To the Moon, Ludwig!

Before we left the family's two older ladies wanted to show me how many bugs, including that biggish moth, Ludwig has killed lately.

We headed toward Idaho the back way, also the shortest way: over the Divide and then along the Big Hole River. There was some minor barfing in the back while driving through some bumpy road construction.

A diaper break in Wisdom turned into a frenzied escape from the billions of mosquitoes which were apparently waiting just for us. Those that made it into Ludwig before the doors got shut were dispatched before we got moving (more dead bugs). This is my attempt to photograph the eleven that were waiting for a chance to get in, near the driver's side window.

Mosquitoes vanquished, we made it to Lost Trail Pass on the MT/ID border. The lady in the visitor center was really enthusiastic about feeding the resident chipmunks, which we've always stressed to E is a bad thing. E did us proud and refused the lady's strangely dogged insistence that she feed them as well.

I guess doing this is a thing.

Into Idaho!

Aaaaand right away another diaper break. E is showing how she can lock the window by herself.

Okay, onward again.

A failed shot of one of those awesome truck tipping over signs.

Roads that huddle up against huge rocks? One of my favorite things.

I like it when rivers do it too.

This isn't Idaho's highest mountain, Borah Peak, but it's somewhere near it in the same range. We drove past Borah later, but it too was cloud-covered.

Past Willow Creek Summit the climate changed from alpine to semi-arid. It's basically a sagebrush desert, as seen here around Number Hill above Arco (every graduating class since 1920 has added their digits).

Not that we explored it, but Arco is kind of a weird little town. Number Hill, "First City in the World to be Lit by Atomic Power", this satanic submarine conning tower (technically, "sail"). Weird.

E did a celebratory rock climb and dance after we finally arrived at Craters of the Moon.

More "I'm finally out of the car" excitement. I say so often that we get the best campsites that it might seem untrue, but seriously, I think 36 is the best one in this campground.

(continued....)