we made the most we could and took pictures of the beautiful turquoise water, and the rocks behind a waterfall. (I mean who gets to do that?) We also found a small “waterfall” and enjoyed practicing longer exposures with my camera.
After leaving the falls we drove over to the Perrine Memorial Bridge, a beautiful truss arch bridge that spans the Snake River. This is another example of man's amazing abilities to create. I love seeing how humans can compliment the surrounding nature. Here you can really see the steep cliffs on either side of the Snake River. We learned that the canyon was formed when the ancient Lake Bonneville broke its natural dam and came rushing down the Snake River pounding into the land and carving the majestic canyons we now enjoy.
Someday I think it would be delightful to travel some of the Snake River and be able to look up at the appealing rock faces.
As we traveled home that day we did see plumes of smoke brought in by the wind. It was a humbling sight. To know how much beauty nature creates but also how much damage it can do. I am grateful for those who fight back those fires and make us safe to continue to enjoy God’s Beauty around us.
